Education in Pleasant Hill

By Jeremy Cloward

Resolution: I propose increasing the amount of money spent on our schools in Pleasant Hill. Revenue for our schools will be generated through the passage of a city ordinance requiring all multinational corporations (MNCs) operating in Pleasant Hill to pay a small 1% franchise tax on their annual sales revenues to hire more teachers, librarians and counselors, to buy new books and computers, and to restore diminished or eliminated programs in our arts, trades, and sports programs. The franchise tax cannot be passed on to consumers. In 2011 alone, the top 25 MNCs operating in Pleasant Hill (AT&T, Chevron, Target, Safeway, etc.) had sales revenue in excess of $75 million dollars + more than three times the entire city budget for 2011 (est. $18 million dollars). A simple 1% tax on MNC annual sales will generate $750,000 dollars (or some $68,000 dollars per year for each of our 11 public schools).