Two directions for state schools BY JEFFREY YANG
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alifornia voters will decide November between Proposition 30 and 38, initiatives that will increase taxes to fund California public schools. Jerry Brown’s Proposition 30, backed by the California Teacher’s Association (CTA) and the Fremont Education Association (FEA), calls for increases in state sales and income taxes to raise revenue. Proposition 30 would initiate a 0.25 percent increase in California sales taxes and an over 1 percent increase in income taxes for annual incomes exceeding $250,000. 89 percent of the tax revenues, estimated at $6 billion a year, will fund K-12 California schools, including Lynbrook. The remaining 11 percent will be allocated to fund community colleges. On the other hand, Proposition 38, written by civil rights attorney Molly Munger, has the support of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA). Proposition 38 relies solely on income tax increases to generate revenue. The taxes will be progressive, from a 0.4 percent increase for annual incomes exceeding $7,316 up to a 2.2 percent increase for earnings over $2.5 million. This will generate an approximated $10 billion annually. If both propositions gain the majority vote, the one with higher votes will be put into effect. The result of neither proposition passing, however, would be further budget cuts to the California school system. the Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD) will be forced to cut $5 million, in addition to the $8 million in cuts for the coming year. The average per-student spending for the district will drop by $445. California schools may also have
to reduce the instructional year by 15 days.The differences in the propositions have spurred a multitude of different opinions in the various academic organizations in the community The CTA’s and FEA’s rationale for supporting Proposition 30 is that of the two propositions, Proposition 30 offers a more comprehensive distribution of the revenue gained from the tax increase. According to Lynbrook FEA Site President Bob Blaschke, the FEA and the CTA lean towards Proposition 30 because there is less variability to it than Proposition 38. Principal Gail Davidson also said that Proposition 38’s revenue distribution system is unclear. “Proposition 38 requires a whole new system of funding allocation with restrictions.” Davidson said. Proposition 30, on the other hand, would distribute revenue based on the system that Governor Brown has already set in place, which the CTA said is an advantage. Though both propositions raise income taxes, Proposition 30 increases income taxes only on those with incomes over $250,000, while Proposition 38 raises taxes on a much broader demographic—anyone with an income tax over $7,316. Meanwhile, advocates of Proposition 38 such as the PTA and Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) contend that Proposition 38 would give school boards considerably more control over funds, according to the Lynbrook PTSA co-president Kim Silverman.The proposition states that local school boards would decide the allocation for 70 percent of the funding; the remaining 30 percent would be used for specified purposes.
see PROPOSITIONS page 3 GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY NEWS SECTION
62 students become National Merit semifinalists BY SHOUVIK MANI
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record number of 62 seniors from Lynbrook qualified as semifinalists for the National Merit Scholarship this year in its 58th annual contest, compared to last year’s 54 semifinalists. The 62 semifinalists were chosen among 92 commened students. Around 1.5 million juniors from more than 22,000 high schools nationwide entered the 2013 competition, 16,000 students became semifinalists. FUHSD schools witnessed an increase in the number of National Merit semifinalists this year, with Lynbrook having the highest number of semifinalists. “We make a moderately big deal out of it as they represent less than 1 percent of juniors in the US,” Assistant Principal of Guidance Kathleen Sullivan said. “Year after year, Lynbrook has a disproportionate amount of
semifinalists compared to other schools.” The scholarship is awarded to students who display exceptional academic ability, determined first by their scores on the PSAT/ NMSQT test. The highest scoring entrants in each state become semifinalists in the competition. To become finalists, students must show consistently high academic performance and submit an application highlighting their academic achievement and involvement in extracurricular activities. 15,000 of the 16,000 semifinalists will be selected as finalists in February. Finalists in the competition will have access to a portion of the National Merit Scholarship, which is worth a total of $32 million. They will also be considered for the National Merit $2,500 scholarship, depending on their family financial circumstances, college choice and other major and career plans. “I am applying only to the UCs so I am not
expecting a lot of financial aid,” said senior Juliette Delforge-Melia, a semifinalist. “But I will be able to consider better colleges if I become a finalist.” Lynbrook has a strong semifinalist to finalist transfer ratio. In both the 2011 and 2012 contests of the scholarship, all Lynbrook semifinalists became finalists. Those who met the California qualifying score of 220 on the PSAT recently received a reception in the auditorium where they were informed about their semifinalist status. Nevertheless, Sullivan maintains that the purpose of the PSAT is to serve as a practice test and does not wish to over-glorify the achievement of the semifinalists. “Not to take anything away from the 62 semifinalists, but it’s extremely important for the PSAT to be viewed as a practice test. Still, that is a lot of importance placed for a practice test,” Sullivan said.
Boys Water Polo • pg. 10