Measure S is a bond resolution that, if passed, will raise $128.8 million through property taxes to renovate and improve all seven schools in the Temple City Unified School District.
These renovations and improvements range from tearing down and replacing entire buildings like the 100, 200 and 300 wings here at the high school, to simply replacing windows in some classrooms with more energy-efficient retrofits.
A few of the upgrades at the high school include a brand new pool, new artificial running track and our very own auditorium to be built on current JV football field. Not to mention a new quad, two-story building, to replace the 100, 200 and 300 wings, music rooms, lunch shelter and, get this, a 3D art lab. And that’s just at the high school.
Every single other school in the district, even the Dr. Douglas Sears Learning Center, commonly known as CLC, will go under massive reconfigurations. Oak will get new music rooms, another two story building and renovated locker rooms. The elementary schools will get their share as well, all equipped with new classrooms. In short, this schools’ bond will transform all of our schools and make them look new and spiffy, sort of like Arcadia’s high school.
Now all of this doesn’t seem cheap, and, let’s be real, $128.8 Million is certainly a huge sum, especially for us Temple City-ians to generate. But the method by which the money will be attained works is quite amazing, and insignificant, really. What the measure will do is raise property taxes by about $58.80 per $100,000 assessd-property value per year.
By the way, before we move on, all of this taxing and stuff will only concern those residents within TCUSD boundaries, not just Temple City boundaries which vary slightly. Therefore, only those who live within the TCUSD will vote on this measure.
What that means is let’s say you own a house you just bought for $600,000, which is a very realistic price for a home in Temple City. Before you jump the gun and conclude that you will now be paying another $240 each time property taxes are due, keep in mind that the $600,000 number is the market-value of your house, not the assessed-value.
The assessed value is much lower, at an average of about $250,000 for a home in Temple City. Measure S will only increase your taxes that you pay on your brand new house by $100, so instead of around $3,500 a year, it will now be $3,600 a year.
And what do homeowners get in return? First, they can now send their children to well-equipped schools, enhanced with new technology and room for intellectual improvement. And, second, with these new, spiffy schools, Temple City is going to become an even more desirable place to live. More and more parents are going to flock to Temple City to send their kids to these new schools that not only have amazingly-high API scores, but also a new 3D art lab and art classrooms, can now offer more educational programs than ever. With more desire to move to Temple City, property value will go up and up.
But why do we need to improve the schools? Ask any student in this district. How many times has the air-conditioner broken down during the late summer, or how many times have you nearly frozen to death in a 40 degree classroom during period zero because the heater decided to stop working that day. Not only that, but it would be refreshing to have nicer facilities than brick buildings from who knows how long ago
If you’re still not sold, what if I told you that nearly everyone and their mothers support Measure S, including Congressman Adam Schiff, State Senator Carol Liu, Temple City Mayor Vincent Yu and the entire TCUSD School Board.
Honestly, it doesn’t make any sense to not vote Yes on Measure S. It’s written so that 100 percent of the funds must go toward improving the schools and does not allow one penny of it to be spent on other things like salaries.
So please, if you can vote, vote Yes on S. If you aren’t old enough to, convince your parents to do so. We desperately need this to pass.