League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Los Angeles County, CA November 2, 2010 Election
	Measure CV Facilities Improvement Centinela Valley Union High School District School Bonds - 55% Approval Required Pass: 16,057 / 64.87% Yes votes ...... 8,697 / 35.13% No votes See Also: Index of all Measures

Arguments For Measure CV

Arguments Against Measure CV

MEASURE CV MEANS SAFE CLASSROOMS FOR 6,800 STUDENTS AND 300 TEACHERS Schools in your Centinela Valley Union High School District are up to 80 years old. Some needed repairs are underway, but much more critical work remains to make our schools safe. Yes on CV removes asbestos, lead paint, mold, and hazardous materials. It installs modern fire safety systems, including alarms and sprinklers. It secures classroom earthquake safety. Yes on CV replaces aging school restrooms and school electrical, heating, and plumbing systems, and improves energy efficiency. It installs security cameras, security lighting, and locks. MEASURE CV IMPROVES ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND PREPARES STUDENTS FOR 21st CENTURY JOBS Yes on CV funds state+of+the+art learning academies at every school to train students for careers in health, engineering, and other professions. It builds new classrooms and science labs to reduce overcrowding and lower class sizes, and wires every classroom for the internet. ACCOUNTABILITY IS BUILT INTO MEASURE CV +Strict taxpayer safeguards +Independent citizens' oversight committee +No funds for administration +Annual independent audits The cost is only $4.50 per month for the average homeowner, and even less for renters. In return, Measure CV will raise property values, ensure a high+quality education for every student, and improve every community in our District. The State is cutting billions from schools. But Measure CV funds belong to us. Every dollar is for our local schools + not one cent goes to Sacramento. Again + not one cent of Measure CV funds goes to Sacramento. Your Centinela Valley Union High School District is improving on every level, with test scores and standards rising and with innovative teaching and curricula. District finances are now among the most stable in the County. Measure CV moves our schools and students forward toward excellence, achievement, and success. For safe schools. For excellent schools. Vote Yes On Measure CV. MOLLY NELLMAN Teacher, Lawndale H.S. MARITZA MOLINA Member, CVUHSD Board of Trustee LUCAS J. PACHECO Teacher, Hawthorne High Sch. School of Engineering JACQUELINE L. JOHNSON Community Member RICHARD G. SLAWSON Senior Citizen

How can Centinela Valley Union High School District ask taxpayers to pay for another bond when the construction from the 2008 bond has yet to be completed? And let's not forget the 1999 bond that helped funnel over $15 million into the Lawndale Performing Arts Center that has taken over eleven years to open. First show us progress before asking for another handout. On average, residents have already committed to paying almost $3500 for past bond measures. How has our community benefitted? Every year from 2004 to 2009, CVUHSD has been ranked the LOWEST performing public school district in Los Angeles County. Centinela Valley has misspent our taxes and pushed families out of the district at an alarming rate. All of the local charter schools have long waiting lists of families who can't run away fast enough from CVUHSD. In this economic climate, it is irresponsible and inexcusable to ask for more. That is except for the Superintendent who convinced the school board to give him a 9% raise every year, over $20,000 last year alone. In exchange for what? Continuous failure and mismanagement? This is just another example of how throwing money at a problem isn't the solution. Why should we pour more money into a failing district with a long history of mismanagement and wasted funds? The hard working property owners of this district should not be forced to continually fund the district's fiscal irresponsibility, especially when they have a surplus from past bond measures. This bond initiative will greatly increase our property taxes in addition to the thousands we are already paying for past school bonds. Property owners may also have to raise rents to pass along this additional tax burden. Everyone loses. Vote NO. Don't be fooled by promises of progress. Demand results first. TROY CHEW Hawthorne Citizen HECTOR BEAR Home Owner ADRIAN CASTRO Concerned Lawndale HS Alumni CHAD RICE Voter MARTHA ELIAS Concerned Home Owner Rebuttal to Arguments Against The "facts" cited by opponents are almost entirely made up. It's too bad they are more interested in punishing students than in telling the truth. Lawndale Arts Center? Hundreds of students now take music classes there. It's helped transform the quality of our schools and expand vital arts and music education. Show us progress? A previous bond removed asbestos and funded more than 100 classrooms and science labs to keep our kids safer and improve the quality of learning. Current cost to homeowners for bonds? About $5 per month. The numbers used by opponents are irresponsible fiction. School rankings? Compared to other high schools in the region, including those in more affluent areas, ours are in the middle and rising. We are proud of the work our teachers and our students are doing. Fiscal responsibility? Ours is one of the few districts in the County that set aside enough reserve funds to get through the State budget cuts with our teachers and academics intact. New leadership has turned this District around. It is now known for sound financial management. The charge about raises for the superintendent is also wrong. His one contract, approved when he was named permanent superintendent, placed his base salary in the middle of the pack for comparable districts. Failing district? That's simply not true. Test scores are rising and academic opportunities are expanding -- especially with the learning academies and smaller class sizes that Measure CV makes possible. VOTE YES. FOR SAFE SCHOOLS. FOR EXCELLENT SCHOOLS. MARITZA MOLINA Member CVUHSD Board of Trustee JACQUELINE L. JOHNSON Community Member RICHARD G. SLAWSON Senior Citizen LUCAS J. PACHECO Teacher, Hawthorne High School of Engineering MOLLY NELLMAN Teacher

Tax Rate Statement from JOSE FERNANDEZ, Superintendent, Centinela Valley Union High School District

An election will be held in the Centinela Valley Union High School District (the "District") on November 2, 2010, for the purpose of submitting to the voters of the District the question of incurring bonded indebtedness in a principal amount not to exceed $98,000,000 to finance projects as described in the measure. If such bonds are authorized and sold, principal of and interest on the bonds will be payable from the proceeds of tax levies made upon the taxable property in the District. The following information is provided in compliance with Sections 9400-9404 of the Elections Code of the State of California. Such information is based upon the best estimates and projections presently available from official sources, experience within the District, and other demonstrable factors. Based upon the foregoing and projections of the District's assessed valuation, and assuming the entire debt service will be paid through property taxation: 1. 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 first series of bonds, based on projections of assessed valuations, is $0.0275 per $100 ($27.50 per $100,000) of assessed value for the fiscal year 2011-2012. 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 projections of assessed valuations, is $0.0275 per $100 ($27.50 per $100,000) of assessed value for the fiscal year 2015-2016. 3. The best estimate of the highest tax rate which would be required to be levied to fund this bond issue, based on projections of assessed valuations, is $0.0275 per $100 ($27.50 per $100,000) of assessed value in fiscal year 2011-2012. Voters should note the estimated tax rate is based on the ASSESSED VALUE of taxable property on the County's official tax rolls, not on the property's market value. In addition, taxpayers eligible for a property tax exemption, such as the homeowner's exemption, will be taxed at a lower effective tax rate than described above. Certain taxpayers may also be eligible to postpone payment of taxes. Property owners should consult their own property tax bills and tax advisors to determine their property's assessed value and any applicable tax exemptions. The attention of all voters is directed to the fact that the foregoing information is based upon projections and estimates only, which are not binding upon the District. 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 of bonds sold and the market interest rates at the time of each sale, and actual assessed valuations over the term of repayment of the bonds. The date of sale and the amount of bonds sold at any given time will be determined by the District based on the need for funds for construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation or replacement of school facilities and other factors. The actual interest rates at which the bonds will be sold will depend on the bond market at the time of sale; provided, however, that such interest rates will not exceed the maximum interest rate permitted by law. Actual future assessed valuations 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.