Fact!

There is no direct correlation between school funding and property values.  Higher test scores influence property values, but higher school funding does not equal higher test scores.  Research has shown that the greatest influences on test scores are parental involvement and peer effect.

The budget shortfall is estimated to be 3-7% of the entire PUSD budget.  Pleasanton property values have fallen 16.5% in the last year alone.  The suggestion that our property values are dependent upon school funding is ridiculous.

What really affects student performance?

Pleasanton parents deserve recognition for their role in producing excellent students.

In Strategies to Help Solve Our School Dropout Problem by Schargel and Smirk (2001), the authors found that family support of education is the most accurate predictor of student performance.  The high performing students are so because their families have created a home environment conducive to learning, communicated high expectations for their children, and are involved in their children's schools.  

Other studies have found that peer effect has another large impact on student performance.

• The peer effect is a particularly strong influence in academic achievement, especially for fourth graders.
• The peer effect is independent of other factors such as race, ethnicity, gender, income, and other background variables.
• Family background factors such as household environment and parental education also play an important role in explaining achievement in both the fourth and eighth grades.

From The Peer Effect on Academic Achievement Among Public Elementary School Students