League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Los Angeles County, CA June 5, 2012 Election
	Measure CK School Improvement Funding Sulphur Springs Union Elementary School District School Bonds - 55% Approval Required Pass: 4,394 / 58.86% Yes votes ...... 3,071 / 41.14% No votes See Also: Index of all Measures

Arguments For Measure CK

Arguments Against Measure CK

Vote YES on CK to improve and maintain high quality education in Canyon Country public elementary schools--without increasing taxes. Considered among the best school districts in the state, all nine elementary schools in Sulphur Springs School District have been named California Distinguished Schools. Despite years of state imposed budget cuts, smart, "belt-tightening" decisions by Sulphur Springs School District have maintained high quality student achievement. Measure CK will provide needed funding to support the outstanding education Sulphur Springs students receive by repairing and updating classrooms and libraries, upgrading instructional technology to ensure a 21 st -century education and improving school facilities that serve severely-disabled and medically-fragile students--with all funds staying local. Measure CK will not increase the current tax paid by property owners. Vote YES on Measure CK to: + Modernize a 40-year-old facility that serves the needs of severely-disabled and medically-fragile students + Reduce debt, resulting in more resources for classroom instruction, including reading, writing, math, science and technology + Repair and replace aging roofs + Upgrade classrooms and science and computer labs to keep pace with 21 st -century learning standards + Update and expand school libraries with modern technology and adequate space to ensure student and teacher access to important learning materials + Replace aging heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems to increase energy efficiency and save money + Replace aging, outdated portable classrooms with modern, permanent classrooms Every penny will support local Sulphur Springs schools: + Funds cannot be taken by Sacramento + No funds will be used for administrators' salaries, pensions or benefits + An independent citizens' oversight committee will ensure funds are spent properly Measure CK will maintain excellent schools, helping to keep property values strong for us all--without increasing current tax rates homeowners pay. Vote YES on CK http://www.classroomsforkids.org. ROBERT KELLAR Santa Clarita City Council CARL GOLDMAN Owner, KHTS AM-1220 Radio JAMES S. BACKER President, Santa Clarita Valley Education Foundation DR. DENNIS R. OSTROM City of Santa Clarita Planning Commissioner JOAN WHALING MACGREGOR College of the Canyons, Trustee Rebuttal to Arguments For Vote NO on Measure CK to require Sulphur Springs School District to live within their means and not pass the costs of aspirations today to future generations of tomorrow. High quality education is a commendable goal. However, using long-term debt with deferred payments and projected interest costs of 4 times the amount borrowed is inefficient and a costly way to solve funding needs. The 1990 property tax measure will be fully repaid in 2017 at which time property owners will no longer pay assessments for District bonds. CK will create a new $357,000,000 tax obligation (with $284,989,072 in interest) for property owners. Since the 1990 bond measure was passed the District has incurred nearly $32,000,000 in non-taxpayer approved Certificates of Participation debt. There was no independent oversight of this spending but the District could use a portion of the CK proceeds to refinance all or part of this debt. In spite of this additional borrowing the District has not sold their $11,000,000 interest in a theater complex to reduce the debt. Instead they are asking voters to approve even more debt. School Accountability Report Card reports indicate all schools are in "Good" repair status. Certainly operating cost savings can be achieved by replacing systems. But, with CK, the benefits of any potential savings are overwhelmed by the total cost to the taxpayers who will be required to pay this debt until 2064. Vote NO on Measure CK. MICHAEL NAOUM Homeowner ROBERT CRAWFORD Homeowner JANA GASIOR Homeowner VERONICA RIOS Homeowner

With the downturn in the economy, the State budget crisis, and household finances that are often stretched to the limit, now is not the time to vote for a bond measure that is as expensive as allowed by law. This bond measure will increase your property taxes + your assessment to pay for this measure will increase by almost 160%, even if you never moved. The District has chosen to create a bond measure, where the amount borrowed, repayment term and tax rates are at the maximum legal limits for an elementary school district. Annual bond payments for this measure will increase from just under $1,900,000 in 2017 to almost $19,000,000 per year by 2064. This back end payment increase means that the district will pay $4.96 for every $1 borrowed. This compares to $2.26 repaid on a typical 30 year home loan. The initial payments are not scheduled until 17, 14 and 11 years after the borrowing dates on three of the four bond series. Taxpayers will be required to pay for these bonds until 2064 + 52 years from when this measure is voted upon. Some of the costs allowed by this bond measure (like the purchase of laser printers, network and security equipment) have useful lives significantly shorter than the term of the bonds and many other costs are maintenance related (like painting). As a result, the taxpayers in those later years will be obtaining little if any benefit for their tax payments. This use of bond proceeds to pay for what should be operating expenses is an extremely inefficient way to make up for cuts in State funding. Please don't burden yourself, your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren with paying for these bonds. MICHAEL NAOUM Homeowner ROBERT CRAWFORD Homeowner JANA GASIOR Homeowner VERONICA RIOS Homeowner Rebuttal to Arguments Against Measure CK will not increase taxes. In fact, once the old bond is retired, our payments will decrease + from about $90 per $100,000 of assessed value to $30. In other words, our payments will go down by 2/3 + and local students will benefit from essential school repairs and technology upgrades. It's unfortunate our opponents didn't research the facts before opposing school upgrades for Canyon Country students. The truth: Measure CK is extremely conservative. The assessment will not kick in until the last bond, passed more than 20 years ago, is completely paid off. Many districts ask voters to layer payment on top of payment. That's not the case here. Measure CK works like a mortgage: vital school repairs are completed in the short term, and paid for over time. Improving classrooms for medically- fragile, disabled students, and fixing leaky school roofs, will serve Canyon Country for many years. Measure CK will update instructional technology over time, delivering educational value to decades of future students. Adding locally-controlled resources to Canyon Country elementary schools + funds that can't be taken by the State + will enhance reading, writing, math and science instruction, through improved technology, computer labs, libraries and other cost-saving repairs and measures. We can't count on State government for 21 st -Century learning tools and updated classrooms that our students need to prepare for the competitive job market they'll face. If we wait, these school improvements will only become more expensive. Measure CK is the conservative solution: support Canyon Country students, without increasing taxes. CAROL SHEPHERD Special Education Teacher RICHARD C. WERTH Community Business Owner ROBERT G. DENOS Special Education Parent/Homeowner STEVEN M. STURGEON Trustee, William S. Hart Union High School District SUSANA RIVERA Special Education Parent

Tax Rate Statement from ROBERT A. NOLET, Ed. D. Superintendent Sulphur Springs Union School District

An election will be held in the Sulphur Springs Union School District (the "District") on June 5, 2012, to authorize the sale of up to $72,000,000 in bonds of the District to finance projects as described in the measure. If such bonds are authorized and sold, principal and interest on the bonds will be payable only from the proceeds of tax levies made upon the taxable property in the District. The following information is provided in compliance with Sections 9400-9404 of the Elections Code of the State of California. Such information is based upon the best estimates and projections presently available from official sources, upon experience within the District, and other demonstrable factors. Based upon the foregoing and projections of the District's assessed valuation, the following information is provided: 1. The best estimate of the tax rate which would be required to be levied to fund the June 5, 2012, bond measure during the first fiscal year after the sale of the first series of bonds, based on a projection of assessed valuations, is $0.00 per $100,000 of assessed value for fiscal year 2013-14. 2. The best estimate of the tax rate which would be required to be levied to fund the June 5, 2012, bond measure during the first fiscal year after the sale of the last series of bonds, based on a projection of assessed valuations, is $30.00 per $100,000 of assessed value for fiscal year 2026-27. 3. The best estimate of the highest tax rate which would be required to be levied to fund the June 5, 2012, bond measure, based on a projection of assessed valuations, is $30.00 per $100,000 of assessed value for fiscal year 2016-17 and the subsequent fiscal years thereafter. The District previously passed a bond measure on June 4, 1991. The most recent tax rate for this measure was $89.97 per $100,000 of assessed value for the fiscal year 2011-12. It is estimated that the combined tax rate for the June 4, 1991, bond measure and the prospective June 5, 2012, bond measure will be $30.00 starting with fiscal year 2016-17. Voters should note the estimated tax rate is based on the ASSESSED VALUE of taxable property on the County's official tax rolls, not on the property's market value. In addition, taxpayers eligible for a property tax exemption, such as the homeowner's exemption, will be taxed at a lower effective tax rate than described above. Property owners should consult their own property tax bills and tax advisors to determine their property's assessed value and any applicable tax exemptions. The attention of all voters is directed to the fact that the foregoing information is based upon projections and estimates only, which are not binding upon the District. The actual tax rates and the years in which they will apply may vary from those presently estimated, due to variations from these estimates in the timing of bond sales, the amount of bonds sold and market interest rates at the time of each sale, and actual assessed valuations over the term of repayment of the bonds. The date of sale and the amount of bonds sold at any given time will be determined by the District based on the need for construction funds and other factors. The actual interest rates at which the bonds will be sold will depend on the bond market at the time of sale. Actual future assessed valuations will depend upon the amount and value of taxable property within the District as determined by the County Assessor in the annual assessment and the equalization process.