Meaning of Voting Yes/No

A YES vote of this measure means:

you are in favor of authorizing the bonded indebtedness and appointment of the committee.

A NO vote of this measure means:

you are against authorizing the bonded indebtedness and appointment of the committee.

The ballot measure would authorize bonded indebtedness not to exceed one-hundred-fifty million dollars ($150,000,000) with interest not to exceed the maximum legal rate. Subject to California Education Code section 15100, the money raised would be used for the following purposes: building classrooms, repairing and renovating bathrooms, electrical, plumbing, heating and ventilation systems, leaking roofs and fire safety systems; improving technology; making seismic upgrades; and replacing deteriorating portable classrooms and buildings. In exchange for money received from the holder of the bonds, the school district will promise to pay to the holder interest for a certain period of time and to repay the loan on the expiration date. The number of years the bonds are to run will not exceed twenty-five years from the date of the bonds or any bonds series.

The ballot measure also requires the District to appoint a citizens oversight committee to monitor the spending of the funds.

Two-thirds of those voting on the measure must approve the measure in order for it to pass.

Our schools are overcrowded. In the last seven years, enrollment has increased by 3,000 students and the State's Class Size Reduction Program has almost doubled the number of classrooms needed for our youngest schoolchildren. Many schools were forced to convert computer labs into classrooms. Measure M will provide additional classrooms to help relieve overcrowding and accommodate future enrollment growth.

Measure M will allow our schools to qualify for State matching funds thereby increasing the value to taxpayers. Without passage of Measure M, these funds will be given to other school districts. By law, money from Measure M can only be used for school improvements.

For accountability, Measure M provides for the appointment of a Citizen's Oversight Committee who will work without pay to guarantee funds are spent properly.

Our kids spend the better part of their day in school. Let's show them that we care about their future. Will you help us to make our schools a better place to learn? YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. HELP FIX OUR SCHOOLS. VOTE YES ON MEASURE M.

http://www.childrenofwestcounty.com

John Quoc Duong, West Contra Costa Unified School District graduate and local businessperson

Eleanor Loynd, Chairwoman of the El Sobrante Valley Planning and Zoning Advisory Committee and retired teacher, Oakland Public Schools

Jim McMillan, former Richmond City Councilman and retired pharmacist

Woody Snodgrass, former School Board Trustee and former Superintendent of Schools

Maria Theresa Viramontes, children's advocate and West County resident

Based upon the foregoing and projections of the District's assessed valuation, and assuming the entire debt service will be amortized through property taxation:
1. The best estimate of the tax rate which would be required to be levied to fund the bond issue during the first fiscal year after the sale of the first series of bonds is 0.82 cents per 100 dollars of assessed valuation (or, stated another way, $8.20 per $100,000 of assessed valuation) in the first fiscal year 2001/02.
2. The best estimate of the tax rate which would be required to be levied to fund the bond issue during the first fiscal year after the sale of the last series of bonds and an estimate of the year in which that rate will apply is 5.56 cents per 100 dollars of assessed valuation (or, stated another way, $55.60 per $100,000 of assessed valuation) in the fiscal year 2010/11.
3. The best estimate of the highest tax rate which would be required to be levied to fund the bond issue and an estimate of the year in which that rate will apply is 5.56 cents per 100 dollars of assessed valuation (or, stated another way, $55.60 per $100,000 of assessed valuation) in the fiscal year 2010/11.
4. The best estimate of the average tax rate which would be required to be levied to fund the bond issue is 2.99 cents per 100 dollars of assessed valuation (or, stated another way, $29.90 per $100,000 of assessed valuation).

Attention to 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. Such projections and estimates may vary due to variations in timing of bond sales, the amount of bonds sold at each bond sale, market interest rates at the time of each bond sale, and actual assessed valuation over the term of repayment of the bonds. The actual dates of the sales of said bonds and the amount sold on any given date will be governed by the needs of the District and other actors. The actual interest rates at which the bonds will be sold, which in any event will not exceed the maximum permitted by law, will depend upon the bond market at the time of each sale. Actual assessed valuation in future years will depend upon the value of property within the District as determined in the assessment and the equalization process. Hence, the actual tax rates and the years in which such rates are applicable may vary from those presently estimated above.

Dr. Gloria J. Johnston, Superintendent, West Contra Costa Unified School District

The assumptions used in estimating the above tax rates appear reasonable.

Stephen Ybarra for Kenneth J. Corcoran, Auditor-Controller, Contra Costa County