Voters’ approval of a bond to provide more than $10.4 billion to California public schools translates to a $6.8 million infusion of funds over two years to improve the infrastructure of Sacramento State buildings.

Proposition 1D, passed by 56.6 percent of voters, will provide funding to repair and upgrade buildings for a growing student population in the K-12, the California community college, the University of California and the California State University systems.

Elementary, middle and high schools will receive $7.3 billion, community colleges will receive $1.5 billion, the UC system will receive $890 million and the CSU system will receive $690 million.

“It’s a good thing for facilities and for the university,” Vice President of Facilities Services Ron Richardson said in one of two telephone interviews.

Richardson said the money will be used for minor capital outlay projects, work totaling less than $400,000 and including 20 percent of funding to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and capital renewal projects to extend the life of older buildings by upgrading “the guts” of buildings.

Internal building system renewal includes work on heating, ventilation, air conditioning, plumbing, electrical distribution, building exteriors and window work.

Richardson said the specific funding allocation will be determined by the chancellor’s office, and the university will likely be notified of the details sometime in December.

“We don’t know exactly how much we are going to get in minor capital outlay in the next two years,” Richardson said. “That will be determined by the chancellor’s office based on a fair share throughout the system. – They have an idea. We have an idea of what we requested. Will we get it all over the next two years? We don’t know for sure.”

Eugene Lozano, disabilities management counselor of Services to Students with Disabilities, said needed access projects include improving the transit center island at the bus stop adjacent to the J Street entrance and increasing the number of unisex bathrooms.

Associated Students Inc. supported the bond before the election. ASI President Angela Arriola said the Board of Directors is pleased that the proposition passed.

“We have to fall in line with the ADA standards,” Arriola said in one of two interviews. “So a portion of our $6.8 million will go toward getting the Sac State campus more ADA accessible.”

Arriola said Assistant Vice Chancellor of Budget Development for the chancellor’s office Patrick Lenz spoke to the board on Nov. 8 about the development of the CSU budget, to discuss the CSU compact, student fees and outlined how Prop. 1D funds may be used on each campus.

“We understand that the heating/cooling systems in Shasta Hall will be repaired and/or improved,” Arriola wrote in an e-mail interview. “I think this is great. As students, the quality of our classroom environment directly affects the quality of our education.”

Big-ticket items funded in the CSU system include $82 million to replace a natural science and mathematics building at CSU Long Beach, $56 million for a performing arts center at CSU Northridge and $39 million toward student services and an administration building at CSU East Bay.

“I don’t know exactly why there’s such a large gap in what Sac State is getting and what Long Beach is getting,” Arriola said. “But I do know that there is some criteria they follow in order to determine who gets how much, and one of the criteria is based on health and safety issues within buildings on campus.”

Eric Suter, a senior clinical psychology major at Sac State, voted in support of the proposition because it supported higher education and K-12 schools. He expressed concern, however, with the disparity in money going to each CSU campus.

“There’s so much reporting these days about finance misuse and inequality of finance,” Suter said. “If we had been getting the lion’s share up until this point, we would have had to take a hit. But that’s such a staggering amount. I would like to know why. I’ve got to support where I’m going, because I have a vested interest in it.”

Richardson said the university aimed for funding of larger projects, such as a new science building. However, he said, enrollment hasn’t justified a need over other projects within the CSU system.

“Again, there’s a limited amount of dollars for an unlimited amount of requests,” Richardson said. “The chancellor’s office takes all of the campus requests and, through a process of applying categories and criteria for prioritization through the Board of Trustees, they determine a priority list through the system. We were not in the top 15 or 20.”

The East Bay administration building ranked 11th, the Long Beach science and math building ranked 15th and the Northridge performing arts center ranked 16th among the 2006-07 priority list available on the CSU website.

“We’ll be further up the list when the next bond comes around,” Associate Vice President of Public Affairs Frank Whitlatch said.

Nate Miller can be reached at [email protected].