Survey: PV school district voters would support parcel tax renewal

A survey commissioned by Portola Valley School District has found that voters would support renewal of a parcel tax that district officials say is necessary to keep current programs afloat.

The survey by Godbe Research and TBWB Strategies found that 72.8% of voters in the district would support renewing Measure O in March 2020, according to a presentation prepared for the district’s school board meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 2. Surveyed voters expressed the same level of support for renewing the measure in November 2020. Two-thirds of voters must approve the parcel tax for it to pass.

The measure, which passed in 2013 with 69% of the vote, is currently set to expire in June 2021.

“Given the survey findings and the two-thirds majority required for approval, TBWB and Godbe Research recommend that the Portola Valley School District continue the process to prepare for a March 2020 parcel tax measure election that extends the current measure for 8 years, with cost of living adjustments, senior exemptions, independent citizen oversight, no money for administrator salaries, and no funds for Sacramento,” according to the presentation.

In June, district staff said the parcel tax, which generates about $1.2 million annually, “must be renewed” to maintain classroom programs and teaching staff.

Measure O raises revenue that goes toward advanced math, science and technology programs; reading and writing programs; art and music programs; reduced class sizes; and retention of teachers, according to the district website.

Measure O consolidated two expiring measures: Measure C (with an annual tax of $290 per parcel) and Measure D ($168 per parcel) and increased the rate by $123 per parcel to $581, district Chief Business Officer Connie Ngo said.

A little over half of those surveyed have a very favorable or somewhat favorable view of the district’s management of public funds. About 20% answered that they have unfavorable or very unfavorable views of the district’s management of public funds. Nearly a quarter answered that they don’t know whether the district effectively manages public funds.

The most popular aspects of the measure include its focus on maintaining enhanced science, math, reading and writing instruction; retaining qualified and experienced teachers; supporting music and arts programs; and limiting class size increases, according to the survey.

The full presentation on the survey can be viewed here.

At the same meeting, architects will update the board on construction funded by Measure Z, a $49.5 million bond passed last November to pay for school repairs and renovations.

Cody Anderson Wasney Architects completed the schematic design phase of the construction projects, and the firm is beginning the projects’ design development phase.

At Corte Madera School, the district is finishing up work on a fault trench, which should be complete by Oct. 11, according to a district staff report. The school is located just inside a fault zone as indicated by the California Geological Survey (CGS).

The contractors have finished backfilling and compacting the first section of the trench through the garden and asphalt area behind the school’s 900 wing. Once the remaining length of the trench is complete and backfilled, the entire length of the trench will be patched with asphalt.

A representative from the CGS visited the site twice and has not found anything of significance in the sections exposed, according to the staff report.

The school board meets in open session at 6 p.m. on Oct. 2 at Corte Madera School, Room 102, 4575 Alpine Road in Portola Valley. View the full meeting agenda here.

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