State Senator Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo) has introduced legislation that would lower the threshold for voters to approve school parcel taxes from two-thirds to 55 percent.
If approved by the Legislature during the new session and voters on the statewide ballot in 2014, Senate Constitutional Amendment 3 would allow local school districts, community college districts and county offices of education to approve a local parcel tax with the same 55 percent vote required for local school bonds used for capital expenses.
School districts can use parcel tax money to enhance instructional programs, hire additional teachers, support libraries, STEM programs (science, technology, engineering, math), music, and arts programs— all reflecting local priorities in their local districts.
Hill noted that California lags behind all but a few states in per pupil spending and a parcel tax is one of the very few ways that local school districts can raise money for operational and discretionary expenses.
“This legislation provides local control for school funding and gives school districts flexibility to prioritize spending on programs critical to students, teachers and parents in each community,” said Hill, who served two terms in the Assembly before being elected to the Senate in November. “Voters in my district identified education funding as their top priority and I’m committed to addressing this critical issue which impacts the future workforce of our state.”
Under SCA 3, parcel tax increases would first have to be approved by a majority of the local school board representatives. The school board would also be required to perform annual independent financial audits of the parcel tax increase revenue and a citizen’s oversight committee would have to be created to review all expenditures. Tax proceeds would be limited to educational purposes and could not be used to pay school administrator salaries
SCA 3 builds on the efforts of former Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), who introduced the reform six times over the past decade. “Senator Joe Simitian was a champion for improved education funding in California,” said Hill. “We have a unique opportunity to honor his legacy in the Legislature by finally giving voters the opportunity to decide this critical issue.”
Since voters approved Proposition 39 in 2000, reducing the voter threshold for approval of bonds from 67 percent to 55 percent, 80 percent of local school bonds have passed. By comparison, during the past two decades only 55 percent of parcel taxes have met the required two-thirds threshold.
If approved by the Legislature during the new session and voters on the statewide ballot in 2014, Senate Constitutional Amendment 3 would allow local school districts, community college districts and county offices of education to approve a local parcel tax with the same 55 percent vote required for local school bonds used for capital expenses.
School districts can use parcel tax money to enhance instructional programs, hire additional teachers, support libraries, STEM programs (science, technology, engineering, math), music, and arts programs— all reflecting local priorities in their local districts.
Hill noted that California lags behind all but a few states in per pupil spending and a parcel tax is one of the very few ways that local school districts can raise money for operational and discretionary expenses.
“This legislation provides local control for school funding and gives school districts flexibility to prioritize spending on programs critical to students, teachers and parents in each community,” said Hill, who served two terms in the Assembly before being elected to the Senate in November. “Voters in my district identified education funding as their top priority and I’m committed to addressing this critical issue which impacts the future workforce of our state.”
Under SCA 3, parcel tax increases would first have to be approved by a majority of the local school board representatives. The school board would also be required to perform annual independent financial audits of the parcel tax increase revenue and a citizen’s oversight committee would have to be created to review all expenditures. Tax proceeds would be limited to educational purposes and could not be used to pay school administrator salaries
SCA 3 builds on the efforts of former Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), who introduced the reform six times over the past decade. “Senator Joe Simitian was a champion for improved education funding in California,” said Hill. “We have a unique opportunity to honor his legacy in the Legislature by finally giving voters the opportunity to decide this critical issue.”
Since voters approved Proposition 39 in 2000, reducing the voter threshold for approval of bonds from 67 percent to 55 percent, 80 percent of local school bonds have passed. By comparison, during the past two decades only 55 percent of parcel taxes have met the required two-thirds threshold.
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