League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Sonoma County, CA November 2, 2010 Election
	Measure J Bond Bennett Valley Union School District 55% Approval Required Pass: 2,976 / 62.9% Yes votes ...... 1,756 / 37.1% No votes See Also: Index of all Measures

Arguments For Measure J

Arguments Against Measure J

Our schools are the most important assets in our community and should be our number one priority. From creating and maintaining learning environments that ensure student achievement and success, to providing safe and up-to-date facilities for school and community use, high quality schools help make the difference in the quality of life for Bennett Valley. Although our educational team does a terrific job educating our children, and our schools have been well maintained, given the state fiscal crisis, many classrooms and facilities in the Bennett Valley Union School District are nearly 50 years old, outdated, and inadequate to provide students with the facilities required for the 21st century. Our students need your Yes vote on Measure J! We must invest in our elementary schools so they meet safety, technological, and educational standards to help us prepare our students for their future. If passed, Measure J will provide funding to make critical facility improvements at Strawberry and Yulupa elementary schools by: Improving student access to computers and modern technology; Replacing aging temporary portables; Constructing a multi-purpose room for school and community use; Upgrading physical education fields and facilities; and Improving energy efficiency and saving utility costs by converting to solar energy. Measure J makes financial sense and protects taxpayers. By law, all bond funds must be spent locally and cannot be taken by the state. Spending must be reviewed and annually audited by an independent citizens' oversight committee; and funds can only be spent to improve our local elementary schools, not for teacher or administrative salaries. Measure J upgrades and renovates old and inadequate classrooms, improves the education of local students, and maintains the quality of our community. That's something we can all support. Please join us and vote Yes on Measure J! s/ Mary M. Traverso s/ Ross Liscum s/ Patricia Allen s/ Robert F. Reynolds s/ Patrick W. Kilkenny Rebuttal to Arguments For The importance of education is not what's at issue here. The Sonoma County Taxpayers' Association supports public education, but we think taxpayers have a right to expect school officials to use taxpayer provided resources prudently and efficiently. This bond measure does neither. If bond proceeds fund energy efficiency installations that help reduce energy bills, and those savings are not used to repay the bonds, those savings will be used to create more money available for the school's general funds. Since 80% of general fund budgets typically pay for salaries, the bond proceeds will be used to support higher salaries. One of the stated uses of bond proceeds is technology upgrades and equipment. With the rapid pace of technological development most technology equipment has a short useful life before its out dated. Even being generous and assuming a five year life, taxpayers will be paying for these improvements long after they have been retired to the landfill. Issuance of bonds usually is sign of failure of the district to provide a financial plan to maintain and replace aging buildings. Prudent school officials will have set aside funds in a reserve so that they will have the money to upgrade building systems and replace things like roofs. Taxpayers should not reward those officials who have allocated their entire budget to higher salaries, failing to set aside reserves for predictable maintenance/replacement needs. SONOMA COUNTY TAXPAYERS' ASSOCIATION s/ Jack Atkin, President s/ Fred Levin, Executive Director

We suggest taxpayers start by asking why the Bennett Valley Union School District needs to borrow money and raise taxes to perform predictable maintenance and replacement of major building components. When a school district proposes a bond it's usually a sign of failure to plan adequately and to prudently manage the finances of the District. The fact that a roof and other major building components do not last forever should surprise no one. Providing for a sound roof, functioning heating system and other elements of the physical plant should be every bit as much a part of the annual budgeting as staff salaries and utility bills. Because roofs are not replaced every year, a portion of the replacement cost should be placed in a dedicated replacement reserve fund each year so that funds will be available when the need does arise. Without an adequately funded reserve only three things can happen, and they are all bad; the District must defer maintenance, take funds from educational programs for building maintenance or raise taxes (issue bonds). The Sonoma County Taxpayers' Association has been and continues to be a strong supporter of public education. However, taxpayers have a right to expect the officials who manage our public schools to be prudent managers of the taxpayer resources accorded them. A District that has not made adequate plans nor maintained a replacement reserve fund, and has to resort to raising taxes has not met this basic requirement for prudent management. This bond proposal is a red flag suggesting the management practices at the Bennett Valley Union School District need to be modified to regain taxpayers' confidence, before they ask for more of our money.We recommend aNo vote onMeasure J. SONOMA COUNTY TAXPAYERS' ASSOCIATION s/ Jack Atkin, President s/ Fred Levin, Executive Director Rebuttal to Arguments Against Modern schools are critical to providing an excellent education, preserving the property values for taxpayers, and maintaining quality communities. Don't be misled by the argument against Measure J; consider the facts: Fact: The District's required maintenance reserve handles routine and predictable maintenance, but not major renovations. Fact: Portable classrooms are outdated and nearing the end of their useful lives. It is more cost-effective to replace, rather than continually repair, aging portables with new, energy-efficient classrooms. Fact: For 15 years we have used multiple sources to make improvements to facilities, per our multi-year facility improvement plan, without going to voters. Fact: Today, options are few. Our State general fund income has been cut by 20% due to the State budget crisis. It will be years before we will again be eligible for additional state building funds. Due to lack of local construction, we do not receive the developer fee income that neighboring districts use to maintain facilities. Fact: Converting to solar energy puts money now spent on electricity back into the classroom. Fact: At $7.00 per $100,000 assessed valuation, Bennett Valley has the lowest tax rate of any Sonoma County school disrict that has passed a bond! This taxdeductible amount is a small fraction of the increased property values good schools provide. Measure J is a cost-effective way to improve the quality of education and preserve property values while providing students the excellent schools they need for their future success. Vote Yes on Measure J. BENNETT VALLEY TEACHERS ASSOC. s/ Becky G. Facendini, Member BENNETTVALLEYEDUCATION FND. s/ Misti Arias, Co-President BENNETT VALLEY ASSOC. OF PARENTS & TEACHERS s/ Heather Hines, Vice-President s/ Michael Perry, DDS BENNETT VALLEY UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF TRUSTEES s/ Katherine Mary Sanchez, Board President