Redwood City schools to ask for new tax

The parcel tax would bring the district up to par with those in the surrounding area with higher parcel taxes, trustees said. 

Unlike a bond measure, revenue earned from a parcel tax is allowed to pay for teacher salaries, student services and in-class resources rather than be limited to facility upgrades. 

“This is really critical for delivering education because ultimately it’s the human beings that are in the classroom that deliver an education to your students,” board President David Weekly said. 

The district presented a draft distribution document that may inform how the new revenue source would be spent across campuses. The allocation breakdown is dependent on student enrollment and the enrollment of “unduplicated pupils,” which means students who may be English learners, foster youth or students eligible for free or reduced-meals. 

Each school site, including the charter schools, will get a base of $50,000 annually, and then get an additional amount based on enrollment and unduplicated pupil count. 

Across the 12 school sites, excluding the charter schools, the total annual allocation ranges from $298,338 to $685,525, according to the draft distribution list. The per-pupil allocation across sites ranges from $543 to $1,143 annually, according to the draft distribution list. 

If passed in June, the parcel tax measure would be in addition to the tax levied by Measure U, which was adopted by voters in 2016 and set to expire in 2030. Measure U generates far less revenue annually, at $1.9 million. 

“It’s important for us to take proactive measures to ensure we have the fiscal stability to continue on the trajectory that we’ve demonstrated over the last couple of years,” Trustee David Li said.