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FM3 has long
experience in helping school districts win voter approval for education
funding measures, such as bonds and parcel taxes. FM3 is expert in conducting
voter opinion research and applying that expertise through voter surveys
and other research techniques to ascertain the feasibility of passing an
education funding ballot measure. If a measure is to be placed on the
ballot, FM3 can help shape the communications campaign that is essential
for obtaining majority support from the electorate.
Since the passage of
California's Proposition 39, which lowered the majority required to pass
education finance bonds from two-thirds to 55 percent, California school districts have had a
better chance to win voter approval of bond measures for needed repairs,
upgrades and facilities expansion. However, even with a lower threshold of
public approval, bond measures are not easy to pass, particularly in the
current climate of economic uncertainty, cutbacks on basic services and
possible tax increases to offset a major state budget deficit. The
two-thirds supermajority needed for a parcel tax or any other type of
dedicated special tax in California remains
a daunting hurdle even in the best of times.
To succeed in this
electoral environment, accurate, reliable and strategically useful voter
opinion research is an essential tool. For example, an initial baseline
survey can determine the overall feasibility and voter acceptance of a bond
or parcel tax measure at different funding levels. It can test how voters
respond to different versions of the ballot title and summary, and -
through analysis of respondent demographics and past voting patterns - it
can help determine which election calendar promises the greatest likelihood
of success. The same survey can also determine the effectiveness of the
rationales and arguments that might be offered for and against a bond or
parcel tax measure, thus helping shape the communications themes that will
explain how the measure addresses voters' concerns.
FM3 has been in the
public policy oriented research business for more than two decades. In that
time, it has helped K-12 and community college districts in California pass
more than $18 billion worth of bonds, over half since the passage of
Proposition 39 in 2000. FM3 has also been successful in helping numerous
school districts and local jurisdictions win approval for parcel and other
special taxes that require a two-thirds voter majority.
Further, in addition
to helping school districts win voter approval for bond and parcel tax
measures, FM3 surveys and focus groups are also used by school districts as
management tools to understand attitudes among the public and special
constituencies, such as instructors or students, towards policies and
programs.
FM3 offers several
advantages to school districts that ask the firm to work for them. FM3 has
conducted voter opinion research for a broad array of school districts,
from the small and rural to the largest urban districts. FM3's work is
custom-designed to fit the circumstances since every bond or parcel tax
measure election, and the Company applies the most sophisticated analytical
tools to report and interpret results for people who need to make real,
often difficult, decisions. FM3 works with its clients to perfect ballot
language and voter pamphlet arguments, using our empirical data to guide
our advice. FM3 will assist its clients and their communications
consultants develop public education and election campaign strategies. For
a list of FM3 clients who have used the firm's services in successfully
submitting education finance measures to local voters, click
here.
We
would welcome the opportunity to further discuss your needs and FM3's
qualifications and capabilities. Please feel free to contact us at
310-828-1183, or at fm3research@fm3research.com.
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