POLL: Yes or No on Measure C?
How do you feel about Measure C? Share your thoughts.
Measure C ballots began landing in the mailboxes of Davis residents this week. About $6.5 million per year is at stake for the school district.
Vote in the poll and comment below this story and let us know how you feel.
If Measure C passes, two existing parcel taxes will be renewed and homeowners will pay about $320 per year toward schools. (The amount is less for apartments). Superintendent Winfred Roberson told the Enteprise that if it doesn't pass, there will be an “entirely different academic program” in Davis.
When the Powell Family helped win $100,000 for the school district through Davis Patch's Deck the House contest in January, everyone from the mayor to the superintendent to the Powells themselves made sure that Measure C was a part of the conversation. The goal was to use the contest as a momentum-builder for Measure C.
Others in the community have criticized Measure C, saying it's a "new tax," rather than a renewal of old ones, and that schools are better served by living within their means rather than leaning on the community for funding.
Ballots are due by March 6. These videos explain what a Yes and a No vote really mean.
Like Davis Patch on Facebook to follow the results.
If you'd like to blog about this issue, let me know!
Seth Hightower
12:27 pm on Friday, February 10, 2012
27 bucks a month to help schools is way worth it. Such a small price to pay for one of the only cities trying to help the education system rather than cut from it over and over. I personally believe we can cut Starbucks from our diets once a week to pay for this. -S. Hightower
Justin Cox
2:30 pm on Friday, February 10, 2012
Nice job breaking down the month-to-month. It's always valuable to think of these things in forms that can be easily understood... like cups of coffee. You should be writing articles.
Tonto
6:59 pm on Saturday, February 11, 2012
then $27 more, then $27 more, then $27 more.... schools are a endless black hole worse then Wall Street :(
wdf1
11:15 pm on Saturday, February 11, 2012
This isn't even a new tax. It's a renewal. If this passes, you will not pay any more next year than you're paying this year.
Greg Brucker
8:57 am on Sunday, February 12, 2012
"schools are a endless black hole worse then Wall Street"
The extremism of this comment only goes to show how out of touch the arguments are of those against Measure C.
This tax is far far cheaper than purchasing a coffee daily for the year. A medium coffee at Peet's or Starbucks will run you at least $1.50 (a low estimate). If you purchase a coffee every day, you'll be paying a total of $547.50 yearly to your coffeehouse of preference. Here, we are talking $320 a year (that we all are already paying). That's a pretty darn good deal to help pay for so many programs, offerings, and extra-curricular activities (drama, sports, debate, etc) that our great school district hopes to continue to offer to the children of this community.
Lets take another angle. The Davis Chamber of Commerce endorsed Measure C. Here is a quote from their announcement:
"“An economically competitive community needs a strong public school system to educate and develop the skills of its future workforce and leadership,” Pope continued."
http://www.davisenterprise.com/business/chamber-endorses-measure-c/
Good schools are good for business, which is good for Davis, our property values, our crime rates, and our attractiveness to non-Davis residents. All of these things are interconnected, and the great community of Davis understands this. In order to have such a great community, we need to be the stewards of that community. Vote Yes on Measure C - For our Children, For our Community.
Tonto
10:10 am on Sunday, February 12, 2012
Its always the "children" the tax rip offs are proclaimed to be for not the greedy administrators, teacher unions, and megolithic black hole education system. These hogs will belly up to the trough again soon for more feed.
Barbara Archer
4:39 pm on Saturday, February 11, 2012
This is critical for Davis schools. If this funding goes away, all our school libraries close, elementary science and music will be eliminated and there will be drastic cuts to positions such as reading specialists, athletic coaches and counselors. Davis is a town built on education. Even if you don't have kids in the school system, think of it as an investment in our community.
Fairness in Davis, Finally
4:31 am on Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Justin, thank you for conducting the poll and gathering comments. To get the facts behind the hype, access: http://www.noschoolboardtaxes.org . The tax is unfair, hurts UC Davis students directly, and would perpetuate the antiquated, wasteful and politically reactionary bureaucracy at DUSD. The sad truth is Davis public schools have always lagged the region in school performance. When it's about the money, you know the problem is internal dysfunction on steroids. Measure C cynically divides seniors and the disabled, students and apartment owners, business and homeowners, while DUSD spends and spends for less and less performance every year.
Greg Brucker
7:30 am on Tuesday, February 14, 2012
This is simply more hateful and inflammatory rhetoric from the No on C people. There is no proof, just heated and loaded words meant to create fear and use hate and anger as a way to stop people from doing the right thing for the children of this great community. What would you choose? The path of hate and anger and fearmongering about the evils of school, or the path of caring, support, and showing our love for the schools and community (yes on C)?
I think it is a simple choice.
just a mom
3:14 pm on Friday, February 17, 2012
The Superintendent states that there is a 3+ million dollar "structural deficit" in ON TOP of the programs funded by Measures Q & W. The Board and administration have refused to accept a decline in enrollment that began several years ago and continues today. Yet, two schools were built in the midst of this decline. Yes, there were funds for these schools. Funds that by law cannot be used for anything but building. But there were and are fiscal consequences to those decisions. An organization that I was instrumental in starting had to raise money to pay a teacher at the new Jr. High so that there was parity in a music program across the district. We did it for two years - my daughter then graduated and off to college - but it is my understanding that the funding continued beyond the two years. Even if it did not, I was personally torn because while we were able to raise the money, what about the art class or other section of music or dance program that could not raise the money? It felt unfair and I was also concerned that the district would become dependant on the money. David Murphy (Superintendent at the time) was similarly concerned as I recall. My point is that the district needs to learn to live within its means. Lastly, I don't pay $27 per month, I pay very $82 per month. I know many who pay three times that amount. As for me, I can't afford to fund a government entity which fails to meet its fiscal obligations. I vote No.
Tonto
4:27 pm on Friday, February 17, 2012
Its that education black hole sucking in all in its path :(
Hiram Jackson
4:19 pm on Saturday, February 18, 2012
While I'm grateful for the work you've done in those years, I'm very disappointed you feel this way now. If you have followed the enrollment reports over the past 3-4 years, enrollment has been basically steady. Yes there was a decline before. The funding you refer to happened for ONE year.
The alternative to passing Measure C (cutting an addition $6.5 million) can be found by looking at most other school districts. If you look around, there are almost no elementary music programs, and atrophying music programs at the secondary level. And that's just the music program.
If you're concerned about the ethics of fundraising for music, as you express above, you can know that the Davis School Foundation is out there fundraising for everything else. Music programs are always at a disadvantage compared to most other disciplines these days because success in schools is defined by scores on testable subjects -- English, math, science, history, etc.
This is really an issue of local funding vs. state funding. The government entity that has failed to meet its fiscal obligations is the state government. What we are watching is the failure of state funding to provide stable revenue to public school districts. We have the chance to do something about this locally instead of wringing our hands over the degradation of services. A class conservative position favors pushing funding and oversight locally where folks will take most interest and ownership. Vote yes on C.
Justin Cox
2:23 pm on Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Thanks to Davis Patch user JBinCalifornia for adding your decorated ballot photos to our initial Measure C story. Way to maximize the offerings of Davis Patch.