Ballot Measure A, a proposed $493 annual parcel tax that will be voted on by residents of Palo Alto in the June 7 election, would provide $9.3 million annually for six years to the Palo Alto Unified School District.

The Campaign for Excellence, a volunteer organization dedicated to passing the measure, held a rally on April 30 at the Lucie Stern Community Center, that featured state Assemblyman Ira Ruskin and state Senator Joe Simitian.

The funds provided by the measure would replace those currently provided by a parcel tax that more than 75 percent of local voters approved in June 2001. This tax provided $5.5 million each year to retain quality teachers, reduce class sizes and support educational programs.

School administrators have said that this stable source of funding helped them weather the economic downturn in recent years, and proponents of Measure A said that if this tax, which is slated to expire next year, is not replaced, cuts in the number of teachers and core academic programs will be unavoidable.

But this has not been the only attempt to replace the previous tax. Last November, Palo Alto residents voted on Measure I, which increased the parcel tax to $521 per year. While 22,000 voted yes on the measure, it still fell 1 percent short of the needed 66.7 percent for approval.

Megan Swezey Fogarty, co-chair of the Campaign for Excellence, said that opposition to Measure A has been minimal.

“The opposition that has signed the ballot argument is all folks who live outside the Palo Alto Unified School District boundaries and sign these arguments against similar ballot measures in the region,” she said. “There is also a small but vocal number of Palo Alto residents — they mostly don’t have kids in school and are not involved in PAUSD schools.”

For many years the school district received funds from the state, but beginning in 2003, these funds were eliminated to balance the budget. As a result, PAUSD lost a total of $4.4 million in annual state funds over the last three years, and unlike many other districts, it does not receive increased funding when additional students enroll.

Thus, since January 2003, the school district has cut $6.5 million from its annual budget and used $3.4 million from its limited reserves. According to proponents of Measure A, four major factors contributed to the need for budget cuts.

Over the past three years, PAUSD has grown by 594 students but there has been no increase in revenue. Like any other employer, the school district’s costs for healthcare benefits, insurance, utilities and many other items have also increased over time.

Property taxes provide 70 percent of PAUSD’s funding. And while the market value of homes in Palo Alto has continued to rise in recent years, the growth in assessed value of these residences has been capped by a state proposition. This has limited the increase in property taxes that would go to local schools.

http://www.stanforddaily.com/tempo?page=content&id=17201&repository=0001_article

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Last modified: 06/06/05