[CALIBK12] Textbook money question

[Carol Bly]

Schools have to declare with their filing, what type of bond they are seeking. If it's a "Prop 39" bond, they only need a 55% pass rate, but have oversight requirements, etc. The other requires a two-thirds majority. Per Mary's message there are restrictions to the way the money may be spent.
Other funds, such as parcel taxes, can be used for salaries.
Edsource has a good description of school finances at: http://www.edsource.org/edu_fin.cfm or http://californiaschoolfinance.org/Default.aspx
By the way, Mary, congratulations on the wonderful modernization work going on in Buckeye as a result of the passing of your bond
Carol

Dr. Carol Bly,
Superintendent,
Rescue Union School District
2390 Bass Lake Rd.
Rescue, CA 95672
Office: (530) 672-4810
Fax (530) 672-0719
www.rescue.k12.ca.us 
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>>> MFischer <MFischer at buckeyeusd.org> 4/17/2008 10:12 AM >>>
Regarding the bond issue and the percentage required to pass it, there is something in how the bond is structured that determines if it requires 2/3 or 55% to pass. Our district passed one in 2006 on the 55% majority plan and the funds can only be spent on the specific items that were listed in the bond itself. None can be used for salaries or personnel in any way, don't know if the other kind allows that or not.

Mary Helen Fischer

From: calibk12-bounces at lists.sjsu.edu [mailto:calibk12-bounces at lists.sjsu.edu] On Behalf Of Sue Beckmeyer
Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2008 9:14 PM
To: calibk12 at lists.sjsu.edu 
Subject: Re: [CALIBK12] Textbook money question
Importance: Low

I believe the requirements to pass a bond issue are different from parcel taxes or assessments on property value, even though they are all collected through the property tax mechanism. We also passed a bond issue several years ago, but it was for school buildings and maintenance only, not general fund obligations. That reminds me, though...one of the things Senator Yee mentioned that is under discussion in the legislature is allowing certain restricted funds to be transferred into general fund accounts. Apparently that was allowed a few years ago when we faced similar education cutbacks, and there were very specific limitations (I'm sorry that I don't have the details).

--Sue Beckmeyer
  Vallemar School Library Coordinator (volunteer)
  and SJSU library grad student
  Pacifica, CA 94044
On Wed, Apr 16, 2008 at 2:27 PM, <chcortez at aol.com<mailto:chcortez at aol.com>> wrote:
You stated... "Unfortunately, any new taxes in this state require a super-majority -- 67% -- to pass, whether in the legislature or at the polling place."

This is not true.  In my community of Upland, California we just passed a bond measure (which gets added to our property taxes) by simple majority (!), which will be on the tax roll for 20 years!  I don't know what entity decides what's needed to pass a measure.  Maybe it's by county?

Chela Cortez
Etiwanda High School