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Team Civix
The Truth about Measure B
Why would any school board want to ask voters to support a tax measure? The short answer is they only do it out of necessity.
In the case of Measure B, the Tam District Board has no choice but to ask for support because it has significant facilities' needs and the State of California doesn’t provide funds for facilities upgrades, repairs, and replacements. While it doesn’t provide funding, it does dictate numerous mandates that districts must comply with, despite not being given the funding for them.
The District spent three years evaluating its facilities to ensure that it was prepared to provide the next generation of students with a quality education in safe, up-to-date buildings. The projects in Measure B include only the most essential, time sensitive and safety related projects as identified in the facilities master plan.
A complete list of projects funded by Measure B can be found on the District’s facilities page. Broadly, they include:
- State mandated building replacements
- $80 million of roof and HVAC replacements and updates
- Americans with Disabilities access updates to comply with current state requirements
- Health and safety repairs, such as repairing the fire escape at Tam High and replacing turf on fields that will no longer pass concussing testing.
Many inaccuracies are being shared about Measure B, including that the District has hired 8 new senior administrators in the last year and that it spends an unusual and excessive amount on consultants. These accusations are simply not true and we encourage you to find out the truth. The District’s budget is shared at public school board meetings multiple times a year.
Another inaccuracy that is being repeated is that there will be a $70 million dollar cafeteria at Redwood. This is also false: the District is actually planning to remodel the current cafeteria at a cost of $1 million dollars.
If you want to know the truth and compare Measure B to Measure A, which was narrowly defeated this spring, please look at the presentation that was given in public board meetings multiple times. You can also find the facilities master plan here and read the specific bond language, which outlines the projects that will be included.
In a nutshell, Measure A was designed to take care of all of the facilities needs that were identified for the next generation of students, while Measure B is designed to focus on the District’s most urgent needs.
The Tam District’s academics are some of the best in the state and class sizes have shrunk in the last year. The District prioritizes providing students with the best education possible and 85% of its budget goes to salaries for valued teachers and staff. That leaves 15% for utilities, insurance, books and supplies, as well as maintenance and repairs and other needs.
The District keeps up with general maintenance and repairs, but until the State of California starts giving districts funds for major, required infrastructure updates, school districts won’t have any choice but to ask voters for support.
If Measure B doesn’t pass, the District will have no choice but to pay for the most urgent safety related repairs out of its general budget. These repairs to roofs, HVAC systems, and athletics facilities that are failing will cost $17 million dollars over the next two years (the next time a bond can go on the ballot), which is equivalent to laying off 50 teachers.
No one wants to think about cuts of that magnitude, but they will be necessary if Measure B doesn’t pass.
Please find out the truth and vote "YES" on Measure B.