School parcel tax talks heat up in Scotts Valley

This story has been edited to correct information about the parcel tax
Scotts Valley Unified School District leaders set a timeline this week for community meetings to discuss placing on next year’s ballot a parcel tax measure to fund schools.
With likely budget deficits of $507,000 in 2012-13 and $606,000 in 2013-14, district trustees approved a calendar of meetings over the next month to continue a community discussion about a potential parcel tax in Scotts Valley.
“The state is not resolving our funding crisis. It appears that piece is up to us,” Superintendent Penny Weaver told the board Tuesday, Oct. 11, after a presentation by Chief Business Official Karen Jelcick.
The presentation showed a decrease in funding related to lower enrollment in the district and potential mid-year cuts handed down from the state level if revenue targets are not hit.
A parcel tax would be used simply to pay teacher salaries and maintain programs, officials said.
“No enrichment or addition,” Weaver said, noting that cost-of-living increases have been unfunded for several years. “We’re talking about surviving for the next three years.”
At their regular board meeting, trustees discussed the possible length of the tax, which could range from three to five years at a rate of $46 to $96 per parcel. A polling firm recommended in January that the district not try for more than $100, and trustees seemed to agree, citing widespread economic troubles, the likelihood that the tax would pass and the need for a good track record in the event another tax were needed later.
“I think a lot of the negativity that has squashed down efforts in the past has gone away,” said board president Larry Beaman. Past bond measures that failed were opposed by anti-tax groups who disapproved of the leadership of the previous administration and the handling of the district’s finances when the high school was built, as well as the lack of a senior exemption.
Those days seem to be in the past, as a parcel tax would likely include an exemption for older residents and possibly a new exemption for homeowners with certain disabilities.
“I think we can’t say enough about how conservative we have been over the last seven years,” said board member Sue Roth.
Art Bubb said he liked fellow trustee Michael Shulman’s idea of a four-year tax in the “medium” range that would show the community the district is fiscally responsible.
“If we have to go back (in four years), we go back with a strong track record of financial management,” Bubb said.
Derek Timm, who heads a citizens group that supports the district, said his group recommends a tax of less than $100, to avoid overextending the voting public and families in the district.
The upcoming meetings will be open to the members of the public to educate them on the district’s financial situation and to ask for continued input on what type of tax the district should seek.
Community meetings on possible school parcel tax
**6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, at Bruno’s Barbecue, 245 Mount Hermon Road
**6 p.m. Oct. 25 at City Hall, 1 Civic Center Drive: regular school board meeting with parcel tax discussion
**6:30 to 8 p.m. Nov. 3 at Scotts Valley Community Center, 360 Kings Village Road
**6 p.m. Nov. 15 at City Hall, 1 Civic Center Drive: regular school board meeting to vote on resolution authorizing an election