We are writing to express our strong support for the Measure H parcel tax renewal. Like so many families in Piedmont, we moved here with our young children because of Piedmont’s public schools. Our son Dylan started kindergarten at Havens in 2018, where he had the incredible good fortune of getting Mrs. Thomas as his teacher. Dylan was a high energy, wiggly, and very talkative little guy – the kind of student that takes extra time and energy for the teacher to manage. But rather than seeing him as a burden, Mrs. Thomas celebrated Dylan’s energetic personality and put scaffolding in place to help him succeed in her classroom. Thanks to her, Dylan’s first experience of school was really positive, when it could have so easily been negative. That has really set the tone for him ever since, and he is now thriving in middle school.
The remarkable thing about this school district is that wonderful teachers like Mrs. Thomas are the norm, not the exception. But that doesn’t happen by chance. Piedmont attracts excellent teachers because they know that their class sizes will be smaller and their students will have access to enriching “specials” like art and drama and library. They know that their students will be supported not just academically but also socially and emotionally by school counselors. They know that their classrooms will be well-supplied with up-to-date educational materials and supplies. In short, they know that this community truly values public education – and that we are willing to step up and pay for it.
No single piece of support for our school district is more important than the parcel tax, which funds more than 25% of PUSD’s budget. Passing Measure H is absolutely essential to maintaining the excellence of Piedmont’s public schools. Let’s rise to the occasion by not only passing Measure H, but by passing it by such a huge margin that our teachers and our students know that this community truly has their back.