League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Los Angeles County, CA June 5, 2012 Election
	Measure A Formation of Geographic Sub-Districts Pasadena Unified School District Charter Amendment - Majority Approval Required Pass: 15,791 / 54.51% Yes votes ...... 13,180 / 45.49% No votes See Also: Index of all Measures

Arguments For Measure A

Arguments Against Measure A

Do you want to bring more democracy and local control to the Pasadena Unified School District? If so, vote "Yes" on Measure A. A diverse citizen task force has proposed a way to elect PUSD school board members that will give citizens a stronger voice in electing the board, save money on PUSD elections, and strengthen local control and grassroots democracy in Pasadena, Altadena, and Sierra Madre. Currently, all School Board candidates run for office on a district-wide "at large" basis. Candidates who run for School Board have to raise a lot of money to reach voters in all three communities. This ballot proposal will have School Board candidates elected from seven distinct, neighborhood-focused districts. There are many advantages to this system. + School Board members will be closer to neighborhoods, giving residents greater access to the Board and making the Board more responsive + It will be much less expensive to run for School Board, expanding the pool of potential candidates and giving more people the chance to serve the public in this way + The PUSD school district will save at least $200,000 every two years because of less expensive elections. That money can be re-directed to the classrooms + This proposal brings the PUSD School District into compliance with voting rights law to avoid costly lawsuits This plan was developed by the citizen task force after more than 35 public meetings and numerous outreach events. There has been significant public input. It is supported by a variety of residents, including Democrats, Republicans, and independents, civic and community leaders, business and cultural leaders, and PUSD parents. To see the map of the seven districts proposed by the task force, go to this website: http://districting-task-force.pasadenausd.org/modules/groups/integrated_home.phtml?gid=2425931 Vote for more democracy and local control! Vote Yes for Measure A! BILL BOGAARD Mayor, City of Pasadena BART DOYLE Former Mayor, City of Sierra Madre BILL PODLEY Past Chair, Pasadena Chamber of Commerce DR. SANDRA THOMAS Chair, Altadena Town Council ROBERTA MARTINEZ Pasadena Latino Coalition Rebuttal to Arguments For Measure A supporters falsely claim that it will "bring more democracy and local control". In reality, it takes away your right to vote for all 7 school board members and gives you the right to vote for only 1 board member every four years. Measure A drastically reduces your voting power by forcing you into a segregated political sub-district which will be drawn in large part based on someone's perception of your ethnicity. Measure A's intended effect + to elect more minorities--will instead allow small political interest groups to control and dominate our schools. Measure A supporters falsely claim it will give you "greater access" to the School Board. In fact, because you will be allowed to vote for only 1 school board member instead of all 7, Measure A will guarantee that 6 of the 7 board members have no incentive to give you any consideration at all. Our current at-large election system, which is identical to the method used in La Canada, South Pasadena, San Marino and Arcadia, ensures that every Board member is answerable to every voter, whoever they are and wherever they live. Pasadena is a city of increasing diversity. Do you want your voting power reduced and your school board representation dominated by racial considerations? The current system, used successfully by high performing school districts all over California, forces each board member to serve the broader community rather than a segregated and isolated sub-district. Measure A is a step backward for the PUSD. Vote No. WILLIAM BIBBIANI Former PUSD Board Member

Measure A will divide and polarize our community. Sub-district elections will cause division on the school board. Currently, members are accountable to voters throughout the PUSD. Why would rational voters or groups thereof give up their ability to influence the balance of power on the Board of Education every two years in exchange for the ability to elect just one board member every four years? Given the concentration of students in Northwest Pasadena and West Altadena, sub-districts could not be designed to fairly apportion them. The uneven distribution of schools presents a similar problem. Indeed, it is probable that a majority under Measure A will come from areas which serve a very small portion of the student body. To serve an at-large constituency, current board members have an incentive to focus on PUSD in its entirety, on students wherever they live. Sub-district elections will create a perverse incentive for politicians to focus solely on services to their own sub-districts. Even worse, it creates an incentive to form a coalition of four sub-districts to exploit the remaining three. Do you actually believe it's a good idea to implement a system that creates a political incentive for a group of politicians to band together to rob resources from one portion of the District in favor of their own? A coalition of just four people could decide to close schools in one sub-district and build new schools only in their own. They could decide to direct that their sub-districts receive the most experienced teaching staff. Measure A has unintended consequences that could severely harm not just our public schools but the broader community. As a past PUSD Board Member and PUSD administrator with decades of experience, I urge you to vote "No" on Measure A. WILLIAM BIBBIANI Former Board Member Rebuttal to Arguments Against Electing the School Board by neighborhood districts will: + Save the district more than $200,000 every election year + funds that will go into classrooms + Give voters a stronger voice by bringing the School Board closer to neighborhoods + Make the School Board more responsive and accountable to the community + Make it easier for individuals without much money to run for the School Board + Avoid costly lawsuits This measure will save PUSD money, reduce the amount of political mail you receive, and make it easier for concerned citizens to run for a School Board seat. A board elected by sub-districts will work together to form coalitions to get things done. If not, it will be easier for their constituents to vote them out of office. District board members will be highly responsive to the needs of their districts. They will also work with their colleagues to form coalitions and work in the interest of all students in the PUSD. District elections will improve voters' oversight of their elected officials. It will bring more accountability and save the district from spending millions fighting needless lawsuits. Measure A brings the whole system closer to the voter and saves a lot of money doing so. Hundreds of hours were spent gathering input from PUSD residents. We drew a map that is fair and represents the communities of Pasadena, Altadena and Sierra Madre. To view all of the information and the map, go to: http://districting-task-force.pasadenausd.org/modules/groups/integrated_home.phtml?gid=2425931 Join our coalition. Vote Yes for Measure A. ANTRANIK ZARTARIAN General Secretary, Armenian Community Coalition YVONNE BROWN Pasadena NAACP STELLA R. MURGA Executive Director, Pasadena Youth Center BOB HARRISON Past President, Pasadena Unified School District Board