1. EMC Research, Inc. 436 14th Street, Suite 820 Oakland, CA 94612 (510) 844-0680 EMC #10-4284 Telephone Survey of Cambrian Elementary School District Voters Presentation of Results Prepared for Cambrian Elementary School District

2. 2 Methodology Cambrian ESD Voters EMC 10-4284  Telephone Survey of voters in the Cambrian Elementary School District  400 completed interviews  Margin of error ±4.9%  Conducted May 24-27, 2010  Interviews conducted by trained, professional interviewers As with any opinion research, the release of selected figures from this report without the analysis that explains their meaning would be damaging to EMC. Therefore, EMC reserves the right to correct any misleading release of this data in any medium through the release of correct data or analysis. Please note that due to rounding, percentages may not add up to exactly 100% As with any opinion research, the release of selected figures from this report without the analysis that explains their meaning would be damaging to EMC. Therefore, EMC reserves the right to correct any misleading release of this data in any medium through the release of correct data or analysis. Please note that due to rounding, percentages may not add up to exactly 100%

3. 3 Key Findings Cambrian ESD Voters EMC 10-4284  Voters in the Cambrian School District are supportive of the schools and pleased with the quality of education;  Support for a $96 parcel tax measure for schools enjoys widespread support across demographic groups, even those who are typically less supportive such as those most likely to vote in November and non-parents;  However, awareness of the current parcel tax is extremely low;  A unified positive community effort is the most likely to be well-received by voters.

4. 4 In contrast to the optimism of the late 90s, over half of voters now are feeling pessimistic Cambrian ESD Voters EMC 10-4284 …Do you feel that things in your area are generally going in the right direction or do you feel things are pretty seriously off on the wrong track? (Q4)

5. 5 A slightly smaller majority than in the past thinks the District needs more money Cambrian ESD Voters EMC 10-4284 As you may know, you live in the Cambrian Elementary School District. Would you say that public schools in Cambrian Elementary School District have a great need for more money, some need for more money, only a little need or no real need for more money? (Q5)

6. 6 Only 2% of voters know approximately how much they pay per year for the current parcel tax Cambrian ESD Voters EMC 10-4284 As you may know, some school districts have a parcel tax in place and others do not. Is there, or is there not, a school parcel tax in place in Cambrian Elementary School District? (Q5) Coded Responses (n=127) Under $747% $74-1007% $101+9% Don’t know77% How much is the tax each year? (Q6) Recoded % of all respondents Know there’s a tax AND how much2% Know there’s a tax, NOT how much30% Don’t know there’s a tax/think there’s not a tax 68%

7. 7 Ratings of teachers, quality of education, student achievement are very positive Cambrian ESD Voters EMC 10-4284 Now, regardless of whether or not you have children currently in school, using a scale of excellent, good, only fair, or poor, please rate the following areas relating to the Cambrian Elementary School District:

8. 8 Parents rate teachers, the overall job the District is doing, the quality of education, and student achievement very positively Cambrian ESD Voters EMC 10-4284 Current Cambrian SD Parents:

9. 9 Negative ratings of teachers, quality of education are vastly diminished Cambrian ESD Voters EMC 10-4284 Now, regardless of whether or not you have children currently in school, using a scale of excellent, good, only fair, or poor, please rate the following areas relating to the Cambrian Unified School District:

10. 10 Rating of money management has improved Cambrian ESD Voters EMC 10-4284 Now, regardless of whether or not you have children currently in school, using a scale of excellent, good, only fair, or poor, please rate the following areas relating to the Cambrian Unified School District:

11. 11 On the initial vote, support for a $96 parcel tax exceeds the two-thirds threshold Cambrian ESD Voters EMC 10-4284 To maintain high academic achievement for local students by attracting and retaining quality teachers, supporting small class sizes, providing strong core academic programs like math and science, and improving access to computers and technology, shall Cambrian School District authorize a school parcel tax of $96 per year per parcel, with an exemption available for seniors, no funds used for administrator’s salaries, and every dollar staying in our local schools? If the election were held today, would you vote Yes to approve or No to reject this measure?(Q14) 24% 73%

12. 12 Support is high, regardless of vote propensity Cambrian ESD Voters EMC 10-4284

13. 13 Support is widespread; majority among men, women, and all political parties supports the measure Cambrian ESD Voters EMC 10-4284

14. 14 Parents are slightly more supportive of the measure, but not by much Cambrian ESD Voters EMC 10-4284

15. 15 Homeowners are even more supportive than renters Cambrian ESD Voters EMC 10-4284

16. 16 Focusing on only the dollar amount is not as compelling as describing the measure and its benefits Cambrian ESD Voters EMC 10-4284 Now, regardless of whether or not you have children currently in school, using a scale of excellent, good, only fair, or poor, please rate the following areas relating to the Cambrian Unified School District:

17. 17 Some anti-tax sentiment exists, but supporting schools justifies tax increase to most Cambrian ESD Voters EMC 10-4284 Now, regardless of whether or not you have children currently in school, using a scale of excellent, good, only fair, or poor, please rate the following areas relating to the Cambrian Unified School District:

18. 18 One quarter say we shouldn’t raise taxes— kids will recover Cambrian ESD Voters EMC 10-4284 Which of the following is closer to your opinion: (Q20)

19. 19 Voters are divided about the length of the tax Cambrian ESD Voters EMC 10-4284 Which of the following is closer to your opinion: (Q21)

20. 20 Many think current budget cuts aren’t the real problem Cambrian ESD Voters EMC 10-4284 Which of the following is closer to your opinion: (Q22)

21. 21 Core academics, teachers and technology are top priorities Cambrian ESD Voters EMC 10-4284 Now I’m going to read you some projects that can be funded with a local school parcel tax. For each one, please tell me if you think it should be very important, somewhat important, not very important, or not at all important for your local schools.

22. 22 Sports, small class sizes, enrichment programs are important, but not as intensely so Cambrian ESD Voters EMC 10-4284 Now I’m going to read you some projects that can be funded with a local school parcel tax. For each one, please tell me if you think it should be very important, somewhat important, not very important, or not at all important for your local schools.

23. 23 Fiscal responsibility, providing well-rounded education, and keeping schools strong are compelling themes Cambrian ESD Voters EMC 10-4284 For each statement please tell me how compelling this is as a reason to support a school tax measure. Please use the scale from 1 to 7 where one is not at all compelling and seven is a very compelling reason to support a school tax measure. Mean

24. 24 Science programs and retaining teachers are also messages that resonate Cambrian ESD Voters EMC 10-4284 For each statement please tell me how compelling this is as a reason to support a school tax measure. Please use the scale from 1 to 7 where one is not at all compelling and seven is a very compelling reason to support a school tax measure. Mean

25. 25 Other messages are also compelling Cambrian ESD Voters EMC 10-4284 For each statement please tell me how compelling this is as a reason to support a school tax measure. Please use the scale from 1 to 7 where one is not at all compelling and seven is a very compelling reason to support a school tax measure. Mean

26. 26 Messages in support of the measure increase overall support Cambrian ESD Voters EMC 10-4284 20% 79% Given what you’ve heard, would you vote Yes to approve or No to reject a measure that reads: To maintain high academic achievement for local students by attracting and retaining quality teachers, supporting small class sizes, providing strong core academic programs like math and science, and improving access to computers and technology, shall Cambrian School District authorize a school parcel tax of ninety-six dollars per year per parcel, with an exemption available for seniors, no funds used for administrator’s salaries, and every dollar staying in our local schools? (Q47)

27. 27 Reminding voters about the existing tax decreases support Cambrian ESD Voters EMC 10-4284 35% 64% As you may know, homeowners in the Cambrian Elementary School District currently pay an annual parcel tax of seventy- four dollars per parcel per year. With this new school parcel tax, homeowners would pay a total of $170 per year, per parcel, for the Cambrian Elementary School District. Knowing this, if the election were held today, would you vote Yes to approve or No to reject this measure? (Q48)

28. 28 However, other messages against the measure do not further diminish support Cambrian ESD Voters EMC 10-4284 30% 67% Some people who oppose this measure say that this just isn’t a good time to raise taxes, even if it is for our local schools. The economy is a mess and we can’t really trust that our money will be used wisely. Problems in our schools aren’t going to be fixed with a little extra money, what we need is better money management and education reforms so we can have quality local schools without raising our taxes. Now, given everything you’ve heard, would you vote Yes to approve or No to reject a parcel tax for Cambrian School District? (Q49)

29. 29 Support is consistently sufficient to pass the measure, except when voters are told about the existing tax Cambrian ESD Voters EMC 10-4284

30. 30 Votes Segmentation Cambrian ESD Voters EMC 10-4284 Vote Segmentation is based on the combination of responses to vote questions asked through the course of the survey: 14, 47, 48 & 49

31. 31 The “Soft Yes” Group Cambrian ESD Voters EMC 10-4284  24% know about the current tax (compared to 32% overall);  44% agree I generally oppose increases to property taxes regardless of what they are used for (41% overall);  63% agree they would support the tax at $96/yr (62% overall);  76% agree they would support the tax at $75/yr (69% overall);  21% are parents of current Cambrian SD students (20% overall);  28% are under 35 (18% overall);  64% are women (54% overall);  32% are renters (25% overall);