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Measure H Facilities Safety and Maintenance Berkeley Unified School District 2/3 Approval Required Pass: 33946 / 80.88% Yes votes ...... 8027 / 19.12% No votes
See Also:
Index of all Measures |
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Results as of Jan 6 2:56pm, 100.00% of Precincts Reporting (99/99) |
Information shown below: Impartial Analysis | Arguments | | ||||
Facilities Safety and Maintenance Act of 2010 To provide essential maintenance of schools and grounds, shall Berkeley Unified School District continue its existing special tax of 6.31¢ / square foot on residential buildings and 9.46¢ / square foot on commercial buildings, and $20 on unimproved parcels with annual cost-of-living adjustments for 10 years? Revenues maintain school buildings, classrooms, playgrounds, roofs,electrical systems, and address fire and safety hazards. The state cannot take the funds. An independent committee oversees funds.
School districts have the authority to levy special taxes upon approval by two-thirds of the votes cast on the special tax proposals pursuant to California Constitution Article XIIIA, Section 4 and Article XIIIC, Section 2, and California Government Code Sections 50075-50077, 50079, and 53722. If two-thirds of the qualified electors voting on this measure vote for approval, a special tax will be imposed annually for ten years at the rates described above. The tax will be collected by the Alameda County Treasurer-Tax Collector at the same time and in the same manner as ad valorem property taxes are collected. Upon annual application to the City of Berkeley, an exemption of any tax assessment year may be granted for any single-family residential parcel or multi-family dwelling unit owned and occupied by one or more very low-income senior citizen( s) 65 years of age or older as defined by the Berkeley Municipal Code. If two-thirds of the qualified electors voting on this measure vote for approval, the allocation of the funding revenue is to be used for the specific purposes set forth in the full text of the measure printed in this sample ballot. These purposes include grounds operations and maintenance of District buildings and grounds. The measure further provides that the monies collected shall be accounted for separately and shall be expended only for those specified purposes. The Facilities Safety and Maintenance Oversight Committee will monitor the implementation of the measure, and the District will make revenue and expenditure reports available to the Committee and the public four times per year. If two-thirds of the qualified electors voting on this measure do not vote for approval, the measure will fail, and the District will not be authorized to levy the special tax.
s/RICHARD E. WINNIE
The above statement is an impartial analysis of Measure H, which measure is printed in full in this sample ballot pamphlet. If you desire an additional copy of the measure, please call the Elections Official's office at (510) 272-6933 and a copy will be mailed at no cost to you.
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Arguments For Measure H | Arguments Against Measure H | ||
Measure H insures that Berkeley will continue to maintain
its investment in quality school facilities.
Measure H funds all of the maintenance on school buildings, landscaping and grounds. In 2000, Berkeley passed a modest special tax to provide designated funding to maintain the enormous investment the community has in school buildings. This is a renewal of that tax. Measure H is not a new tax. It is not a tax increase. Measure H simply renews an existing special school tax (Measure BB) at the existing tax rate for an additional ten years. Measure H funds cannot be used for any other purpose. Measure H limits the specific use of all funds: "exclusively to provide grounds operations and essential maintenance of District buildings and grounds, thereby protecting the health, safety and security of children and staff and creating an environment that supports student and staff success." Measure H does not pay for custodial services. The State cannot take these funds. The school buildings are dependent on these funds to provide safe and sound places for children to learn. Over 10,000 students, teachers, and staff use these buildings every school day. Other districts have cut maintenance due to decreased state funding, and then watched the cost to repair buildings skyrocket after years of neglect. Instead, Berkeley taxpayers have prudently chosen to maintain their buildings. Measure H includes independent audits and a citizen's oversight committee. Measure H is endorsed by all School Board members, the Mayor, all City Council members, State Senator Loni Hancock, Assembly Member Nancy Skinner, Supervisor Keith Carson, the Berkeley Federation of Teachers, the League of Women Voters, the Berkeley Association of Realtors, and community members throughout Berkeley. Please join us - Vote Yes on Measures H and I to protect Berkeley's investment in its schools. BerkeleySchools2010.com
s/Loni Hancock
A recent request to the District asking for more detail on fund usage was refused. It is estimated by people who should know that one-third to one-half of the student population actually lives outside the district. This means hundreds of millions of dollars taken from Berkeleyans in taxes are being spent on non-Berkeley students! Existing funds could go so much farther on educating Berkeley's own children instead of everyone else's, if the District would just get its act together. A District that shows bad faith and lack of transparency does not deserve our support. VOTE NO ON MEASURE H + SEND A MESSAGE THAT MORE MONEY WILL NOT FIX THE PROBLEMS UNLESS THE DISTRICT CHANGES ITS WAYS.
s/Julie Dickinson
| VOTE NO ON MEASURE H
THIS BALLOT MEASURE DOES NOT CONTAIN ANY SPECIFICITY AS TO HOW THE FIFTY MILLION OF FUNDS WILL BE EXPENDED. THE DISTRICT ALREADY HAS MAINTENANCE FUNDS AND MANY BRAND NEW BUILDINGS FROM PREVIOUS BOND MEASURES. NEW BUILDINGS SHOULD REQUIRE LESS MAINTENANCE THAN THE BUILDINGS THEY REPLACED.. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MAINTENANCE FUNDS THAT HAVE BEEN USED TO MAINTAIN THE OLDER BUILDINGS? THIS IS NOT A 5 MILLION DOLLAR MEASURE. IT IS A FIFTY MILLION DOLLAR MEASURE OVER TEN YEARS. EXPENDITURE OF FUNDS ARE NOT RESTRICTED TO MAINTENANCE. TAXES ON BERKELEY HOMEOWNERS AND BUSINESS ARE ALREADY HIGH. HOW MANY EMPTY STORES AND FORECLOSED HOUSES AND EMPTY APARTMENT BUILDINGS DO WE NEED? VOTE NO ON MEASURE H
s/Julie Dickinson
Individually and On Behalf, Secretary, Council of
Neighborhood Associations (CNA)
The argument against Measure H is erroneous. Measure H's funds are specifically limited: "exclusively to provide grounds operations and essential maintenance of District buildings and grounds ...." Measure H funds all of the maintenance on school buildings, landscaping and grounds. If Measure H fails, millions of dollars will be taken from schools and classrooms to maintain buildings. Layoffs of both teachers and maintenance workers would occur. The school district has sustained three straight years of budget reductions due to decreased state funding, cutting about $14 million over three years out of a $90 million budget. An additional $5 million annual reduction would be devastating to our children. Measure H funds are used wisely - a citizen's oversight committee monitors expenses. Independent audits ensure the money is spent as approved by the voters. There is no better investment than making sure our children receive a quality education--the foundation of quality education is safe, sound schools.
Measure H is endorsed throughout Berkeley:
Vote Yes on Measures H & I to protect Berkeley's investment in its schools. BekeleySchools2010.com
s/Barry Fike
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