Millbrae School District

Measure E - 55% Approval Required

Vote YES on E to repair and upgrade Millbrae schools to maintain high-quality education and prepare Millbrae graduates to excel in high school, college, and beyond.

Our schools and classrooms were built for a different era of education and need to be modernized to provide up-to-date classroom technology and meet current health and safety codes.

Voting YES on Measure E will ensure that our teachers have the tools they need to help our children succeed. Measure E helps provide all Millbrae students with equal access to modern, high-quality educational facilities.

Every penny raised by Measure E will benefit our local Millbrae schools, be controlled locally and cannot be taken by the state.

Measure E will address the most urgent and critical needs at our schools including:

*Protecting the quality of academic instruction in core subjects like math, science, reading, and writing

* Updating science, technology, engineering, and math labs at every school

* Ensuring access for students with disabilities

* Providing advanced instruction that prepares students for high school and college

* Updating technology to support our local students' learning environment for the 21st century and beyond

* Updating fire, HVAC, and plumbing systems

* Updating schools to improve student health and safety

Measure E requires strict accountability:

* All proceeds must stay in our local schools

* No funds can be taken away by the State

* An independent Citizens' Oversight Committee will be required

* No funds can be used for administrator salaries

Measure E helps our schools qualify for millions in state matching money that will otherwise go to other schools.

Even if you don't have school-age children, improving schools is a wise investment. Good schools protect our quality of life and home values.

Please join parents, teachers, seniors, elected and business leaders and vote YES on Measure E for Millbrae schools and students.

/s/ Frank Barbaro, President, Millbrae School District Board of Education

/s/ Lailah Morris, Attorney

/s/ Samir Thadani, MD, Cardiologist

/s/ Josephine Pasamonte Henry, President, Millbrae Educational Foundation

/s/ Steve Henderson, Teacher 

Millbrae Elementary School District's enrollment has declined nearly 9.4% since 2014 from 2,469 students to 2,238 in 2020-21. Yet they want to  "construct classrooms?"  For whom?

The district wants to borrow $90 million plus incur 30-40 years of interest at rates as high as 12% (legal limit).  Who has to pick up the tab? You - through increased property taxes.

These days, families are grappling with a 7.9% rise in prices so they need tax RELIEF, not the burden of another eternal "temporary" tax.

Let's do the math: $90 million divided by 2,238 students = $40,214 debt per child.

That's on top of the $12,164 they spend per child annually from property taxes.  With class size averaging 23.5, this is $285,854 per classroom per year. (Source: California Department of Education's Education Data.)

Clearly the district is not finished milking you; $90 million plus decades of interest, doubling the cost. Bond debt, just like home mortgages, must be repaid with interest.

Would your family or business take out a 30-year loan to buy a personal computer?

That would be nuts, right? But that's what this measure proposes: "Update science, technology, math, engineering labs." Just like in 2008 ($30 million) and 2011 (another $30 million) for now obsolete technology - which you and, sadly, children who were students then are still paying off!

Does either of those expense burdens make any sense whatsoever? Clearly, no!

Don't reward policies of big debt and bad spending.  Do not let them saddle you with bonded indebtedness to buy technology that goes obsolete in 4-5 years. Protect these very children from paying dearly over the next 3 or 4 decades for today's poor financial decisions by the district.

Vote NO on Measure E.

You can be FOR teachers, FOR children, and FOR education and vote AGAINST decades of bonded indebtedness.

For information, www.SVTaxpayers.org

/s/ Mark W.A. Hinkle, President, Silican Valley Taxpayers Association

/s/ Christopher Minoletti, Chair Pro Tem Libertarian Party of San Mateo County 

Millbrae Elementary School District's enrollment has declined nearly 9.4% since 2014 from 2,469 students to 2,238 in 2020-21. Yet they want to  "construct classrooms?"  For whom?

The district wants to borrow $90 million plus incur 30-40 years of interest at rates as high as 12% (legal limit).  Who has to pick up the tab? You - through increased property taxes.

These days, families are grappling with a 7.9% rise in prices so they need tax RELIEF, not the burden of another eternal "temporary" tax.

Let's do the math: $90 million divided by 2,238 students = $40,214 debt per child.

That's on top of the $12,164 they spend per child annually from property taxes.  With class size averaging 23.5, this is $285,854 per classroom per year. (Source: California Department of Education's Education Data.)

Clearly the district is not finished milking you; $90 million plus decades of interest, doubling the cost. Bond debt, just like home mortgages, must be repaid with interest.

Would your family or business take out a 30-year loan to buy a personal computer?

That would be nuts, right? But that's what this measure proposes: "Update science, technology, math, engineering labs." Just like in 2008 ($30 million) and 2011 (another $30 million) for now obsolete technology - which you and, sadly, children who were students then are still paying off!

Does either of those expense burdens make any sense whatsoever? Clearly, no!

Don't reward policies of big debt and bad spending.  Do not let them saddle you with bonded indebtedness to buy technology that goes obsolete in 4-5 years. Protect these very children from paying dearly over the next 3 or 4 decades for today's poor financial decisions by the district.

Vote NO on Measure E.

You can be FOR teachers, FOR children, and FOR education and vote AGAINST decades of bonded indebtedness.

For information, www.SVTaxpayers.org

/s/ Mark W.A. Hinkle, President, Silican Valley Taxpayers Association

/s/ Christopher Minoletti, Chair Pro Tem Libertarian Party of San Mateo County 

Please don't be fooled by the misleading and inaccurate information in the opposition argument. The authors reuse the same deceptive arguments and distorted data against most education ballot measures in San Mateo County.

Please consider the following facts:

Millbrae schools are up to 80 years old and in desperate need of repair. Our students should have every opportunity for success but that can't happen if our children are learning in outdated and deteriorating classrooms. The district successfully passed bond measures many years ago which provided valuable improvements but, similar to a home, repairs and renovations become necessary over time.

While enrollment has declined in most local school districts, repairs are needed for students in our schools TODAY.  Measure E will not pay for building an additional school - only repairs and renovations to existing schools.

Citizen oversight and annual independent audits will ensure transparency and accountability.  If a repair isn't on the project list, Measure E cannot fund it.

Strong schools support our community.  For many of us, the schools are the reason we moved to Millbrae.  Safe, strong schools protect Millbrae's students, community character, and property values.

Every penny of Measure E must be spent in Millbrae Elementary School District schools and cannot be taken away by the State. This is an opinion or talking point; it's a legal requirement. The project list in the voter pamphlet specifies the use of all funds.

We're voting YES on E because all current and future Millbrae students deserve safe, modern classrooms. Join us in supporting exemplary Millbrae schools.

/s/ Denis Fama, Trustee, Millbrae Elementary School District

/s/ Michellen Cheng, Millbrae School District Parent

/s/ Ramtin Aidi, Teacher

/s/ Bill Meyer, Human Resources Consultant

/s/ Vivian Chu, Assisant Vice-President, Financial Crimes, Wells Fargo