Community Comes Together to Rally Support for Measure K

Dozens of Scotts Valley parents, grandparents, kids and educators turned up on Saturday to rally behind Measure K, the educational parcel tax that will be on the June ballot, and take part in the grassroots effort to get the word out about the need of the measure to pass.

In January, Scotts Valley school trustees after close to two years of discussion on the topic. Trustees agreed on a $48, per-parcel tax that would last for three years. Seniors and the disabled would be exempt.

Since that vote, a group, Save our Schools Scotts Valley, led by Scotts Valley parent Derek Timm, was formed and has been spearheading the campaign ever since.

“We didn’t hire a consultant. We decided to do it grassroots,” Timm said. “There was some concern at the front whether that was a good idea or not, and now seeing how it’s turned out, I feel like we made the right decision. In our community, we are small enough that when it’s something important, everybody jumps on board.”

Since beginning the campaign process, Save Our Schools Scotts Valley has sent out approximately 40,000 pieces of mail, designed 10 different brochures targeting specific groups, made phone calls to hundreds of absentee voters and knocked on the door of close to 4,000 homes of registered voters in the district–all of this with just the help of volunteers.

“We have done all of this on a shoestring budget and it has not been without an incredible amount of work,” Timm said. “We haven’t spent even $1 on labor. It has been all people giving of their time and their skills to make this happen. I’m really thankful for the way the community has stepped up and made this happen, otherwise, getting the message out to 12,000 people would be very difficult.”

On Saturday, numerous people, including Fifth District Supervisor Mark Stone, former California Secretary of State and Fifth District supervisorial candidate Bruce McPherson, city council members Jim Reed, Dene Bustichi and Randy Johnson, and SVUSD Superintendent Penny Weaver showed up to walk the district telling voters all about Measure K. The group targeted 3,000 homes of registered Scotts Valley voters.

“This is such an amazing effort. We have enjoyed the involvement of our parents in the school programs, but their commitment and dedication to help us maintain the excellence we have in the district is phenomenal,” Weaver said.

Weaver added that she has been involved in eight other measures at other districts and has never seen the level of support from parents that she is seeing in Scotts Valley.

“I don’t think we would have gotten off of the ground without Derek Timm’s leadership, all of the parent involvement, and the community support we have,” Weaver said. “We are so fortunate and so thankful for all they have done.”

Along with parents and children, teachers also showed up to give their support and help canvass the district. For Vine Hill Elementary teacher Sharon Keane, the cause really hit close to home.

Keane is one of the teachers who has been pink slipped due to budget cuts in the district. If the measure were to pass, it could possibly save her job.

“It’s really important that we fund our schools and keep teachers in the classroom,” Keane said. “I think it’s amazing to see my students, the parents, the administration, and all of my fellow teachers out here. People really want this. They want the schools to be successful.”

The rally and day of canvassing was a family affair that spanned generations. Gina and Ladd Johnson, who said they really value Scotts Valley schools and moved to the area for them, brought there two children, who attend Brook Knoll Elementary, out help.

“We believe in our schools and we want to do what we can to help and show our kids how important this is,” Gina Johnson said.

As the canvassers prepared to take over the district, Stone reminded them of the importance of getting people to the polls.

Stone said that in 2002 when Measure B, a bond measure to rebuild Scotts Valley Middle School, was headed to a vote, many people he talked to after said that they where sure it would pass, so sure that they didn’t bother to vote. That measure would have given the community a new middle school to replace the current one that was built in 1941 and is not in the best of shape.

“I talked to enough of those people that had they voted, [Measure B] would have passed,” Stone said. “So the job of selling the school district is pretty easy, but the job of making sure people actually get out and vote, and back up the district, our amazing teachers and our amazing programs that we have here is what’s really important. That’s the job today. We’ve got to get people out to actually vote.”

With all of the hard work of the parents, teachers and community members, no stone will be left unturned when it comes to reaching voters in the district, hopefully resulting in votes for the measure, which will in turn result in a better education for the children of Scott Valley.

“We have a lot of hope that we will be able to maintain the excellence we have going on in our current programs, maintain our staff, and prevent further increase to class sizes,” Weaver said. “Our whole purpose is really about our kids. They are our purpose and our future.”

For more information on Measure K or Save Our Schools Scotts Valley, visit http://sossv.org/