Schools

Acalanes Board Moves Ahead With Parcel Tax Election

The board will take a final vote Thursday morning on a ballot measure to extend the current $112 per parcel tax indefinitely

The Acalanes Union High School District board of education decided Monday night to move forward with an extension of the district's current parcel tax.

The board will take a final vote at a special meeting at 9 a.m. Thursday on the proposed ballot measure that will ask district voters to extend the current $112 per parcel annual tax for an indefinite period of time.

The measure would be on a mail-only ballot on May 6.

A parcel tax measure for the Lafayette School District may also be on that same ballot. The Lafayette board is also scheduled to vote on their proposed parcel tax on Thursday morning.

Currently, the Acalanes district receives $3.9 million of its $56 million in annual revenues from the Measure A parcel tax approved in 2010.

That five-year measure is due to expire on July 1, 2015. The new tax would take effect that same day.

Before they reached consensus, the board was told by a consulting firm that there seemed to be strong support in the district for an extension of the current tax.

Timothy McLarney, president of True North Research, told the board that a poll taken by his firm earlier this month of 400 Acalanes district voters showed 76 percent of them supported the parcel tax proposal.

"That's an excellent place to start," he said.

McLarney did warn the board that the poll is simply a reflection of how people feel at a certain time and is no guarantee the tax, which needs a two-thirds approval, would pass in May.

"The poll is a snapshot. It's not a crystal ball," he said.

The board quickly agreed to keep the tax at the same $112 per parcel level.

They also agreed to continue the senior exemption for people 65 years of age and older who live in the home they own.

They also dismissed the idea of putting an automatic annual increase on the tax.

There was some discussion on whether to put another five-year term on the new tax or have no sunset clause.

Board members finally agreed the parcel tax is something the district needs and they don't see much assistance coming from the state for a number of years.

"It's an essential part of our budget," said trustee Nancy Kendzierski.

"We need to take care of ourselves," added trustee Tom Mulvaney. "The state isn't going to take care of us."

Kendzierski added having a parcel tax with no end date helps the district plan its budgets better.

There are 36,000 parcels in the 5,400-student Acalanes district, which oversees Acalanes High in Lafayette, Campolindo High in Moraga, Miramonte High in Orinda and Las Lomas High in Walnut Creek.


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