October 7, 2004
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Posted on Wed, Oct. 06, 2004
Better schools: the magic of 55%
PASSING PARCEL TAXES IS CRUCIAL
Mercury News Editorial
Parcel taxes for local schools have become a necessary staple on election day. They’re critical to augment stagnant state education funding and head off budget cuts. But approving parcel taxes in most districts remains incredibly hard; some have become gun-shy of even trying.
That’s why it’s encouraging that a new group has stepped forward to propose a statewide initiative that would make it easier to approve parcel taxes. Though the effort will take a lot of money and a broad, bipartisan coalition, on Monday, the proponents of such a measure showed they’ll have both.
Taxpayers for School Improvement announced a core group of a dozen-plus supporters from business and industry, as well as education, who will help organize a campaign that will likely cost $1 million and need 600,000 signatures to get on the 2006 ballot.
The initiative would lower the requirement for passing a parcel tax to 55 percent from the current two-thirds. That’s a fair compromise that preserves a high hurdle while giving parcel taxes a better chance of passing.
Four years ago, voters created a precedent when they passed Proposition 39, establishing a 55 percent majority for school construction bonds. Now they need to do the same for the day-to-day instructional needs.
Assembly member Joe Simitian, a Democrat from Palo Alto, estimates that half of defeated parcel taxes would have passed, had the 55 percent requirement been in effect. Count San Jose Unified and East Side Union High School District among those whose recent parcel tax proposals fell a few percentage points shy of 66.
Simitian is a co-chair of Taxpayers for School Improvement, along with Steve Poizner, a Republican candidate for the Assembly, and Reed Hastings, a state school board member.
Simitian has been forced to turn to a signature drive, because opponents in the Assembly, primarily Republicans, killed his bill to put the issue on the ballot. Their hostility is hard to fathom, since the initiative wouldn’t create a new tax; it would only give local voters more power to improve their schools.
Under a standard parcel tax, all property owners pay the same, regardless of the size or value of their parcels. This method isn’t a great way to fund education, and we hope that the new group explores ways to make parcel taxes fairer. But for now, it’s the only option districts have to supplement seriously undernourished schools.
A half-dozen school districts in the Valley are counting on voters to pass parcel taxes next month to stave off budget cuts. Two-thirds support will be very tough to get, regardless of the merits.
An obstinate minority shouldn’t be allowed to thwart the community’s will.
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