League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	San Diego County, CA November 4, 2008 Election
	Proposition T School Bonds Escondido Union High School District 55% Approval Required Pass: 30006 / 59.03% Yes votes ...... 20830 / 40.97% No votes See Also: Index of all Propositions

Arguments For Proposition T

Arguments Against Proposition T

Proposition T will renovate and upgrade local high schools WITHOUT raising projected tax rates. Twelve years ago our community approved Proposition A, the first bond in many years to upgrade local high schools-including Escondido, Orange Glen, and San Pasqual High Schools. Basic renovations were completed on time and within budget as part of an ongoing effort to maintain quality high school facilities. Since Proposition A improvements of the late 1990's, our community and schools have continued to change and grow. Today's high schools, although well maintained, have again grown overcrowded and outdated. Upgrades are needed. The longer we wait to make these improvements the more expensive it will be. Proposition T will: Construct new science and computer labs Modernize or replace outdated instructional equipment/facilities Improve campus safety, security and energy efficiency Upgrade educational technology and on-line learning capabilities Replace aging portables with permanent classrooms Add classrooms to existing schools to relieve overcrowding and improve student access to college and high demand jobs Construct a new small high school on the Citracado Property--to relieve overcrowding at comprehensive high schools and expand education opportunities for students ALL Proposition T funds will stay local to improve Escondido area high schools. Taxpayer protections are REQUIRED. An independent Citizens' Oversight Committee will ensure funds are spent properly. NO money can be used for administrators' salaries. Passage of Proposition T will qualify our high schools for millions in state matching funds, leveraging local taxpayer dollars further. Proposition T property taxes will be deductible on your income taxes. The San Diego County Taxpayers Association and hundreds of teachers, parents, business and civic leaders and citizens throughout the community have endorsed Proposition T. Maintain quality high schools WITHOUT raising tax rates. Please vote YES on T. JOHN C. O'NEILL Chair, San Diego County Taxpayers Association ROBERT "CHICK" EMBREY Retired Teacher, Escondido High School 73-year Escondido Resident LORI HOLT PFEILER Mayor, City of Escondido KATHERINE H. DOOLEY Teacher, Orange Glen High School RITA BOWCOCK Parent, San Pasqual High School Rebuttal to Arguments For Proponents claim Proposition T will renovate and upgrade local high schools WITHOUT raising projected tax rates. Is it true? The California constitution provides for no limit on the tax rate for this type of school bond + so don't be fooled. As our property values continue to go down (unseen in recent history and getting worse), tax rates will rise to whatever level necessary to pay off the loan + it's simple arithmetic. Is it fiscally responsible... To obligate our grandchildren to 44 years of payments? To add interest and not make a payment for the first 11 years? To jeopardize future borrowing capacity and make it more costly by such a long-term obligation? To add a whole new school when projections show enrollment going down? To add significant fixed overhead expenses of a new school to a reduced budget, likely further reducing monies actually spent teaching students? To propose financing the proposition with $55 million in state and redevelopment funds that are not guaranteed? To "buy now and pay (much) later"? Bond indebtedness to the year 2054 and the lack of a clear operating budget plan for staffing the additional classrooms with teachers is fiscally irresponsible. Burdened taxpayers will support reasonable proposals - Proposition T is not reasonable! Vote NO on Proposition T and require the School Board and Administration to submit fiscally responsible requests. KATHLEEN H. SCOTT Escondido Property Owner ROBERTA A. O'BRIEN Concerned Taxpayer MARY C. CLARK Retired Homeowner BILL DURNEY EUHSD School Board Candidate JEFF HAMILTON CEO/HVS

Proposition T deserves your "NO" vote. EUHSD wants voters to think that most of their money will be spent on modifications to existing campuses. Only 39% of the identified facility master plan's estimated costs are intended for the three existing campuses. The other 61% is earmarked for other items including a new small school. Our students deserve more money spent on better campuses rather than building a new, remotely located "overflow" school. Proposition T calls for $98,000,000 in funding, but the total facility master plan carries a $153,000,000 price tag. State matching and redevelopment funds of $55,000,000 are required to complete the proposed projects. There are NO guarantees that these funds will be available or that EUHSD won't ask for more money if they underestimated their funding requirements. EUHSD has not provided small school plan details to the public. They have not performed studies for small school site preparation, security, utilities, noise, traffic, maintenance, or environmental impacts. They have not defined the requirements for classrooms, labs, career-technical facilities, computers, communication systems, or multimedia equipment. No plans deserve no funding. Vote "NO" on Proposition T. Proposition T will negatively impact current and future generations. School bond interest will accrue immediately but payments will not be applied until 2021 since this is a carefully crafted extension of the 1996 approved school bond measure. Homeowners will pay these costs. Renters will pay landlords these costs. Our children will pay these costs as adults. Everyone will pay these costs through 2054. Vote "NO" on Proposition T. Do not approve new taxes that will accrue interest for 44 years for a poorly planned package deal. Require EUHSD to produce a separate proposal that will enhance the current campuses. Require separate proposals for a small school and other projects. Let the voters consider each proposal separately. PAMELA A. ALBERGO Taxpayer F. JOANNE BRANDT Homeowner BILL DURNEY EUHSD School Board Candidate STANLEY C. ULRICH Homeowner KATHLEEN H. SCOTT Taxpayer Rebuttal to Arguments Against The people who signed the argument against Proposition T miss the point! Here are the facts: FACT: Proposition T IS NEEDED. Escondido area high schools are overcrowded and aging. Prop T will improve the quality of our high schools WITHOUT raising projected tax rates. FACT: The SAN DIEGO COUNTY TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION, one of the state's toughest fiscal watchdogs, studied Proposition T and URGES a YES VOTE. FACT: The high school district spent 2 years seeking community input before placing Prop T on the ballot. Feedback was consistent: "Improve high school facilities. Make it affordable." FACT: Proposition T improves local high schools WITHOUT raising projected tax rates by simply extending (not raising) tax rate projections approved by voters when they passed the 1996 bond. FACT: Preliminary designs for the new small high school HAVE been developed and publicly communicated. The District welcomes community input. The new small school will focus on math, science, and biotech and medical careers, and relieve overcrowding at existing large high school campuses. FACT: ALL Prop T funds MUST stay local to benefit Escondido community high schools. None of it can be taken away by politicians or used elsewhere. The longer we wait to make these upgrades the more expensive it will be. Prop T is the economically sensitive way to address our school facility needs. Good schools protect property values. That's why Proposition T is supported by homeowners, realtors, local businesses, seniors and taxpayers--as well as parents, teachers and principals. Please--VOTE YES on T. LORI HOLT PFEILER Mayor, City of Escondido HARVEY MITCHELL President/CEO KENNETH LAWRENCE Citracado Resident DOUGLAS W. MOSS Teacher San Pasqual High School PATRICIA HUERTA Executive Director, Escondido Education Compact

Tax Rate Statement

TAX RATE STATEMENT (SECTIONS 9400-9404 OF THE ELECTIONS CODE) To: The voters voting in the November 4, 2008 election on the question of the issuance of $98,000,000 General Obligation Bonds of the Escondido Union High School District. You are hereby notified in accordance with the Election Code of the State of California of the following: 1. The best estimate from official sources of the tax rate which would be required to be levied to fund principal and interest payments during the first fiscal year after the first sale of bonds (Fiscal Year 2009-2010), based on assessed valuations available at the time of the election and taking into account estimated future growth, is the following: $0.0000 per $100 of assessed valuation. 2. The best estimate from official sources of the tax rate which would be required to be levied to fund principal and interest payments during the first fiscal year after the last sale of bonds and an estimate of the year in which that rate will apply, based on assessed valuations available at the time of the election and taking into account estimated future growth, is as follows: $0.0000 per $100 of assessed valuation. First fiscal year after last sale of bonds: 2016-2017 3. The best estimate from official sources of the highest tax rate which would be required to be levied to fund principal and interest payments on the bonds and an estimate of the year in which that rate will apply, based on assessed valuations available at the time of the election and taking into account estimated future growth, is as follows: $.01850 per $100 of assessed valuation, which equates to $18.50 per $100,000 of assessed valuation, a tax rate which results in no increase above the rate projected under the District's June 4, 1996 General Obligation Bond Election. Year of highest tax rate: Tax rate of $18.50 per $100,000, once initially levied as projected in 2020-2021, is projected to be the same every year thereafter while the bonds are outstanding. Submittal of the foregoing Tax Rate Statement has been approved by the Escondido Union High School District. Edward J. Nelson, Superintendent