Millbrae schools eye new tax

But with it now set to expire in June, voters will get the opportunity to decide whether to continue paying the tax. Barry Barnes, a principal with TBWBH Props and Measures, told trustees during a meeting Tuesday that the most recent polling indicates success.

“Put simply, our back is kind of up against the wall in terms of renewing this on the May 2023 ballot,” Barnes said. “By the hard work of the district and the support from the community, I’ll preview it and say the numbers are very, very promising.”

According to a December survey of 300 likely voters, nearly 76% of respondents would support renewing the parcel tax for another nine years, surpassing the 66% threshold to pass the measure even after accounting for a 5.5% margin of error.

The same survey found 72% of respondents would support the parcel tax renewal with an increase of $27, for a total of $124 per parcel per year. And about 70% said they would support a $47 increase with a total of $144 per year.

Compared to a similar parcel rate test done last summer, Barnes noted each rate performed much better among potential voters by about 10%. Low support from the summer survey led the board to decide against placing the parcel tax extension on the November ballot. Barnes theorized that respondents were in better moods the second time around because the cost of goods like gas and groceries had fallen and the survey was not issued on the heels of the district’s failed bond measure attempt.

Still, Barnes said his professional opinion would be for the district to pursue the straight $97 parcel tax renewal given that the other options could fall below the needed two-thirds vote threshold once accounting for the 5.5% margin of error. If the measure were to fail, Barnes said the district would be forced to pursue a brand-new parcel tax measure given that the original would expire a month after the May vote, which he said would be a much harder sell to voters.

“There really is a lot to lose if the measure would not pass in May and we would have to come back again,” Barnes said, noting that a failed ballot measure could cost the district about $200,000.

Trustees acknowledged pursuing a more conservative bond measure could be the safer route but argued with enough energy the district could successfully achieve support for one of the higher tax rates.

The board previously decided to pursue the $97 tax measure in 2017 despite uncertainties with the community’s support and saw success, trustees noted. Vice President Lynne Ferrario suggested the district could be “well served” by pursuing the $27 increase while Trustee Karen Chin noted the value of the $97 parcel tax would diminish over time as costs of operation increase.

Trustee Maggie Musa, agreeing with her colleagues, argued that the funds would go a long way toward directly benefiting the district community given that the dollars would be spent on programming and not infrastructure improvements.

“I know we’re always trying to be safe and I get that but I think for the benefit of our students and our kids and our schools, we do need every dollar that we can get from our community,” Musa said. I think with a good team and I think our energy and us being out, now that the pandemic is over, I think we can really get people riled up and be able to support the programs for our students moving forward.”

Trustee Frank Barbaro highlighted that one piece of the potential parcel measure is already more expansive than the previous measure. Rather than advocating for a five-year tax, the district will likely seek a nine-year measure which will save the district time and energy, Superintendent Debra French said, and appears to have been polling well, Barnes added.

A formal vote on the parcel tax measure will be held Jan. 17, at which point board members can no longer advocate for it and district staff will only be allowed to campaign outside of work hours.

Samir Thadani, one of the district’s Parcel Tax Oversight Committee chairs, said parents are feeling energized about the campaigning on behalf of the district but will be needing some support.

“There’s a lot of energy, a lot of support. But I think the main thing we as a committee are looking for from everyone is we need volunteers. We need people to get involved in any way — walking, going door to door, texting, calling. That’s really a big thing that we’re going to need in addition to financial support for the committee to really have a strong campaign,” said “Any help is greatly appreciated.”

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