Parcel tax wording to be heard Friday

Trustees from the Scotts Valley Unified School District this week will decide the final wording of a parcel tax measure the district will send to voters in June.
The district will hold a second and final public hearing at 9 a.m. Friday, March 9 to finalize the wording of the tax for the ballot. The hearing will be held at Scotts Valley City Council Chambers, 1 Civic Center Drive.
The likely wording, found here at www.sossv.org, specifies a $48 parcel tax that would help maintain quality reading, writing, math and science programs by keeping class sizes from further increases while retaining teachers.
The tax would raise about $300,000 for its three-year duration according to analysis by the district.
The district faces several scenarios. If a temporary 1/2 percent sales tax increase proposed by Gov. Jerry Brown passes in June and the local parcel tax passes, the district will still face a $200,000 deficit. If both taxes fail at the ballots, the district would face an estimated deficit of $790,000 next year, leading to drastic cuts within the district.