Proposition A

That's right folks, another election is just around the corner on June 3, so it's time again for me to go over the various propositions that will be voted on by residents in San Francisco, and specifically those who reside in Congressional District 12.

The first initiative that we will talk about is Proposition A.

Prop. A is a measure that will charge an additional $198 per parcel of "taxable real property" per year (unless you are over the age 65 and live in the property you own) until 2028, and will be adjusted for inflation. The extra funds will be used towards various purposes such as teacher training, teacher retention, raising teacher salaries (and the salaries of other "school personnel"), developing a Master Teacher program, paying for new technology and training, and helping out charter schools, among other worthwhile causes. But, if you've read my reviews before and dig a little deeper, there's always something else- school populations are decreasing across the city, resulting in less federal funds since federal funds are allocated on the basis of student population. That, coupled with Prop. 13 restrictions on property taxes (and housing problems), results in a lot less local funding. The fewer the students, the less federal money a school district gets; the weaker the economy and housing market, the less local money a school district gets. And when those schools are located in a high cost-of-living city like San Francisco, you can be sure that the teachers will make a point about their pay. Mind you, I don't blame them- teaching is hard, and when you're not provided with resources to teach effectively, it's a problem.

So, what to do with this proposition? Do I want to deprive teachers of a needed increase in pay? No. Are there are better ways of increasing school funding (the opposition to Prop. A argues that an increase in sales tax or on a per square foot basis would be more equitable)? Maybe. In a city full of renters, does this tax unfairly land on owners? Maybe. Does it really need to last 20 years? I doubt it. Does there need to be a conversation on reforming Prop. 13? As a practical matter, I'd say yes- we can't keep running into education funding and Prop. 13 limitations.

Nevertheless, I'm not willing to let my concern about the length of this tax obscure the point that teacher salaries in San Francisco are behind the rest of the state and that it is expensive to live in San Francisco. Something needs to be done and I suppose this is the best option at this time.

So, vote yes on Prop. A.