Politics & Government
Measure R Supporters: 'Today's the Big Push'
Measure R supporters were cautiously optimistic about its passage going into this morning's phone bank.
With only a few hours to go before polls close in Belmont and Redwood Shores, a team of Measure R supporters took to their smart phones and ear buds Tuesday morning to give one final push to the school district's parcel tax initiative, Measure R.
"Today's the big push," said Cheryl Selman, a Measure R volunteer.
Armed with lists of those likely to vote yes on Measure R, volunteers gathered at the home of Belmont-Redwood Shores School District board member Brian Matthews to make calls reminding voters to get to the polls or to drop off vote-by-mail ballots at polling locations.
Selman, whose children are students at Ralston Middle School says the time is now to pass the $174/year parcel tax for local schools.
"We need this now--not three years from now, and we need the whole community to support the schools, not just the parents," Selman told Patch between calls.
She said that most of the people she had spoken to on Tuesday morning told her they had already voted "yes" on R, or were planning on doing so at the polls.
"You only get one chance to educate your kids," said Selman.
"We can't wait for the world to change, we have to do it," she added.
According to the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District, Measure R is a renewal of two existing school parcel taxes, combined into one payment of $174 per parcel per year. Funds from Measure R would be used to maintain existing local school funding.
As a tax initiative, Measure R requires a 2/3 majority, or 66.7 percent of the vote to pass.
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