The Board of Trustees tentatively moved forward on plans to present a parcel tax to the community during the November or March elections by agreeing during the April 4 meeting to contract with the Lew Edwards Group to provide a parcel tax feasibility and communication service. The resolution was passed on the condition that Board President Steve Pulido and Trustee Kris Weaver meet with the group and are still satisfied with the decision. Trustees Pat Kernan and Juanita Haugen along with district staff met with the group prior to the board meeting.
The Lew Edwards Group would be contracted to research the viability of a parcel tax by seeking community feedback via mailings and surveys and then advising the district on how it should proceed. If the district aims to have the parcel tax on the ballot for the November 7 elections, meaning it has to call election by August 7, the group’s services will cost $30,000. However, if the district decides to go for the March 6, 2007 election, meaning it has to call election by Nov. 30, 2006, the group’s services will cost $45,000. That is in addition to a projected cost of $25,000 for public opinion research polling and $32,000 for mailings, according to the staff report.
Weaver was not sold on hiring the group saying she did not understand why their services would cost $15,000 more in the case of the March election. Superintendent John Casey explained that with the longer timeline the group would conduct more research and do more work, which is why their services would cost more. But Weaver was still not comfortable with hiring the group.
“It always bothers me to spend money to make money,” she said.
The district is considering a parcel tax to fund the 22 priorities suggested by the Excellence Committee, a 55-member committee comprised of community members and education professionals tasked to research and identify policies, programs and practices that would enhance the school district, without being limited by financial constraints. The concept was to find out what the district needs to do to make the schools event better, put a price tag on it and then find a way to fund it, instead of the usual practice of being given a budget and then finding what can fit within that budget. Top items on the list included adding more counselors to all school levels, add more technology support, class size reduction, add visual and performing art teachers, provide wireless access throughout all middle and high schools and expand vocational programs.
Pulido, Haugen and Kernan were supportive of hiring the group.
“Preliminary work is crucial,” Haugen said. “We need to have a survey of the community to see what they think because there is no reason to go out for a parcel tax if we don’t have the community support.”
While Kernan said he was comfortable with trying for either the November or March election, Pulido and Haugen were convinced that March was the best option saying November is too soon and will already be an intense election with two open board seats.
“November is overly optimistic. I just don’t see us being ready, even if we had a full board,” Pulido said, referring to the recent resignation of Trustee Gloria Fredette.
There is also the possibility of calling a special election if neither election seems viable, Casey said. He explained that in these preliminary stages it is appropriate for the district to research the feasibility of the parcel tax, but once it is on the ballot the district can not campaign. District staff and board members could answer questions regarding the tax, but it would be up to a citizen’s group to take the lead on the campaigning efforts.
Casey also emphasized that the parcel tax is only one way the district is looking at funding the Excellence Committee’s priority list. The district is also looking for financial help from community and school organizations, by supporting or proposing legislation that would provide schools with more funding opportunities and examining its own budget to find places where funding can be shifted.
The board will discuss the hiring of the Lew Edwards Group again at the April 25 meeting.
