San Rafael school district may ask voters to renew parcel tax
Jan 27, 2013 (Menafn - The Marin Independent Journal - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --Voters may have approved new state taxes in November, but the revenue will not be nearly enough to replace the extra funding San Rafael residents have provided schools since 1989, school officials say.
On Monday, the San Rafael City Schools board will consider asking voters to renew the district's 24-year-old parcel tax in a special mail-in election this spring.
The tax, which is set to expire in June 2014, is currently 194 per parcel for San Rafael's elementary school district and 132.50 for the high school district. Last year, it generated some 4.8 million, or about 7.9 percent of the district's general fund revenue.
"In order for us to meet the obligations we have to a quality public education, we need a supportive local community," school board president Paul Cohen said.
Bolstered by the Proposition 30 tax initiative and positive economic projections, Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed increasing state school funding by 2.7 billion, or 7.2 percent in 2013-14.
However, San Rafael is likely to see a relatively small funding increase, if any, Cohen said. It would not make up for years of cuts, he said.
"We've been cutting programs that we know benefit student achievement," he said, citing libraries, counseling and other programs.
The proposed ballot initiative would not increase the parcel tax, but it would maintain the current 5-percent annual increase. Seniors age 65 and older would be able to file for an
exemption.
Funds would be designated for teachers, counselors, libraries and technology, with a focus on academic programs such as math and science. The elementary school revenue would also target reading, and the high school money would pay for music and fine arts.
Last year, the district spent 33,500 to poll local voters on potential tax. The poll showed support of about 70 percent, above the two-thirds majority threshold needed to pass a special tax, Cohen said.
The district will also pay 15,000 to the San Francisco political strategy and communications consulting firm, TBWB Strategies, for work preparing a ballot measure.
If the measure is placed on the ballot, an independent campaign committee will conduct the campaign, officials said.
"It's responding to some local needs," Superintendent Michael Watenpaugh said of the parcel tax. "The state's funding has been fairly unpredictable. Thank goodness for the voters and the existing parcel measure because we would have had to make many more reductions in programs and personnel if we didn't have the locally generated dollars to support education for kids."
Contact Will Jason via email at wjason@marinij.com or via Twitter at http://twitter.com/willjason
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