EDITORIAL: Parcel tax will help Selby Lane School EDITORIAL: Parcel tax will help Selby Lane School (April 13, 2005)

About 700 Atherton residents who live near Selby Lane School, and in the Redwood City School District, have the opportunity to vote on Measure V, an $85-a-year parcel tax measure that will aid the school and all others in the district.

The district has held off asking voters for more operating funding until this year, but cuts of $8 million in the last five years and the likelihood that another $3.5 million will be lost in the next school year made the request for a parcel tax a necessity.

If the tax passes, the schools can maintain small class sizes, save music and library programs, and improve the math and science curriculum. The tax will also keep the highly regarded International Baccalaureate Program for high-achieving students in place at Selby Lane.

This $85 annual tax, which will expire in five years, is a miniscule outlay for most Atherton residents. It has the backing of the Atherton Civic Interest League and the Redwood City Chamber of Commerce, among many others. But it requires a two-thirds favorable vote to pass.

We urge voters in the district, including the Atherton residents there, to vote yes on the mail-in ballot that was sent out April 5. It must be returned by May 3 to be counted.

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