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Santa Barbara School Board Votes to Support Prop. 30
The Santa Barbara Unified School District Board of Education voted Tuesday to support Proposition 30, the California Schools and Local Public Safety Protection Act on the Nov. 6 ballot.
Proposition 30 would increase income taxes for people earning more than $250,000 for seven years, and would increase the sales tax by a quarter-cent for four years. It would guarantee public safety realignment funding and bring in an additional $6 billion in state revenues annually through 2018-19, according to SmartVoter.
School board president Susan Deacon said they were in good company for supporting this initiative — it’s endorsed by dozens of education, labor and community organizations throughout the state.
With millions of dollars in budget cuts for California and per-pupil spending ranked 47th in the country, “Proposition 30 is the only initiative that will prevent $6 million in trigger cuts and increase school funding by billions of dollars starting this year,” the board’s resolution reads.
The Board of Education later will consider supporting Proposition 31, which would establish two-year state budgets and new guidelines for the process.
Board members also approved a response to a Santa Barbara County Grand Jury report on truancy, which prompted school districts to implement truancy reduction programs this year.
The Santa Barbara Unified School District is establishing its own program, documenting its efforts and calculating the amount of money lost due to truancy in the 2011-12 school year. Since districts are funded based on daily attendance, empty seats translate to fewer dollars, which is another motivation for truancy reduction programs.
Truancy rates spiked after the county’s Truancy Intervention and Parent Accountability Program was eliminated during budget cuts in 2008. Instead of having the District Attorney’s Office manage a countywide program, each district is creating its own program with help from county agencies.
There are tiered levels of intervention that include notification letters sent to parents, mandatory after-school meetings for parents and students, truancy mediation team meetings and School Attendance Review Board meetings that could lead to enforcement efforts against students or their parents.
— Noozhawk staff writer Giana Magnoli can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
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» on 08.28.12 @ 11:54 PM
Since I am running for the School Board, let me state in no uncertain terms, I would have voted NO on the resolution to support Prop 30.
The readers may not be aware that while they are voting on this resolution, our state legislature is now on the verge of approving AB 5, a law written and supported by our teacher unions to effectively end any hope of implementing a teacher evaluation system that partially relies upon student test data. Many school districts around the state, including SB School District, are unilaterally imposing teacher evaluation systems despite the vehement opposition of the unions. Never giving up a chance to thwart reforms of our broken schools, the unions and their paid legislators are now going to kill this effort by the Districts with this law.
I have told Dr. Cash, the Superintendent of the SB Schools, that the Board needs to support a resolution condemning this bill and expressing their disappointment with Das Williams, who voted for the bill. I know Dr. Cash is extremely frustrated with what is happening in Sacramento and has told me that Das has not responded to his concerns.
If this doesn’t get you upset, you might want to take a look at AB 1530. This is a bill which would make it easier to get rid of teachers who are accused of sexual and/or physical abuse. In Los Angeles, there have been repeated cases of teachers who have been accused of the most disgusting and vile acts, and yet the LA District can’t get rid of these people. They actually had to pay $40,000 to buy out the contract of one of these teachers.
If people think it can’t happen here, think again. We had our own incident a number of years ago. Guess what - you haven’t heard one word from this Board on this outrageous bill. Oh, guess how Das Williams voted. You know the answer.
Folks, if you don’t stand up and make your concerns known to the power structure in this community and state, you will continue to get the woefully inadequate public education we have all become use to.
» on 08.29.12 @ 12:06 AM
One other thing about Prop 30. The supposedly $3 billion of additional revenue that these new taxes will deliver to the public schools is an illusion. The Ca State Teachers’ Retirement System is facing a $65 billion shortfall. In order to bring the program into balance, CALSTRS has proposed that the state and the districts contribute another $3 billion into the system starting next year. So if there turns out to be an additional $3 billion, the schools will certainly not see the money. Has our school board mentioned that in their resolution?
» on 08.29.12 @ 07:55 AM
It doesn’t look to me that by this description, http://www.aroundthecapitol.com/Bills/AB_5/20112012/, the local system would be killed: “The bill would also provide that the provisions of the best practices teacher evaluation system do not supersede or invalidate a teacher evaluation system that is locally negotiated and that is in effect at the time the best practices teacher evaluation system becomes operative.”
However, it would add more requirements which would make it even more difficult. And, of course, it would be even more expensive.
» on 08.29.12 @ 08:37 AM
LookingWest,
The poison pill is that the local system would have to be collectively bargained. Today, most of the standards and parameters of an evaluation system do not have to be approved by the local union. For instance, there is no way the union will ever allow using student test data in an evaluation system, which by the way is required if you want to be eligible for Obama “race to the top” funds. All the other stuff is dressing to make it look palatable. Believe me, you wouldn’t have the Superintendent of the LA School District and every other educational expert in the state oppose this legislation, if it was good for kids.
» on 08.29.12 @ 09:39 AM
California has terrible leadership, and we are the highest taxed state in the nation. The liberals have turned California into the welfare state—More takers than makers—Vote No on the idiot tax, or the illegal alien Gov union tax.
Government needs to cut like the rest of us!!!!!!!!!!
» on 08.29.12 @ 07:10 PM
I am with Lou. No more money until we see significant reform.
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