School districts rally around Simitian bill

The Scotts Valley Unified School District is one of the latest California school systems to voice support for legislation that would make it easier for communities to enact parcel taxes for schools.
District trustees on May 26 adopted a resolution in support of Senate Constitutional Amendment 6 by Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, which would reduce the voter margin to approve a parcel tax from a two-thirds super-majority to 55 percent.
A parcel tax is different from a property tax in that it involves a fixed amount per land parcel rather than a percentage of the property’s assessed value. The proposed 55 percent threshold is the same margin by which a school district now can pass a bond issue if certain requirements are met.
“Parcel tax revenue can provide a stable, predictable source of school revenue,” the resolution stated.
Districts are struggling with reduced state funding.
Representatives of more than 95 percent of the state’s school districts have signed on to support Simitian’s bill or are about to do so, according to the California School Boards Association. Among those planning to place the subject on their board agendas are the San Lorenzo Valley, Santa Cruz, Soquel, Live Oak and Mountain school districts.
The bill passed muster with the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee by a 5-3 vote on May 13 and is awaiting a hearing before the Senate Committee on Elections, Reapportionment and Constitutional Amendments.