Measure J campaign has $28,000 Measure J campaign has $28,000 (January 30, 2004)
The PTAs at Huff Elementary and Graham Middle Schools collectively donated $4,920 to Mountain View-Whisman School District's $1.6 million tax campaign, according to finance statements filed with the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters last week.

Contributions for Measure J have exceeded $28,000, with nearly $14,000 raised from Jan. 1 through Jan. 17.

If the measure passes with the required two-thirds vote March 2, Measure J will cost the average Mountain View homeowner $75 a year. The measure would assess a tax on all property owners within school district boundaries based on the size of their parcel of land. No property owner will pay more than $600, and senior citizens can apply for an exception.

Funds raised for the campaign since July 1 total $28,197, according to its finance statements.

District officials say they desperately need extra funding to keep programs like art and music classes and services such as extended library hours running next year. The Mountain View Educational Foundation has been fundraising nonstop to make sure it can cover the cost of such services for this school year.

The Measure J campaign -- led by the Mountain View Whisman Initiative Supporting Education (MVWISE) -- has spent $10,000 on consulting services and $654 on T-shirts, according to finance statements.
-- Julie O'Shea

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