No on Measure N

More Debt and Higher Taxes

Measure N on the March 3, 2020, ballot is a $198 million school construction bond, but it would cost San Leandro taxpayers far more than $198 million. That’s why parents, teachers and fiscally responsible citizens oppose Measure N. This measure would increase the SLUSD's debt and interest costs and force costly Project Labor Agreements that sharply raise the cost of construction projects and use taxpayer dollars inefficiently. The measure is heavily backed by unions that would be the beneficiaries of the measure's funds.

Too Much SLUSD Debt

$515 million in taxes

SLUSD's bond debt already totals $317 million from bond measures passed in 1997, 2006, 2010 and 2016. Measure N, a $198 million measure, would be the fifth school bond measure on which property owners would be paying taxes. If passed by voters, it would bring the bond debt from the five measures to $515 million - or $58,000 per student. What kind of fiscal responsibility does that teach our children?

If Measure N passes, it would increase school bond property taxes to $179 per $100,000 of assessed valuation to pay for SLUSD's spending. That means the average homeowner in San Leandro will be paying $642 a year in taxes to cover SLUSD's bonds. And this doesn't include the additional $39 parcel tax for San Leandro schools from measure I that was passed in November 2018.

Lack of Transparency

Measure never mentions it's a tax

For school bond measures, property taxes will increase to pay for the school district's debt. The East Bay Times does a good job of highlighting the lack of transparency in school bond measures. To quote the article, "employing an ends-justify-the-means mentality, [SLUSD] are jettisoning transparency in favor of political expediency. They understand that voters are more likely to support bonds if they don’t realize that they’re also approving tax increases." Not once does Measure N use the word tax in its text. Measure N is the only school bond (tax) the East Bay Times is opposing on the upcoming March 2020 ballot.