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Uploaded: Wednesday, November 11, 2009, 8:54 AM

School parcel tax renewal vote may be in April
Palo Alto school board discusses poll data on job approval, voter attitudes

by Chris Kenrick
Palo Alto Online Staff

Posted by Joe, a resident of the Barron Park neighborhood, on Nov 11, 2009 at 12:58 pm

The new facilities at Gunn and Paly look great. Looks like money well spent so far.

Posted by Okay, a resident of the Fairmeadow neighborhood, on Nov 11, 2009 at 1:44 pm

"People are less happy with any sort of government organization because they're less happy with their lives."

I am fine with my life. I just do not believe that most government organizations spend the taxpayers money in a wise and frugal manner.

Posted by John, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Nov 11, 2009 at 1:54 pm

I'm surprised the voters polled last month didn't like a higher parcel tax for commercial property. Would seem logical...

Posted by Taxed Enough, a resident of the Downtown North neighborhood, on Nov 11, 2009 at 2:06 pm

I need MY money. - VOTE NO.

I can better spend MY money that a bunch of pork barrel con artists.

>>> ejecting suggestions of moving to a "split roll" tax that would vary depending on size of parcel, or differentiate between commercial and residential property.

Of course the voters would reject this idea. As if we need more businesses to move out of California. When are you people going to wake-up?

Posted by Midtowner, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Nov 11, 2009 at 2:18 pm

Here we go again... Bonds, parcel tax, bonds, parcel tax... the never ending dance.

What galls me is that voters in this town never see a tax on private citizens that they don't like... but a relatively modest license fee on business, as in last week's ballot (I know it was for the city, not the school district), that, nooooo, we can't do.

Enough is enough. We've donated to the schools again and again. No more taxes.

Posted by Midtowner, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Nov 11, 2009 at 2:24 pm

"Based on the (poll) results, we think extensive public education is needed,"

"extensive public education" is another name for "intensive propaganda".

And note that I do have children in the school district, have had them for years and I no longer buy all this propaganda (I naively bought into it in my early years as a school parent and I am afraid many naive new parents still do).

Posted by JSD, a resident of the Palo Verde neighborhood, on Nov 11, 2009 at 4:05 pm

It's important to remember that this wouldn't be a "new" tax, but one to replace the current one (with it sounds like a bit of an increase) when it expires.

If you think the schools do a good job right now and include the right programs and personnel levels, it's partly because of the parcel tax that is currently in effect and expires in 2011. If a new parcel tax is not approved by June 2011, our schools will be short $9.3M each year _in addition to_ the forecasted budget shortfalls (from decreased state funding and lower property tax income). Programs and personnel will be cut.

Posted by Midtowner, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Nov 11, 2009 at 5:20 pm

JSD

Thanks for bringing out the violins. We've had the same threats and nightmare scenarios for years and years, in bad times AND in good times alike, believe it or not.

However, the schools were just fine before the parcel tax,and they were just fine before we cut class size and they were just fine before we added other bells and whistles... They'll be just fine without a renewal and INCREASE of the parcel tax. Thank you.

Posted by Gunn parent, a resident of the Ventura neighborhood, on Nov 11, 2009 at 5:41 pm

I'd feel better about renewing the bond if our test scores showed improvement for closing the gap between our highest achievers and the lowest. We seem to have a narrow focus in our programs and kids with challenges are being left behind.

PAUSD is the worst in comparison to similar districts in closing the gap according to page 19 of this presentation on API: Web Link

Posted by Resident, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Nov 11, 2009 at 5:50 pm

I would feel happier if they did something to stop the overcrowding in our middle and high schools. We did not move here for megasized schools and now that reopening Garland appears to be off the table at least for the time being, there is absolutely nothing being done to alleviate the secondary schools sizes.

Posted by gap?, a resident of the Community Center neighborhood, on Nov 11, 2009 at 6:41 pm

It's easy to close the gap. Just slow cut back on our higher-end education and reduce the performance of the high achievers.

I don't think "reducing the gap" is the right goal. The goal should be increasing the value of our education for everyone.

Posted by Midtwon Parent, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Nov 11, 2009 at 8:20 pm

This time I will vote "NO" our students are dying and the district pretends the problem does not exist. NO, NO, NO, improve Gunn High School administration and I will bote "Yes" If we had good administration the first suicide would had not happened and neither the others. Shame on you Gunn!

Posted by Alfonso, a resident of the College Terrace neighborhood, on Nov 11, 2009 at 9:14 pm

I dont have kids, why should I be Taxed??

Want to see a tea Party here in Shallow Alto?

Posted by JSD, a resident of the Palo Verde neighborhood, on Nov 11, 2009 at 9:37 pm

No violins, Midtowner, just info. It's up to each voter to decide if he/she thinks what the schools currently offer is too much, sufficient, or insufficient and if we should alter the amount we fund them.

Gunn parent, this is a parcel tax, not another bond measure.

Posted by kfarad, a resident of the Fairmeadow neighborhood, on Nov 11, 2009 at 11:47 pm

NO PLEASE NO

We already get taxed enough and these schools already have a ridiculous amount of money.

I worked at PAUSD and I have seen the waste.

Some departments have thousands of dollars extra every month and spend it on things they don't need just so they can keep getting the money. The spend it on overpriced supplemental books, videos and useless software marketed to teachers, useless "training programs". PLEASE NO

Posted by Bob, a resident of the Barron Park neighborhood, on Nov 12, 2009 at 7:22 am

. . . not to mention that the teachers and administrators do themselves no favors. The arrogance and lack of respect for process during the Everyday Math Debacle served as a stark reminder of how out of touch these people are.

Posted by Senior, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Nov 12, 2009 at 1:07 pm

Will this parcel tax include a senior exemption? If it does I'll vote for it, if it doesn't it gets my "No" vote.

After the parcel tax is passed, they'll put another bond measure on the ballot to rebuild Cubberley for either a high school or middle school. Probably around 2014 which is decision making time for the future of Cubberley.

Posted by $$$$$$, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Nov 12, 2009 at 1:21 pm

it's MONEY time, so it's time to value our supportive parent community.

we may not be the "secret sauce" but we are the grease.

I wonder who will lead the extensive public education campaigns?

Posted by Resident, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Nov 12, 2009 at 2:36 pm

Of course, at this time we still do not know how much each of us will be paying for the Library Bond. It is not fair asking us to extend this parcel tax knowing that many have forgotten there will be this Bond to pay as well.

Posted by Opposite, a resident of the Barron Park neighborhood, on Nov 12, 2009 at 4:28 pm

"Will this parcel tax include a senior exemption? If it does I'll vote for it" I'm just the opposite. If it does, no dice. I say no more letting the seniors ride on our backs. The boomers have had a free ride and want to extend it even longer.

Posted by Gunn Parent, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Nov 12, 2009 at 8:14 pm

Yes, the district waists a lot of money. Sometime they have to rush spending the money because they have certain time to spend it or they will have to give it back. Also think about it, the teachers are not getting a raise. The classrooms have more children than last year, so I do not see why they need more money. We are trying to spend less money so we can survive this recession. How come the district does not do that? They have too many administrators, which are well paid. They should try cutting on administrators and not adding more students to classrooms. Also these time they will not offer the math and reading intervention for free because they will be charging everyone. I think we need to send the district a message that they too need to limit their expenses.

Besides at this time the district should be ashamed of themselves that Gunn student committed suicide and they have not done something that works to stop it. Instead the parents have to be watching the tracks.

I can't believe they have the guts to ask for raise on the parcel tax.

I will vote "NO"

Posted by Midtowner, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Nov 12, 2009 at 10:44 pm

To Opposite:

For the sake of being exact, you need to know that baby-boomers have not had any of the property tax exemptions reserved for seniors. Baby boomers were born between 1946 and 1964. The oldest boomers are thus 63 years old. The senior exemption is reserved for people 65 years old and older who request the exemption. It's state law.

As a boomer, I can tell you that I don't feel like I am having a free ride. I paid a lot for my house, and am still paying for it actually. I can hardly afford all the taxes imposed on us, and I am against the renewed and increased parcel tax even though I still have children in the school district. I can't afford all those bonds and parcel taxes.

Posted by Pay to play, folks, a resident of the Greenmeadow neighborhood, on Nov 13, 2009 at 7:33 am

I think this tax is going to be hugely important. We're already looking at state cuts of another $4.4 million next year. If the parcel tax also goes away, the schools will have to cut over 10% of the general fund budget. Since something like 87% of the PAUSD budget goes to pay teachers and staff, this will mean STAFF CUTS which will result in things like bigger class sizes, less counseling support at the high schools, fewer library hours, etc. If things get especially dire our music and PE might be at risk. We simply cannot afford NOT to renew the current parcel tax.

And those without kids currently in the schools, ask any realtor: It's the quality of the schools that drives the demand for real estate. Palo Alto hasn't tanked in the last year and that's because our schools bring buyers even when other places are awash in lower cost properties. Great schools = great real estate prices.

Great schools also foster a better community. Living here can give kids access to the guy who runs some interesting area of Google or the woman doing cutting edge bio-tech research to cure cancer or the professor of humanities who has just written the most significant novel of our generation. Palo Alto is a thriving city of ideas. But it all comes back to the quality of our schools. The cornerstone of our community is the quality of our schools.

The parcel tax pays for STAFF not buildings. The bond measure, previously passed, can't be used to pay staff. Losing the parcel tax will mean DIRECT CUTS to the programs that matter most, from the things that HELP ADDRESS the achievement gap, like reading specialists in the elementary schools, to the things that help kids hook in to what they care about and NOT be lost to depression, like theater, arts, or sports.

So, if you care about this town, this parcel tax at this time is a no-brainer.

PS Gunn administration is doing TONS to try to support kids (I have kids at Gunn so I know). Here are just a few things: Web Link

Posted by Gunn Parent, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Nov 13, 2009 at 11:14 am

Now they are having Kara, but what happened when the first and second child died. There was no appropriate support and that is why the next children died. Why did they had to wait for more young people to die, in order to open their eyes really take advantage off all the help that was offered to them? I know too, they are not doing much until now that they are using the resources that they had available since the first time it happened. I have kids there too, and I know that they did not had this at the beginning, so do not tell me that they are doing TONS of things to supporte them. In my opinion they waited too long! This suicides are going to hunt our children who still alive for the rest of their lives,and who knows what scarfs are going to be left. A child who has had two classmates in this class, who committed suicide can not walk out completely unharmed by the events. Even worst suicides keep happening and they are afraid every day when they woke up that they are going to be told again that someone else took his or her life.