League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Orange County, CA June 8, 2010 Election
	Measure B Neighborhood Schools Sustainability Initiative Buena Park School District 2/3 Approval Required Fail: 2,334 / 51.7% Yes votes ...... 2,183 / 48.3% No votes See Also: Index of all Measures

Arguments For Measure B

Arguments Against Measure B

VOTE YES ON MEASURE B! Buena Park Neighborhood Schools Sustainability Initiative In 2009-10, Buena Park School District has received prestigious recognitions including a U.S. Blue Ribbon School nomination, a California School Boards Association Golden Bell award, two California Distinguished School nominations, and three Title I High Achieving School awards. The high level of academic excellence for our BPSD students and schools is in jeopardy! The national recession and California's fiscal crisis have brought detrimental changes including: A$6,063,913reductionofBPSD'srevenuelimit--from$33,036,844to $26,972,931; Increased class sizes in Grades 1-3--from 20 to 26 students per teacher; Theeliminationof78schoolanddistrictjobs. California's 2010-11 proposed budget will further reduce funding for schools. For BPSD, this will mean another $900,000 loss and more program reductions for students. To address this shortfall, BPSD expects to: Reducenumberofschooldays Reduceemployeecompensation Andagainincreaseclasssizeaverageto29 As this financial crisis continues, it is clear that California cannot meet the needs of Buena Park's students. It is up to us, the members of the community, to fill the financial gap for our kids. Measure B proposes that owners of residences and businesses in the Buena Park School District community will pay an additional 3 3/4¢ per square foot each year for only 4 years. The average 1300 sq. ft. house would cost $48.75 per year. These funds will preserve: Library services Health services K-8Music Classroommaintenance/custodialservices K-6PhysicalEducation StudentCounseling Lowerclasssizes Only with your" YES" vote can we ensure that BPSD students will continue with these vital services. VOTE YES ON MEASURE B: s/ Mary Fuhrman 43 year Buena Park resident s/ Lisa Neumann HSO President s/ Elizabeth Swift BPSD Governing Board President s/ Nelly Diaz Parent/HSA President s/ Alice Burnett Parent/HSA President Rebuttal to Arguments For DON'T BE FOOLED -- VOTE "NO" ON MEASURE B! Measure B is not about academic excellence and school district awards. It's not about school days, salaries, and class size. Measure B is another tax increase for the next 4 years! CHECK YOUR PROPERTY TAX BILL. We have been paying three taxes to the Buena Park School District since 1999 and these taxes don't go away until 2026 -- another 16 years! 1. BUENA PK EL-98 D/S99 ends in 2023 2. BUENA PK EL-98 D/S00 ends in 2025 3. BUENA PK EL-98 D/S01 ends in 2026 A fourth tax is not the right solution for the state budget cuts facing the Buena Park School District. At a time of record high unemployment and home foreclosures, the last thing we should do is slap higher taxes on businesses and homeowners who are already struggling to make ends meet! In addition to the proposed Measure B tax, we have been punished with: A0.25%increaseinstateincometaxratesinFebruary2009. A10%increaseintheamountofstateincometaxwithheldfromworker paychecks from November 2009 through 2010. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! Like the rest of us, the Buena Park School District needs to live within its means until the state recovers from financial crisis and the national recession. DON'T BE FOOLED INTO ANOTHER TAX INCREASE. VOTE "NO" ON MEASURE B! s/ Rosanne Jasieniecki Buena Park School District Resident

We support public education and understand the burdens facing the Buena Park School District, but this is the wrong time to ask for a parcel tax. With record high unemployment and foreclosures, homeowners cannot afford any new taxes. Businesses and jobs are leaving the state in record numbers, making this the worst possible time to raise taxes. Do not be fooled! Passage of this parcel tax will result in much higher property taxes for homeowners. We currently pay three bond taxes to the Buena Park School District, which we have been paying since 1999, 2000, and 2001 respectively. These taxes are itemized within the long list of fixed charges that appear on your property tax bill + and these taxes are not going away! The Buena Park School District has stated that the average residential parcel tax would only be $48.77 for a 1,300 square foot property. Do not be fooled! Depending on the assessed value of your home, your Buena Park School District taxes could increase 184% or more depending on the assessed value of your property for the next 4 years. For example, the owner of a 1,300 square foot home with an assessed value of $150,000 will see a 184% increase in their Buena Park School District taxes in 2010-11. A 184% increase in property taxes may not seem like a lot of money to school district officials, but it is a lot of money to homeowners who are under severe financial hardship and struggling to make ends meet. We urge you to vote NO on this parcel tax. s/ Rosanne Jasieniecki Buena Park School District Resident Rebuttal to Arguments Against It is the right time for local residents to protect our community's interest in students and school facilities by approving Measure B. Only local residents can soften the blow of continued budget cuts and budget deferrals from Sacramento. Buena Park School District has already obtained a loan just to make payroll in June due to repeated postponements of payments from the State. Calculate how much Measure B will affect you for yourself: Multiply the number of square feet in your home by 3 3⁄4 cents ($.0375). The average home in Buena Park has 1300 square feet. 1300 X $.0375 = $48.75 As stated before, for about $4 per month--and for only four years--homeowners of average-sized homes can: protect the property value of their homes--"The quality of local public schools is widely believed to be a key determinant of housing prices." (Kane, Staiger, and Riegg, 2004) ; sustain specific programs in neighborhood schools--continued physical education, music, library, and counseling programs ; allow students to benefit from reduced class sizes--currently 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade class sizes have been raised from 20 to 25--let's not raise them higher; ensure well-maintained facilities--already custodial and maintenance services are at a "bare bones" level with drastically reduced cleaning/maintenance schedules. Maintaining quality schools is a must. Our children deserve it; our community needs it. Vote YES on MEASURE `B' and protect your neighborhood, schools and students. It is the right time for local action! s/ Mary Fuhrman 43 year Buena Park resident s/ Lisa Neumann Beatty HSO President s/ Elizabeth Swift President, BPSD Governing Board s/ Nelly Diaz Emery Parent/HSA President s/ Alice Burnett Pendleton Parent/HSA President

Full Text of Measure B

Link to FULL TEXT