Bond Measure Consulting ServicesCambrian Elementary School DistrictOctober 8, 2013Barry Barnes, PartnerJoy Tatarka, Director of Public Services

About TBWBStrategy and communications consulting firm

Specialize in school bonds

We win about 9 out of 10 school bond measures

1

Public Consensus Winning Propositions

Passing bonds and taxes is different from typical political endeavors

Candidates highlight differences to stand out from the crowd

Tax measures must unite people around shared priorities and values

2

Registered Voters: 15,521

45%

26%

29%DemocraticRepublicanOther

31%

69%

Poll Voters

Absentee Voters

11%2%

9%

77%

Latino

African American

Asian American

Caucasian/Other

8%15%

19%

22%

18%

20%Age 18-24Age 25-34Age 35-44Age 45-54Age 55-64Age 65+

Cambrian School District

9

Potential 2014 Bond Measure

10

Turnout Democratic Voter

Republican Voter Under 35 55+

ALL Voters 15,521 45% 26% 22% 38%

June 2014 40%(6,192) 47% 34% 8% 58%

November 2014

63%(9,739) 47% 30% 12% 47%

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Potential Cambrian ESD 2014 Bond Timeline

No One Knows Your Community Like We DoTBWB and EMC worked together with Cambrian

School District on the last 4 school funding measures:Measure L in November 2010 – Parcel TaxMeasure H in March 2004 – Parcel TaxMeasure G in November 2002 – BondMeasure A in March 2001 – Parcel Tax

3

No One Knows Your Community Like TBWB and EMC DoTBWB and EMC have worked together

extensively with districts in Santa Clara CountyHelped Moreland School District pass

Measure K in November of 2010Helped Cupertino Union School District

pass Measure H in June of 2012Helped San Jose Unified School District

pass Measure H in November of 2012

3

Measure G – 2002 TBWB worked with the District and campaign

to pass Measure G, the District’s current source of local school facilities funding

Identified supporters and mobilized them to vote for Measure G

10,254 total votes cast on Election Day

Campaign won with 73.8% Yes

4

Moreland SD Measure K – 2010 Initial polling showed that support for a bond

was softer than for previous measures due to the struggling economy

Used extensive mail plan to target voters who were less likely to vote but more supportive of the measure

Organized volunteers to identify Yes votes via phone banks and precinct walks

Measure K passed with 69.15% support, far exceeding initial poll predictions

5

Cupertino Union SD Measure H – 2012

Initial polling in 2011 showed soft voter support for a bond measure

Extensive parent and community outreach 6 mailers explaining need to update and

repair schools Mobilized Yes voters identified in previous

campaigns to increase level of support Measure L passed with 66.25% of the

vote, exceeding initial poll results

6

San Jose USD Measure H – 2012 Initial polling showed passage of a $290 million bond was possible, but only with the help of a well-organized and well-funded campaign

Parent and community outreach tailored specifically to each neighborhood Regionalized mail plan with six versions of

each piece – emphasized how the bond would impact each school individually

Measure H passed with 71% of the vote, far exceeding initial poll results

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Understanding Voters: Scientifically Conducted Research• Telephone poll• 400 interviews with a random selection of

likely voters (margin of error + 4.9 percentage points)

• Representative sample: checked daily for appropriate distribution of age, party registration, gender, geography

What Can We Learn From a Poll?• Voter perception of the district: quality of

education, management of money, state of facilities, etc.

• Awareness of funding needs• Attitudes about taxes and bond amount

sensitivity• Priorities for expenditure plan• Themes and messages important to those who

vote

ReferencesCary MatsuokaSuperintendentMilpitas Unified School District

Jaqueline HorejsSuperintendentUnion School District

Judy ChircoCity Council MemberCity of San JoseFormer TrusteeCambrian School District

Rhonda FarberFormer SuperintendentCampbell Union High School District

Vince MatthewsTitleSan Jose Unified School District

Josephine LuceyBoard MemberCupertino Union School District

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Barry GrovesSuperintendentMountain View Los Altos High School DistrictFormer Superintendent, Cambrian School District