To the Piedmont community:
Last night was one of the hardest school board meetings we’ve had during my term. At the start of the meeting, Piedmont teachers came to share their stories with the Board on why their compensation is not enough. Eighteen teachers spoke about what they love about teaching in Piedmont, but how they are struggling to make ends meet. They shared stories about rent increases of $2,000 per month, having to forego medical procedures, not being able to afford a new pair of shoes, and more. It was incredibly courageous of them. (You can watch the meeting here.)
These teachers need our help and support. They are the lifeblood of the District. The state of California continues to fail its schools which is why local efforts are our only chance.
I implore you to support our upcoming parcel tax Measures G&H that will be on the November ballot. Measure G is a simple renewal of our existing parcel tax and Measure H is an additional tax that can only be used for compensation. If you have questions about either of the measures or anything related to our schools, please reach out to me csmegal@piedmont.k12.ca.us. You can learn more about the parcel tax at www.yesonGandH.org.
Thank you for considering this issue.
Here is a link to the report:
https://harititan.com/Vote_YES_on_Measures_G_and_H.pdf
A couple of community members asked me to take an analytical look at the parcel tax situation and I produced a report.
I shared this report with the school board and got a positive response. I incorporated many suggestions from the feedback I received including comments from board member Cory Smegal.
I thought doing this deep dive would increase transparency and help the community understand the facts around the ask.
My report is on my website.
The best part is you can use the information to draw your own conclusions or ask further questions.