Not to be forgotten in the aftermath of California's recent high-profile recall election in October were several significant local elections on Nov. 4 in which voters approved bond measures, parcel taxes and teacher-supported school board members.
Eight of nine school districts that proposed school facility bond measures were successful, providing more than $418 million for schools. Three of the eight bonds received more than 66 percent of the vote.
"We're pleased to see that voters are keeping education at the top of their list of priorities," says CTA President Barbara E. Kerr, who chaired the statewide Prop. 39 campaign in 2000.
In addition, a number of communities also approved parcel taxes - which still require a two-thirds vote - to offset budget cuts that were made in the past year. As usual, CTA local chapters played an important role in the passage of the various measures.
"We were thrilled with the election," says Kathleen Neuwald, president of the Fort Bragg District Teachers Association. "We had a lot of teachers involved in walking precincts, working phone banks and sending out postcards. I think the hard work paid off because the measure passed with 65 percent of the vote when only 55 percent was needed."
Fort Bragg's Measure D will allow $22 million in bonds to be issued. When combined with an additional $6 million in matching funds from the state, the proceeds will be used to upgrade plumbing, repair dry rot, replace obsolete boilers and modernize classrooms.
"All of our schools are over 40 years old and our oldest school has never had any of its plumbing upgraded," says Neuwald.
Voters in Menlo Park approved two parcel tax measures on the ballot that were supported by the Menlo Park Teachers Association. By approving Measure A, voters renewed for the third time a parcel tax that was initially passed in 1992.
"If Measure A hadn't passed, it would have meant that classroom teachers would have been laid off and that our class sizes would have been increased," says MPTA President Judy Fairbrother.
The renewal of the Menlo Park parcel tax continues the $97 a year assessment on property. In addition, voters approved a tax of $73 per parcel that will restore $500,000 of the $1.1 million that was cut in the past year. The tax will help continue the district's remedial math and reading program and fund textbooks and classroom materials.
"Voters in our district are very supportive of our schools, and they continue to come out to vote for school measures," says Fairbrother.
For the fourth time, voters in Davis approved the renewal of a parcel tax. Measure N won nearly 77 percent of the votes, 10 percent more than the two-thirds needed. The measure will increase the tax from $114 to $165 per single-family home to fund classroom programs in Davis schools. The victory was shared by teachers, school board members, parents and the community, says Davis Teachers Association President Cathy Haskell.
"We developed a strategy and got to work," says Haskell, noting the campaign did not start in earnest until after the gubernatorial recall election was over. The phone banks were staffed every night for two weeks by parents and teachers.
"The passage of Measure N means everything to local schools," says Haskell. "We're already looking at a deficit for next year."
In addition to successful school measures, local CTA chapters were also involved in running campaigns to elect teacher-friendly candidates in school board races. Chapters that received funds from the Association for Better Citizenship (ABC), CTA's political action committee, were successful in electing 123 candidates to school and community college boards.
Among them was the Centinela Valley Secondary Teachers Association, which elected two new trustees and obtained a majority on the school board. Their endorsed candidates included an 18-year-old recent high school graduate and a middle school counselor/administrator.
The chapter was so motivated to make changes in the district that 200 of its 300 members volunteered to staff phone banks and walk precincts for the candidates.
"Relations with the district had gotten to the breaking point," says CVSTA President Shane Ellis. "We haven't had an increase in our benefits package for 10 years and we are the lowest-paid teachers in the South Bay area."
In addition, he says, the previous board had spent a voter-approved bond on building a $12 million district office while students continued to be housed in portable classrooms.
"Our accomplishment is remarkable in the way that teachers were brought out of a state of apathy to work to change the board. Teachers are the reason why these two candidates won."
Once again, the Antelope Valley Education Coalition was successful - it elected four candidates to local school boards. Teachers as well as other coalition members contacted voters through the mail, staffed phone banks and displayed numerous yard signs. Unfortunately, a bond measure failed by just 170 votes.
The coalition, which was started by teachers, consists of 14 CTA chapters in the area, the California School Employees Association, and several other unions. It has been active in elections for the past three years.
Two years ago, CTA recognized the coalition and two of its local leaders, Westside Union Teachers Association member Anne McCutcheon and Antelope Valley Teachers Association President Gary A. Roberts, with a Ted Bass Teacher-in-Politics Award and a Joyce Fadem Chapter-in-Politics award for their exemplary efforts at coalition-building.
Dale Martin
