San Carlos voters to consider $184 per parcel tax

Officials: Money needed to maintain healthy 12 percent school district reserve

August 6, 2008
By Mark Abramson / Daily News Staff Writer

San Carlos school officials soon will begin mobilizing a fundraising campaign in an effort to persuade voters to approve a new parcel tax measure in the November election.

The school board agreed late Monday night to put a measure on the ballot that will essentially scrap its existing parcel tax of about $109 and replace it with one that is $75 higher.

After some debate, board members opted to indicate on the ballot that the total flat rate would be $184 per parcel instead of just noting that the tax would increase by $75.

The measure needs two-thirds of the votes to pass. Parcel tax revenue would be reserved for a variety of programs, including reading, science, technology and safe schools.

The next step is to raise the estimated $60,000 it will cost to run a three-month campaign for the measure's passage, Board Vice President Carrie Du Bois said. Du Bois and Trustee Mark Olbert are on the district's fundraising committee.

"I think we could do it," Du Bois said. "I'm excited about it. I've never been involved in a parcel tax."

The first fundraising committee meeting could be later this week, and the district has solicited the help of Stanford fundraiser Jon Denney, who helped get the 2003 parcel tax passed.

"The time frame (to raise the money) is the issue to me. I think the real issue is twofold - getting people to mobilize and getting the message out," Olbert said.

District officials argue the parcel tax is needed to maintain a robust reserve, which they have said is more than 12 percent of the budget, or $2.7 million, so it doesn't need to rely as much on a state struggling to balance a budget.

San Carlos schools are expected to dip $580,000 into reserves this year, more than $500,000 next year and almost $350,000 the following year.

"If you wait until your reserves get down to bare bones, then you have to start slashing programs," Superintendent Steve Mitrovich said.

But San Mateo County Office of Education officials said a district such as San Carlos is only required by state law to have 4 percent reserves, and 5 percent is considered healthy.

"That would be very unusual," Porter Sexton, an expert on reserves with the county office of education, said about a 12 percent reserve. "In budget crunches, the state will allow them to drop it down to 3 percent."

E-mail Mark Abramson at mabramson@dailynewsgroup.com.

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