Promises Kept: Essays from my 2003 Campaign
Winning the Parcel Tax - Again - With Community Involvement
It is easy for many of us to think of the school community as those we see on a daily basis; teachers, staff, parents, and students. Certainly these are all important players in the school world. These players, however, are not the whole team and we need the whole team to win the game. Those in the larger community have insights we often leave untapped, interests of which we are often unaware, and a commitment we need for excellent schools.
Who is the greater community? Certainly local industry and the people who run those industries are part of that important "great community." As the schools ventured into technology, Silicon Valley industries came to help the cause. Firms made direct donations of hardware, software, cash and expertise to our local schools. Their input was obvious and appreciated.
Perhaps not so obvious but clearly evident from the attendance at my candidate coffee today, was the interest and commitment of retired persons, chiefly grandparents, to the cause of the schools. As was evident from their attendance and input at today's candidate coffee, all care deeply about schools, whether or not, they are in the carpool line at the end of the day.
It is also true that our schools will remain strong as long as the whole community stays committed. A very clear example of this is the previous success of Palo Alto in passing a parcel tax for school funding, and the need to do it again in the near future.
Parcel taxes are a way for California communities to fund education above and beyond the Proposition 13 mandated rates for property tax. A parcel tax is different than property tax as it is independent of the value of the property; all parcel owners pay the same amount. The parcel tax must have specific uses. As it is an additional tax, it must pass by at least a two-thirds majority.
Palo Alto voters have historically supported education strongly. In June, 2001 more than 75% of voters approved of a five-year parcel tax of $293 per parcel per year. To alleviate the concerns about the impact on seniors, all residents above 65 could apply for an exemption. As seen below, the revenue for this parcel tax results in more than $5.5 million dollars per year. This is more than twice what PAUSD lost in this year's round of state budget cuts. It has been instrumental in reducing class size in elementary schools and retaining quality teachers.
Source: Parcel Tax Report for 2002/03
While providing valuable support to schools, the parcel tax comes with an automatic sunset provision. Unless it is renewed it expires in 2006, causing an immediate loss of this $5.5 million. Sometime in the next two or three years more than two-thirds of Palo Alto voters must again commit to a parcel tax or budgets must be cut even more. As we all know, times are much tighter now than they were in 2001 when the parcel tax first passed. A challenge facing anyone elected to the School Board this term is to maintain the broad community involvement in schools. We can't rely just on parents, grandparents, and other family members. In order to get the two-thirds vote we must be able to go out into the community and speak effectively for our schools.
The entire community must feel they are getting their money's worth. At the heart of this is quality education and results. It also involves the ability of the School Board to work well together, document how money is spent, and explain clearly how resources are being used. Fundamentally, if the community trusts that the schools are doing their job and using money wisely they will continue their traditionally high level of support. I want to contribute to that process.
- Camille Townsend