A group of energetic Scotts Valley parents has proposed that the Scotts Valley Unified School District ask district voters to pass a parcel tax to retain teachers and keep programs in the district.
Derek Timm, a Scotts Valley parent, has spearheaded an effort to collect petitions from parents in support of a parcel tax levy of $98 per year. His group will present the signatures to school trustees to show that there is support for such a tax, which would likely be voted on via a special mail-out ballot and require two-thirds approval to pass.
“There is a very short period of time where (the school board) could put forth a ballot measure where they could impact their following-year budget,” Timm said.
As several years of budget cuts take hold, the district has slowed its class size reduction program, with many elementary school classes growing from about 20 students to about 30.
The district is required to complete its budget for the next two years by June 30 — and based on projections, the amount the district receives each year from the state will drop by $201 per student, resulting more district teachers being cut.
“This group of parents, they are outraged,” said Allison Niday, a district trustee. “It’s, ‘This is now hurting my children.’”
Niday said the school board is beginning to seriously look into how Scotts Valley voters would react to a parcel tax.
“With the state situation continuing to deteriorate, it became very clear that we have to have a stop-gap measure,” Niday said.
Niday and board president Michael Shulman have launched a campaign to talk to as many community members as possible to find out what they believe the district should do in this harsh budget climate.
Niday said a temporary parcel tax would likely be used to fund programs and teacher salaries, but the district could not raise salaries with a parcel tax — once the tax sunsets there would no longer be a way to cover the pay raise, even though the raise would have to stay in place contractually.
Timm said that, after one week of petitioning, there are a couple hundred signatures, with more coming in each day.
“Parents are really concerned across the board,” Timm said. “People don’t want to see the schools take a hit.”
He believes voters will approve a parcel tax because it has parent support and seniors can choose to not pay it.
“Seniors are allowed to opt out,” Timm said. “I think that’s a really important piece.”
Timm hopes the school board takes a serious look at a parcel tax as a way to keep programs and teachers in the schools.
“It’s a way to offset (funding cuts), at least until the state fixes the budget situation,” Timm said.
At a glance
• See the proposed parcel tax idea online: www.SVKidsComeFirst.com.
