Posted by charlie Brown, a resident of the Pleasanton Valley neighborhood, on Mar 15, 2012 at 8:24 am

You have got to be kidding? A "Lock BOx", I believe the last lock box I can remember is the Social Security lock box. There is not a lock box in all captivity that is strong enough to keep a determined government from opening! As for the 12 years, nothing ends, I recall when the Bay Bridge opened, you paid 25 cents in each direction and the tolls were supposed to end once the bridge was paid off, how much are bridge tolls now?

Posted by AnnaS, a member of the Foothill High School community, on Mar 15, 2012 at 9:01 am

The district would probably generate $12 million in 2013, and the next thing the county will do is take away $12 million, and the state will take away another $12 million or more. Redistribution of wealth will not stop unless everybody will become equally poor. Of course, with the exception of the ones who are "more equal than others". But, working families of Pleasanton don't belong to that category.

Posted by Hmm, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Mar 15, 2012 at 9:37 am

Don't they realize that once the money that the government takes in any of these plans is taken much of the charitable donations will dry up. The taxpayers who will pay the most are already paying huge tax bills and they also fund everything else at the schools.

Posted by Steve, a resident of the Pleasanton Village neighborhood, on Mar 15, 2012 at 10:28 am

They won't be prying money from my cold dead hand's, thats for sure. Vise Principle's? Like who cares? They are so over-rated, as are the Principal's who are nothing but glorified crossing guards. We did'nt need Principle's where I grew up in Nebraska. The kids will be fine.

Posted by Take a hike in BERKELEY !, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Mar 15, 2012 at 11:51 am

BE WARE ! ! we don't need the people's republic 'using' pleasanton's limo liberals to conned dummies.

Posted by Bill, a resident of the Amberwood/Wood Meadows neighborhood, on Mar 15, 2012 at 12:43 pm

Why do you need Vice Principles except at the high school level? Why do you need counselors except at the high school level? Why reading specialists and assorted other positions that were not needed when the baby boomer generation was going to school? Principle and office staff, teachers, and a custodian, period.

Why are county education administrators making near $300,000 a year?

Why is any state or county administrator making more then the state governor?

And they want to tax us more in a state that already has the highest sales tax and income tax in the nation.

If these people are so interested in education, then they should donate the $1000 per child tax credit that they get from the federal government. Leave the rest of us alone.

Posted by Parent and Resident, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Mar 15, 2012 at 5:16 pm

NO NO NO!!!

They are hiring new PIOs, giving car allowances to the superintendent, allowing older teachers to retire with a handsome pension, mismanaging money left and right, all while cutting programs for our kids.

I will vote NO on this dumb idea, and Sandy, I hope you do not run for the board, you are just another Laursen: not willing to address the problem, thinking more money is the answer.

Posted by fix the problems, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Mar 15, 2012 at 5:45 pm

I will not support any tax increase until they first fix the retirement and retiree medical problems. I am not interested in giving them more money so they can kick the can a little further down the road, further increasing the debt our children will have to pay for. Our kids are unable to vote but they will be left with the bill.

Good info this week from the Education Action Group Foundation in Michigan talking about how the collective bargaining curbs save Wisconsin school millions. The superintendent of school there had a good quote:

“Act 10, or at least some form of it, was desperately needed,” the report quotes from Glenn Schilling, superintendent of Hartland-Lakeside schools. “Collective bargaining is outdated. Things that made sense 20 or 30 years ago no longer make sense. But to get things out of the contract and make needed changes was impossible.”

Posted by john, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Mar 15, 2012 at 8:01 pm

This sounds like a pretty good idea to me. It addresses some of the concerns people had with parcel taxes, like everyone paying the same amount regardless of the size of the house.

I would also like to see Sacramento fix the retirement, but I see that as a separate issue.

Posted by Francis, a resident of the Pleasanton Heights neighborhood, on Mar 23, 2012 at 8:39 am

I think as Californian we already pay more taxes than anywhere else, they should start managing our money better rather than hike taxes. If they take this money for education, we'll see that in a few years they will redirect it toward something else and we will just end up paying more taxes for something we didn't vote for.

I'm completely against this rate increase, I think the desire is valuable but the trust is misplaced.

We are paying too much taxes already, is the money going??

Posted by Kathleen Ruegseggerr, a resident of the Vintage Hills Elementary School neighborhood, on Mar 23, 2012 at 9:00 am

Francis, It would be my concern as well . . . nearly all the proposed measures meant to supplement educational funding end up supplanting existing funding instead.