San Carlos School District pushes parcel tax

Board President Sara Kinahan said it was “disheartening to hear” polled voters didn’t indicate a “path to victory in June” but was encouraged to still hear strong support for the district’s schools, programs and educators.

The parcel tax under consideration “can’t wait until 2028,” Kinahan said. It would overlap with a parcel tax passed by voters in March 2020 for eight years that levies $334.60 per parcel.

The new tax amount and polling results were not specifically shared at the Feb. 12 meeting, but a parcel tax must receive two-thirds of voter support to pass and would be increased from what is currently taxed.

Polled voters expressed confidence in the quality of educators in the district but were seemingly unaware of the financial needs of the district, Kinahan said. Increased costs to operate and the decrease of one-time funds has led to cuts in personnel and programs, Kinahan said.

“We really do need to get ahead of this looming problem. Too much is at risk for our schools and our students,” Kinahan said. “It was clear that they were not aware of the true need we have for this measure.”

Superintendent Jennifer Frentress said parents reminded district staff of the positive feelings people have toward the district.

“We did a lot of work on making sure people understood what’s great about our district and our financial need,” Frentress said. “The efforts resulted in amazing reminders about all the things that people feel positive about in our district.”

The school district maintains four transitional-kindergarten through third grade elementary schools, two upper elementary schools for fourth and fifth graders and two sixth through eighth grade middle schools.

Now work must be done to share with residents of the school district’s fiscal future, Frentress said.

The district is one of few districts in San Mateo County that is seeing enrollment increase. In the 2025-26 school year, approximately 2,975 are enrolled, and this is expected to increase to 3,002 in the next two years. It is then estimated to level out around 2,966 in the 2029-30 school year, according to a report presented last November.

The school district is estimated to end the current school year with a $7,956,978 budget, according to a report presented in December 2025.

The deficit is approximately $2.5 million in the current school year and is projected to grow to nearly $4.39 million in two years.

While the district works to garner support for a parcel tax, it is making other efforts to address the structural deficit, Kinahan said, including bringing operational services in house.

“I’m confident this additional time to November will give us what we need to educate the community and create a viable ballot measure,” Kinahan said.