Vote Yes on Measures Q & R

Vote Yes on Measures Q and R:
School Bonds for School Buildings

Currently, there are roughly 15,000 Santa Barbarans enrolled in local public schools, many of which are 40 to 50 years old with crumbling or unattended infrastructures. Once upon a time, the state might have bankrolled such capital expenditures, but given the sorry state in Sacramento, those days are long gone. If we want to install a new roof or build a new library on a Santa Barbara public school campus, we have to do it ourselves. That’s where Measures Q and R come in. Measure Q will generate roughly $75 million for bricks-and-mortar projects for area high schools and junior high schools; Measure R will generate $35 million for our elementary schools. These measures will authorize the school districts to sell bonds based on property-tax assessments. Because Measures Q and R effectively extend existing measures that would otherwise sunset, there will be no increase in assessments. These funds can’t be used for anything but capital projects, and these ballot measures authorize the creation of advisory committees to ensure the funds are spent properly. It’s a no-brainer; vote yes on Measures Q and R.