Pleasanton School Board and Parcel Tax Issue Revisited

The Pleasanton School board has stated that they will back parcel tax legislation introduced by Senator Joseph Simitian. The legislation will require 55% approval  in place of 67% approval in elections for property tax  increase.

Senator Simitian a Democrat is not from the 18th District, he is the basic TAX and SPEND... TAX and SPEND legislator from the 11th District, Santa Cruz.

The Pleasanton School board is indorsing the legislation because their credit cards are maxed out and have had their difficulties getting additional credit cards. Instead of making the necessary cuts in operations including teacher layoffs and other staff reductions that will enable them to operate within budget they are continuing the TAX and SPEND mentality.

If Senator Simitians' bill does get on the ballot, it too should require the necessary two thirds majority because it is attempting to lower the requirement necessary for the school board to raise property tax through the election ballot. It is part of leveling the playing field, which also can include one or more of the following criteria:

A)  Renters and non-property owners are not eligible to vote in elections for property tax.

B) Landowners have mandatory rental freeze for their renters.

C) If no rental freeze, landowners must disclose amount of property tax in rent increase to the renter and the renter has the tax write-off, not the landowner — no double dipping.

D) We all sit down together and calmly write Measure F, which if approved by the voters, the money will be used to buy out our tenured teachers. The first year money may well cover this. We then slam the door shut on tenured teachers. This will immediately put the school board budget in the black and allow the ongoing recruitment of the best and brightest young teachers for the Pleasanton schools.

E) If tenured teachers do not accept buyout, they can be laid off. It happens all the time in industry. The issue can be litigated and won in the courts. The buyout does not necessarily have to be lump sum disbursement. It can be in monthly disbursements.

Going forward, if the Pleasanton school board cannot operate within budget, we simply recall them one at a time or all at once, then put people on the board that can manage a budget and at the same time maintain the highest quality of teachers with the highest set of standards that will maintain the highest test scores for students in the Pleasanton schools.

The Pleasanton schoool board should set goals for their teachers and provide performance reviews each year, and if they have non-performing teachers, they are let go. It happens all the time in industry. There is no longer teacher tenure in the Pleasanton schools. If staff reductions become necessary in the future it will be the non-performers that are let go first.