4,133 / 80.6% Yes votes ...... 994 / 19.4% No votes

See Also: Index of all Measures

Meaning of Voting Yes/No

A YES vote of this measure means:

A "yes" vote on this measure would allow a special tax to be continued to be levied on all taxable parcels in the Menlo Park City Elementary School District in an amount of up to $97 per year to be adjusted annually by the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose Metropolitan Area Consumer Price Index. It would also allow the appropriations (spending) limit to be raised.

A NO vote of this measure means:

A "no" vote on this measure would not allow the special tax to be levied and would not allow the appropriations limit to be raised.

The California Constitution and state law authorize a school district, upon approval of two-thirds of the voting electorate, to levy a qualified special tax for specified purposes.

Presently, the Menlo Park City Elementary School District annually levies two special taxes totaling approximately $428 per parcel. One tax was adopted by the voters in April of 2000 at a rate of $298, adjusted annually by the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose Metropolitan Area Consumer Price Index, is currently collected at a rate of approximately $331 per parcel and has no expiration date. The other tax, adopted by the voters in November of 1995 at a rate of $76 per parcel, adjusted annually by the same Consumer Index, is currently collected at a rate of approximately $97 per parcel and will expire on June 30, 2004.

By this measure, the Board of Trustees of the Menlo Park City Elementary School District proposes to continue levying a special tax at a rate not to exceed $97 per year on all taxable parcels in the District, to be adjusted annually by the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose Metropolitan Area Consumer Price Index or comparable index.

A parcel shall be defined as any unit of land in the District which now receives a separate tax bill from San Mateo County. Any person 65 years of age or older who owns and occupies a parcel may qualify for an exemption from the special tax. All property which would otherwise be exempt from property taxes will also be exempt from imposition of this special tax.

The Trustees have listed the purposes of the special tax to be the maintenance of smaller class sizes for all students and for teaching positions to facilitate the smaller class sizes.

The proceeds of the special tax will be placed into a special account.

The Board of Trustees must file an annual report accounting for the parcel tax revenues collected and the manner in which they have been spent.

This measure would also increase the District's appropriations limit per fiscal year, in an amount equal to the levy of the special tax for that year, as permitted by Article XIIIB, section 4 of the California Constitution.

This measure passes if two-thirds of those voting on the measure vote "yes."

Measure A renews the school parcel tax first approved in 1992 and overwhelmingly renewed in 1995. For over a decade, the funds raised by this local education tax have ensured small class sizes for all students in kindergarten through eighth grades at Laurel, Encinal, Oak Knoll, and Hillview schools. Approval of Measure A will renew this investment in classroom excellence.

Without Measure A, our schools will lose $742,000 in parcel tax revenues and an additional $500,000 from the state's Class Size Reduction program.

The impact of losing these funds is unacceptable:

• 21 classroom teachers will lose their jobs
• Class sizes in kindergarten through third grade will balloon by 40%
• Class sizes in fourth through eighth grades will increase by 25%

A separate proposal, Measure B, will restore a portion of these budget cuts. However, only the stable, ongoing funding from Measure A will help to ensure that the district can continue to offer small class sizes to all students.

The cost of Measure A is identical to what property owners now pay: $97 per year. There is a complete exemption from the tax available to anyone who owns and occupies a home in the district and who is 65 years old or older.

The schools in Menlo Park reflect a long tradition of strong community support for quality classroom education. Today our local schools face extraordinary financial challenges.

On November 4th join us in voting Yes to meet those challenges.

Keep our schools strong. Vote Yes to Renew and Vote Yes to Restore -- Vote Yes on Measures A and B.

/s/ John D. Jorgenson July 31, 2003 Former Menlo Park City Attorney

/s/ James K. MacKenzie August 4, 2003 Menlo-Atherton High School Teacher

/s/ Linda R. Meier July 29, 2003 Community Volunteer

/s/ Mike Montgomery July 25, 2003 Stanford University Men's Basketball Coach

/s/ Charles R. Schwab August 12, 2003 Business Executive

Class size reduction has been used as an emotional plea to increase funding for education. Of course it's nice to have more teacher student contact! That's why many parents choose to have their children tutored at home. And, they do this in spite of the enormous tax burden placed upon them to support government schools, which consume more than $10,000/year per student in K-12.

Class size reduction was a convenient way to fill the overbuilt facilities which were predicated on predictions of enrollment growth which failed to materialize.

At a time when the State's bond rating is in the tank , school districts should exercise fiscal restraint.

It is time to discontinue this Parcel Tax, along with the divisive Senior exemption which it employs to buy votes.

Vote NO on fiscal irresponsibility

Vote NO on Measure A

/s/ John J. "Jack" Hickey August 15, 2003 Chair, Libertarian Party of San Mateo County

On November 4th, our community will determine the future of the four schools in the Menlo Park City School District.

• Every Yes vote on Measure A is a vote to maintain excellence in our children's classrooms.

• Every No vote on Measure A is a vote to increase class sizes by up to 40%.

We urge you to learn more about Measure A at http://www.AboutMeasuresAandB.com.

Two factual errors in the Opposition Argument must be corrected:

• Measure A is not a bond, and has absolutely no connection to California's bond rating.
• California does NOT spend more than $10,000 per student in K-12 classes. In fact, California spends thousands of dollars less per pupil than claimed. Over the last three years California has ranked between 27th and 35th in the nation in per pupil expenditures, and is next to last in per pupil expenditures when compared to the 10 most populous states in the country.

Keep our schools strong.

Vote Yes to Renew and Vote Yes to Restore.

Vote Yes on Measures A and B.

/s/ Marty Arscott August 22, 2003 Co-Chair, 1992 Parcel Tax Campaign, Menlo Park City Elementary School District

/s/ Bud Colligan August 21, 2003 Business Executive

/s/ Gordon Lewin August 19, 2003 Trustee, Sequoia Union High School District

/s/ Samuel Sinnott August 19, 2003 Architect

/s/ Lucile Spurlock August 19, 2003 Community Volunteer