Tax Increase Hidden by Misleading Language

The Board is scheduled to vote on a total tax rate of $1.1469. While this is the same rate as last year, it is significantly higher than the ‘no-new-revenue’ rate of $1.089245 due to rising property values. The district’s own documents state this is ‘effectively a 5.29 percent increase in the tax rate.’ However, the official resolution to be voted on (Resolution #27-06) misleadingly claims ‘THE TAX RATE WILL EFFECTIVLEY BE RAISED BY 0 PERCENT.’ This is a direct contradiction designed to confuse taxpayers about the real impact on their tax bills.

Response

💰 Impact: 5.29% effective tax rate increase

Money Moved from Classrooms to Bureaucracy

A budget amendment hidden in the Consent Agenda (Item 12.3) moves $343,916 out of the ‘Instruction’ budget. The money is being reallocated to administrative functions, including ‘Instructional Administration’ (+$83k), ‘School Leadership’ (+$23k), ‘Guidance & Counseling’ (+$130k), and ‘General Administration’ (+$130k). This represents a direct shift of funds away from teachers and classroom resources and toward growing the administrative bureaucracy.

Response

💰 Impact: $343,916 shifted from instruction to administration

District to Begin Changing How Trustees are Elected

Under Item 11.6, the Board will vote to ‘initiate the process’ of changing from an at-large election system to single-member districts. While this can sometimes improve representation, it can also be used to draw maps that protect incumbents and pre-determine election outcomes (gerrymandering). This is a fundamental change to how voters hold the board accountable, and the public must be involved from the very first step to ensure the process is transparent and the resulting maps are fair.

Response

💰 Impact: Potential for gerrymandered districts that reduce voter power.

District Adopting ‘Tiered Support’ Intervention Framework

The ‘Differentiated Support’ presentation (Item 9.1) details a plan for ‘Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3’ campus interventions. This is the standard framework for a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), a keyword for programs that can lead to academic, behavioral, and psychological interventions for students. While presented as ‘support,’ MTSS can be used to implement Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and other programs without requiring specific parental consent for each action taken with a child.

Response

💰 Impact: Implementation of student intervention systems that may bypass parental consent.

Accepting Over $7 Million in Federal Funds with Strings Attached

Hidden in the consent agenda (Item 12.6), the district plans to accept over $7 million in federal grants (ESSA, IDEA, etc.). The district’s plan states these funds are used for ‘supplemental staff.’ This creates a future ‘fiscal cliff’—when the federal money inevitably runs out, the district will pressure local taxpayers to pick up the salary and benefits for these positions, making temporary federal spending a permanent local tax burden.

Response

💰 Impact: Future taxpayer liability for staff hired with temporary federal dollars.

Bulk Approval of 423 Library Books on Consent Agenda

The board is set to approve a purchase list of 423 new library books (Item 12.4) as part of the bundled consent agenda. This process prevents public discussion and makes it difficult for parents to vet individual books. The list includes titles about political figures and activism, such as ‘Quien es Kamala Harris?’ and ‘Auntie Kristina’s guide to Asian American activism,’ which may not be appropriate for all age levels. Taxpayers and parents deserve a transparent process for reviewing books before they are purchased.

Response

💰 Impact: Use of taxpayer funds for potentially ideological or politically charged library materials without public review.

✅ Wins to Defend

Good moves worth showing up to support so they stick.

WIN: District Strengthens Anti-DEI Policy for Superintendent

As part of a policy update (Item 11.3), the Board is considering new language that would make a superintendent subject to non-renewal for ‘Engaging in or assigning…diversity, equity, and inclusion duties prohibited by law.’ This is a positive step that creates a strong accountability measure, ensuring that district leadership adheres to state laws banning political DEI programming in schools.

How to Secure It

WIN: District Removes ‘Equity’ Metrics from Gifted & Talented Selection

A proposed update to the Gifted and Talented policy, EHBB (LOCAL) under Item 11.3, explicitly prohibits using ‘a scoring value based on race, ethnicity, sex, socioeconomic status, or disability’ in the student selection process. This is a victory for merit-based education, ensuring that G/T programs identify students based on their abilities, not on their identity group.

How to Secure It