League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Los Angeles County, CA November 2, 2010 Election
	Measure CL Facilities Improvement Claremont Unified School District School Bonds - 55% Approval Required Fail: 6,198 / 40.37% Yes votes ...... 9,156 / 59.63% No votes See Also: Index of all Measures

Arguments For Measure CL

Arguments Against Measure CL

We have every reason to be proud of our Claremont public schools. Education is highly valued in this community and our schools reflect these values. We have excellent teachers, innovative programs, and distinguished students. The quality of our schools protects property values and attracts families to Claremont. Unfortunately, our local schools rely on the State of California for most funding, and the State has been an increasingly unreliable partner. Ongoing state cuts have created three challenges: first, difficult teacher layoffs, larger class sizes and lost academic and enrichment opportunities for students. Second, while "belt-tightening" has focused scarce resources on the classroom, vital repair needs at local schools + most built in the 1950s and 1960s + have grown, and remain unmet. Finally, there's an urgent need to update classroom instructional technology and school libraries to meet today's academic standards + but there's no funding. Measure CL is the solution to all three of these challenges facing Claremont kids. Measure CL provides local funding with local oversight and local control + funding the State can't take away. Measure CL will: - Help attract and retain great teachers, restore academic programs, lower class sizes and offset state budget cuts, by paying off leases and debt, and reducing energy costs; - Repair or replace old, inadequate wiring; leaky and faulty roofs, plumbing and windows; and remove hazardous materials like asbestos and lead; - Upgrade classrooms, labs and school libraries, with 21st-Century tools for teaching, learning and study in areas like engineering, science, language and math. Measure CL makes sound financial sense: - Upgrades will significantly improve energy efficiency and environmental sustainability + saving money for decades to come. - Independent citizen oversight and annual, public audits ensure wise Measure CL spending. Now is the time to invest in Claremont kids and schools. Please vote yes on CL. HOMER (BUTCH) HENDERSON Pastor Emeritus and Human Services Commissioner SUZANNE HALL Former Chair, Claremont Community Foundation and Community Organizer JOHN D. MAGUIRE President Emeritus, Claremont University Center, Graduate University JESSICA MARCHANT Past President of Claremont Educational Foundation and Chaparral Teacher RANDY PROUT Local Business Owner, Chair, Commission on Youth & Families Rebuttal to Arguments For The Claremont Unified School District cannot borrow its way to prosperity. But that's what it attempts to do with the $95,000,000 Measure CL. The District is being told by its high-priced consultants to borrow money for ongoing operating expenses, maintenance, salaries--to put those on our kids' credit cards. Never mind that carrying costs make $100 in today's expenses cost $200 or $300 down the road. The District's plan to finance $20,000,000 in tech gear over 40 years is folly when that technology will be obsolete and useless in five. And what happens when the bond money runs out, as it will? Another bond? With the depressed economy, with so many out of work or underemployed, with homes being lost, THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO TAKE ON EVEN MORE HUGE DEBT+thousands and thousands of dollars per household. The Measure Y bond of 2000 taught us that CUSD is an unreliable financial partner. That $49,000,000 bond was badly mismanaged, the promised oversight failed, and only a fraction of the work was completed. Again, we are asked to pay for leaky roofs. How many times must we pay for the same leaky roofs? The District meanwhile refuses to downsize expensive excess capacity for a shrinking student population. 20% of district students now come from other cities. Their families won't pay for this bond, but ours will. Burdening us with Measure CL's $95,000,000 debt would help guarantee that Claremont becomes unaffordable for young families with children. Please vote NO on Measure CL. TOM ANDERSEN Financial Advisor CATHRINE YEAGER Financial Manager BARBARA J. MILLER Retired School District Employee Rep. SANDRA MALINS Retired Teacher

The education and safety of our kids is most important, but we must not be misled into believing that the sky will fall if we don't pass Measure CL. The District administration and Board have rushed Measure CL onto the November ballot only because a political consulting company did a survey suggesting a bond might pass. We and our children deserve better. Before asking taxpayers to assume over a QUARTER BILLION DOLLARS in debt and costs that won't be retired until after 2060, we must ensure that every dollar is spent wisely and legally. Measure CL includes NO COST ESTIMATES and contains NO SPECIFIC PROJECTS as required by law--read the exhibits! It fails to learn from the mistakes of the mismanaged Measure Y bond. Measure CL's $95,000,000 amount was picked by the Board not on the basis of actual needs or budgets, but solely because it is the highest amount they could legally request. The idea behind Measure CL is "let's get all we can and decide later how to spend it". That's NOT accountability. That's a blank check we can't afford in these tough economic times. Then there's the legal requirement that bond money "not be used for teacher and administrator salaries". The District emphasizes that. But "ANY MONEY FROM A BOND NEEDS TO GO TO SALARIES," the Claremont Courier quoted a senior District administrator. "Before the District can spend money on other things, a certain percentage will go back to salary restoration for all the employee groups," he added. And buried in the fine print we see that the District will take bond money to "reimburse" itself for amounts already spent on projects such as "remodeling of administrative support spaces", not on our kids' education. We must not mortgage our children's future so irresponsibly. Let's get it right. Vote NO on Measure CL. http://www.nocusdbond.com SANDRA L. MALINS Retired Teacher GREG JOHANSEN Microbiology Professor BARBARA MILLER Retired School Employee CATHRINE YEAGER Labor Rep Financial Manager Rebuttal to Arguments Against Please don't be misled by those who oppose all tax measures, regardless of relative merit or importance. Measure CL IS the right thing for Claremont schools. Measure CL provides local funding to update our schools. Independent citizens' oversight and mandatory, annual, public audits will ensure proper use of funds. No funds will be spent on district administration or to improve administrative facilities. Measure CL came from a two-year needs analysis, reviewed regularly at public workshops and school board meetings. Specific, vital repairs and upgrades have been identified to ensure a safe, 21st-century learning environment for all students. Measure CL also reduces the impact of state-imposed budget cuts by eliminating operating leases and interest payments, and directing more funding into the classroom. A specific project list describes work to be done at each school. Please visit: http://www.SupportClaremontSchools.org. We have a strong tradition of excellent education in Claremont. We can't wait for the State of California to update the learning tools and technology our students need for higher education and tomorrow's jobs. We can't wait for the State to update our aging classrooms, improve science and computer labs, and replace aging, inefficient systems with sustainable ones that function properly and reduce energy costs. With today's historically low construction costs and interest rates, let's act now. Measure CL is a small investment for each of us to retain the high quality of education our students, our local schools and our entire community deserve and expect. Please join us: vote Yes on CL. ROSEMARY HENDERSON Chair, Claremont Senior Foundation SUE HYLAND Owner/CEO of The Claremont Club JOSEPH C. HOUGH, JR. Interim President, Claremont Graduate University JACK HARPER Former Teacher of the Year, Science Teacher, Claremont High School KORI CARTER CHS 2010 Graduate + Stanford Student Athlete