This is an archive of a past election. See http://www.smartvoter.org/ca/sd/ for current information. |
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Proposition S School Repair and Safety Measure San Diego Unified School District 55% Approval Required
See Also:
Index of all Propositions |
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Results as of Jan 24 10:40am |
Information shown below: Yes/No Meaning | Impartial Analysis | Arguments | Tax Rate Statement | | |||||
To improve every neighborhood school by; repairing outdated student restrooms, deteriorated plumbing and roofs; upgrading career/vocational classrooms and labs; providing up-to-date classroom technology; improving school safety/security; replacing dilapidated portable classrooms; upgrading fire alarms; and removing hazardous substances; shall San Diego Unified School District issue $2,100,000,000 in bonds at legal interest rates, requiring independent citizen oversight, annual audits, NO money for administrators, and bonds issued only if NO estimated tax rate increase?
Proceeds from the sale of bonds authorized by this proposition may be used by the District only for the construction, reconstruction and/or rehabilitation of its school facilities, including the furnishing and equipping of its school facilities, acquisition, or lease of real property for its school facilities and construction management by District personnel. The interest rate on any bond, which is established at the time of bond issuance, cannot exceed 12% per annum. The final maturity date of any bond could be no later than 25 years after the date of bonds issued pursuant to the Education Code or not later than 40 years after the date of bonds issued pursuant to the Government Code. Principal and interest on the bonds would be paid by revenue derived from an annual tax levied on taxable property within the District in an amount sufficient to pay the interest as it becomes due and to provide a fund for payment of the principal on or before maturity. California Constitution Article XIII A exempts from the one percent property tax rate limitation ad valorem taxes to pay the interest and redemption charges on any bonded indebtedness for the acquisition or improvement of real property, including the furnishing and equipping of school facilities, when approved by 55% of the voters if: (a) the proceeds from the sale of the bonds are used only for the purposes specified, (b) the District, by evaluating safety, class size reduction, and information technology, has approved a list of specific projects to be funded, (c) the District will conduct an annual, independent performance audit, and (d) the District will conduct an annual, independent financial audit. If a bond measure is approved by 55% of the voters, state law requires the governing board of the District to establish an independent citizens' oversight committee. The District has made this ballot proposition subject to these requirements.
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Local News and Analysis ABC 10 News San Diego
FOR AGAINST
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Arguments For Proposition S | Arguments Against Proposition S | ||||||||||
PROP. S MAKES URGENTLY NEEDED REPAIRS TO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS. Most San Diego schools are 40+ years old. Prop. S repairs leaky roofs, frayed electrical wiring, leaky pipes and plumbing. Prop. S fixes school bathrooms, dangerous heating and electrical systems, broken steps, and cracked sidewalks. Prop. S replaces deteriorating portable classrooms.
PROP. S IMPROVES SAFETY FOR 130,000 SCHOOL CHILDREN AND 8,000 CLASSROOM TEACHERS.
PROP. S PREPARES OUR CHILDREN FOR 21st CENTURY JOBS. PROP. S MAINTAINS THE CURRENT TAX RATE WITH NO INCREASE. Prop. S replaces an expiring bond with a new one, so our tax rate will not be increased.
IT'S THE LAW! ACCOUNTABILITY IS BUILT INTO PROP. S:
PROP. S + THE PLATINUM STANDARD FOR OPENNESS AND TRANSPARENCY. PROP. S. WILL MAKE SAN DIEGO ELIGIBLE FOR STATE MATCHING FUNDS. We need to make these repairs now. It will only get more expensive if we wait.
from the San Diego Taxpayers Association for excellent fiscal management of their last bond.
YES ON PROPOSITION S
S.D. Police Officers Association
The District's argument speaks of leaky roofs, frayed wiring, leaky pipes and plumbing, dangerous heating and electrical systems, broken steps, cracked sidewalks, asbestos, mold, broken toilets and classrooms without air-conditioning. Far from justifying a tax hike, this suggests massive neglect of school property over the last decade, while property tax revenue soared by 255%. The truth is that the District horribly mismanaged the 1998 Prop MM money. School enrollment has been steadily dropping. It will continue to drop until about 2013. The District should be consolidating schools and selling unneeded school properties. Instead they keep smaller schools open. They cut teachers but not bureaucracy. They argue that: "Prop S maintains the current tax rate with no increase". Because the Prop 13 "rate" of 1% property tax has not changed since 1978 does not mean the actual property "tax" has not increased! They deliberately substituted the word "rate" for 'tax" in order to confuse the voters. Prop S would fall most heavily on those who purchased homes in the last decade. The building industry is in favor of this new property tax because it would transfer a further $2.1 billion from homeowners to businesses. This is a massive transfer of wealth. Vote NO on Proposition S
| San Diego home owners pay among the highest real estate taxes in the nation. San Diego home prices soared over the last few years and local government reaped a tax windfall. Yet it is not enough. They would now add an extra $2.1 billion in school debt.
If you currently own a home valued at $500,000, Prop "S" would impose an additional $300 per year. This is on top of the base $5,000 tax (1% according to Prop 13) you already pay. And you are still paying off previous school debt. Something is wrong. 90% of downtown real estate taxes (over $100 million) are "diverted" to subsidize downtown developers. You are being asked to backfill this school funding hole. Your tax dollars were "diverted" from your children's education to so-called "redevelopment". Home owners pay 78% of all property taxes collected in San Diego County. Condo owners alone pay more taxes than all the commercial owners in the County combined. Don't pay for your children's education twice. Vote "NO" on Prop "S".
+ John O'Neill, Chairman
Prop. S. Strict Accountability and Taxpayer Safeguards.
Prop. S. Essential repairs and upgrades to improve health, safety and security of our neighborhood schools + with no tax increase.
Many neighborhood schools, built in the 50s and 60s, need basic repairs and upgrades for 21st Century learning. If we don't pass Prop. S now, it will only cost more to make these repairs later. This is a good financial investment. Good schools raise home prices and prevent neighborhood deterioration.
"130,000 school children and 8,000 classroom teachers need Prop. S." + John L. King
Repair and Revitalize Our Neighborhood Schools
SDUSD Teacher of the Year |
Tax Rate Statement |
An election will be held in the San Diego Unified School District (the "District") on November 4, 2008, to authorize the sale of up to $2,100,000,000 in bonds of the District to finance school facilities as described in the proposition. If the bonds are approved, the District expects to sell the bonds in six series over time. Principal and interest on the bonds will be payable from the proceeds of tax levies made upon the taxable property in the District. The information presented in numbered paragraphs 1-3 below is provided in compliance with Sections 9400-9404 of the Elections Code of the State of California.
1. The best estimate of the tax which would be required to be levied to fund this bond issue during the first fiscal year after the sale of the first series of bonds, based on estimated assessed valuations available at the time of filing of this statement, is 0.47 cents per $100 ($4.70 per $100,000) of assessed valuation in fiscal year 2010-11. 2. The best estimate of the tax rate which would be required to be levied to fund this bond issue during the first fiscal year after the sale of the last series of bonds, based on estimated assessed valuations available at the time of filing of this statement, is 2.07 cents per $100 ($20.70 per $100,000) of assessed valuation in fiscal year 2020-21. 3. The best estimate of the highest tax rate which would be required to be levied to fund this bond issue, based on estimated assessed valuations available at the time of filing of this statement, is 60 cents per $100 ($60.00 per $100,000) of assessed valuation in fiscal year 2029-30 and each year thereafter until final maturity of the bonds.
The District intends to structure the proposed bonds so that the estimated combined tax rate needed to repay all of the District's bonds, including Proposition MM Bonds which rate is $66.70/$100,000 of assessed valuation in the 2007-08 fiscal year, will not increase as a result of the issuance of the proposed bonds. Voters should note that the estimated tax rates are based on the ASSESSED VALUE of taxable property in the District as shown on the County's official tax rolls, not on the property's market value. Property owners should consult their own property tax bills to determine their property's assessed value and any applicable tax exemptions. The foregoing information is based upon the District's projections and estimates. Approval of the ballot measure authorizes the issuance of bonds under certain conditions, and is not approval of a specific tax rate. The actual tax rates and the years in which they will apply may vary from those presently estimated, due to variations from these estimates in the timing of bond sales, the amount and repayment structure of bonds sold, market interest rates at the time of each sale, and actual assessed valuations over the term of repayment of the bonds. The dates of sale and the amount and repayment structure of bonds sold at any given time will be determined by the District based on its need for construction funds and other factors, including the legal limitations on bonds approved by a 55% vote. The actual interest rates at which the bonds will be sold will depend on the bond market at the time of each sale. Actual future assessed valuation will depend upon the amount and value of taxable property within the District as determined by the County Assessor in the annual assessment and the equalization process.
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