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To minimize educational cuts, including science instructors, qualified teachers, and school libraries, shall the San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District collect $11.25/month per taxable parcel for five years, with independent citizen oversight and exemptions for parcels owned/occupied by seniors (65+), for educational purposes such as: Smaller class sizes, Retaining qualified teachers, Science and computer instruction, Arts and music education, Advanced classes for college preparation, and shall the District’s annual appropriations limit be raised by such amount? |
IMPARTIAL
ANALYSIS OF MEASURE A If this measure is approved by at least two-thirds of those voting on it, the San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District (“the School District”) will be authorized to levy a new special tax assessment on real property. The tax would be imposed for five years beginning at the rate of $11.25 per month on each taxable parcel of land within the School District. Over one year, the tax would therefore total $135. The
proceeds of the parcel tax, if approved, may be applied only for the purposes
set out in the text of Measure A in this pamphlet. In
accord with State law, the School District shall create a designated account
into which the proceeds of the tax will be deposited, and the District Board
will file an annual report accounting for the parcel tax revenues collected
and the manner in which they have
been spent. In addition, an
independent community oversight committee shall be appointed to ensure that
tax revenues are spent wisely and only for purposes approved by the voters. The
special tax shall be collected by the Santa Cruz County Tax Collector in the
same manner and subject to the same penalties as those property taxes which
are based upon property value. Property
owners 65 years of age or older may apply for an exemption from the tax if
they reside on said parcel. If
the special tax is approved, the
measure provides that the annual
appropriations (spending) limit of the District which is imposed by the
California Constitution will adjust upward to an amount which includes the
proceeds from the special tax. The School District is subject to Proposition
4 which was enacted in 1979 and is now California Constitution Article
XIIIB. It limits governmental
spending by setting an annual appropriations limit for governmental
agencies. The limit is based on the
previous year’s limit, adjusted for changes in the cost of living and
population. Article XIIIB permits
the voters to change the spending limitation for a period of time not to
exceed four years from the vote creating or continuing such change A
“yes” vote is to approve imposition of the special parcel tax and the raising
of the School District’s annual appropriations limit by the same amount. A
“no” vote is against imposition of the special parcel tax and the raising of
the School District’s annual appropriations limit by the same amount. DANA McRAE, COUNTY COUNSEL. By Jane M. Scott, Assistant County Counsel |
FULL
TEXT OF BALLOT MEASURE A
To minimize educational
cuts, including science instructors, qualified teachers, and school
libraries, maintain high-quality education in local schools; attract and
retain experienced, qualified teachers; support art, music, science, computer
instruction and other programs, shall San Lorenzo Valley Unified School
District collect a parcel tax of $11.25 per month per taxable parcel, with
required citizen oversight, exemptions for parcels owned and occupied by
persons 65 years or older, for five years, and shall the District’s annual
appropriations limit be raised by such amount, by undertaking actions such
as: (a)
support
smaller class sizes; (b)
attract,
hire and retain qualified and experienced teachers and other employees; (c)
support
programs such as music, art, science and computer instruction; (d)
support
school libraries; (e)
support
career preparation curriculum and advanced placement courses for college
preparation. An exemption shall be
granted for any parcel owned by one or more persons 65 years of age or over
who occupies said parcel as a principal residence, upon one-time application
for exemption. This Measure will also
increase the District’s Gann Appropriation Limit in an amount equal to the
levy of special taxes for said year, as permitted by Article XIIIB, Section 4
of the California Constitution. This
increase is required for the District to use the revenues generated by the
tax. To insure additional accountability, an independent community oversight committee shall be appointed by the Board of Trustees to oversee all expenditures funded by the measure to ensure that said funds are spent wisely and used only for purposes approved by the voters. The oversight committee shall monitor the expenditures of these funds by the District and shall report on an annual basis to the community on how these funds have been spent. |
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44-501
VOTER
INFORMATION PAMPHLET
MEASURES, ANALYSES AND
ARGUMENTS (whichever is applicable to
your ballot) Arguments in support of, or in opposition to, the proposed laws are the opinions of the authors. |
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ARGUMENT IN FAVOR
OF MEASURE A
Schools in the San Lorenzo
Valley are in a very serious budget crisis. Declining enrollment and reduced
state funding have caused a serious budget shortfall. To save money, the San
Lorenzo Valley Unified School District (SLVUSD) has made deep administrative
cuts, closed schools, reduced teaching materials and cut programs. If this
measure fails, SLVUSD will have to proceed with plans to cut $1.5 million
more from its 2003 budget: meaning teacher layoffs, larger classes, and
cutbacks in music, art, science, libraries, and computer classes. Measure A is the only way to protect local
students from these devastating budget cuts.
By
law, every dollar from Measure A will be used right here in local schools and
can’t be taken by the state. Measure
A is necessary to: ·
preserve
small class sizes ·
attract,
hire and retain qualified and experienced teachers ·
save programs such as music, art, science ·
update
computer technology ·
keep
school libraries open and accessible to students · support career preparation curriculum and advanced
placement courses for college preparation Citizens 65 years of age and over can be exempt from
this measure. The exemption form can be submitted confidentially by mail. We
need support from our entire community to pass this measure and protect our
schools. SLVUSD
has an outstanding record of academic achievement and is one of the top
districts in the area. But these substantial budget cuts will severely harm
the quality of local education. Annual
independent audits show SLVUSD’s long, public record of responsible financial
management. An independent volunteer citizen oversight committee will ensure
that all Measure A funds are used efficiently, for voter-approved purposes
and only to benefit local students. Please join former
Assemblymember Fred Keeley and hundreds of neighbors in saving our schools
from very harmful budget cuts. Vote YES on A. s/ Stephen T Sanders,
Ben Lomond Fire Chief Valley Women’s Club of SLV s/ Nancy B. Macy, Board Member s/ John Jeffrey
Almquist, County Supervisor s/ Douglas K. Morris,
English Teacher/Coach s/ Mary Hammer |
REBUTTAL TO
AGRUMENT IN FAVOR OF MEASURE A $135
per year tax increase per parcel is requested by the SLV Unified School
District. Local facts: · $33,256,000.00
is the total budgeted revenue for SLVUSD 2002-2003. · Approximately
93% of the budget is spent on salaries, 7% on physical plant and reserves. · The
total enrollment for 2002-2003 is 3869 students. · Revenue
per student is $8,596.00. · There
are 402 employees including teachers, classified, custodial and support
personnel. · 9.6
students per district employee. We are in hard economic
times. · 12%
average unemployment rate (January 2003) for Santa Cruz, Monterey, San
Benito, & Santa Clara counties. (Cal.EDD) · Salaries
are stagnating. · Student
enrollment is down 20% over 10 years and families are leaving the Valley
bound for lower cost of living areas. · In
5 years the tax increase money stops. In hard economic times,
families defer luxuries and tighten their belts. When the community
experiences economic hardship, the hardship should be shared equally. $8,596.00
per pupil is what a family could expect to pay for a private high school
tuition. Our school district can do better. We are intelligent
and committed to our children. Let’s work together during these trying
times and find ways to economize without creating a further financial burden
on families who are trying to make ends meet. Vote NO on Measure A. s/ John Mancini Chairman, Santa Cruz County Reform Party s/ Patrick Dugan Director, Santa Cruz County Libertarian Party s/ Skip Matthes President, SLV Chamber
of Commerce |
44-502
VOTER
INFORMATION PAMPHLET
MEASURES, ANALYSES AND
ARGUMENTS (whichever is applicable to
your ballot) Arguments in support of, or in opposition to, the proposed laws are the opinions of the authors. |
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ARGUMENT AGAINST MEASURE A
A
no vote on “Measure A” doesn't mean that we are against education. We
have always supported excellence in education and are proponents of effective
use of taxpayer money to improve education. Once
again the school district is asking us for millions of dollars. This is the 5th time in 10
years. And just like before, we hear
the same story: “This time if you
just give us more money everything will be alright from now on.” We keep giving more and more money and
they keep saying: “This time things will get better, education will
improve.” However, things are not
getting better. Student achievement
has declined, test results have become more disappointing, and college
remedial education is at an all time high.
The
district claims enrollment is way down and declining; yet they want a huge
increase in their budget to operate the district. In this downturn economy unemployment is reaching double
figures and salaries are stagnating. Can we taxpayers really afford the
district’s request that we increase our property taxes to give
their employees and administrators a raise in salaries and benefits? Our property taxes keep growing
annually. Special taxes, fees, and
assessments along with regular property taxes are reaching pre-Proposition 13
levels. Is this increase of almost
$12 million in property taxes prudent? Throwing
more money at the problem is not the answer.
The government approach of just raising taxes and spending more will
not help. Responsible management and
financial accountability is a more realistic approach to deal with the
situation. Furthermore,
if the economy does pick up in two or three years and not as much of this tax
is needed, are they going to give it back or reduce our tax burden? Don’t hold your breath. Please vote no on
Measure A. s/ John Mancini Chairman, Santa Cruz County Reform Party s/ Patrick Dugan Director, Santa Cruz County Libertarian Party s/ Skip Matthes President, SLV Chamber
of Commerce |
REBUTTAL TO ARGUMENT AGAINST MEASURE A We
can’t afford to act like ostriches with our heads in the sand. Our school district is
facing a very serious budget problem. In
response to this tremendous challenge, with the full support of district
teachers and staff, our new school board and new superintendent have
implemented an aggressive plan to address this deficit, while keeping their
commitment to excellence in education for our children. Historically, we have never faced
State cutbacks and deficits
like these. For
the upcoming school year alone, science classes, the only district nurse, and
health services for low income children are threatened with cuts. Class sizes have been drastically increased. These represent only the first wave of more
drastic cuts in the coming years. If
this ballot measure passes, many of the most painful cutbacks can be
reversed. State
law allows no other way to increase revenues to address this serious problem.
Measure A is our only option for protecting local students from the impact of
damaging budget cuts. Measure
A is a significant way to maintain our community commitment to excellence in
education in our children’s education. If these cuts are not reversed, the
quality of education in local schools will suffer seriously. Declining
schools reduce property values. No
one likes taxes. There simply is no other choice. If this measure does not pass, our schools and children will
suffer irreparable damage. For the
future of our children and community, please vote “Yes on A”. s/
Jeff Calden, San Lorenzo Valley High School Teacher s/
Douglass M. Crocker, Parent s/
Pam Falke-Krueger, Community Member/parent s/
Jacqui Rice, Community Member/parent s/
Judy Darnell, Member, SLV Rotary |
44-503