Facing multibillion-dollar state funding cuts, school districts across California are asking residents to tax themselves to fund local schools. Parcel taxes -- some topping $2,000 annually per family -- have been proposed this year from Sebastopol to San Marino.
Residents in Palos Verdes, South Pasadena, La Canada Flintridge, Rowland Heights and several other communities are currently voting by mail as their districts grapple with the possibility of teacher layoffs, ballooning class sizes, summer school cancellations and reduced art and music programs.
"It has to pass," said Selena Baydaline, a South Pasadena resident and supporter of that district's Measure S. "The state has squeezed schools dry."
A package of ballot measures that would have extended recent state tax increases failed in May, leaving lawmakers with a huge budget shortfall. But voters have tended to be far more generous when it comes to their neighborhood schools: at least nine local tax proposals have passed in California this year and five have failed.
The largest -- more than $2,000 per parcel -- was approved by voters this month in Piedmont to raise $9 million annually, roughly one-third of that Bay Area district's budget. In May, San Marino voters approved an addition to their existing parcel tax, bringing the total to $1,090 per parcel.
Experts say the abundance of new parcel tax proposals shows the dysfunction of school funding in California and increases educational inequities between wealthy and poor communities.
As a sign of the financial difficulties facing school districts this year, some districts in lower-income areas are considering tapping residents. Rowland Unified, an economically diverse district where half the students receive free- or reduced-price lunches, has proposed a $120 parcel tax for the first time in its 39-year history. And Los Angeles Unified, which comprises poor neighborhoods and wealthy enclaves, may propose a parcel tax in spring 2010, said Supt. Ramon Cortines.
He acknowledged it would be an uphill battle. "It's not always easy, but because it's not easy doesn't mean we shouldn't give it our best try," he said. "We can't just depend on government to provide more."
A parcel tax, if approved by more than two-thirds of voters, is an additional levy on top of the annual property tax, earmarked for a specific local agency such as a school district, fire department or city.
