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Measure C School Funding Measure Franklin-McKinley School District Parcel Tax - 2/3 approval required 1,777 / 57.4% Yes votes ...... 1,321 / 42.6% No votes
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Index of all Measures |
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Information shown below: Yes/No Meaning | Impartial Analysis | Arguments | Full Text | |||||
To provide equal educational programs and materials to Franklin-McKinley Elementary School District children as those in other Santa Clara schools, shall Franklin-McKinley Elementary School District levy an annual special tax of $8 per month per parcel, (with the annual appropriation limit reauthorized by voters) with annual cost of living increase capped at 3%, exempting parcels owned and occupied by persons 65 years or older to keep libraries open, purchase books, support science, reading, counseling programs and maintain small class sizes?
The Board of Trustees of the Franklin-McKinley School District proposes levying a qualified special tax on each parcel within the district. The owners of each parcel in the district would pay a tax of $8 per month. The special tax would be subject to an annual adjustment equal to the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index, San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose Metropolitan Area, but not to exceed three percent (3 %). The purposes of the tax include (1) libraries in all the elementary schools; (2) small class sizes in kindergarten through third grade; (3) programs that help children with learning disabilities; (4) middle school counseling programs; (5) reading and literacy programs and core-reading books; and (6) science programs. Any owner, age 65 and over, who occupies a parcel as a principal residence will be exempt from the special tax following a one-time application for exemption. In addition, only one tax will be assessed to owners whose property includes two or more contiguous parcels and is used solely as an owner-occupied single family residence. If the special tax is approved, the Board of Trustees will appoint a community advisory committee to monitor all expenditures of the special tax proceeds and report annually on how the funds have been spent. If the special tax is approved, the district's appropriations limit would be increased by the amount equal to the special tax for each year the special tax is authorized. A "yes" vote is a vote to approve a qualified special tax on parcels within the Franklin-McKinley School District. A "no" vote is a vote not to approve the qualified special tax.
Ann Miller Ravel
By: Lisa Herrick
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Official Information
Supporters
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Arguments For Measure C | Arguments Against Measure C |
(No arguments in favor were submitted)
| This measure places a new $6 MILLION parcel tax before the voters. With the local unemployment rate at 8.6%, now is the wrong time to heighten financial burdens on already struggling property owners and their tenants.
The state is facing a severe budget deficit. Schools will be receiving less money. Why is Franklin-McKinley School District asking for this new tax? To free up money for salaries and benefits! Money raised by this new tax may be withdrawn by the state as no longer needed. There is no requirement that any current funding go to keeping libraries open, purchase books, support science, reading and counseling programs and maintain small class sizes. Most of this new tax would be used to fund already funded programs. Then the original funds would be diverted to any type of spending, whatsoever, including administrative salaries. The school board stated this, at its 03/04/02 meeting, and said their intention was to use 50% of the amount of money raised by this new tax for teachers' salaries and other teachers' benefits. Original funds are planned to be diverted also to salaries for secretaries, custodians and librarians. This tax increase has been poorly thought out from start to finish. Why the big rush to get this tax increase before the voters in a special election? This special election will cost the district between $126,000 and $177,000. Money that is lost from critical programs. The board hasn't fully considered whether budget cuts can be made to free up funds for the stated purposes. Families' budgets are being slashed throughout the district's homes-why not on this school board? Vote for responsible, planned, effective education spending. You can be FOR students, FOR schools, and AGAINST Measure C. VOTE NO ON MEASURE C!
For more information please visit our website at
Ray Strong
Dennis Umphress
Jack E. Davis
George M. Swenson
Mark W.A. Hinkle
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Full Text of Measure C |
To provide equal educational programs and materials to Franklin-McKinley Elementary School District children as those in other Santa Clara schools, shall Franklin-McKinley Elementary School District levy an annual special tax of $8 per month per parcel, (with the annual appropriation limit reauthorized by voters) with annual cost of living increase capped at 3%, exempting parcels owned and occupied by persons 65 years or older to keep libraries open, purchase books, support
science, reading, counseling programs and maintain small class sizes by undertaking such actions as:
(d) insuring local students have equal educational programs and materials as other Santa Clara County students by Generating local funding for our schools that cannot be taken away by the State of California and used for other purposes; (e) keeping libraries at all 14 elementary schools open; (f) continuing programs that help children with learning disabilities; (g) purchasing core-reading books to meet current curriculum standards throughout the District; (h) continuing middle school counseling programs aimed at keeping kids in school, off drugs and out of gangs; (i) maintaining reading and literacy programs in grades K to 8, throughout the district aimed at ensuring every child can read; (j) preserving science programs throughout the District. Under no circumstances will any of the proceeds of the special tax be used for administrative salaries. An exemption will be granted for any parcel owned by one or more persons 65 years of age or older who occupies a parcel as a principal residence, following a onetime application for exemption. To provide additional accountability, a community budget advisory committee will be appointed by the Board of Trustees of the District to monitor all expenditures funded by this Measure to ensure that the funds are spent wisely and used only for the purposes approved by the voters. The budget advisory committee will report on an annual basis to the community on how these funds have been spent. A parcel is defined as a unit of land in the District which now receives a separate tax bill from the Santa Clara County Assessor's Office, except that only one tax will be assessed to owners whose property includes two or more contiguous parcels and that is used solely as an owner-occupied single family residence. All property which would otherwise be exempt from property taxes also will be exempt from the special tax. This Measure also will increase the District's Gann appropriation limit in an amount equal to the special tax for each year the special tax is authorized, as permitted by Article XIIIB, Section 4 of the California Constitution. This increase is required for the District to use the funds generated by the special tax. |