Pass: 113,999 / 68.98% Yes votes ...... 51,273 / 31.02% No votes

See Also: Index of all Measures

THE PROPOSAL: Proposition A would authorize the District to collect an annual tax of $198 per parcel of taxable property in the City beginning July 1, 2008 until July 1, 2028. This amount would be adjusted annually to account for inflation. The District could use this tax revenue to:

• attract and retain teachers by raising salaries, providing retention bonuses and offering additional compensation to teachers who work at schools with high teacher turnover and in hard-to-fill subject areas;
• retain other school personnel by providing more competitive compensation or benefits;
• provide additional training to teachers and teachers' aides;
• promote professional learning and accountability by developing a Master Teacher program and expanding the Peer Assistance and Review program;
• provide recognition and resources to schools that show the most growth in student achievement;
• provide students, parents and teachers with access to current technology;
• improve technology and other support resources to encourage innovative teaching; and
• allocate a portion of the funds for public charter schools.

Proposition A would require the District to create an independent oversight committee to ensure that the parcel tax revenue is used only for the purposes set forth in the measure. State law requires that the District create a separate account into which the tax revenue would be deposited and file an annual report on the funds collected and spent.

Should the proposed measure be approved by the voters, in my opinion, parcel tax revenues would be generated in the amount of approximately $28 million annually at current rates. This amount would increase over time as the tax amount is adjusted for inflation. The funds would be available for teacher salaries and training and other purposes of the San Francisco Unified School District subject as specified in the measure.

The measure specifies that the parcel tax will be collected beginning July 1, 2008 for a period of 20 years to July 1, 2028.

Meaning of Voting Yes/No

A YES vote on this measure means:

If you vote yes, you want to allow the District to collect an annual parcel tax of $198 per parcel beginning July 1, 2008 until July 1, 2028 to increase compensation for teachers and staff, improve training, promote accountability and recognition for teachers and schools, support academic innovation, provide access to current technology, and allocate funds for public charter schools.

A NO vote on this measure means:

If you vote no, you do not want to allow the District to collect the annual parcel tax for these purposes.

Every child deserves a great teacher. Excellent teachers help our children graduate with the skills necessary to succeed in college, career, and life. Voting YES will ensure that we have a quality teacher with the proper qualifications, training, and support in every San Francisco classroom.

Like all professionals, teachers need ongoing training to stay current with the most innovative and effective ways to teach. Prop A doubles teacher training. It also assures accountability + teachers who are struggling will receive mentoring and support from other successful teachers to help them improve, or they will leave the classroom.

San Francisco has the highest cost of living of any city in California. Prop A will enable us to recruit and pay teachers a living wage so they don't keep leaving to work for other districts that offer higher salaries and a lower cost of living.

Prop A also will provide support for teachers who work at schools with high teacher turnover. Our schools will be better equipped to support teachers that work in shortage areas like math, science, and special education. Finally, this proposition will update antiquated school computers and technology resources.

Prop A creates local funding at a time when Sacramento is slashing education budgets. Prop A also appoints an independent oversight committee and requires regular financial audits to ensure all funds are spent appropriately. Join parents, teachers, business leaders, and labor by voting YES on A so that our San Francisco children can have the quality teachers they deserve to thrive and succeed.

Mayor Gavin Newsom*
San Francisco Board of Education
San Francisco Chamber of Commerce
United Educators of San Francisco
Parents for Public Schools

• For identification purposes only

We agree with the proponents arguments. Every child does deserve a great teacher. Teachers do need adequate pay and ongoing training. San Francisco does have a very high cost of living.

The problem is the method of financing. About 2/3 of The City's residents will not pay a single penny toward this tax. The School Board could have put a simple pass through in their legislation. Instead, they decided take the unfair but politically expedient route.

Don't place the unfair burden of supporting the San Francisco Unified School district on a small minority of San Franciscans.

Vote No on Proposition A.

San Francisco Republican Party
Howard Epstein
Chairman

San Franciscans agree that our schools should have adequate funding. However, long-time home and condominium owners will see a tax increase of as much as 6% based on an assessed $300,000 value. Large commercial buildings will see an increase of as little as 1/6th of 1%.

The proponents of Proposition A had other options. Instead, they decided to place the burden on the City's small property owners. They could have asked for a sales tax increase, which would have fairly shared the burden among all San Francisco residents, businesses and visitors. They could have based the tax on square footage.

Vote no on Proposition A. Let the proponents come back with a tax that is fair to all.

Howard Epstein, Chairman
San Francisco Republican Party

Quality teachers and excellent schools will help our San Francisco community thrive. These conditions can't exist without adequate funding, which our opponents agree we don't have. With Sacramento's dramatic cuts this year, budgets for our teachers and schools will be slashed.

San Francisco has the second highest cost of living of any city in the United States, yet San Francisco ranks 14th in California for teacher pay. Our city loses teachers to other school districts that pay up to $15,000 more. In order to attract, retain, and nurture highly qualified teachers, we need to invest in our children and pass Proposition A -- to give San Francisco teachers a living wage.

With Prop A, we can bring some local control and stability to school funding. All the funds raised by Proposition A stay here in San Francisco and will help our city attract and retain the best and brightest teachers.

Prop A will increase teacher-training opportunities and provide funding to upgrade and replace the schools oldest computers and technologies. It will provide support for teachers who work at schools with high teacher turnover. Finally, our schools will be better equipped to support teachers that work in shortage areas like math, science, and special education.

Mandatory audits will ensure all of the funds are spent properly.

Help our schools, teachers, and kids. Vote Yes on A.

San Francisco Chamber of Commerce
Mayor Gavin Newsom*
San Francisco Board of Education
United Educators, San Francisco
Parents for Public Schools

• For identification purposes only