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Four measures that would provide money to local school districts will appear on Bay Area ballots in a special election today, including the $233-a-year Measure G parcel tax in Pleasanton.
Measure G would levy an annual $233 parcel tax for four years and exempt senior and disabled citizens if they apply for those exemptions. The money would go toward the Pleasanton Unified School District.
Voters in Piedmont will decide on two school-related measures as well: Measures B and E.
Measure B would enact special taxes in amounts determined by square footage and type of dwelling. The money would go toward retaining teachers, maintaining small class sixes and protecting instructional programs and services in the Piedmont Unified School District.
Measure E would also enact special taxes in amounts determined by square footage and type of dwelling, averaging about $249 per parcel, for three years.
That money would go toward offsetting the loss of state funds by providing temporary local funding to the Piedmont Unified School District.
The measures, including Measure G in Pleasanton, require two-thirds approval to pass.
Voters in San Mateo County will decide on their own school measure–also called Measure E–which would enact an annual tax of $91 per parcel for five years.
The money would go toward retaining teachers, maintaining classroom programs, keeping libraries open, preserving art, music and physical education classes, and continuing tutoring in reading and math.
The parcel tax would exempt seniors and no money would go toward administrator salaries.
The measure requires two-thirds approval to pass.
Laura Dudnick,Bay City News
Laura Dudnick,Bay City News
Regardless of what happens today, we are going to have to get government employee costs, including salary, health benefits, legacy benefits, and pension plans under control. Through union negations with administrators that adhere to a “me too” policy, the public sector has far outpaced the private sector for lifetime compensation when all factors are considered. Soon reform will be a matter of necessity, not choice.
In the spirit of what embodies this town of Pleasanton that I love dearly, I hope that we can come together regardless of the outcome of this very polarizing & bitter issue to work & make our schools & especially their unions & administration a more efficient, responsive & effective governing entity.
If I’ll be paying an additional $233 a year I want to know for sure that this money is going to it’s most vital recipients & not to some nameless, faceless administrator.
Finally we can stop bashing each other; we can stop bashing the teachers who spend countless hours with our children and do an incredible job; we can stop reading too many blog entries from both sides that have selective information; we can become a civilized community again that I call home.