League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Santa Barbara County, CA November 4, 2008 Election
	Measure H2008 Parcel Tax to Offset Budget Cuts Santa Barbara High School District 2/3 Approval Required Pass: 59747 / 71.25% Yes votes ...... 24104 / 28.75% No votes See Also: Index of all Measures

Arguments For Measure H2008

Arguments Against Measure H2008

The Santa Barbara High School District has provided a high-quality educational program for 142 years. Due to substantial state budget cuts, local schools need supplemental local tax dollars to fund programs that provide our students with the highest quality education. Measure H2008 will provide a ` stable, consistent, locally controlled funding source. The $23 per.year investment equals about 6 cents per day toward the education of over 10,000 students in the. Santa Barbara High School District. Measure H2008 will allow the. Santa Barbara High School District to: Supplement math, science, and technology education; Enhance music, art, and theater programs at the junior high school level; Supplement secondary foreign language courses; Restore ninth-grade math class sizes. Measure H2O08 will improve the Santa Barbara High School District by: Enhancing math, science, foreign language, and technology education programs, providing the competitive edge our students need to succeed beyond high school. Maintaining high-quality music, arts, and theater programs which bring together students with diverse backgrounds and offer positive opportunities for at-risk youth. Enhancing rigorous standards-based instruction and best teaching practices for student achievement. Providing support to all junior and senior high schools. Measure H2008 protects taxpayers by: Requiring that all funds be used locally to improve the Santa Barbara High School District. Creating an independent citizen oversight committee. Requiring annual reporting on expenditures and annual independent financial audits. Requiring compliance with accountability measures as determined by law. Expiring in four years unless reauthorized by voters. Providing an exemption from the measure for senior citizens, when requested. Measure H2008 is an essential investment in public education and in our community; quality public schools enhance property values. Please join us in investing in the future of our children. Larry Crandell, Community Volunteer Michael Bennett, Mayor, CIty of Goleta Jean Blois, Councilmember, City of Goleta Lanny Ebenstein, Former Trustee, SB High School District Claire VanBlaricum, Former Trustee, SB High School District Rebuttal to Arguments For Tax and spend bureaucrats always claim the sky is falling unless you give them more money. This is followed by promises that are seldom kept. Why does the district need a parcel tax to fill cuts in the classrooms, while squandering money elsewhere? If education is their priority then why has the district done the following? Created a position of Deputy Superintendent, salary $186,000 per year, instead of funding your child's music program? Built pools that can only be heated, filtered, and lit by cutting your school's science or art program? Promoted increased nighttime stadium lit activities, vastly increasing energy costs, rather than funding technology programs? Bloated administrative salaries while cutting language programs? Why Vote NO? The Santa Barbara School District has not managed your tax dollars well. Measure H is so vague that any use of the money could be justified. The funds are spread across so many programs as to be ineffective. Parcel taxation is as unreliable as a funding source as the state process. The senior exemption could reduce the revenue by 20%. Why are academic programs always cut first? It is time to demand that education be our highest priority! Bring change by Voting No on H2008! If the district wants tax money, let them specify the programs, amounts and sites where the monies will be spent. You are free to donate to your favorite teacher or program, but Vote No on Measure H! Carmen L. Rouse Alwyn N. Hartnett Richard A. Foster Dolores L. Hartnett Harry S. Rouse

Taxpayers should vote NO on H. The Santa Barbara School District has a horrible record of delivering what they promise to do. Secondly, they have had years of chaotic, revolving door leadership. Thirdly, if this passes they will be back in four years demanding even more money while threatening to terminate your favorite programs. How many annual budget fiascos have we seen? Yet administrative salaries have skyrocketed. In 2000, the Superintendent's salary was $126,796. This year.it is $200,566, an increase of $73,770. Yet, they lay off teachers! Bond Measure V's stated purpose was "To repair and upgrade every school in the Santa Barbara High School District and achieve facility parity, replace old portables." Yet, $100,000-000 later Santa Barbara High hasn't had a functioning cafeteria for two years! Instead of parity, they built three different sized pools, which we not even mentioned on the ballot, and they never replaced a single portable!" Bond oversight doesn't help. At the 4/4/2006 Measure V Bond oversight meeting, a member complained of a $2.2 million dollar difference between school board and bond committee reports. He stated, "These (financial) statements will make great anti-bond campaign material!" Indeed, how can we expect them to do any better with a parcel tax? How will it be spent? At the 6/24/09 Board meeting Dn Sarvis said the elected board would not determine how the money was spent. A board member suggested that a parcel tax would free up monies for the general fund. The only way it could do that would be to strip existing funding from one program and replace it with parcel tax money. Schools need money, but the public should be able to trust the district. They must earn our trust by proving themselves reliable, and competent before asking for our tax dollars. Carmen L. Rouse Alwyn N. Hartnett Richard A. Foster Dolores L. Hartnett Harry S. Rouse Rebuttal to Arguments Against As a community, we should invest in our local schools. State funding simply does not provide local control of local tax dollars. Measure H restores local control by requiring the funds raised be used for specific programs detailed in the ballot measure. Measure H2008 would result in: New junior high electives in music, theatre arts, and foreign languages New senior high electives in foreign languages Acquisition and repair of musical instruments 9th grade class size reduction in math to twenty students to one teacher Improvements in science and technology The $23 per parcel tax would be for 4 years. It would expire at that time, and any continuing parcel assessment would require a new vote of the people. This is the strongest guarantee that funds will be spent as intended. At a time when gangs are of concern and when young people need more to do, there are few more effective and worthwhile expenditures than $23 per year to allow substantial improvements and additions to our junior and senior high educational program. No parcel would be taxed more than $23. There would be an exemption for senior citizens who requested it. Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Montecito have traditionally had excellent public junior highs and high schools. Measure H2008 will enable this tradition of excellence to continue. Please join with us in voting for Measure H2008. Support Measure H2008 and invest in our future while restoring local control of our tax dollars. YES ON H2008! Lois Capps, Member of Congress Salud Carbajal, First District Supervisor, SB County Dale Francisco, City of Santa Barbara Council Member Dale Bugay, REgent Emeritus, University of California Peter MacDonald, Past President, Santa Barbara City College