From the Desk of the Superintendent

Superintendent J. Brian Sarvis, Ed.D.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Parcel Tax

The district may be pursuing a parcel tax on a future election ballot. At the November 13, 2007 board meeting, the board directed staff to solicit quotes from respected community opinion survey consultants and to confirm the costs of a parcel tax election. Based on the information reviewed at Tuesday night’s January 8 board meeting, the superintendent has formed a subcommittee, comprised of two board members and representatives from management and employee organizations, that will interview the opinion survey consultants. After the interviews have been conducted, a recommendation will be made to the board as to whether to perform a community opinion survey to gauge if there is community support for a proposed parcel tax and likely amounts the community would approve. Many successful parcel taxes in California have focused on stable funding for programs such music, libraries, and performing arts.

California law allows school districts to assess parcel taxes on local residents if they can secure a two-thirds approval from voters. Parcel taxes are a non ad valorum tax, that is, a flat fee on each parcel rather than on the assessed value of property. Ballot language prepared by the school districts’ governing board would describe the purposes for which the money may be used.