League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Los Angeles County, CA November 3, 2009 Election
	Measure EE New Tax to Support CCUSD Schools Culver City Unified School District Parcel Tax - 2/3 Approval Required Pass: 3,729 / 74.92% Yes votes ...... 1,248 / 25.08% No votes See Also: Index of all Measures

Arguments For Measure EE

The State budget crisis is causing deep cuts to Culver City schools. Protecting our local quality of education now depends on the passage of Measure EE. Exceptional teachers, small class sizes, and challenging academic programs have helped Culver City schools perform among the best in the county. Test scores have risen consistently at every school in the district over the past 5 years and today nearly all exceed the 800 API target. Now State budget cuts are threatening the quality of instruction in EVERY Culver City classroom. Over the past two years the school district has cut over $6 million in educational programs. This school year, up to $3 million in additional cuts will be necessary without passage of Measure EE. Measure EE will provide stable, locally controlled funding ($8 per month per parcel) to offset the most devastating cuts. Measure EE will: Maintain advanced math, science, technology and college-prep programs Preserve small class sizes Retain quality teachers Keep school libraries open Provide up-to-date instructional materials Protect art and music education programs Keep school facilities clean, safe, and well maintained Every penny will stay in Culver City to prevent classroom and instructional support cuts. By law, Measure EE funds cannot be taken away by the State or spent on administrator salaries. Independent Citizens' Oversight and annual independent audits will ensure funds are spent as promised. A senior citizen exemption is available to ensure Measure EE won’t be a burden to seniors living on fixed incomes. Preparing our children to succeed in the new global economy requires the best education possible, including advanced math, science and technology instruction. Measure EE will help. Measure EE is supported by parents, teachers, business and civic leaders throughout Culver City. Good schools help protect property values in a tough economy. Please VOTE YES on EE. (No arguments against Measure EE were submitted)

Full Text of Measure EE

To protect the quality of education in Culver City schools from deep State budget cuts by providing stable local funding to maintain: math, science, technology, music and art programs; updated instructional materials; quality teachers; school libraries; and small class sizes; shall Culver City Unified School District levy an annual tax of $96.00 per parcel for 5 years only, with exemptions for seniors, independent oversight, no money for administrators' salaries, and all funds staying in Culver City to benefit our local schools? The purpose of the measure is to preserve the quality of education in the Culver City Unified School District by continuing funding for the following specific programs and purposes: a) Advanced math, science, technology and college-prep programs. b) Maintaining small class sizes. c) Retaining quality teachers. d) Keeping school libraries open with skilled library staff. e) Providing up-to-date instructional materials. f) Art and music education programs. g) Keeping school facilities clean, safe, and well-maintained. Proceeds of the special tax will not be used to pay administrator salaries. Basis of Tax. The tax shall be levied on all Parcels of Taxable Real Property in the District, as defined below, on the following basis: Not to exceed Ninety-Six Dollars ($96.00) per parcel. "Parcel of Taxable Real Property" is defined as any unit of real property in the District that receives a separate tax bill for ad valorem property taxes from the Los Angeles County Treasurer-Tax Collector's Office, as applicable depending on parcel location. All property that is otherwise exempt from or upon which no ad valorem property taxes are levied in any year shall also be exempt from the special tax in such year. The tax itself shall not be levied on parcels on an ad valorem basis. If more than one adjacent Assessor parcel constitutes a single parcel under the Subdivision Map Act (California Government Code section 66410 et seq.), then the parcel will be treated as a single Parcel of Taxable Real Property for purposes of the amount of tax due, and a claim for refund may be made by the property owner pursuant to the claim procedures outline below. An exemption from payment of the special tax shall be granted on any single family parcel owned by one or more persons 65 years of age or over who occupies the parcel as a principal residence, upon application for exemption (the "Senior Citizen Exemption") to the District. Applications for such exemptions must be made during the period from January 15 through the last business day in April of each of the years this parcel tax is levied, in accordance with the process established by the District. Any one application from a qualified applicant will provide an exemption for the parcel for the remaining term of the assessment so long as such applicant continues to qualify for the exemption. The District shall establish an administrative review process to grant such exemptions. The District shall annually provide to the County Treasurer-Tax Collector or other appropriate County tax official a list of parcels that the District has approved for a Senior Citizen Exemption. Claim Procedures With respect to all general property tax issues and billing matters within its jurisdiction, the Los Angeles County Tax Assessor or other appropriate County tax official shall make all final determinations of tax exemption or relief for any reason, and that decision shall be final and binding. With respect to matters specific to the levy of the special tax, including determination of Senior Citizen or Disability Exemption, however, the decisions of the District shall be final and binding. In the latter case, a claim for a refund of the special tax shall comply with the following and any additional procedures as established by the Board: (a) All claims shall be filed with the Superintendent of the District no later than one year after the date the tax was paid. The claimant shall file the claim within this time period and the claim shall be finally acted upon the Board as a prerequisite to bringing suit thereon. (b) Pursuant to Government Code section 935 (b) the claim shall be subject to the provisions of Government Code sections 945.6 and 946. (c) The Board shall act on a timely claim within the time period required by Government Code section 912.4. (d) The procedure described herein, and any additional procedures established by the Board, shall be the exclusive claims procedure for claimants seeking a refund, reduction, or recomputation of the special tax. Whether any particular claim is to be resolved by the District or by the County shall be determined by the District, in coordination with the County as necessary. Appropriations Limit Pursuant to California Constitution article XIIIB and applicable laws, the appropriations limit for the District will be adjusted periodically by the aggregate sum collected by levy of this special tax. Accountability Measures Limit On Use of Tax Proceeds. The proceeds of the special tax shall be applied only to the specific purposes identified above. Independent Audit and Annual Report. Upon the levy and collection of the tax, the Governing Board shall cause a separate account to be established for deposit of the proceeds. For so long as any proceeds of the Tax remain unexpended, the Superintendent or chief financial officer of the District shall cause an independent financial auditor to prepare a report to be filed with the Governing Board no later than December 31 of each year, commencing December 31, 2010, stating (1) the amount of tax received and expended in such year, and (2) the status of any District operation, program or project authorized to be funded from proceeds of the tax. The report may relate to the calendar year, fiscal year, or other appropriate annual period, as the Superintendent shall determine, and may be incorporated into or filed with the annual budget, audit, or other appropriate routine report to the Governing Board. Citizens Oversight Committee. An independent Citizen's Oversight Committee shall be appointed by the Governing Board to ensure that the special tax proceeds collected pursuant to this measure are spent for their authorized purposes, to review the Independent Audit, and to report annually to the Board of Trustees and the public regarding the expenditure of such funds. Annual Plan. An expenditure plan (the "Proposed Annual Plan") shall be developed annually by the District staff in consultation with the independent Citizens Oversight Committee. The Proposed Annual Plan will recommend expenditures of the tax proceeds that are consistent with the intent of the Funding Measure. The assumptions associated with the recommended expenditures shall be included in the Proposed Annual Plan. The Proposed Annual Plan shall be presented for Board action each fiscal year in conjunction with the District's annual budget adoption process for the subsequent fiscal year. To facilitate public discussion, the Proposed Annual Plan shall be made available for public review. Severability The Board hereby declares, and the voters by approving this measure concur, that every section and part of this measure has independent value, and the Board and the voters would have adopted each provision hereof regardless of every other provision hereof. Upon approval of this measure by the voters, should any part of the measure or taxing formula be found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid for any reason, all remaining parts of the measure or taxing formula hereof shall remain in full force and effect to the fullest extent allowed by law. Protection of Funding Current law forbids any decrease in State or Federal funding to the District because of the District's adoption of a parcel tax. However, if any such funds are reduced because of the adoption of this parcel tax, then the amount of the special taxes will be reduced annually as necessary in order to restore such State or Federal funding.