The downgrade of the San Diego Unified School District’s (SDUSD) long-term credit rating and unknowns over school closures are raising questions about the status of Proposition S dollars and the future school projects they are intended to fund. Prop. S is the $2.1 billion general obligation bond measure passed by voters in 2008 to repair schools. At the Nov. 1 school board meeting, Ron Little, chief financial officer for the district, said downgrades by Moody’s Investor Service and Standard and Poor’s Rating Services would increase the cost of long-term borrowing for the district’s general obligation bonds. Lee Dulgeroff, executive director for the district’s facilities planning and construction arm, told the board that Prop. S projects are increasing in cost and the program will now take 15-20 years to complete instead of the planned 10 years. He said to fulfill all projects, it will be cost more than $2.1 billion. He estimated the increase to between $10 million to $140 million, depending on the costs to issue bonds. In his recommendation to the board, Gil Johnson, chairman of the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee that oversees Proposition S funds, said if the district moves ahead with its plan to close schools, the following action should be taken: • There should not be any additional Prop. S-funded work done on schools to be closed. • Any money that is saved from canceled construction work should not be used for new projects or to reshuffle existing project sequencing or priorities. • Any funds saved should be used to accelerate existing Prop. S projects in accordance with original priority sequencing. A multitude of projects, estimated to cost $40 milllion to $50 million, are slated for Point Loma’s 10 schools. Added to the cluster’s Prop. S list after the bond passed was a $9 million multi-field sports complex at Correia Junior High. Carey Dawidzik, who has been instrumental in the new lacrosse program at Point Loma High School, made a plea to the school board Tuesday to make the Correia complex a Prop. S priority. She told trustees that Point Loma is one of the smallest high schools in the district with limited playing fields. She said Correia was a good option because it’s safe walking distance through nice neighborhoods from Point Loma High School and could be used for other non-sporting events like band and cheer squads. Trustee Scott Barnett said he told the community there is no Prop. S money allocated for Correia, but believes funds could be raised to make it a reality. Options to fund the project could be individual fundraising efforts or use of Prop. S funds from other Point Loma schools.