 |
CAMPAIGN FOR EXCELLENCE |
|
|
|
Published May 25, 2005 Guest Opinion: Schools linked inextricably to Palo Alto home valuesby Sunny and Dan Dykwel Some in town are saying that the quality of Palo Alto schools and home prices are not really connected. If you doubt the link, just ask any Realtor. Most will tell you that homebuyers often begin their searches by declaring, "We are moving to Palo Alto for the schools." Potential buyers from throughout the Bay Area regularly tell us they will trade a larger home for a smaller house in Palo Alto -- and even pay more for it -- because it is an important investment in their children's future. Some are specific: "We need a house south of Oregon expressway so our kids can go to Gunn." Others want their student at Paly. Some even get into discussions about which elementary school is best for their child. Of course, there are many reasons to move to Palo Alto: beautiful tree-lined streets, distinctive neighborhoods, the downtown ambiance, an active business community, engaged community members and a world-class university as our neighbor. These factors also affect home prices -- but both buyers and sellers are acutely aware of the premium that is paid for Palo Alto schools. As parents and homeowners, we have made Palo Alto our place of business for 12 of our 20 years in real estate. The schools brought us here. We wanted an excellent education for our son and we have not been disappointed. The strong academic curriculum, the arts, sports and school community -- we know those well. It is a wonderful school community and one in which we are very active. We understand its value, personally and professionally. That is why we are both working hard to pass Measure A, the school parcel tax coming up on the June 7 ballot. In the past two years, reduced revenues and increased costs have forced the Palo Alto Unified School District to slash millions of dollars from its budget and use millions more from limited but crucial reserve funds. The district has had to cut substantial numbers of staff, including librarians and counselors, in addition to cutting some literacy programs and advanced-placement (AP) courses. If Measure A fails, the district will be forced to cut an additional $5.5 million. This cut would be devastating. Translating this to our students means having to increase K-10 class sizes by as much as 40 percent, potentially eliminating the seventh period (which provides for many of the wonderful, award-winning programs unique to Palo Alto) in our middle and high schools, AND possibly even close an elementary school. Reduced class sizes help each student receive the appropriate attention and feedback from their teachers and classmates. In smaller classes, each child participates more. Cuts could directly lead to losing 100 teachers. Our rich array of choices for our high school students is special and should be protected. These include AP classes, in-depth studies among the core courses and a broad choice of unique classes, including environmental science, studio art, music theory, creative writing, journalism and other subjects that inspire our young people. Just this month, the new student-run online news service, "The Paly Voice," won two prestigious Webby awards, referred to as "the Oscar of the Internet." Our biotechnology class at Gunn is cutting edge and anticipates the increased employment visibility in health-related fields. Not only do these classes inspire and engage, this richness allows our students to better meet the requirements for admission to our country's top-tier universities. We just spent spring break touring UC campuses with our son and it was good to learn that he is easily on track to meet their requirements. It was great to see many other Paly and Gunn students also touring the same campuses and, in conversations, find how pleased their parents were at how well our Palo Alto kids are prepared. A recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle concluded that school quality was just one of the many factors that home buyers thought about when purchasing -- but that it has now become the driving force in deciding where to live. Economist Stephen Levy, director of the Palo Alto-based Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy, was quoted in this article: "Palo Alto homes are priced with a premium compared to neighboring communities largely due to the excellence of our schools. If our schools lose their edge, you will see an erosion of the premium placed on homes in Palo Alto. "This premium probably far offsets any reduction in value that may occur from the higher taxes Palo Altans impose on themselves to maintain strong schools." So think of your vote as an investment in not only assuring that our schools
remain among the best, but also assuring the continued strength of our property
values. http://www.paloaltoonline.com/weekly/morgue/2005/2005_05_25.guest25dyk3.shtml
|
|
Send mail to
webmaster@campaignforexcellence.org with
questions or comments about this web site.
|
