Everyone’s a critic

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.   I certainly did.   To answer Jill, the turkey turned out beautifully, although I don’t know whether to credit it to the cooking technique or the turkey itself.  We were trying out a new turkey in addition to a new technique, so next year, we’ll go with the same turkey and old school technique to determine for certain which did it.   Of course the two sticks of butter coating the bird probably helped too.

Hoping to capitalize on the glow of good feelings from Thanksgiving, the School Board will be voting on the Parcel Tax tomorrow night.   Both Susan Davis and and Michele Ellson covered the story on Wednesday.  True to form, there were some last minute swaps and changes in some of the details of the parcel tax.   The biggest one is the drop in the cap for businesses, from $8500 to $7999 which will, of course, give business owners like Edward Hirshberg, who sued AUSD over the last parcel tax, fodder to complain about how the tax is “unfair.”    This drop was requested by Trish Spencer, which would lower the amount of total tax collected by $160,000 per year.

Additionally, outgoing Boardmember Tracy Jensen wanted to raise the percentage of the parcel tax going to charter schools from 3% to 3 – 4 %.

What both reports show is that the Boardmembers and the community in support of the parcel tax seem to understand the importance of having all the Boardmembers vote in support of placing the parcel tax on the ballot, rather than having a hold out like there was for the last parcel tax.   Both Michele E. and Susan D. caught highlighted this late night exchange which might prove to be prescient about how the vote may go down, from the Island:

But the proposed spending priorities for the tax provoked a dramatic, late-night horse-trading session between trustee Trish Hererra Spencer and other members of the board, who said they were comfortable with the spending priorities district staff put in place. At several points during the discussion, board vice president Mike McMahon asked Hererra Spencer whether she would vote against the tax if specific changes she requested weren’t made.

“I’m looking for a parcel tax that goes to K through 12. I think it’s very important that we treat all of our students equitably,” Hererra Spencer said.

“I think it’s clear what’s going to happen on November 30,” McMahon shot back. “Let’s move on.”

Just as a reminder to folks who may not want to support or pay for the parcel tax and are looking for ways to get out of it or find other revenue sources for the school district.    It is illegal to charge a per student enrollment fee for public school.   Illegal.  As in, not allowed by law, not just frowned upon as a social nicety.   Also, the only legally allowed exemptions to paying the parcel tax are for senior citizens and people on disability.  You can’t exempt people that don’t have children or don’t have children in public school or people who swear that they won’t ever use the public school system ever.   Also, making up numbers of what seems to be a “fair” rate to pay for a parcel tax is useless unless it gets the school district the revenue it needs.   Otherwise, why even bother with a parcel tax if it gets the school district maybe a fraction of the money needed to actually run the schools.

While folks without children in the school system or folks that have had their kids pass through a long time ago may be scrambling to come up with alternative funding mechanisms for the school district with the implication that parents don’t currently contribute monetarily to their schools, any active PTA parent will be able to tell you how much they contribute both money wise and time wise to supplement their children (and other children’s) education.   Direct contributions, bake sales, magazine sales, silent auctions, art docents, volunteering in class, school supply donations…the list is extensive and staggering.   And, I probably couldn’t even name a fraction of what parents and guardians give to the schools, voluntarily, because my kids are still young and haven’t started at AUSD yet.    And all that is on top of the costs for books and school supplies.

Also, I think it’s important for people to remember, particularly those who have issues with Plan B, that voting down a parcel tax because you have an issue with Plan B is essentially assuring that Plan B or a form of it will have to get implemented.   Any inequities, real or perceived, will be amplified with the failure of a parcel tax.  So don’t vote against the parcel tax because you don’t like Plan B.  Vote for the parcel tax especially if you don’t like Plan B.

And finally:  a reminder.   Good schools benefit everyone in the community.   Whether it be a moral obligation to educate our future generations or a monetary benefit like good schools keeping one’s property taxes relatively stable in the face of a steep decline, good schools are the backbone of a strong community.   And when people in Alameda say they like Alameda because of its “small town charm” and its “neighborly feel” a lot of it has to do with the way that Alameda cares for the community as a whole and Alamedans understanding that even if they may not use the Hospital, there is still some benefit to paying into the health care district.   And even if they may never use the public schools or if their children have already passed through the system, that there is a huge benefit to supporting the schools in whatever manner they need supporting.   That’s what makes Alameda uniquely Alameda.

Advertisement