PPS-SF Endorses Schools and Communities First Initiative

PPS-SF recently joined a growing list of supporters backing the Schools and Communities First initiative - a proposed 2020 state ballot measure.

The proposed measure would reclaim $12 billion every year for our schools and communities by making large commercial property owners pay property taxes at fair market value–just like they do everywhere else in the country. Passing this commonsense initiative will provide reliable and stable revenue for our schools and public services without increasing taxes on homeowners, renters, or small business owners.

This historic ballot measure is a response to four decades of California’s disinvestment in our public schools and local communities. Even though our state is the 5th largest economy in the world, our schools are ranked in the bottom in the nation in per-pupil funding with some of the lowest ratios of teachers, counselors, librarians, and nurses per student. This is because large corporations have not paid their fair share of property taxes for more than 40 years which has cost us $150 billion!

Currently a large statewide coalition—which now includes PPS-SF— is gathering signatures to put this desperately needed initiative on the November 2020 ballot. If you agree that Californians deserve well-funded schools, libraries, parks and emergency services please join the growing movement to pass Schools and Communities First. It’s time to prioritize our kids over tax breaks for huge corporations. For more information about the campaign and to get involved, check out www.evolve-ca.org.