Residents of the Mt. Diablo Unified School District (MDUSD) who vote in the May 19 election will see two sets of tax increases. Props 1A through 1E are state measures imposing huge increases, and stealing from special funds previously established by voters.
MDUSD’s Measure D imposes a new $99 parcel tax for five years. The district has threatened to cancel high school sports and classroom services if the parcel tax fails. In fact, the district wants to fund pay increases for teachers.
California teachers are the highest paid in the US, and some MDUSD teachers make over $82,000 for a nine-month work year.
Voters must realize that passage of Measure D encourages state leaders to dump even more of their responsibility to fund public education onto local taxpayers. Our current state budget has already raised taxes on the average family by $1200 per year, and the recent announcement of an additional $8 billion shortfall makes even more tax hikes inevitable.
Families are losing their jobs, their homes and their retirement assets. They are forced to live within their means in these tough times. MDUSD and all its personnel should do the same.
- Jack Weir, Pleasant Hill Taxpayer Association
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MDUSD can’t lose sports and stay competitive? That’s an insane argument. Competitive for what? For teachers?
Your comment reads like it’s about using Measure D money for increasing pay and benefits it already cannot afford, instead of programs, let alone football.
If you want to complain about the “injustice” of the ad valorum method of funding schools, well that is a whole other debate. But to uncritically parrot the talking points of the political sheiks and union mullahs of the Public School Taliban ignores the fact that Measure D is simply a waste of money, whether it is 99-cents or 99 dollars.
Please, I am not going to go to the wall for someone who is rich enough to live where they can send their kids to Accalanes or Northgate. At least the kids get better drugs than at Mt Diablo.
That said, who are you or the district to tell anyone how they should spend their money or educate their kids? Really!
I’d like to see Edi write about the Public School Taliban that assumes it has the right to tell everyone else how to educate their kids and take their money while discriminating against race, class, and religion.
No on Measure D
If quality of school districts is based on real estate values then, to achieve educational equality, Obama and the Congress should
a) cap housing prices at $277,000
b) outlaw all non-government schools
c) fund every child equally and let parents choose schooling
The biggest factor in your home price is the quality of the school district. Compare a home on the border of Acalanes with a home in the Acalanes district. There are lots and lots of online authorities for this. The Wall Street Journal’s blog: http://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2008/02/20/buying-a-new-home-how-important-is-the-school-district/ shows this. so does a study by Ohio State U study: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/schlhome.htm and also http://www.vacation-rental-wonderland.com/owner-advittp://www.1siliconvalley.com/silicon-valley-school-rankings-relative-to-housing-prices/ MDUSD can’t lose sports, etc. and stay competitive. MDUSD has trouble keeping teachers. New teachers stay until they get offers for more money from nearby districts. MDUSD does not pay health insurance, which is $12,000+ for a family of 4. MDUSD keeps the ones who can’t go elsewhere or have someone else to pay health insurance. If $99 per year is more than 10% of the value of your home, vote against Measure D. If you want to hold value and see appreciation vote for Measure D
Thanks Edi for insighful comments.
Less than 30 cents a day. How many of us don’t have a quarter around each day to throw in the pot. Invest in kids or invest in your own property values, but please vote yes.
My own two just finished in the school system, and yes my finances are such that I need to sell my house and move. I can’t say the district is run fabulously well or the money will be perfectly spent.
Yet with a state as productive as California to be dead last in the US in per pupil spending is worse than embarrassing. Children are our future and they deserve better.
Northgate lost more than 30 of its best teachers to the Accolanes district. They are supporting their schools, let’s not widen the gap. Starting teachers make in the $40s, average in the $50s so let’s not mention the very few that may be above that.
When we moved here three years ago I was stunned by the poor quality of the schools in comparison to the east coast schools they attended. I’ll do my share to support education. Let’s not make kids suffer any further in an attempt to fix by withholding.
Thank you for voting yes on Measure D
If you want to vote no on something, oppose the Propositions.
MDUSD Parent, I too have children attending school in the district and I my first priority is making sure they are provided a quality education. However, public services across the board are forced make cuts. Local governments are forced to make cuts, including layoffs (Police Officers, Firefighters and public employees). I do not see measures on the table to save those programs. In short, everyone has to make adjustments in their budgets. Raising taxes so the district can, “strategically raise the salary of teachers and staff” when I have to work two jobs to pay my bills doesn’t seem right to me. If school sports are cut, then so be it. Everyone has to sacrifice; kids now a day need to learn that money does not grow on trees. Spending money that we do not have is why, as a nation, we are all suffering.
Measure D IS about teacher’s pay. At the School Board meeting where the parcel tax was discussed, the Union rep stated the Union would only support a parcel tax is it could be used for Teacher Pay. Board members assured them it could be used for a pay increase. The Union is now supporting the Measure D parcel tax.
Measure D is just a fig leaf for the naked truth that MDUSD is a failed district and does not deserve the public’s support.
I know too many people that rent their homes within the district and either moved to Lafayette or Walnut Creek, or cheat, to get their kids a decent education because MDUSD is so out of touch with its mission.
For me, the issue is not about paying taxes. It is obvious and apparent that government is not competent to run schools. Especially a discriminatory monopoly like MDUSD.
Parents and educators should run schools. Not governments.
Government’s role in education is so out of whack, even Ivan Illych over a generation ago knew we had to “deschool society.” Government run education is like the Berlin wall, someday it will just collapse in on itself from the weight of its own useless micromanagement and waste.
The proper role of government ought to be to set guidelines, certify, license, and adjudicate, as well as raising and distributing funds per pupil fairly and without discrimination concerning where parents choose to spend those dollars.
PARENTS
EDUCATORS
GOVERNMENT
Should be the proper order for education, not the other way ’round. Currently, education in California is for the sake of big government, union bosses, bureaucrats, and preening politicians—instead of for helping all parents educate their children.
Measure D doesn’t even come close to recognizing that parents and children are dead last in MDUSD’s sick totem pole of power. You can tell this just by the way schools are funded, ADA , where funding is based on how many heads can be counted every day, so the beast can feed itself and keep its doors open and the bureaucracy running for one more day.
I don’t think that there are many among us that are “against any tax for anything.” However, there are many, myself included, that believe we are too heavily taxed at this time and do not want to see any increases in the current burden. Rather, what I would like to see is proper prioritization in tax revenue and elimination of waste and union protectionism. In my view, govt is here first and foremost for our collective protection meaning police, fire, education, and infrastructure. I am by no means a collectivist and believe wholeheartedly in the invidual as focus of our society. We have to live within our means and when you look at the total amount of revenue received by the local govt from taxes there is more than enough to keep this community properly policed, fire protected, educated, and with well-functioning infrastructure. All could be accomplished without raising any new taxes. Other items with less priority, though, would have to be downsized or eliminated altogether. Therein lies the rub.
United States public policy (and state law) is that public schools ARE a collective responsibility, and charging a required fee for enrollment for K-12 is not allowed.
Some schools benefits from parents paying hundreds of dollars each year in donations, but its not enough to support the whole budget for a school.
Contra Costa libertarian, do you have children? Did you or your kids ever attend public school? Or are you just against any tax, for anything? In your opinion, are there any collective responsibilities? Lets cut fire and police and give everyone a hose and a gun.
To MDUSD parent:
First, I fully understand the desire of parents to have their children well educated. I would agree that it is the parent’s responsiblity to ensure their children get a good education, it is not a collective responsibility.
MDUSD has around 35,000 K-12 students and 20,000 adult education students for at grand total of 55,000. Change the enrollment fee from $50 to $130 per student per year, that should cover the 7 million. Yes, I added the adult education program. That is part of MDUSD and Measure D states funds are for all students, not just K-12.
There is no guarantee that any programs will be restored due to Measure D funding. Funds may be used for any of 13 issues listed in the measure. Restoring and maintaining programs is just one of those, but Measure D does not require that a percentage of funds be used for any particular purpose.
Will measure maintain or reduce class sizes? Only if the Board decides to spend the funds on it, again, not required. Also, it may only be used for that purpose for specific grade levels, K-3rd and 9th Grade. Have a kid in 4th through 8th or 10th through 12th? Funds can’t be used for class size reduction for them.
Finally, the cost of conducting the election and providing oversight (paying one or more people to watch the funds) are authorized uses of Measure D funds.
I’ll bet that raising 7 million per year (or 7 million per month for that matter) won’t stop further requests for funds—and still won’t make one bit of difference. Let’s charge the parents of kids that do poorly in school more than the parents of kids who do well. Maybe then we’ll see more parental involvement in their kids’ education and get real improvement.
One more comment, to the person who said ‘charge $50 per student”. There are approximately 35,000 students in the district. That plan would raise only $1.75 million. That is a drop in the bucket.
This parcel tax will raise over $7 million per year.
Measure D does not maintain the status quo, it attempts to restore some programs that have already been cut.
It cannot make up the 14+ million that the state took away over the past two years.
High school sports, already gone.
Administration and maintenance, already cut
Fourth grade music, already gone.
Librarians and vice principals at middle and high school, already cut.
High school music programs, already reduced.
Academic teachers are next, which means fewer choices for high school kids, and larger class sizes for everyone.
Public education has been the foundation of our society. Many parents already pay $1000’s per year to support their school in donations, supplies and other support, but they cannot fund everything themselves, and those good schools support YOUR property values. Just wait until this thing doesn’t pass, and you need to sell your house. Who will want to buy in this district?
Why should I, or anyone who doesn’t utilize the schools mismanaged by MDUSD, pay another $8 per month? I already pay over $20 per month for the 2002 bond. Why do “we” need to step up and become collectivists? Why don’t the parents of the students step up and pay for the services they are using instead of campaigning to spread the cost to everyone?
How is measure D not about teachers pay? I hear that a lot, but to quote the text of measure D, one of the authorized uses of the funds is to “strategically raise the salary of teachers and staff.” Not that I don’t think many teachers work hard and are worthy of a good salary, but let’s refrain from saying D has nothing to do with salaries, because it does. And who are “staff”?
Allowing measure D to pass perpetuates the status quo, and is detrimental to any sort of reform. Sometimes the cost of putting out a fire is more than what the building is worth.
The schools are in financial trouble. The financial trouble is affecting the school kids in a major negative manner that will project forward future problems that will leverage greatly more damage than the cost to deal with them at this point in time and their place. In Concord, the Median income is in the 50K range and the average is in the 80K range. By that means we are starting our teachers well below the median and only at the high end do the teachers achieve average pay status.
However, Measure D is not about teachers pay, it is about basic school classroom and related services.
While I personally detest the entire concept of residential property tax as something of a throw back to pre-colonial if not down right medieval financial techniques, nevertheless, the schools are in major crisis mode and at eight dollars a month we need to step up and take the hit for the schools even though the inequities in the system exist.
We can still fight for reform of the system, redirection of priorities, when the house is burning down, we can put the fire out first and then talk about the style of the drapes.
To the Editor:
Carl (statement nearby) makes excellent arguments for voting against Measure D.
The measure, if passed, will add $99 a year to the property tax of each property in the Mount Diablo school district.
Property taxes should be eliminated. People don’t pay property taxes on their furniture, appliances, or clothing. Why should they pay a tax to live in a home?
The property tax should be replaced with an income tax. This means that a person who has no income pays no tax.
People should not fear homelessness because they have no income.
Richard S. Colman
Orinda, CA
April 30, 2009
I’m all for kids getting a good education, and I’m voting no on D. Here’s a short synopsis why:
-Already paying almost $300 per year for the 2002 Mt. Diablo Bond on my property tax bill. Where’s that money?
-Grand Jury report has shown financial irresponsibilty on part of MDUSD.
-Check out YVHS when school is out. How many kids do you see taking books home to study? 60%? More money won’t help that, only responsible parents.
Look at who pays if Measure D passes-
-Homeowner with no kids – $99
-Homeowner with 5 school kids – $99
-Apartment Building owner with 100 resident school kids – $99
-Homeowner who home schools their kids- $99
-59 year old retiree homeowner with no kids – $99
Rather than imposing a tax on everyone, why not charge a $50 enrollment fee per student? Wouldn’t that be more fair?
I really hope the No on Measure D people start making more noise because everywhere I look, I see a Yes on Measure D sign sitting in someone’s front yard.
I am a single guy who bought my condo in 2004. It’s all I can do to make my mortgage payment (and I have a fixed loan!). Every time I turn around, someone has their hand out. We now pay one of the highest sales tax rates (if not the highest) in the country. I just got my car registration and that has increased (my car is a 1991!!!). I don’t have kids, and I’m really tired of these parcel taxes that hammer me just because I happen to own a home. Fix the system and stop bleeding someone like me. I sorry that the schools are hurting, so am I. I haven’t had a raise in over two years and there’s no telling when I will get the next one (or how long I keep my job). Every time we have an election it seems the schools start crying for money complaining about budget cuts. Well it’s rough all over folks. So if high school sports have to take a hit, that’s the way it is. The kids will survive.
I wonder if you realize how much Mt. Diablo Unified (as well as all other school districts in this state) are spending on useless and unusable books and programs at the elementary school level.
Every 5 years our schools totally throw out a program (either math, reading, social science, or science), and replace everything with new materials. This means that there are new teacher manuals for every single teacher, new big books for primary, new student books and materials for every student, and new supplemental materials for every program and student. Add to this the necessity of training teachers to use these new programs and the research based fact that it takes 3 years for a teacher to effectively use a new program, and you have wasted thousands of dollars per classroom every year! On top of this, teachers cannot even use all of these materials because of time restrictions on teaching.
We need our teachers teaching; we need small class size in primary grades. We do not need new programs with their prohibitive costs every year!
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