Schools

Q&A: Jennifer Blanco and the Our Children, Our Future Tax Initiative

San Bruno Park schools trustee Jennifer Blanco and other San Bruno parents have recently gotten involved with a new tax initiative that proposes to raise more money for schools. We find out why.

PTAs throughout the state are beginning to talk about a new tax initiative being proposed to raise new funding for education.

The "Our Children, Our Future" initiative aims to raise more than $10 billion by raising income taxes on a sliding scale for 12 years on people who make more than $25,000 a year. It is being sponsored by Southern California civil rights attorney Molly Munger, and the California State PTA has put its support behind the effort.

San Bruno Park schools trustee Jennifer Blanco is leading the effort in San Bruno to gather signatures so that the initiative can make it on the November ballot. We recently caught up with Blanco, who is also a parent of several children attending public schools in the city, to talk about Our Children, Our Future and what it has to do with San Bruno.

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San Bruno Patch: Could you explain what this initiative is about?

Jennifer Blanco: The way the funding is for education, it’s really deteriorating. The PTA is just sensing that our kids deserve more. For me, it’s common sense—common sense financing for our kids. (The PTAs) just got tired of Sacramento not getting it together for the sake of our children.

Find out what's happening in San Brunowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

From my understanding, they’re asking the voters to approve a sliding scale for a progressive tax, and 30 percent would be to repay the state debt for their general fund budget, and 10 percent would go to early childhood programs.

That’s actually the part that sold me. Here, in San Bruno, with the pre-school program, we had to cut some classes. That pretty much leaves us saying, “Where are our kids going to go, especially when they can’t afford it?”

In a way, they’re kind of helping the state out, and they’re also asking to have a budget for education set outside of their budget, like a trust. 

Patch: I know there is another initiative out there that Gov. Brown is proposing and that the California Federation of Teachers is supporting—they are backing the millionaires’ tax. How are these two initiatives different? Jerry Brown, at least, is saying that if both of them are on the ballot at the same time, then neither has a chance of passing.

Blanco: It would be better in the long run for our kids only because (the state) won’t be able to manage it. They won’t have access to say, “Well, we’re going to cut this amount.” I think that’s what’s different. It’s just a new way for handling the money for education.

When I heard that, that was another thing that sold me. You have to take it out of their control and leave it up to the local school districts. That’s the way they have it worded so that the school site plan would determine where the money would go, and then, obviously, the school boards would have the last say.

But then we would have to show proof of t where the money is coming from, and then we would have to be really transparent with the community. So it would give local control because we really don’t have local control right now, right? 

Patch: Tell me why San Bruno folks should support this measure?

Blanco: Right now, we’re just asking for signatures so that California can have that opportunity to vote either yay or nay. But I think the whole state, in general, should support this. 

Patch: Do you think talks of trying to change the way the state funds education should prompt any changes with how school boards run the districts?

Blanco: I think that Sacramento has a general view of education. They’re not in the local communities. They’re not the school boards. Obviously, they don’t really know where exactly the money needs to go. But I think local control is the way to go because we know exactly where the money should go. We’re here in the trenches. 

For more information about the Our Children, Our Future initiative, visit ourchildrenourfuture2012.com.

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