Letter of Support for Measure E

By Ray Gadbois

Ray Gadbois supports Measure E as the beginning of a comprehensive process to make our schools safer for students, teachers, and the whole community

I have many of the same questions and concerns about the seismic risks and the proposed scope and cost of the work. I don't believe we really need to spend $56 million on these projects. And I believe a lot more analysis and discussion needs to happen before we spend that much money. But I also don't want to lose sight of the big picture as we discuss the details of seismic risks, engineering standards, project scope and construction costs.

I have attended most of the meetings and presentations on this topic. Based on everything I have heard from the experts, I believe there are real seismic issues in at least a few of our school buildings. Although we should continue to debate the total scope and cost of the project, we need to do something about these issues to keep our children safe.

Unfortunately, we can't do anything without passing a bond measure. We can't do the detailed engineering, scope and design work necessary to figure out the real cost of the construction project. And we can't do the immediate work required in the short term to mitigate the risk for our students and staff.

So the passage of Measure E is really the beginning of the process, not the end. If voters approve this measure, we should expect the School District and the Board to complete a thorough and thoughtful planning process before spending a lot of money. That includes listening to the experts, asking detailed questions, exploring the options, seeking community input, obtaining competitive bids, applying for state funding, and making tough decisions along the way. Hopefully, we won't need all of the bond money.

However, even if all of the bonds were issued, the tax rate over the next 15 years will be limited to $20 per $100,000 of assessed valuation. So the average taxpayer in Piedmont will only pay $100 per year in additional property taxes. Long time residents will probably pay less, while newer residents (mostly parents) will pay more. The rate goes up in 2021, so the bulk of the debt service will actually be paid by families who move to Piedmont in the next 10 + 15 year (which seems reasonable since they will benefit the most from the safer schools).

Finally, as we debate this topic, I hope that none of us will lose sight of the fact that we have some other very important issues to work on. For example, we have an annual budget of over $24 million supported by an average parcel tax of $1,700 and parent fundraising of over $1.3 million. We need to keep a close eye on this budget so we don't have to come back to the taxpayers for a big increase in the parcel tax every 4 years.

Finally, and most importantly, we need to keep our focus on the quality of the education in our schools, which is the reason many of us are here and one of our most important community assets. So let's get started and then let's do the job right. I urge you to vote yes on Measure E.

Sincerely,

Ray Gadbois