CSTACE — led by our exclusively white, wealthy, Republican board — has a proud track record of defeating tax measures that would have funded children's education.
| Year | Measure | What It Would Have Done | Result | Children Affected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | RVSD Measure E ("Sneak-E Tax") | Funded K-8 schools, maintained class sizes | DEFEATED ✓ | ~3,100 students |
| 2024 | Tam Union Bond ($1.04B) | Modernized 1960s-era buildings | DEFEATED ✓ | ~4,200 students |
| 2020 | Wildfire Prevention Tax | Funded vegetation management | ENDORSED ✓ | 0 (our houses were on fire) |
Fear Tactics That Worked
Invented TAX TSUNAMI. Before us, a 52-cent levy was just... a 52-cent levy. We made it a natural disaster. Now we're upgrading to zombies.
Coined SNEAK-E TAX. Our $15,000 political consultant developed this pun. We used it in every communication for six months. It works because it implies dishonesty where a more accurate description would be "a tax renewal with an updated assessment methodology."
Perfected the Big Number. $1.04 BILLION sounds terrifying. The per-household annual cost sounds reasonable. We always use the terrifying one.
What Schools Accomplished Without Our Help
Despite our efforts, teachers continue buying their own supplies, music programs operate on shoestring budgets, and 1960s buildings continue standing with some structural concerns we recommend addressing through "cost efficiencies." We view this resilience as proof schools don't need more money — since they're still open.