League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Santa Cruz County, CA June 5, 2012 Election
	Measure J Protection of Quality Education Act Santa Cruz City Elementary School District Parcel Tax - 2/3 Approval Required Pass: 11,092 / 80.97% Yes votes ...... 2,607 / 19.03% No votes See Also: Index of all Measures

Arguments For Measure J

Our elementary and middle school students are counting on your YES vote for Measure J. Measure J funds great teachers and strong programs at our neighborhood elementary and middle schools. Measure J ensures that all students in Santa Cruz City Schools continue to receive a top quality education, preparing them for success in the 21st century. Santa Cruz K-8 students continue to benefit from outstanding academic and enrichment programs, thanks to local voters who have consistently approved and renewed local funding that protects our schools from the worst of state budget cuts. Since 2002, our neighborhood schools have relied on voter-approved local funding, which must be renewed. Your YES vote on Measure J renews critical local funds for students attending elementary schools including Bay View, DeLaveaga, Gault, Monarch and Westlake, as well as Branciforte and Mission Hill middle schools. Measure J will protect student achievement by: Retaining high-quality teachers Preserving art and music programs Providing academic counseling that keeps at-risk students on the right track Keeping school libraries open, served by certificated teacher librarians Every penny will be spent locally to support Santa Cruz elementary and middle schools: No funds will be spent on administrators' salaries or benefits An independent citizens' oversight committee ensures funds are spent as promised Seniors will continue to be eligible for an exemption These funds cannot be taken away by the State Your YES vote will help protect our excellent elementary and middle schools from the impacts of state budget cuts. Measure J will help provide the quality education that our students deserve and our community expects. Great schools make Santa Cruz a great place to live. Join us in protecting quality education by voting YES on Measure J. s/ John Laird Former State Assemblymember s/ Ryan Coonerty City Councilmember s/ Kevin Vogel Chief of Police, City of Santa Cruz s/ Reyna Ruiz Community Leader s/ Patty Zoccoli Business Owner (No arguments against Measure J were submitted)

Full Text of Measure J

To continue expiring funding to retain highly qualified teachers and librarians, protect school art and music instruction, provide academic counseling and continue improving classroom academics, shall the Santa Cruz City Elementary School District renew its expiring parcel tax at $85 per parcel annually for eight years, with exemptions available for seniors, independent oversight and accountability, no funds for administrator salaries, and guaranteed local control, so funds stay in Santa Cruz elementary and middle schools to preserve quality education? To this end, funds raised by this parcel tax shall be used to strengthen and enrich elementary academic programs by means such as: a. Retaining high quality teachers; b. Retaining art and music teachers in our elementary schools; c. Keeping school libraries open and served by credentialed librarians, library assistants, and teachers; and d. Providing academic counseling and continuing to improve classroom academics. The Elementary School District's expiring parcel tax for elementary education began in 2006 and has been collected at the flat rate of $70 per parcel per year since then. This Measure will extend the expiring parcel tax for eight years, beginning July 1, 2013, at the flat rate of $85 per year, for each assessor's parcel within the Elementary School District (grades K-8). A parcel is defined as any unit of land in the Elementary District that now receives a separate real property tax bill from Santa Cruz County. All property that would otherwise be exempt from property taxes will also be exempt from the imposition of said qualified special tax. An exemption from the tax will be made available to each individual in the Elementary District who will attain 65 years of age prior to July 1 of the tax year, owns a beneficial interest in the parcel, and uses that parcel as his or her principal place of residence. Applications for such senior exemptions shall be made to the Elementary District on or before July 1, 2013, or July 1 of any succeeding tax year. Any one application from a qualified applicant will provide an exemption for the parcel for the remaining term of the tax so long as such applicant continues to own and use the parcel as his or her principal residence. In addition to the accountability measures required by law, the independent community oversight committee that has been appointed by the Governing Board to oversee all expenditures funded by the existing parcel tax will continue to audit all funds in order to ensure that said funds are spent wisely and used only for the purposes approved by the voters. The oversight committee shall monitor the expenditures of these funds by the Elementary District and shall report on an annual basis to the community on how these funds have been spent. None of the funds raised by the parcel tax will be used for administrator salaries or benefits.