10,746 / 69.3% Yes votes ...... 4,752 / 30.7% No votes

See Also: Index of all Measures

Meaning of Voting Yes/No

A YES vote of this measure means:

you want a special tax to be levied on all taxable parcels in the San Mateo-Foster City School District in an amount of up to $75 per year on all taxable parcels in the District to be adjusted annually by the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose Metropolitan Area Consumer Price Index. The proceeds would be used to support small class size, continue art, music, library and technology and computer programs, hiring and retaining teachers and other employees. It would also allow the appropriations (spending) limit to be raised.

A NO vote of this measure means:

You do not want the special tax to be levied nor the appropriations limit to be raised.

By this measure, the Board of Trustees of the San Mateo-Foster City School District proposes to levy a special tax for a period of seven years beginning July 1, 2003 and ending July 1, 2010. This tax shall be at a rate not to exceed $75 per year on all taxable parcels in the District to be adjusted annually by the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose Metropolitan Area Consumer Price Index.

A parcel shall be defined as any unit of land in the District which now receives a separate tax bill from San Mateo County. Any person 65 years of age or older who owns and occupies a parcel may qualify for an exemption from the special tax. All property which would otherwise be exempt from property taxes will also be exempt from imposition of this special tax.

The purposes of the special tax are to: support small class size, continue art, music, library and technology and computer programs, hiring and retaining teachers and other employees.

The proceeds of the special tax will be placed into a special account. The Board of Trustees must file an annual report accounting for the parcel tax revenues collected and the manner in which they have been spent.

This measure would also increase the District's appropriations limit per fiscal year, in an amount equal to the levy of the special tax for that year, as permitted by Article XIIIB, section 4 of the California Constitution.

A "yes" vote on this measure would allow a special tax to be levied on all taxable parcels in the San Mateo-Foster City School District in an amount of up to $75 per year on all taxable parcels in the District to be adjusted annually by the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose Metropolitan Area Consumer Price Index. The proceeds would be used to support small class size, continue art, music, library and technology and computer programs, hiring and retaining teachers and other employees. It would also allow the appropriations (spending) limit to be raised.

A "no" vote on this measure would not allow the special tax to be levied and would not allow the appropriations limit to be raised.

This measure passes if two-thirds of those voting on the measure vote "yes."

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For information about the San Mateo-Foster City School District

These cuts will directly impact the quality of education in the classroom. Measure B will provide the minimum funding necessary to maintain the academic standards our children deserve and our community expects.

By law, all Measure B funds will be spent by our local school district and not one dollar can be taken by the state. Measure B will help our local children succeed by:

• Minimizing teacher and staff layoffs
• Supporting small class size
• Supporting technology, art, and music programs
• Keeping school libraries open and accessible to students
• Enabling the District to recruit and retain qualified, experienced teachers by paying competitive salaries

Funds generated by Measure B will be available for use during the 2003/04 school year to mitigate the impact of the state budget cuts and limit the number of layoffs.

On June 3, please join us, parents, teachers, and your neighbors in voting YES on Measure B. Save the teachers and programs that help our students succeed!

/s/ Jerry Hill
Board of Supervisors

/s/ Marland W. Townsend
Foster City Vice Mayor

/s/ Carole Groom
Deputy Mayor, City of San Mateo

/s/ Kathryn M. Cross
SM-FC PTA Council President

/s/ Ruth K. Nagler
Community Advocate

Balderdash! If Measure B were intended to address a (potential) decline in revenue, it would not ask you to authorize an increase in spending beyond the Gann limit. The Gann limit already permits spending to increase in proportion to inflation and school population.

Ordinarily, the Gann Limit should reduce your tax rate in subsequent years, if total revenue growth later exceeded this inflation/population formula - the right behavior for addressing a temporary revenue shortfall. Instead, Measure B waives your Gann Limit rights so they can keep increasing their spending - whether they truly need more money or not.

1990's Extravagance: The proponents suggest that all the spending increases of the dot-com boom years are now essential. We don't believe it. The District had only 435 full-time-equivalent teachers just 10 years ago. Increasing the payroll to 565 FTE teachers in only 6 years was immoderate and wasteful. A small rollback now wouldn't be the end of the world.

Defend Freedom- Citizens who wish to give more money to schools can do so without Measure B. Please don't force the needy and unwilling to empty their pockets too.

/s/ Jack Hickey
Chair, Libertarian Party of San Mateo County

/s/ Robert Giedt
Website Designer

/s/ Christopher VA Schmidt
Retired Computer Professional

/s/ Robert Green
Concerned Foster City Resident

We all want our public schools to be adequately funded. That's why we ALREADY pay property taxes, plus state and federal income taxes.

- And local property tax revenue mushroomed in the 1990's, growing 32% between 1997 and 2000 alone!

The District nevertheless went tax crazy, levying 3 additional bond and parcel taxes since 1991.

The dot-com boom is over, but school officials would like to keep increasing spending as though it never ended. Amazingly, even though they continue to collect all 3 of the special taxes enacted during the 1990's, they now want another new tax. Does their greed know no bounds?

Enough Already!

Since 1993, income from regular property taxes increased 79% - bringing the schools an additional $18.2 million per year - making the existing parcel tax superfluous, and further tax increases unnecessary.

That's an average increase of 7.5% increase per year - far outstripping inflation. In fact, regular local property tax revenue - not counting parcel taxes - grew to provide more money to the District than it received from all sources combined just 8 years earlier.

Time for compassion:

Many of our neighbors are close to the edge of insolvency. It is not right to ask them to pay more in taxes because some government administrators don't want to face up to the reality that revenue can't be expected to increase every year as it did in the last decade.

Gasoline and health costs are skyrocketing, and many of us are struggling to make ends meet - especially those who have been laid off.

Please vote `No', and ask the District to learn to live within a budget like the rest of us.

Thank you!

/s/ John J. Hickey
Chair, Libertarian Party of San Mateo County

/s/ Robert Giedt
Website Designer

/s/ Christopher VA Schmidt
Retired Computer Professional

Unfortunately, the State budget crisis threatens to force local students to bear the brunt of serious cuts to vital programs and the layoffs of many qualified, experienced teachers and other staff.

If Measure B fails, local schools face over $3 million in cuts this year and next. These cuts cannot be made in administrative costs alone - they will impact the classroom. Local schools will suffer teacher layoffs, increased class sizes, and reductions in technology, music, art, and library programs. Our students' education will be directly impacted.

Measure B is absolutely necessary for the San Mateo Foster City School District to continue providing quality education. It is the bare minimum necessary to save teachers and essential programs for local children - a prudent response by our community to the State budget crisis.

Out of respect for senior citizens, many of whom live on fixed incomes, Measure B offers an exemption to those 65 and older.

Our community needs Measure B to protect and improve the quality education offered to local children. We hope you will join your neighbors and us in voting YES on Measure B.

/s/ Jerry Hill
S.M. County Board of Supervisors

/s/ Marland W. Townsend
Vice Mayor, Foster City

/s/ Carole Groom
Deputy Mayor, City of San Mateo

/s/ Kathryn M. Cross
President, San Mateo-Foster City PTA Council

/s/ Ruth K. Nagler
Community Advocate

(a) support small class size;

(b) attract, hire and retain qualified and experienced teachers and other employees by paying competitive salaries;

(c) support programs in the areas of music, art, technology and computer instruction;

(d) support school libraries.

An exemption shall be granted for any parcel owned by one or more persons 65 years of age or over who occupies said parcel as a principal residence upon application for exemption.

This Measure will also increase the District's Gann Appropriation Limit in an amount equal to the levy of special taxes for said year, as permitted by Article XIIIB, Section 4 of the California Constitution. This increase is required for the District to use the revenues generated by the tax.