8 Points: How to Help CUSD Now
Update: 10/30/2020 added Regnart School student video. 10/29/2020, school closures now at 12 potentially. 10/16/2020, I no longer support Prop. 15.
Today I was sent this moving video of Regnart School students who are concerned that their school might be closed. Regnart is among a list of 12 schools which could possibly close.
1. Failed Measure O: In March, 2020 voters did not approve Measure O which would have had an increase in parcel tax of $125/parcel and generate $4.3 Million for only 5 years.
a. The advertising for the Measure did not suggest that if it did not pass, within 6 months the district would be looking at closing 12 schools in order to save approximately $410K in personnel and $900K in positive cash flow leasing the space at these schools, which with Covid-19, is questionable whether anyone would want to even lease school space.
2. There is a valuable and vacant property at Montebello Road which need to be considered in any discussion of emergency funding issues. How can these properties serve the district better?
3. When the next Regional Housing Needs Assessment numbers come in, and the city must make decisions about where to locate between 4,000-6,000 residential units, according the the State’s Department of Housing and Community Development, these units need to be placed where they will make a positive impact for CUSD.
4. Prop. 15, while there are concerns for the impact of this law, would ultimately (it is phased in) provide $9.3 Million for CUSD. Should CUSD and families support this? I have resolved to not support this. I think there is a better way to make the commercial properties pay a fair share, and at this time, and by this method, this is not the correct way to achieve equity (basically we are facing a downturn with unknown severity).
5. If we move to a square footage tax to eliminate the inequity between parcels which have a lot of development on them, generating many students, and very small parcels with little student generation, the funding issue could have a solution. Currently, an apartment building with 1,000 apartments would pay $250 parcel tax and that is the same as would be required of a single-family home. However, the apartments would generate about 800 students annually while the single-family home would generate about two students.
6. Consider changing the school boundaries to enable other cities to provide for their low-enrollment schools.
7. Corporate endowments: we have one of the least-funded school districts in California under the shadow of one of the world’s largest companies, will they willingly provide solutions to the funding problem, or should we support having Prop 15, or square footage taxes get voted in? What is the best approach to ensure we can educate our students?
8. We must ensure that decisions regarding school closures in the neighborhoods of CUSD Board members result in their recusal because of the unique financial impact on their property values. For example, Montclaire and Blue Hills should not be exempt from school closure discussions.
