Drive Starts for Tax Hike

Our Children Our Future Education Initiative Launches Signature Drive

California State PTA-Backed Measure Will Also Reduce General Fund Deficit

SAN FRANCISCO,CA - The Our Children Our Future 2012 campaign and the California State PTA today launched a signature-gathering drive to secure a spot for the education initiative on the November 2012 ballot.

The Our Children, Our Future:  Local Schools and Early Education Investment and Bond Debt Reduction Act will provide critically needed funding for public schools and early childhood education. Our Children, Our Future will deliver new revenue directly to schools so local communities can reverse years of education budget cuts and use the funds to improve students' academic achievement. Investing in schools and early childhood education is needed to prepare students to compete in the global economy and protects the future of California's economy. Our Children, Our Future is the only initiative that invests in every child and directly in every local school site to improve educational outcomes.

"This measure will transform our schools and help give California children the education they deserve. It provides vital new resources for our severely underfunded public schools," said Carol Kocivar, president of the California State PTA. "Every student and every public school will benefit - and tough accountability provisions will ensure the money is used to improve student achievement."

California schools this year face a shocking 23 percent reduction in funding compared to 2008. Per-pupil funding in California is 47th in the nation, lagging behind the national average by $2,580 - more than at any time in the past 40 years. Our state ranks dead last in class sizes - 50th out of 50 states - with the largest class sizes in the nation.

"Our schools are in a crisis, and we can't let this continue," said Molly Munger, co-director of the Advancement Project in Los Angeles. "Investing in our schools and early childhood education is the best thing we can do for our economy and our state. This is the ballot measure that will make possible the restoration and transformation of California schools into the safe, stimulating educational environments we need to prepare students to compete in the global economy and secure the future of our economy and our state. Moreover, it recognizes the state's economic crisis and provides near term budget relief. Our state will recover from a broken economy, but we can't recover if we fail an entire generation of children by depriving them of educational opportunities."

Every student and every public school in California will benefit from Our Children, Our Future. The initiative requires that funds must be used to improve student performance and gives local school boards the authority to decide, with community input,  how new education funds will be spent at each school site, rather than mandating a "one- size-fits-all" policy from Sacramento. Under the Our Children, Our Future initiative, no more than one percent of the K-12 funds may be spent on school-district administration, with the rest going directly to school sites on a per-pupil basis to improve educational opportunity and achievement for students. Publicly available independent audits and other tough accountability provisions will ensure that funds are spent appropriately to benefit students.

The California State PTA-backed initiative received title and summary from the California Attorney General's office last week, an approval necessary to begin gathering signatures.

"We're now going full-steam ahead with this initiative," said Addisu Demissie, campaign manager for Our Children, Our Future. "We're funded, we're organized, we have a campaign structure, and we're committed to this superior plan for moving our state forward."

A recent USC Dornsife College/Los Angeles Times statewide poll found that 64 percent of registered voters would pay more taxes to improve school funding, as long as they are confident the money would be spent in their own communities.

Because all Californians share in the benefits of a better-educated workforce, the measure fairly shares the costs among Californians and asks those in the wealthiest one percent to pay the most because they are most able to afford it. The initiative raises income tax rates on a sliding scale from four-tenths of one percent to 2.2 percent on multi-millionaires. To keep the increases affordable, it applies only to incomes after all deductions are taken, and before tax credits are given. It exempts the first $14,632 of income after deductions on joint returns.

The Our Children, Our Future: Local Schools and Early Education Investment and Bond Debt Reduction Act will raise $10 billion annually over the next 12 years for direct investment in public school classrooms and early education programs, and earmarks 30 percent of the new revenue for the first four years to help California pay down education-bond debt to help end the state's budget deficit. For the remaining eight years, the initiative directs 85 percent of the new funds to K-12 schools and 15 percent to early childhood education programs.

Californians can use the Our Children Our Future Benefit Calculator at OurChildrenOurFuture2012.com to determine how much will be raised for their school through the Our Children, Our Future Act.

Comments

[a public school supporter]

Well, where are all the comments in support of this?

[Willing to do my share]

I support supporting my schools, my community, my fellow man, and a slow, steady economic recovery. These tax changes reflect Christian values: that many hands make light work and that we should turn away from the seven deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, gluttony, and envy and do what is right. The tax changes above reflect a realization that we are fortunate to live in such a beautiful, diverse place, and that it is a luxury to allow the elderly, the ill, the enlisted, the ordained, and the civil servant to live in relative comfort among us. Our diversity is protected by tax laws - whether it is Prop 13 or those above.

I value my money as much as the next guy, but I have much to be thankful for, including a safe, healthy, happy existence. I also believe that those with off-the-chart incomes (not amassed wealth) should be grateful for their blessings and happy to share as much as my middle income family does. After all, it is usually the success of the masses (and their disposable income) that allows those with talent, connections, education, luck, and/or a product to sell to become successful. To starve the many will make feeding the few unsustainable.

That being said, I doubt there are many people excited about increased taxes. And, in my experience, the most resistance often comes from those most able.

[Thoughtful spending]

I absolutely hate tax increases. However, when I look at the money we spent on the wars over the past 10 years, I find myself ashamed that we have not invested the same amount of money and energy in our children. I believe we have a responsibility to educate our children. I also believe the schools have a responsbility to show us how they plan to improve education and make it more effective and relavent to all children. Offering programs is one thing; showing how effective the programs are is an entirely different - and necessary - change that needs to take place. Finally, families and students should also be held accountable for their part in the learning proess. If my taxes will be used to hold school districts,teachers, and parents accountable, I will pay more taxes. Money itself won't make our schools better. However, data-driven programs that show results - that's something worth investing our tax money into!

[a public school supporter]

So how will this benefit our district? Will it be used for salaries or for programs parents want like art, music, help for struggling students, physical improvements on campuses, etc?

[Reality Check]

Are you juxtaposing salaries with programs, or with what parents want? Neither would make sense. Any program requires talented personnel to implement it with success. CUSD has both programs and personnel at risk in the general funds budget. If these statewide initiatives pass, it would be the locally elected trustees who determine how to avoid further cuts.

[cat]

What's the difference between salaries and the programs you're talking about, PS Supporter? Art programs require salaries. Music programs require salaries. Tutoring requires salaries. Campus improvements require salaries.

Do you think teachers and construction workers should work free? Do you think schools should be staffed entirely by volunteers?

[Thoughtful spending]

Tutoring does not require salaries. Many upper classman need service hours for college. Even campus improvement can be adopted by the community without cost to the district. We did this up in Anaheim. Parents, business leaders, teachers, and students gave up one Saturday a week for six weeks to paint the school, improve the grounds, and do minor maintenance.

[Reality Check]

And, therefore, tutoring and community service will not be paid for with additional tax monies. Therefore, I assume, we will forego the need for data and accountability, as well, since we would relinquish control over what is accomplished, purchased, and completed. I imagine we would need to provide insurance for community members for liability, injury, etc. or pay attorneys to draw up waivers. And at the end of the "program," we will have saved nothing, since maintenance staff and teachers are still paid for their services. I'm not sure I see the relationship here with "thoughtful spending."

[cat]

Thoughtful spending: I have a friend who runs a free tutoring program for CUSD students. It's staffed entirely by volunteers. My friend is desperate for additional volunteers, as the program has many students who can't be matched with tutors. Demand greatly outstrips supply.

How many hours do YOU volunteer each week in a CUSD school?

[a public school supporter]

Actually, I found the answer I was really looking for on the website for this initiative. It states that the funds cannot be used for salary increases or increases in benefits. Not quite sure if the CTA will put its stamp of approval on this one. My money bets that they will go for one of Brown's measures instead.