PEN Board Endorses Measure 0 & Proposition 15
Measure O is a general obligation bond measure on the November 3 ballot that invests in our children and our schools. As parents of school-aged children ourselves, we share your concerns, stresses and frustrations with all the changes we have endured this year. But we know it will get better, and when we are through this, we want all Pasadena Unified School District schools to be stronger and ready to provide our students with a safe, high-quality education. This is why the Pasadena Education Network (PEN) is endorsing Measure O. This measure is a $516 million investment in the areas of infrastructure and programs, but also funds upgrades in technology, which we all need at this moment. This measure is not without precedent as our neighbor school district, LAUSD, continues to move forward with its own school modernization program totaling in excess of $20 billion. Our students deserve the same, and this bond measure will ensure it. As a village of parents, educators, and community leaders promoting and supporting what’s in the best interests of our cherished students, we believe that Measure O is an investment that will provide an immeasurable return on investment…thousands of students set up for a lifetime trajectory of success, happiness, and well-being. The choice is an easy one. We vote “YES” on Measure O!
Our children – and the educators who work so hard to help them realize their potential – deserve our support. That’s why we also endorse Proposition 15.
Proposition 15, the Schools & Communities First initiative, can help reverse decades of disinvestment in our children, generating up to $4.1 billion in new revenue every year for California’s K-12 schools, including an estimated $10.9 million/year in additional revenue for Pasadena Unified School District. The measure guarantees that the new Prop 15 revenues will add to existing state funding, and cannot be used to replace other funding. The funds will be disbursed equitably, based on student need, using the current Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), and spent according to our district’s Local Control Accountability Plan. Prop 15 generates new revenue not by raising tax rates, and not by taking existing protections away from homeowners, renters, and small businesses, but by closing a loophole that has allowed the wealthiest corporate property owners and investors to avoid reassessment of large commercial properties on a regular basis. Because most commercial property owners are already paying taxes based on the fair market value of their properties, 92% of the revenue Prop 15 will raise will come from 10% of the state’s commercial property.