School district preps parcel tax election

The measure — expected to generate as much as $10 million annually — could replace the $7 million per year eliminated when an earlier parcel tax extension proposal failed by the narrowest of margins.

School board President Audrey Ng said the current tax proposal is necessary to allow the district to build a sustainable budget.

“We need this parcel tax, and we are fully aware of that because we are deficit spending,” said Ng, who added she believes the board will approve calling the election this fall.

If the tax proposal again fails to receive the supermajority required to pass, officials would likely need to examine cutting as much as $5 million from the district budget, according to a report.

Ng, however, said officials are attempting to avoid eliminating programs, for fear of harming the quality of education for students.

“We don’t think it would serve our students if we make these cuts,” she said.

Polling completed earlier this year found 69 percent of likely voters would support the $298 tax, spanning nine years. Last year, voters denied the district’s effort to pass Measure Y, a $209 parcel tax extension proposed to span nine years. The extension proposal received 65 percent support, just under the supermajority approval rate required to pass.

In the wake of the last unsuccessful effort, officials suggested a budget deficit could grow as large as $9 million, requiring trustees to split the difference with spending cuts over the subsequent two years.

As it stands, the district’s budgeted expenditures for the upcoming fiscal year outpace income by roughly $7 million. The district is holding about $8 million in unrestricted reserves, according to a recent financial report.

Potential budget reductions floated previously include sharing principals between schools, eliminating all elementary school assistant principals, freezing scheduled raises for administrators, eliminating vacation payouts, further reducing custodial positions, eliminating contributions to flood insurance and more.

Revenue from parcel taxes can be paid toward operating costs and programmatic enhancements, unlike the district’s bond measure fund which pays toward addressing campus facilities. Beyond the tax being considered, the district maintains a perpetual $104 parcel tax passed in 1991 which generates about $3.5 million annually.

The measure would help pay teachers a living wage in an area becoming increasingly difficult for educators to afford, noted Ng. It would also finance science, technology, math and engineering curriculum as well as support drama, art and music programs.

Pursuit of local school tax measures have become increasingly common recently, as educators seek additional sources of revenue to backfill funding gaps left by allocations from Sacramento.

Local elementary school districts experienced mixed results in the most recent elections when pursuing similar measures, as a parcel tax in Millbrae passed while a similar initiative in the Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary School District just surpassed a supermajority in the most recent vote update. The San Bruno Park Elementary as well as San Mateo Union High school districts have examined future taxes as well.

Considering the essential personnel and programs to be financed with the revenue, Ng said she believes the tax will receive the requisite voter support to succeed.

“All those are vital, vital components of our education and we know our community supports all these programs,” she said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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