Kindergarten Information Night This Week- January 19 6:30pm
Post date: Jan 17, 2011 4:48:45 PM
Several Units are asking about how to address Measure A during the Kindergarten Information Night. Following is some information that the PTA Council assisted the Measure A Campaign to create for the school captains.
If your unit has voted to support Measure A, seek approval from your PTA President and Principal about having a short discussion about Measure A during Kindergarten Information Night. If your PTA Unit has not yet voted to support Measure A, please mention there is a special election on March 8 on Measure A, the parcel tax supporting Alameda's public schools and more information can be found online.
The presentation must be from a PTA member. The discussion begins with what your PTA does to support the school, staff and curriculum. This is the time for our PTA to brag about all the great stuff being done at your school site.
Segway into: One of the roles of the PTA is to advocate for programs that benefit our schools, and as part of this role, our PTA has voted to support the parcel tax campaign, Measure A. They can then talk about what their PTA is doing to support the Parcel Tax Campaign.
I would recommend that the following information be readily available as talking points but not the focus of the conversation. Remember, parents are sending their children to school, many for the first time and have concerns about this, let alone what school might look like without the parcel tax in place. I'd recommend this as a FAQ for speakers to highlight.
FAQ
What is Measure A? Under the proposed parcel tax, both residential and commercial property owners each year will pay 32 cents per square foot, but only on their building square footage (not their total property or "parcel"). The maximum amount a property owner will pay will be $7999 per parcel. Put another way, property owners will only pay a tax on the first 24,996 square feet of their buildings. Properties that have no buildings on them (such as parking lots) will pay $299.
The taxes paid under the new parcel tax will replace those currently paid under the previous Measures A and H.
Why do we need Measure A? We are lucky to have quality schools and great teachers in Alameda. But our schools are facing a serious lack of funding due to state budget cuts and two local parcel taxes that are going to expire in June 2012. Measure A is needed to help replace the expiring parcel taxes and the large cuts the State government has made to public education, and minimize further district cuts.
What will it pay for? It will pay for specific programs, including small class sizes (25:1) for K-3, teaching positions, neighborhood schools, academic / enrichment programs (music, media, PE, arts), technology, as well as counselors and high school athletics. It will also restore 5 days of school that were cut from the school calendar.
Who supports it? Our school board voted unanimously to place this measure on the March 8 ballot, and it has wide support from the community. Our Alameda City Council, Chamber of Commerce, and the West Alameda Business Association have all endorsed Measure A.
When is the election and how do I vote? The election will take place at your local polling place on March 8, or you can vote by absentee ballot. If you’d like to find out more, please come talk to me, or visit www.alamedasos.org.
Document to have on hand: page 9 from 11/30/10 AUSD presentation (attached).