Wednesday, November 3, 2010

High School Parcel Tax Results


JEFFERSON UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT MEASURE P - PARCEL TAX FOR ACADEMICS (2/3)
Completed Precincts: 73 of 73
Vote Count Percentage
YES 15,364 65.7%
NO 8,023 34.3%

71 comments:

Anonymous said...

More money for the teachers to get botox and surf on our dime.

Anonymous said...

Didn't pass. Needs 2/3 or 66.6%.

Anonymous said...

HaHaHaHaHaHa! Lost by a sliver. Now that's karma.

Feels Good said...

Where are all the commie democrats? All I hear is
Crickets. Crickets. Crickets. I like the sound of crickets.

Karen Ervin said...

These kids are the future. They are competing in a global job market. The classrooms in the Jefferson Union High School District are in desperate need for resources that will allow our students to succeed. This includes competitive teacher's salaries that attract and retain high quality teachers, tutorial assistance for students that are struggling and the availability of Advanced Placement classes for students who wish to attend 4 year universities. Once again we will allow the state budget to be balanced on the backs of our children. A true travesty and such a disappointment.

Anonymous said...

How do all the kids that live in 3rd world countries , taught in shacks, with leaking sewage out perform California's Students?

You won't get anymore money, until we completely reform education. The people have spoken. We need tough education competition. Break the Union. Quit forcing teachers to pay union fees into a system of corruption and communism. The people have spoken.

Anonymous said...

"The people have spoken" when just a hair shy of 2/3 voted FOR the parcel tax? I don't follow your logic ...

Anonymous said...

I miss the old days, when, if you wanted to become a teacher it was for noble reasons, and it did not matter at all what amount of money you were getting. Kind of like the private schools of today. Teachers today are more concerned with their amount of vacation and early retirement. They hate to fill out more paper work than necessary. They hate talking to parents. And, then we are not allowed to complain, because " oh the poor poor teachers" "they don't get paid as much as other places". Well, they can go find another job outside of Pacifica. Maybe someone should tell them that, they may not know it.

Didnit vote for it said...

Many did not vote in support or against. Why? I wonder if the homeowners were the 34% against. That voter base has been shrinking in Pacifica. I was reluctant to saddle the homeowners with more taxes, and could not sum up the will to give it to the schools. Just could not do it.

Karen said...

In response to Anonymous...Kids who are taught in shacks with leaking sewage do very poorly, statistically speaking. Socioeconomically disadvantaged children across the world do not do any better, but this is America and we should be able to provide our kids with what they need to have a high quality education especially if we hope to compete in this global economy. Places like Finland, where education is highly valued and teachers are highly regarded (and who all have master's degrees) do incredibly well (and yes they have a teacher's union). Estimates are that soon almost half the children in California schools won't speak English at home, but we want them to go to school and excel in Algebra and English, and if they fail it is the teacher's fault. Give schools the resources and the support they need, and yes, hire the best teachers (who are provided with a decent living wage), and kids will do better. Not all kids come to school ready and motivated to learn but that is not the fault of the unions. Reform is needed, and the unions need to embrace the changes that will improve our public schools, but placing all the blame on the teachers or the unions is incredibly short sided and will do little to help public education.
Lastly, I disagree that the people have spoken... 65.7% of people (a significant majority) believe that the schools have suffered enough from these endless budget cuts to education, and it is time to show the children that we will prioritize their education and their future.

Also, to: Didn't vote for it said... I appreciate your honesty, and sadly many felt they couldn't support it. Unfortunately, it is the kids who will pay the price. Remember senior citizens would have been given an exemption as well.

Markus said...

Frankly, I was a bit surprised it got nearly 66% of the vote. Given the difficult state of the economy, many property owners simply can't afford additional parcel taxes.

Kathy Meeh said...

Anon 10:03am, 3rd world countries do not produce an educated, prosperous population (another lie from you). "Best countries" website which include education in it focused criteria (I was not able to find isolated world education data). Education is important at all levels.

Karen, sorry the 4 year high school supplementary funding measure (measure P) did not pass (by 1%). A 2/3rds threshold seems near impossible even in better economic times.

Anon 10:41am. Maybe you can live and work for substandard wages, most people can not-- however "noble".

Anonymous said...

So the kids area undeserving? Unions and teachers should not take all the blame? How is this idea; Take the school away from them. Don't make anyone pay the taxes that go towards education. Let tax payers keep their money. If they want to donate to their favorite education , let them. Parents can choose on their own what type of education they would like to purchase for their children. Unions and teachers, in public schools, do not and will not dictate what is the best type of education for the children, parents will and should. If a parent is incapable of properly educating their children then that is their problem. NOT YOURS!

Anonymous said...

I think the learning scale for 3rd world countries and california's public school learning scale is about the same. Remember, many of these stats that come from the Ca Dept of Ed are manipulated. Meaning, they look better then they really factually are. We do have nice buildings, though.

No on P said...

I voted no.

I am sick & tired of every time the Pacifica schools need money they want it from me!!! Trim the budget and staff!!! One of the phrases that concerned me about this new money grab was that some of the money would be used to retain "valued teachers & make teacher pay more competitive. Who would make that decision as to a valued teacher? It just seemed like more of a money grab for teachers salaries than actually helping the schools and students. Plus I cannot afford $96.00 a year right now.

teach for free said...

If you feel so much for the kids suffering, why don't you teach for free. Kinda like Gov Arnie did not take any money. Did it help? It helped me, less taxes taken from me for his salary. unions have such a strangle hold on this state. we can never move forward unless we go under, then rise back up with a clean slate.

Steve Sinai said...

"If a parent is incapable of properly educating their children then that is their problem. NOT YOURS!"

Wrong. Not only is it unfair to the child who has the bad luck to be born to parents like that, but it's a problem for every American. If we don't have an educated workforce, we can't maintain our standard of living. And you either end up supporting those people on welfare; or else you put bars up on your windows and build a wall around your house with glass shards embedded on the top.

Anon, you need to do some traveling and experience what it's like in third-world countries, so you can see what kind of places we'll be living in if we implement your "solutions."

Anonymous said...

Don't you Tea Party idiots have your own blog where you can talk to each other in irrationalese?

Children living in cardboard box houses without even proper sanitation learn how to survive, or not. That's their education. Is this what you want for America?

Anonymous said...

"If we don't have an educated workforce, we can't maintain our standard of living. And you either end up supporting those people on welfare; or else you put bars up on your windows and build a wall around your house with glass shards embedded on the top."

I think we have a problem of too many educated college kids with a high debt problem and not enough workers with skills. Show me a young man or woman who could bang a hammer and I will show you a fresh faced college kid who can't find a job because he has no working skills.
I have been to L.A., does that count for a third world country.
Kind of like the situation we are in now.

Steve Sinai said...

"I have been to L.A., does that count for a third world country."

No it doesn't, and that's a pathetic answer. Everything you're writing here exemplifies the adage, "confidence through ignorance."

Anonymous said...

I paid $96 per year for five years. Now they want us to pay AGAIN. Of course - the schools get used to this money, they keep asking for it. If more parents invested their time & money into the educational system, maybe that would make a difference. Simply doling out every year obviously does not help. Until real education reform is performed, I won't vote for these measures.

Steve Sinai said...

When did you pay $96/year for five years for the schools?

Anonymous said...

Steve - for the past 5 years my tax assessment has a $96/year parcel tax for the school district. Hope that answers your question.

Karen said...

I would find some of the comments posted here amusing if the consequences weren't so devastating; now they are simply frightening.
Just wanted to add to what Steve said...
"And you either end up supporting those people on welfare; or else you put bars up on your windows and build a wall around your house with glass shards embedded on the top."
Most US prison inmates are high school drop outs. A great many are illiterate and have learning disabilities, and the state prison budget is growing almost three times faster than the education budget. Is this the direction we prefer to take...to spend less on education, only to spend more on prisons in the future?

Laurie Frater said...

To anonymous at 1:28 p.m.:
If "for the past 5 years my tax assessment has a $96/year parcel tax for the school district" is true, then you must have been living in some other district.

The parcel tax for the elementary schools (Measure N) has only been in effect for a couple of years. This one (Measure P) - for the same eight bucks a month - was for the high schools, and wouldn't have gone into effect until next year.

There's no point in repeating all that Karen and others have stated so well (thanks, Karen and others!), but to the substantial majority who recognise the value of education in this community and who brought us so close to having this pass, thank you!

Karen said...

Just to clarify any confusion Anonymous(1:10pm) may have...the $96/year parcel tax he has been paying for the last three years is for the Pacifica School District(K-8), not for the Jefferson Union High School District. Both districts have endured extensive budget cuts, slashing millions from their budget (even with the PSD parcel tax). This year teachers, staff and the administration are taking up to 5 furlough days which has significantly cut their pay, (and reduced the number of days children are in school). Class sizes have been increased at many grade levels amounting to significant teacher layoffs. Summer school has been cut for both districts as well, leaving some students unable to graduate on time. Fewer classes are available at the high school level due to teacher layoffs and students are unable to take the classes they need.
The approval of the parcel tax for the Pacifica School District has been incredibly helpful and the Pacifica community deserves a great deal of gratitude for helping the schools through such a devastating economic downturn.

Steve Sinai said...

I thought Anon was mistaking the fire tax for a school tax.

No on P said...

"This year teachers, staff and the administration are taking up to 5 furlough days which has significantly cut their pay" This statement again proves that these propositions are more about teacher & staff pay than student welfare.

I was on 4 day weeks for most of this year. Not 5 days for 9 months. Me losing a day week for most of 2010 was much more significant than 5 days over 9 months.

Anonymous said...

Get your facts together ssssinai. This was for JUSD. PSD parcel tax was passed. See, they keep breaking up all these schools into districts which confuses people who don't pay attention. The teachers could use a few days off. There will be no crying. Teachers jobs were saved. Mine was not. So boo hoo too you.

Anonymous said...

Growing up here and going to all the schools, I used to hang out with one of the wealthiest family's whose home was the nicest, fanciest. As I got to know them some more I was stunned to find out the dad had only gone up to a 8th grade education. He started working right after he graduated in a SF school. He built custom homes all around the bay area. He became rich.

His children, who I went to school with, never, barely attended school and they have done extremely well in their lives. After their father kicked them in their arses more than a few times.

I just don't buy this argument that we need more and more money and the best of best teachers. It is all about culture and community. Work ethic. We are doing a very poor job instilling work ethics. The culture has slowly changed and is biting us in the ass. We push and push our kids into thinking they have to attend k-8-12-on to college. Only for them to leave college with very little accomplished and a huge debt. Lazy , don't want to work very hard kids. Young people feeling they are disappointing everyone cause they don't want to attend school and are afraid to say so. I am scared for our future.

I remember when I was a teenager hanging out at this man's beautiful home, who admitted to us he only had a 8th grade education, that we all needed to get jobs if we were going to sit around and cut school and smoke weed. He also looked us up and down and mumbles that he was worried about his future. I wonder how he feels today.

Anonymous said...

"The approval of the parcel tax for the Pacifica School District has been incredibly helpful and the Pacifica community deserves a great deal of gratitude for helping the schools through such a devastating economic downturn."

You're welcome. I think the point that some have been trying to make is that these parcel taxes usually result in not much being accomplished and the voters are asked for more. Do parents who rent have to pay a parcel tax? What about people who don't have children or whose children are grown? Many people wouldn't mind paying an extra tax IF they felt the money would benefit those it is supposed to benefit. Why not ask for some accountability from the district/s as to where the money goes? To me, it just seems like an endless string of bailouts and/or handouts. Time for it to stop - people can't afford it.

Laurie Frater said...

Anonymous at 5:06 asked:

"Why not ask for some accountability from the district/s as to where the money goes?"
Instead, why not just read the report that the citizen's oversight committee has produced each year -- as promised/required by both Measure N (for the elementary schools) and Measure P (for the high schools)?

"Do parents who rent have to pay a parcel tax?" I doubt that there's any landlord who hasn't built the $8 per month into the rent they charge.

"What about people who don't have children or whose children are grown?" Many, perhaps most, recognise the value of good schools to the community, if not to sustaining the value of their very own home. On that basis alone, eight bucks a month is a heck of an investment!

Laurie Frater said...

In response to Anonymous at 4:03 p.m.:

You might want to try reading "The Verger" by W. Somerset Maugham, available here: http://sinden.org/verger.html

If only it was typical, instead of being a short story to illlustrate an irony, I might have had more sympathy with your argument.

Anonymous said...

It's very difficult for entitlement states, such as CA, MA, NY and WV to give up all the perks they receive from their states. Once you get used to take, take, take, it's very hard to give! So, the freeloaders continue to live life off the hog! Sad!

Anonymous said...

For Frater,

Professor Joseph Olson of Hamline University School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota,
points out some interesting facts concerning last November's Presidential election:
ð· Number of States won by: Obama: 19 McCai...n: 29
ð· Square miles of la...nd won by: Obama: 580,000
McCain: 2,427,000
ð·Population of counties won by: Obama:127 million McCain: 143 million
ð· Murder rate per 100,000 residents in counties won by: Obama: 13.2 McCain: 2.1
Professor Olson adds: "In aggregate, the map of the territory McCain won was mostly the land owned by the taxpaying citizens of the country.
Obama territory mostly encompassed those citizens living in low income tenements and living off various forms of government welfare..."
Olson believes the United States is now somewhere between the "complacency and apathy" phase of Professor Tyler's definition of democracy, with some forty percent of the nation's population already having reached the "governmental dependency" phase.
If Congress grants amnesty and citizenship to twenty million criminal invaders called illegals - and they vote – then we can say goodbye to the USA in fewer than five years.

Anonymous said...

For Frater,

the verger by w somerset maugham

enjoyed

thanks

Tom Clifford said...

I have an idea might put an end to all this bickering. Let get all the people who voted for P [and I am one of them,] and anyone else for that matter, and open a trust account at a local bank for the high schools. We each pledge $10 a month for one year. At the end of the year, we can renew our pledge if we are able. The schools can use the interest earned on the account under the same guidelines as Measure P. The principle is left untouched to provide funds for the future. I know all the details would need to be worked out, but this is something we can do.

Unknown said...

Go for it Tom! Get all the renters and homeowners to commit to pay extra for their children's education.

voter who has seen it all said...

tom, can't wait for you to announce this $10 plan at city council next meeting and in the next Pacifica Tribune. Set up a website. Maybe Digre will help you with the inbound mail donations.

It reminds me of the Lancelle plan to appeal to Colma to kindly reimburse Pacifica a little of the sales tax collected by Colma from Pacifica residents who shop in Colma, because Pacifica under Lancelle's watch did squat to promote a sustainable retail base.

It's so Pacifica: run essential city services via charity and a tin cup.

You betcha. Tom, write your check and send it to the school district!

And while you are at it, maybe make your final pre-election campaign donation report so you are not fined by the State of Calif. for not understanding basic campaign finance full disclosure.

Anonymous said...

how about these kids being able to compete in the local job market? oh that is right, there is none. because the same brilliant educators who jack you for the parcel tax also prevent any jobs from growing in pacifica. good message for the kids: graduate high school so you can't afford to live and work in pacifica.

Thomas Clifford said...

Voter who has seen it all: thanks for the reminder about the campaign donations. I'll have my bookkeeper get that out. Why so negative? If you can't or don't want to join this effort, that is your choice to make. Stanford, Harvard, Yale, and many other great schools have trust funds; why not Pacifica? If like-minded people and myself want to spent our money on the local school system, what is your problem?

Voter who has seen it all said...

Tom, just do it and stop talking. let's see what you got.

Follow through. Write your check. So who else agrees.

The truth: it's a dumb unworkable idea and everyone but you knows it.

Anonymous said...

To Thomas,

I think that is a brilliant idea. You really should try and get it going. You might even start something new.

Heather Tanner said...

So, voter has a problem with a tax initiative asking for money. Then he has a problem with someone offering the money on his own. That's all I am hearing. Did anyone hear voter offer an alternative solution?

Tom, go for it! You know you have my support.

Anonymous said...

How about asking Meg Wittman to pinch in?

Just think about all the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. She wasted on her campaign. .......Just a thought.

Heather Tanner said...

For once I agree with an anonymous... lol. Seriously, if Meg Whitman had given her money to school, employment development, tax relief... etc., she would have had so much support! Instead, she wasted it on blasting my tv and radio with ads every ten minutes that sounded like teenage gossip you'd already heard and tired of two days before.

Steve Sinai said...

If Meg Whitman gave $160 million to schools and public programs in lieu of campaign ads, she wouldn't have been praised for it. She'd have been accused of trying to use her wealth to pull a crass, phony, political public-relations ploy.

I voted for Brown, BTW.

A Painter of the Flemish School said...

The concept of charitable giving, whether to public schools or other institutions, is nothing new nor novel. This has been ocurring for hundreds of years and there are currently thousands of websites devoted to facilitating these donations.

If you want to give to the school district so that they can increase their teachers' salaries (according to the voter guide), be my guest.

I made my intention clear with my vote. Capital improvements are one thing, but teacher pay ought to be covered by the taxes we already pay for this purpose, apportioned by our elected representatives whose job it is to do so. That it's not is the failure of the people who are tasked to handle it, not the failure of the populace to be taxed enough.

Anonymous said...

One thing about Meg Whitman spending all that money in California is that she created a whole bunch of badly needed jobs.

Meanwhile back at the Kremlin , George Soros is the real loser. SPending millions upon millions, billions even, of money in California and lost it all. HaHaHaHa!

Hear that Georgie Porgie? The BILLIONAIRES LOST! I am coming for you , you piece of shit.

Let's not forget the other billionaires Bill Gates and Warren Buffett who also lost spending billions in this election. Eh, its their money, they made in our wonderful capitalistic society that they claim to hate and want to destroy. So, therefore, they could spend it on whatever they want. HaHa! Losers.

Frater, your barking up the wrong tree. You need to call these dudes up and ask them for some GOLD.

Local BIllionaire Girl Comes Home said...

Hey! Don't forget about stretch Pelosi. She makes BANK! And she only lives ova the hill.

Here is a cute video;
http://www.breitbart.tv/thanks-for-the-memories-nancy/

Anonymous said...

Why do you folks have a problem with paying teachers a decent wage so they can afford to live in our town? Why is there this attitude that they should just do it out of the kindness of their hearts. WTF? Kindness doesn't put food on the table or clothes on your back. Teaching is a profession not a volunteer opportunity.

What about the gross overcompensation of CEOs? Why aren't any of you ranting about that. Sure Meg, Carly and other super-rich executives for the most part worked really hard and long (no time to vote apparently) to obtain that wealth but they and others at the top get to write the rules to make sure they get highly unproportional compensation. This is part of the real problem.

No one really needs the obscene amounts of wealth Meg Whitman had. She was able to just piss it away on trying to buy the top governmental job in this state. Sure she created jobs, but those jobs were temporary. A teacher on the other hand creates a different sort of wealth, one not so easily measured on a ledger. A teacher is a key part of educating our future workforce, which is a huge part of the wealth in this country. Stop investing in that (which we have not been doing adequately) and you will see (and probably already are) the decline of this nation.

Unemployed Young Teacher said...

Oh, the Commies are coming out of the closet again. Go Back! Go Back!

It is so amusing how you only pic on the rich republicans.

I say, let's call your bluff. If you don't like the pay, then leave. If you are such a good teacher, I bet you could find a higher paying job elsewhere. Vacate the premises, and a young fresh faced desperate for a job teacher will fill your slot and not complain one bit about the $40,000-$50,000 plus bene's they will be getting. Go on now, GO!

Anonymous said...

so where are the $10 donations?
Has anyone donated their $10 checks for all this chatter?

Anonymous said...

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/meet-your-friendly-neighborhood-communists/

Anonymous said...

If teachers aren't being paid enough, it's not due to failure of increased local taxation so stop conflating the defeat of Proposition P with a bizarre anti-teacher motivation of yours.

The blame lies squarely upon the heads of our elected representatives and their failure to allot appropriate funds to the schools -- funds that are we are ALREADY taxed for.

We elect representatives to take care of the schools for us with the money ALREADY GIVEN for that purpose. They should do their jobs and stop punting the problems down the road as our communites have said they won't stand to be treated as ATMs or lines of credit.

Anonymous said...

California is mostly red, blue is a short sliver on the coast. If you are a liberal, they've got you cornered. So this man is asking "What are you going to do California?" This man is in San Francisco. He has his own blog. I really think you need to read this;

"what are you going to do gov-elect jerry brown?
The Left - Watch What They Do, Not What They Say !: To The People of California from the Rest of America.
shutking.blogspot.com

Kathy Meeh said...

Buffy statement Anon 9:25am. Funding in the lowest 11% from the state-- yet this city has managed to educated kids in the top 20% (off the backs and income of volunteers).

Tom Clifford has suggested setting-up a "Trust Fund" (a long term fix)-- what's wrong with that? Sounds rather brillant to me.

You don't have to contribute. All the stingy and narrow minded don't have to contribute. This is a reasonable solution. Just want to bitch?

You also probably only voted for 2 city council candidates-- boy that was dumb. It would have been better to have 2 or 3 pro-economy candidates city council. Voting for 2 only limited that, duh.

Kathy Meeh said...

Anon 9:34am, you said "California is mostly red..." huh, check the ballot results. Generally Democrats won 2 to 1. You must live in a different, more inland State.

Since you couldn't get the premise correct, I didn't bother with the balance of your comment.

Steve Sinai said...

Anon, you need to learn how to make a point without including personal insults.

Anonymous said...

I see.

So Kathy Meeh has free reign to call posters "stingy," "narrow minded," accuse them of "just wanting to bitch" and tell them that they're "dumb," but they can't respond in kind?

Got it.

Anonymous said...

Spread this around and demand an investigation that all VOTES GET Counted.

http://www.breitbart.tv/ballot-irregularities-in-california/

Steve Sinai said...

I'm not too worried about insults directed toward anonymous posters, unless I think they're dragging down the discussion too much.

Personal insults directed towards people who post using their real names or a consistent pseudonym is a different issue. Cowards who hide behind anonymity in order to personally insult others don't get the benefit of the doubt.

Anonymous said...

Ah, and so now we have your uneven editorial bias out "on the record" so to speak.

Steve Sinai said...

Yes, my bias is against people who abuse the privilege to post anonymously in order to personally attack others.

Steve Sinai said...

I also have a bias against those who feel the need to subject the rest of us to their wing-nut obsessions by posting inflammatory comments every 5 minutes.

Get Out Of the Dollar said...

The Fed is buying our own debt to the tune of $600 billion. Imagine
writing yourself a check for $600 billion dollars and getting in return
an IOU valued at the same amount. You put the check in your right
pocket and the IOU in the left.People our government is screwing us. This is deflating our dollar which is a hidd...en Tax on our ea...rnings.

Karen said...

In response to Anonymous at 4:03 p.m:
“Many people wouldn't mind paying an extra tax IF they felt the money would benefit those it is supposed to benefit.”
I think that is a fair statement and can be addressed fairly concisely here:

Here are many of the ways the parcel tax has been spent thus far:

1) Class sizes weren’t increased further(smaller class size benefits children)
2) Students didn’t lose more school days (more school days benefits children/learning)
3) The schools were able to retain and add a counseling position for all 6th-8th grade students(benefits student health/welfare)
4) The teachers are receiving 1st year support and science/math coaching(improves instruction)
5) Tutorial services for struggling students has been continued (benefits students)
6) Instructional aides weren’t laid off in greater numbers(benefits students)


Most notably, all schools within the Pacifica School District have increased their API scores over the past several years, and all now have scores over 800 and are considered “high performing” by the API accountability system.

I would also encourage people to consider a couple sobering statistics when it comes to the schools in Pacifica:

1) The Pacifica School District currently receives $4,985/student from the state. This is so low due to the state deficit. It should be $6,072. The state average is $8,826/ student and the national average is $11,372. California is ranked 44th nationwide in terms of funding/child. Pacifica would therefore be much lower.
2) Both districts have cut millions of dollars over the past several years from their budgets and will need to cut several more in the next two years. Considering approximately 85% of the budget goes to salaries this means more job layoffs. This isn’t good for education, for our economy and especially for our children and their future.

School districts aren’t money-making entities; we are at the mercy of the state economy . A student’s education shouldn’t depend on the state of the economy but it does. Again, thanks to the people of Pacifica and organizations like Pacifica Education Foundation, Pacifica School Volunteers, and the Rob Schneider Music Foundation, and the amazing teachers and staff dedicated to teaching our children, the schools in the PSD are not only surviving, they are thriving. The high schools need our support as well and I have no doubt that as a community we will find a way to provide the support that they need.

Laurie Frater said...

This is in response to Tom Clifford's post yesterday about a trust account for the schools. I've held off replying to try to come up with a (more) concise response.

Many school districts have foundations, set up for exactly this purpose. The Pacifica Education Foundation, started about 3 years ago and active for the elementary school district, is such an entity. It has aggressively sought non-tax funding, such as grants and private contributions. I may be wrong on the numbers (and can't find it online), but I believe that they recently passed the $250,000 mark.

While I really do appreciate "outside the box" thinking, and I thank Tom for his suggestion, my expectation is that funding raised this way would amount to just a fraction of the funds that a parcel tax would generate, and the interest (especially at current rates!) would amount to a negligible blip. It's a shame, but without a huge donation of capital...

The JUHSD does not have a foundation in place, but several people have already told me that they'll send a check for $96 to:
Jefferson Union High School District
699 Serramonte Boulevard, Suite 100
Daly City, CA 94015
with "Parcel tax donation" in the memo.
All donations will be gratefully received!

Kathy Meeh said...

Anonymous 11:22am this is why the video link you posted is "nuts": Fresno controls its own polling locations of course. Careful guidelines are followed, and overseen by a trained person or persons. Other than that, the tally for vote by mail and early voting is posted in advanced. Here's what that looks like for state, specific to county and city (4 pages): Race Tracker.

BTW the comment posted at 12:23pm about the Fed infusing the recession with $600 billion, deserves clarification. The Fed buying Treasuries is an economic strategy to help lower long term interest rates and improve our economy. Here's the text from ABC news today.

Long term interest rates are going lower, and the stock market likes this move. The Fed Treasury purchase strategy "...$110 billion per month until June 2011". Lower yielding long term bond returns "theoretically should encourage investors to place their money in places with higher risk and returns, like the stock market.."

Going forward lower longer term interest rates should also be a good for refinancing homes, and lending money to businesses. There is also more tax incentive this year for business and banks to loan. This is in part the strategy to get this country out of the recession. This information is reported in the news, easily googled.

Tom Clifford said...

Laurie, can you give me more info about how to set up a trust fund/foundation or who to contact at The Pacifica Education Foundation for info.
I will make a donation to the JUHSD and I want to follow through with the turst fund idea. Some money is better the none and over time it could become significant.

Laurie Frater said...

Happy to do the latter, Tom.
(There are probably entire books on the former!)

You can get contact info for the Pacifica Education Foundation at www.pacificaef.org.

Thank you for your donation and your support.