The Board of Education will discuss the feasibility of increasing the Measure H parcel tax as a way to mitigate budget cuts at its Feb. 28 meeting, according to the school board agenda posted on Friday.
Final consideration of the proposed staff reductions has been pushed out to a special meeting on March 4.
The memo from the superintendent and the district’s chief budget officer lays out the background and potential timeline of conducting a new campaign:
District voters have approved parcel taxes for Piedmont schools since 1985 to supplement the diminished funding from the State. The last parcel tax election was in November 2020 when voters approved both Measure G and Measure H. Measure G is the ongoing per parcel tax renewed every six or eight years. With each renewal, the amount increases a little, and with the 2% escalator baked into the measure, the per parcel amount increases yearly. The current amount is $2,932 per parcel, generating $11.5 million annually. Measure H is the newest tax that is assessed at $0.25 per building square footage. The average single-family home of 2,500 square feet pays $625 per year. Measure H generates $2.6 M annually and is designated for staff compensation.
Alongside budget adjustments including staffing reductions aligned with declining enrollment, consideration of increasing the Measure H parcel tax will be discussed.
Process: A survey is usually the first step to assess community appetite and develop the parameters of the measure. Based on the survey data, a ballot measure is developed and discussed by the Board. Once the Board passes a resolution calling for the measure to be placed on the ballot, the parcel tax campaign committee takes over.
Timeline: In order to generate revenue for the 2025-26 fiscal year, the measure would need to be approved in November 2024 or March 2025. Here is the timeline:
Memo to Board of Education,
● March 2024 – engage with survey consultant (fee paid by District) and campaign consultant (fee paid by campaign committee)
● April 2024 – survey conducted
● May 2024 – Results of the survey presented to the Board to help develop ballot
language.
● June 2024 – The Board approves resolution
● August 2024 – The deadline for Board resolution to be submitted to the County
● August – November – campaign
● November 2024 – election
Measure H, the supplemental School Tax, is based on residential square footage. The larger home pays more as generally speaking it will use more school services with more children attending classes. I was dissapointed that the District did not go with a single Tax based on square foot of residence that would bring the District needed funding. If supplemental Measure H is to be increased based on square footage of residence, that might make sense but to revert to a flat tax does not and would expand on the regressive nature of Piedmont School taxes.