By Jondi Gumz
Ethan Ducker started teaching in the Soquel Union Elementary School District in 2012 after earning his master’s degree at UC Santa Cruz. Last year, teaching fifth grade at Santa Cruz Gardens Elementary School, he was named teacher of the year by the Santa Cruz County Office of Education.
Colleen Dunn, left, and Sarah Donovan, parents at Soquel Elementary School, volunteer to sell popcorn for $1 a bag to raise money for the school. Sales happen every Wednesday. • Photo Credit: Jondi Gumz
“He was loved by kids and parents,” said Scott Turnbull, SUESD superintendent.
This year, Ducker is teaching in Los Gatos. He’s making the “over the hill” commute on Highway 17 to work in a Silicon Valley community that offers higher pay to support his young family.
Ducker’s story is one of the reasons the SUESD is asking voters on March 3 to approve Measure V, a parcel tax of $96 to be paid annually by property owners for six years. District staff estimate the tax would raise $1.5 million each year.
A two-thirds yes vote is required for the measure to pass.
Parents Brittany Petersen, left, and Alexis Freitas, right, talk about Measure V on the playground at Soquel Elementary. • Photo Credit: Jondi Gumz
In November 2018, a $96-a-year parcel tax for the Soquel school got 8,729 yes votes and 4,445 no votes, missing the two-thirds requirement even though there was no formal opposition.
“It lost by 54 votes,” Turnbull said.
The needs still exist, he added, higher salaries, a music teacher at each school site and a Life Lab outdoor science support person at each site.
“We just can’t rely on the goodwill of our teachers,” Turnbull said. “The cost of living does matter.”
He said he’s heard other teachers say, “I love working here but I have to pay the mortgage or paying rent is just too difficult on the salary here.”
Turnbull added, “As teachers retire, we have to be able to recruit. The most important thing is the quality of teachers.”
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Parent Fundraising
Cory Montanez, office manager at New Brighton Middle School, president of the classified employees union and a parent of five children, is among the supporters of Measure V.
”It’s going to guarantee we keep our amazing teachers and staff,” she said.
She’s also excited about the prospect of more music. She said there is just one section of band now during the school day, limiting participation for middle school students.
“People assume art, music and life sciences are part of our youth’s educational experience, but the reality is that our parents are tirelessly fundraising to keep this in their curriculum,” said Gwen Trowbridge, a parent of three and president of the Soquel Elementary Home & School Club.
She volunteers on Wednesdays to raise money by selling popcorn for $1.
The Soquel district with 1,961 students in kindergarten through eighth grade is one of the historically lower-funded districts by the state, according to Turnbull.
That’s something Soquel has in common with Scotts Valley, communities with rural roots that now experience some of the highest rents and home prices in the state.
“Knowing our teachers are some of the lowest paid in the state is a sad message to our community that our children’s education and the livelihoods of our teachers are less valued than that of others,” Trowbridge said.
Senior Mailing
There is no formal opposition on the ballot, but based on the 2018 outcome, Turnbull saw a need for more communication.
“We developed a senior exemption form ahead of time,” he said. “We’ve already received 200 forms. We mailed it directly to seniors. It brought peace of mind to people. It shows a good faith effort. When you’re on a fixed income, every dollar really matters.”
The form gives seniors 65 and older an opportunity to opt out of paying the tax, which if approved would appear on property tax bills due in December.
“Losing last time by such few votes, we know we need to target those who voted no or didn’t vote at all,” Trowbridge said. “If you are over 65, even if you don’t have to pay, you can show you value the welfare of our community with a yes vote.”
This year’s campaign has already mailed four flyers to parents to ask for their support.
Anyone receiving Supplemental Security Income for a disability could request an exemption and so could anyone receiving Social Security Disability Insurance benefits whose yearly income does not exceed 250 percent of the 2012 federal poverty guidelines.
Joining Trowbridge in submitting a ballot statement in support were Angelo DeBernardo, Jr., a banker, Capitola council member Yvette Brooks, Carissa Lemos, president of the Soquel Education Association, and Sandra Wallace, member of the board of directors of For Kids Foundation Monterey Bay.
In their argument, they write: “Great teachers are essential for student achievement. However, Santa Cruz County is one of the most expensive places to live in the country and many of our teachers and staff struggle to afford to live here. Measure V will help attract and retain the highest quality teachers so that kids in all our schools have access to the best education possible. Without Measure V our local schools will face deep cuts to academic programs for students, teachers will be laid off and class sizes will increase. We need Measure V to keep qualified and experienced teachers in our classrooms.’”
Further, they write, “All funds from Measure V will be spent right here in our local schools and cannot be taken by the state.”
This measure calls for a Citizen’s Oversight Committee consisting of parents and representatives of the community at large chosen to monitor spending.
Survey results
A survey by Isom Advisors in September of 359 households found 72 percent would vote yes on a parcel tax for the Soquel school district.
Mentioning the funds can’t be taken by the state got more than 67 percent saying they were more likely to support the tax as did mention that the Soquel and Capitola community is one of the most expensive in the nation and teachers and staff struggle to afford to live there.
At the conclusion of the survey, 82 percent said they would vote yes for the parcel tax.