Election 2004: Parcel tax victory boosts local funding for Portola Valley schools Election 2004: Parcel tax victory boosts local funding for Portola Valley schools (March 10, 2004)

By Marjorie Mader
Almanac Staff Writer

Portola Valley's schools gained a big boost March 2 when 72.9 percent of voters supported the district's new $290 annual parcel tax; the vote surpassed the two-thirds majority required for passage of such taxes.

A total of 1,958 voters favored the tax, which is expected to produce $675,645 a year for the Portola Valley School District; 727 voters were opposed.

Passage of Measure C ensures a stable source of local funding for the district's schools: Ormondale (grades K-3) and Corte Madera (grades 4-8 ), said school board President Deborah Rappaport.

"Obviously, I am thrilled and so grateful for all the support from the community," said Ms. Rappaport. "We now have enough financial flexibility to be able to provide the level of education the community expects."

The $290 a year tax, in effect, renews the current $195 parcel tax that expires June 30 and increases it by $95 to cover increasing costs and recent state budget cuts. The tax starts July 1 and continues for 10 years.

Revenues from the tax represent about 8 percent of the district's annual budget of almost $8 million, according to Tim Hanretty, district business manager.

Funds will be used for science, reading, writing and math programs; attracting and retaining experienced teachers; and keeping small classes.

"We're in a particularly lucky moment, but that doesn't mean that we don't have to keep an eye on what's happening at the state level on education funding," cautioned Ms. Rappaport.

Superintendent Anne Campbell said the parcel-tax victory allows the district to step back, look at its educational program and strategic plan, and use its financial resources to craft a budget that "meets the needs of our kids in a real positive way."

Art, science

In a move that Superintendent Campbell said "keeps all the options on the table," trustees unanimously approved a resolution at the March 3 board meeting that would reduce the part-time art specialist and science specialist programs for next year. Under state law, a final decision on the reduction in certain services must be made no later than May 15.

This preliminary action doesn't mean the district won't have art and hands-on science next year, said Ormondale Principal Eva Gal. Taking this procedural, legal step enables the district to evaluate the programs and consider effective ways of offering art and science, Superintendent Campbell said.

During the turbulent budget crisis a year ago, the decision was made to cut the art and science specialist programs from the budget, but no legal action was taken. Instead the teachers went on leave, and the classroom teachers at Ormondale became responsible for the two subject areas.

Community meetings

The district will hold two community information meetings on the budget later this month, both at 7:30 p.m. in the Town Center's multi-use room.

The first will be "An Evening with Mike Kirst," on Tuesday, March 16. Stanford Professor Kirst is a nationally known expert on school funding, former president of the California Board of Education and co-director of Policy Analyis for California Education, called PACE. This consortium of researchers from Stanford, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Southern California make recommendations to state policy makers.

The recent PBS documentary, "From First to Worst," which focuses on California's school funding crisis, will be shown before Professor Kirst's talk.

The follow-up session on Tuesday, March 30, will be "School Finance 101: Shining the Spotlight on Portola Valley." Providing an overview of the district's budget situation will be board President Rappaport, Superintendent Campbell and Business Manager Hanretty.

In April, the district will schedule several outreach meetings to provide opportunities for community members to give input on budget priorities and to gain a further understanding of the budget process.

One of the lessons learned from the "chaotic budget process last year," said Ms. Rappaport, is the need for "open, transparent communication" about the budget process. "I'm a firm believer in a program-driven budget instead of a budget-driven program," she said.

E-mail Marjorie Mader at mmader@AlmanacNews.com

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