This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Schools

Measure B Parcel Tax Moves Forward

Lafayette voters will decide in May whether to approve a $176 parcel tax for K-8 schools.

This coming May, Lafayette voters will be asked to decide on a four-year, $176 mail-in parcel tax for K-8 public education called Measure B.  This is no easy sell during the deepest recession since the Great Depression, 12.5 percent state unemployment, declining property values for many Lafayette homeowners and numerous other tax and bond assessments.  Some would argue that parcel taxes are becoming as ubiquitous as one’s PG&E bill. 

Measure B comes on the heels of last year's Acalanes Measure A Parcel Tax for $112 - which passed by a slim margin - followed by Measure G before that at $189.  Currently, non-exempt Lafayette homeowners have three parcel taxes, Lafayette Elementary and Measures A and G, plus three Acalanes Bond Measures - 1988, 1997 and 2002 - and one Lafayette Elementary Bond Measure from 1995.  Collectively, these seven school assessments total just over $1,203 per parcel (at least according to my 2010-2011 tax bill).  If Measure B passes that brings the grand total to $1,379.40 per parcel, per year.

Many Lafayette residents are asking, why all the taxes on education?  District Superintendent Dr. Fred Brill explains it this way: “Pre-prop 13 California was the beacon for public education," he said. "Post-prop 13 we are one of the lowest performing states in the country. The fact that California is providing insufficient funds for education is criminal. We have a moral, ethical obligation to provide our kids a chance to be successful in the workplace.  If we start winnowing away our educational standards, the long-term implications will be detrimental.”

Find out what's happening in Lamorindawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

To understand California’s educational fiscal demise today, it’s helpful to have some historical background to put it into context.  Proposition 98 is a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 1988, guaranteeing a minimum level of funding for California schools and community colleges based on various complex financial scenarios.  It was amended by Proposition 111 in 1990 which reconfigured the way the state's Gann Limit was calculated.  Due to a dramatic drop in state funding over the past several years, Prop 98’s minimum level of per pupil spending also dropped by approximately 12.4 percent.

According to the Educational Data Partnership - in association with the California Department of Education - beginning in 2001-02, the state’s General Fund experienced tremendous volatility, with state funding decreasing dramatically over the past several years. The framers of Proposition 98 had not envisioned this type of negative, multi-year financial spiral.  Once the state began facing record-breaking deficits, policymakers decided to hold education spending at the allowable minimum.

Find out what's happening in Lamorindawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Today, basic per pupil spending in the state of California is approximately $8,486 and ranks 46th in the country.  Lafayette’s generous parent community and various funding sources including Lafayette Partners in Education-LPIE (formally LASF), parent clubs and school fundraisers have helped sustain core programs in the classroom.

So the $176 dollar question remains: why does Lafayette need another parcel tax? And at a time when Governor Brown has said, “no more cuts to K-12 education?"

 “The Lafayette School District currently has a 2.2 million structural deficit," Brill responded. "By law the school district must show it’s financially solvent for three years out.  We have tremendous financial ambiguity at the state level that has forced us to cut $2 million from our budget over the past three years.” 

Measure B parcel tax funds would bring in approximately 1.5 million annually. An additional $330,000 over three years will come from the special reserve fund (currently at $3 million), $610,000 will come from a one-time federal job money grant and $250,000 from unrestricted funds.

Parcel tax revenues are one way to provide secure, enhanced funding for costs such as teacher salaries, books, materials, supplies, aides, technology and yes, rising healthcare costs.  According to Brill, “Eighty nine percent of the roughly 26 million Lafayette School District annual budget is comprised of teachers, custodians and administrators.  We’ve had a 10 percent increase in healthcare costs.”

Last year 70 percent of the school bond measures in California passed while only 11 percent of the parcel taxes passed.  The Acalanes parcel tax was one of only two districts in the state to pass a parcel tax in 2010.  This is an amazing statistic when you consider that approximately 20 percent of Lafayette voters have kids in the school system.

So why do bond measures pass and parcel taxes do not?  Simple math. Parcel taxes require a two thirds vote or 66 percent majority, while bond measures only require 55 percent.  Part of the reasoning behind the 66 percent majority for parcel taxes is due to the tremendous flexibility school districts have in how parcel monies are divvied up. Greater flexibility in spending requires a higher percentage of voter approval.

Brill has taken on the Herculean task of trying to minimize the current budget debacle by reducing the number of teachers and administrative staff in the district, cutting custodial services and school maintenance, increasing teacher furlough days by two - saving the district approximately $160,000 - and eliminating two teacher “professional” days.  And yet despite these efforts, many core educational programs remain on life support.

If Measure B does not pass here’s what’s potentially at stake for K-8 education in Lafayette: eliminating more teachers, computer specialists, tech support and instructional aides, reducing the number of hours for custodial maintenance, shortening the school year, and possible cuts to the highly regarded arts, music and science programs. 

For a copy of the Lafayette School District Proposed Budget Reduction Plan for 2011-2012 go to the Lafayette School District website.

"It’s not just sports, music and science programs that could adversely be affected," Measure B Co-Chair Corrine Christensen said. "These budget cuts will impact the classroom directly.  Class sizes have already increased from 20 to 24 in K-3, from 24 to 29 4th and 5th grades and Stanley will average over 30 kids per class. Also in jeopardy are the K-5 classroom aides."  All of these fundamental elements allow the Lafayette School District to provide a superior education, according to Christensen.

The educational reservoir” is another core issue that Christensen worries about should Measure B fail to pass.  This refers to the phenomenon of getting students ready for the next tier in the educational cycle - moving them from elementary to middle school and from middle school to high school.  The Lafayette School District directly feeds into the Acalanes Union High School District, one of the top high school districts in the state.

“With all the cuts our district has received it is increasingly difficult to provide such a well-educated pool to draw from,” Christensen said.

One of the main arguments for parcel taxes - aside from maintaining high educational standards - has always been that it keeps property values high.  While that may have been true in the past, more recently many Lafayette homeowners have sustained devastating losses in home values.

“I can say with absolute confidence that there is a direct correlation between quality of schools and property values," Brill contends. "Just look at certain parts of Lafayette where the home boundaries fall outside of the Lafayette School District.”

Lafayette School Board President Shayne Silva said, “this is a tax that stays in our community and directly benefits our schools.  If these kids are not well educated then this state will not do well.  These kids are our safety net for the future.”

Some Lafayette voters have lamented over the Senior Tax exemption for Measure B. This loophole states that all Lafayette voters over 65 would be exempt from paying the $176 parcel tax - as they were for Measure A in 2010 - yet they can still vote yes on Measure B. 

Another question Lafayette voters are asking is why apartment owners pay only one tax on multi-unit parcels instead of being taxed on each separate unit?  It seems these loopholes are branded into the parcel tax jargon, making it easier for them to pass muster with voters. In a recent , Lafayette resident Linda Murphy argues, “This inequity imposes an unfair financial burden on homeowners, more than 80 percent of whom do not have school-age children.” 

A final state budget is not anticipated until this June or July.  Brill maintains, “A parcel tax gives us needed revenue that the state can’t take away.”

By law the Lafayette School District is required to notify teachers of any potential layoffs by March 15.

The next two Lafayette School Board budget meetings will be held at Stanley Middle School on February 23 and March 9 at 7 p.m.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?