After spending about four and a half hours on Nov. 9 discussing how to resolve the Menlo Park City School District's budget woes, the district's governing board agreed it should put a parcel tax on the March ballot, but decided it needed another meeting to figure out the details.
That meeting is set for Thursday, Nov. 16, starting at 7 p.m. in the Hillview Middle School Performing Arts Center at 1100 Elder Ave. in Menlo Park.
The staff report for the meeting is the same report used at the board's Nov. 9 meeting, but the board will also hear a report from campaign media and strategy consultant Whitehurst/Mosher of San Francisco.
The board will continue its discussion of what budget cuts to make to reduce the amount of a parcel tax.
After two parcel tax measures failed in May, the district took a close look at its budget and projected that by the 2020-21 school year, expenses will outstrip revenues by $5.3 million.
The district has spent the past two and a half months looking at how to balance its budget, reviewing both ways to cut spending and increase revenue.
The public will have an opportunity to speak, but the board will not vote on the parcel tax until its planned Nov. 30 meeting, scheduled to start at 6 p.m. in the Hillview PAC. Dec. 9 is the deadline to submit measures for the March 7, 2017, ballot.
The district has also reserved Monday, Dec. 5 as a possible meeting date if all the parcel tax details are not worked out at the Nov. 30 meeting. If that meeting is held, the two new board members, David Ackerman and Caroline Lucas, will be sworn in at the start of the meeting.
The Dec. 5 meeting is also scheduled to start at 6 p.m. in the Hillview PAC.
If the Dec. 5 meeting is not held, the new board members will be sworn in at the board's regular December meeting, Tuesday, Dec. 13 at the Hillview PAC.