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San Francisco County, CA June 8, 2010 Election
Proposition A
School Facilities Special Tax
San Francisco County

Special Tax - 2/3 Approval Required

Pass: 102873 / 70.02% Yes votes ...... 44043 / 29.98% No votes

See Also: Index of all Propositions

Information shown below: Summary | Fiscal Impact | Yes/No Meaning | Arguments |

To improve earthquake and fire safety and implement critical capital maintenance of its schools and facilities, shall the San Francisco Unified School District be authorized to renew the levy of an annual special tax not to exceed $32.20 per parcel for single family residential and nonresidential parcels and $16.10 per dwelling unit for mixed use and multifamily residential parcels, adjusted for inflation, in its Community Facilities District No. 90-1, and establish its annual appropriations limit at $16,000,000?

Summary Prepared by San Francisco Ballot Simplification Committee:
The Way It Is Now: The San Francisco Unified School District (the District) operates the City's public schools and some child care centers. The District builds, repairs and upgrades its buildings using money from various sources, including voter-approved bond measures and a special property tax. State law allows local government agencies such as the District to form a special community facilities district and collect a special tax if the tax is approved by two-thirds of the voters in the district.

In June 1990, the voters adopted a special tax on property to pay for repairs and other improvements to school and child care center buildings damaged by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and to ensure that buildings were maintained in the future. That tax will expire this year. The current annual special tax on single-family residential and non-residential parcels is $32.20, and the annual special tax on multi-family residential parcels is $16.10 for each dwelling unit. The tax has not been adjusted for inflation. The 1990 measure authorized the District to spend up to $12 million of the special tax proceeds each year.

The Proposal: Proposition A would authorize a special property tax that extends and modifies the special tax adopted in 1990. The District could use the tax for:

  • Seismic upgrading and structural strengthening of the District's school and child care center buildings;

  • Repairing or replacing fire and other safety systems;

  • Upgrading and repairing buildings, including paying salaries and benefits for employees working on these upgrades; and

  • Expenses such as the cost of planning and design and the collection of taxes.

The tax would last for 20 years and the maximum tax rates would be adjusted each year for inflation. For the first year, the tax on single-family residential and non-residential parcels would be up to $32.20 per year, and the tax on multi-family residential parcels would be up to $16.10 per year for each dwelling unit. The measure would authorize the District to spend up to $16 million per year.

Dwelling units with residents 65 years old and older would be eligible for an exemption from the tax.

Fiscal Impact from The City Controller:
City Controller Ben Rosenfield has issued the following statement on the fiscal impact of Proposition A: Should the proposed measure be approved by the voters, in my opinion, it would result in an estimated $6.8 million annually in property tax revenues for the San Francisco Unified School District at current rates and valuations.

The measure renews a special property tax approved previously by the voters in June 1990 which placed a tax of $32.20 annually on non-residential parcels and single family residential parcels and $16.10 per dwelling unit on multi-family residential parcels. Under the measure, the tax would be renewed for a new 20 year period. The tax would be set at the current amounts for the first year and would be adjusted each year thereafter by the amount of the consumer price index, provided however that the adjustment could not exceed 2% annually. The amount of revenue that would be generated is projected to grow as the assessed value and the number of taxable parcels and units increases in San Francisco. By the end of the 20 year period, the revenue amount is estimated at between $11 million and $16 million annually depending on growth rates in the City.

Funds generated by the proposed tax can be used by the San Francisco Unified School District for capital improvements including seismic work, fire and life safety improvements, and other maintenance and repair purposes, but may not be used for debt service.

Meaning of Voting Yes/No
A YES vote on this measure means:
If you vote "yes," you want to renew the special tax to pay for seismic upgrades and other safety improvements to School District facilities. The maximum tax rate would be adjusted for inflation

A NO vote on this measure means:
If you vote "no," you do not want to renew this special tax.

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Arguments For Proposition A Arguments Against Proposition A
We can all agree that in order for our kids to achieve educational success we must provide them with safe learning environments. In 1990, San Franciscans passed a measure to ensure earthquake, fire, and life safety in San Francisco's 150 public school buildings. Today, the original measure is up for renewal and in these challenging economic times, we need to be sure our schools stay earthquake and fire safe. Prop A makes sure our children and teachers don't suffer even greater cuts at the expense of mandatory earthquake and fire safety work.

Prop A is not a tax increase. The Mello-Roos tax generates $6.9 million a year towards necessary school safety, maintenance and repairs to our city's public school classrooms.

These funds help with seismic strengthening, fire and life-safety, including fire alarm systems, fire sprinklers, and paths of exiting. The measure also funds the salaries of employees who work directly on repairing and keeping schools safe for students and teachers. Since the Loma Prieta Earthquake of 1989, the San Francisco Unified School District has worked hard to make sure our schools are ready to withstand future earthquakes and are well protected from fires. We have kept our promise to the voters of San Francisco to manage these monies wisely, effectively, and efficiently in order to upgrade our schools seismic and life-safety conditions. Annual audits have found that we have met all requirements and are in excellent financial standing with all facilities programs. Voting Yes on Prop A is a critical step in ensuring that our schools, our teachers and our children are safe. Please join us in supporting Proposition A.

Mayor Gavin Newsom Joanne Hayes-White, San Francisco Fire Chief* San Francisco Board of Education San Francisco Chamber of Commerce Parents for Public Schools

For identification purposes only; author is signing as an individual and not on behalf of an organization.

Rebuttal to Arguments For
SEND A MESSAGE: "IMPROVE SAN FRANCISCO EDUCATION!": America's place in the world ahead will depend upon giving our children top quality educations.

Our trade partners China and India are seriously outrunning the United States in minting engineers, scientists, businessmen, and computer programers.

They and several other countries are also catching up with America in producing physcians, physicists, mathematicians, and scholars.

The San Francisco Unified School District ("SFUSD") has "dumbed down" education. Reading and math test results are inadequate.

The civics, history, and geography taught in "social studies" are a joke.

We're iconoclasts: SFUSD teachers should be paid on merit and student educational test results... Heresy to the teachers' unions + but good for students and the American economy.

6th to 8th grade students should be learning civics and history reading. The Federalists Papers, the United States Constitution, Winston Churchill's History of World War II, Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Plutarch's Lives, Julius Caesar's Commentaries, Herodotus' Histories, etc.

Younger students should be taught science, be able to read stock and bond tables, know the world map (in detail), learn the Earth's nations (populations, cities, etc.), and list the United States' Presidents (with years they served).

Until SFUSD schools are improved, vote "NO"on Proposition A.

Dr. Terence Faulkner, J.D. Past County Chairman* San Francisco Republican Party (Founded: January of 1856) Doo Sup Park Republican State Senate Nominee, 8th District (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties)* Stephanie Jeong Republican County Central Committee, 12th District*

For identification purposes only; author is signing as an individual and not on behalf of an organization.

TOO MUCH BOARD OF EDUCATION STAFF AND TOO FEW TEACHERS ARE THE STORY OF THE BLOATED SAN FRANCISCO SCHOOL BOARD:

Over-payed Board of Education political appointees and Board executives who do little work of any value are the hallmarks of San Francisco's wasteful educational establishment.

In part the plaything of the local Green Party, the San Francisco Board of Education is good at staging so-called "peace" teach-ins.

The Board of Education also staged a year long political dispute over proposals to get rid of the City's junior ROTC program + Popular with the kids, but not "politically correct" by the standards of the Green Party and other local militants.

San Francisco needs better educational test results, far less Board of Education staff and political appointees, and better teaching programs: Show a globe of the Earth to a San Francisco Board of Education student. Ask him to find China, India, Italy, Egypt, Canada, or even San Francisco on that globe. You will not like the results.

Vote "NO" on this wasteful tax measure. Dr. Terence Faulkner, J.D. Chairman of Citizens Against Tax Waste

Rebuttal to Arguments Against
Proposition A is NOT a tax increase. Everyone's tax bill will remain the same and seniors over 65 can apply for an exemption. With the original Mello-Roos measure up for renewal this year, we need to be sure our schools stay earthquake and fire safe. Yearly audit reports have found the School District to be in excellent financial standing with all facilities programs.

Proposition A will continue to keep San Francisco's 150 public school buildings safe from fires and earthquakes. Our children's safety comes first, and in these challenging economic times we need to be sure our schools are earthquake and fire safe. Proposition A does this by providing seismic strengthening, fire and life-safety, including fire alarm systems, fire sprinklers, and paths of exiting.

Proposition A makes sure our children and teachers don't suffer even greater cuts at the expense of mandatory earthquake and fire safety work.

The Mello-Ross Parcel Tax is money well spent. Since 1990, the Mello-Roos Parcel Tax has generated approximately $6.9 million dollars a year towards earthquake, fire and life safety in San Francisco's public school facilities and funds the salaries of employees who keep our schools safe. SFUSD spends less than most districts and other government entities on central administration (less than 4%).

Help our schools, teachers and children by keeping our schools safe.

Vote YES on PROP A. Mayor Gavin Newsom San Francisco Board of Education San Francisco Chamber of Commerce Parents for Public Schools San Francisco Fire Chief* Joanne Hayes-White

For identification purposes only; author is signing as an individual and not on behalf of an organization.


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Created: August 20, 2010 21:43 PDT
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