Students are becoming catalysts in the “Yes on B” campaign



 

“Your mom — has she voted yet?”

Junior Dominique Pieb sported this slogan on a neon yellow poster board on Friday to remind students of the upcoming April 28 voter deadline.  

Pieb is one of many students campaigning for Measure B, a six-year extension of the existing $98 parcel tax that provides the Fremont Union High School District with $5.2 million for programs such as advanced academic classes, athletics, arts, custodial staff and guidance counseling.

Measure B is the district’s second attempt at passing a parcel tax this year:  November’s Measure G included an inflation factor and no time constraint on the tax, partially to save campaigning efforts in the future.  The current Measure B is not related to the 2008 Measure B, which was a bond and can only be used for facility improvements. 

With dire consequences from the loss of $5.2 million potentially coming their way, students have jumped in to help with promotion online and on campus, precinct walks and phone banking to get the two-thirds majority affirmative vote needed to pass the tax.

“Measure B: ’B’ the Difference”, a Facebook group created by sophomores Christina Aguila and Hannah Debaets, was started to get more students involved and educated about the importance of Measure B.

“[The outcome] will actually have an effect on us,” Debaets said.  “Other people had been organizing phone banks, so I decided to do something.”

Facebook is also being used to promote a student-produced video by Fremont High School  senior Larissa Bertos.  Bertos, who is also an FHS ASB co-president, visited all five FUHSD schools to create a video montage of student voices. 

“[Intra-District Council] thought it might be a good idea to do a promotional video for Measure B,” Bertos said.  “We heard that the polling numbers were down, and four days later the video was up.”

Students turned out to precinct walk as well, volunteering on April 24 to ring doorbells and knock on doors of voters who had not mailed their ballots yet.  Members of FBLA, DECA, Spanish Honor Society, ASB Leadership, Community Leadership and the drama department arrived to help out.  Groups were assigned areas of the community, or precincts, to reach out to.

“They’re getting a lot of people involved, like the PTSA,” freshman Hadar Sachs said.  “Today, we saw drama [students] here …and we also saw [ASB and Community] Leadership [students], because they want to keep their classes.”

Drama students gathered for the precinct walk in particular because the theatre arts department could face serious budget cuts should the measure not pass.

“Measure B affects drama directly,” Advanced Drama Honors student junior Karina Fathi said.  “If funds get cut, we know that theatre is going to be one of the first things to go.”

Even without stepping outside their homes, students can sign up to call voters, an outreach method being tested with MVHS students.  Word-of-mouth is key, notes freshman Nikitas Kanellakopoulos.

“[Students can] talk about it with their friends — word-of-mouth is the best, so just say ‘oh hey, did you vote for Measure B?'” Kanellakopoulos said.

The Measure B ballot must be mailed in by April 28, or can be dropped off at Cupertino City Hall by the official May 4 deadline.  For more information regarding Measure B, visit www.fuhsd.org. 

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