News out of the Redwood City Elementary School District hasn’t been great in recent years. With a series of school closures caused in part by declining enrollment and revenue, the district still has a looming deficit of about $10 million that will force officials to make even tougher decisions.
The district is asking for a $149 yearly parcel tax through Measure H that would raise about $3.45 million a year for the next 12 years. This money, while not a panacea, would go a long way to help bridge the district’s financial straits. Redwood City Elementary is funded through state allocations based on average daily attendance, so a loss of students to charters and the high cost of living have been pronounced. Making even more cuts would exacerbate these conditions contributing to the economic malaise.
Officials are taking other measures, including trying to lease out shuttered campuses and raising money through the education foundation. But that won’t be enough to bridge the gap.
This measure adds to the district’s current $85 a year parcel tax which goes to site specific needs. This new tax would go strictly into the classroom to help attract and retain teachers in a high-cost area and ensure class sizes do not grow.
While Redwood City’s situation is not completely unique, it is facing a terrible scenario when it comes to state funding. There is no promise that the state will change its obscure and unfair funding formula any time soon, so the district is stuck with asking for the community’s assistance. This is a modest ask, and a necessary one if the district is to recover from this difficult situation. Its schools are good, but face challenges. It is time for the community to step up and help them face those challenges together. Vote yes on Measure H.
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO
personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who
make comments. Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. Don't threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Anyone violating these rules will be issued a
warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be
revoked.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.