LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS
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Measure A Acquisition and Improvement of Land and Facilities Oakland Unified School District Bond Measure 69695 / 84.7% Yes votes ...... 12562 / 15.2% No votes
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Index of all Measures |
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| Information shown below: Fiscal Impact | Impartial Analysis | Arguments | | ||||||
To relieve overcrowding in Oakland's neighborhood schools and improve educational facilities for children, through projects such as constructing new schools; renovating classrooms and bathrooms; replacing electrical, plumbing, heating and ventilation systems; upgrading science labs and libraries; restoring arts/music rooms; and replacing deteriorating portable classrooms; shall Oakland Unified School District issue $303,000,000 in bonds at authorized interest rates for acquisition and improvement of land and facilities, and appoint a citizens' oversight committee to guarantee funds are spent accordingly?
1. The best estimate of the tax 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 projected assessed valuations, is 6.6 cents per $100 ($66.00 per $100,000) of assessed valuation in fiscal year 2000-01. 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 estimated assessed valuations available at the time of filing of this statement, is 6.6 cents per $100 ($66.00 per $100,000) of assessed valuation in fiscal year 2018-19. 3. The best estimate of the highest 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 estimated assessed valuations available at the time of filing of this statement, is 6.6 cents per $100 ($66.00 per $100,000) of assessed valuation. The tax rate is expected to remain the same in each year the bonds are outstanding. Attention of all voters is directed to the fact that the foregoing information is based upon the District's projections and estimates only, which are not binding upon the District. Actual tax rates and the years in which they will apply may vary from those presently estimated, due to variations from these estimates by the timing of bond sales, the amount of bonds sold at any given sale, market interest rates at the time of each bond sale, and actual assessed valuations over the term of repayment of the bonds. The actual dates of sale of the bonds and the amount sold at any given time will be governed by the needs of the District and other factors. The actual interest rates at which the bonds will be sold will depend on the bond market at the time of each sale. Actual future assessed valuation will depend upon the amount and value of taxable property within the District as determined in the annual assessment and the equalization process.
If two-thirds of the qualified electors voting on this measure vote for approval, the District will be authorized to issue bonds in the amount not to exceed $303,000,000. It is expected that the bonds would be issued over time. Each series of bonds would have a maturity not exceeding twenty-five years from the date of issue. Approval of this measure would authorize the District to levy an ad valorem tax on real property within the District by an amount needed to pay the principal and interest on these bonds. The estimate of the tax rate required to be levied to fund the bonds in each year throughout the term of authorization would be 6.6 cents per 100 dollars of assessed valuation ($66.00 per $100,000) as set forth more fully in the measure's Tax Rate Statement in this Voter Pamphlet. If two-thirds of the qualified electors voting on this measure do not vote for approval, the measure will fail and the Oakland Unified School District would not be authorized to issue the bonds.
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| Arguments For Measure A | Arguments Against Measure A | ||
| If there is one issue all Oakland citizens agree upon, it is the need to improve our Oakland schools. Measure A has been placed on the ballot by a coalition of educators, business leaders, elected officials, religious leaders, and community members to provide funds to repair Oakland schools and to provide permanent classrooms to relieve overcrowding.
The following projects will be completed within a 10-year time frame: For accountability, an oversight committee made up of parents, teachers, experts in construction and finance, and taxpayers' organizations will be appointed and will serve without pay to ensure funds are spent properly. By law, money from Measure A will only be spent on adding schools and classrooms, eliminating aged portables, and improving and renovating school facilities. All funds, by law, can only be used for school improvements. Passage of Measure A will allow our Oakland schools to qualify for state matching funds, thereby reducing costs to local taxpayers. Without passage of Measure A, these funds will be given to other school districts. The average age of Oakland schools is almost 60 years old. Measure A is critically needed to ensure safe schools for Oakland children.
s/Mae F. Monroe, District 19 PTA President
But that's just the beginning! Their own graphs and public statements show that they intend to come back in 8 or 10 years for another $209 million. This raises political deception to a fine art! We're supposed to trust the school board to spread these enormous sums around wisely? The past record of dismal student performance and maintenance neglect doesn't prompt unlimited trust in school bureaucrats. The school board could have made a detailed list of improvements part of the bond issue record, allowing a reasoned decision by the taxpayers. They didn't. Improving the educational climate in Oakland doesn't depend upon building a few little Taj Mahals wherever they serve the political interests of the school board. Oakland voters and taxpayers must demand a more reasonable measure with detailed accounting! We've had enough new taxes!
VOTE NO ON MEASURE A!
| First, the school board wanted to ask voters for %512 million. Now, it's $303 million. Don't they know what they need? The answer is NO. They are asking for enormous sums without a carved-in-stone guarantee of what, specifically, they'll spend it on.
How much tax money has to be squeezed out of the already overburdened Oakland taxpayers to pay for years of maintenance neglect in our schools? $598 million? That's what school bureaucrats say. That number consists of this $303 million bond issue, $182 million in state funds by their estimate, and $113 million balance from Measure C, which they said was so badly needed. That's right. $113 million is still unspent from the 1994 bond issue of $169 million approved by the voters.
Remember, this unprecedented $303 million figure, largest ever in Northern California, doesn't include the huge interest to be paid on the bonds until the year 2035! Interest could nearly double the sum taxpayers must cough up. Further, the school district's tax rate statement clearly points out that tax rates are only an estimate - these rates could drastically increase over the years. There's no cap! And, don't forget, we'll also be paying taxes on the 1994 bonds for 42 years to come! Pending state legislation would require two things of school bond issues: a detailed list of all proposed use of the money, and quarterly audits of those expenditures. This Oakland bond measure doesn't meet either requirement. Oakland taxpayers should reject this enormous bond issue and tell the school board to come back with a more reasoned measure that accounts in detail for every dollar! This pig-in-a-poke costs $598 million.
VOTE NO on MEASURE A!
- Oakland schools will not improve by voting no. - Oakland schools will not get fixed by voting no. - Oakland children will suffer if Measure A is not approved. Fixing our schools is our city's most important priority. This is why Measure A has the support of parents, teachers, business leaders as well as those calling for reform and improvement of Oakland schools. Without question it will take much more than the passage of Measure A to improve schools. Funds from Measure A, however, combined with over $18 million in state funding (which will be given to other school districts if Measure A does not pass), will go a long way to making sure each school is safe, that there are enough classrooms for children, and that classrooms are adequate for instruction. Measure A will cost the average Oakland homeowner a little over a dollar a week. Within four years all critical health and safety issues at all schools will be addressed, 300 of the oldest portables will be replaced, two new schools will be built to relieve overcrowding and 22 schools will be completely renovated.
The plan is specific. The needs are great. Join Mayor Jerry Brown and other Oakland leaders in supporting Measure A.
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Created: April 13, 2000 02:34
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