Your donation will help us produce journalism like this. Please give today.

Via KPCC | By Annie Gilbertson

The Los Angeles Unified spends the least on maintenance and operations of California’s largest school district, according to new analysis by a district committee. The committee, which oversees bond money used for major repairs, argues the district should increase maintenance spending to avoid more costly work from deterioration created by compounding problems.

“If you don’t maintain it, it falls apart and then it comes back to us as a big repair,” said Scott Folsom, a committee member. “We didn’t fix the pipes so now we are replacing all the plumbing.”

According the committee’s new report the district dedicated 8.6 percent of its total expenditures on maintenance and operations last year, covering work such as electrical and plumbing repairs in addition to cleaning and on-going maintenance such as replacing filters and light bulbs. In dollars, it adds up to $99 million for repairs.

Read the full story here.