Rebuttal to argument against Measure A
Scotts Valley students and staff need Measure A now to address critical health needs and crumbling infrastructure. Here is why we cannot wait:
- Students will return to school soon. We must address critical safety issues now in light of new health requirements. The District cannot wait for these aged-out infrastructure systems to fail one after the other.
- Power, Internet, and classroom technologies need significant upgrades to support teaching to K-12 Next Generation Science Standards.
- The District’s general fund cannot handle these extraordinary expenses without severely cutting educational programs and staff. Sacramento’s broken funding formula leaves SVUSD as the 7th lowest-funded Unified School District in California.
- Bond elections occur only in a regular election cycle; our aging and obsolete ventilation, security, and electrical systems cannot wait another two years.
Measure A makes financial sense – tax rates will be lower in the coming years as both the refinanced 2013 bonds that funded SVHS and the parcel tax expire in 2024.
The 2055-56 term identifies the longest permitted financing. We are not obligated to this schedule. Most of the 2014 bonds that funded SVMS have a 15-year maturity.
SVUSD has a reputation for fiscal prudence. Our infrastructure is outdated, there are no other funding sources, and these projects will only get more costly over time. Our students and staff deserve safe facilities, suitable for the hazards of our times and the educational programs they need.
Measure A will fund these facility needs for the next generation.
Hannah Walsh
Teacher and SVEA President
Jane McElrone
Accountant and SVHS Parent Club President
Michael Shulman
Governing Boardmember, Scotts Valley Unified School District