Scotts Valley Unified School District will host a public hearing Wednesday to discuss a parcel tax that would raise revenue for student programs and teacher salaries.
The meeting seeks to address the wealthy community’s struggle to maintain educational offerings.
District officials have long complained that government funding formulas disadvantage Scotts Valley—a comment that was repeated in the posted agenda for this week’s special meeting.
“Scotts Valley Unified School District is one of the lowest funded unified school districts in California,” the item summary reads. “This parcel tax will help protect Scotts Valley schools’ key academic programs, teachers and counselors in order to address the educational and social emotional needs of all of our students.”
The Parcel Tax Renewal Campaign Committee is considering an all-mail-in ballot in October and is looking at an annual $168 per parcel levy, which would be an increase of $60.
The district conducted polling earlier this year and found support for a tax, according to school board documents.
Superintendent Tanya Krause said SVUSD has been successful at hiring staff and is in a better position than it was a year ago.
“It was a challenging school year, but we made it through,” Krause said at a June 13 meeting.
The parcel tax could bring in $1 million a year for seven years, beginning in 2024-25.
The public hearing will be held at Scotts Valley Middle School, located at 8 Bean Creek Road in Scotts Valley, starting at 5pm.
