Check Your Mail for Your Measure E Ballot

Did you know there was a special election on May 3? For those who live within the Los Altos School District boundaries, there is only one item on it: Measure E, a new school parcel tax.

Time is ticking, with less than a month before the mail-in votes must be returned to the Registrar of Voters office. The Los Altos School District approved the $193 proposal in February.

The school district urges voters to approve the tax, which would stay in effect for six years, to help with its budget crisis, according to Randall Kenyon, assistant superintendent of business services.

“We need Measure E to backfill the significant loss of funding from the state,” Kenyon said. “All of our programs are at risk, and we need Measure E funds to protect them.”

Los Altos is not alone. Years of difficult budget straits have school districts successively turning to the ballots to make up the shrinking money from Sacramento. Districts around the Bay Area closely watched last month's successful passage of the Alameda School District's parcel tax proposal, which will levy 32¢ for every square foot of building space, capped at $7,999.

Los Altos School District is one of four in Santa Clara County that have voted for special mail-in ballots elections on the May 3, which include Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District, Cupertino Union School District and Sunnyvale School District. At $193 per parcel, Los Altos school district's six-year proposed tax is the highest, followed by Cupertino, whose residents are being asked to approve a $125 tax. At the other end is Sunnyvale School District, which is asking for its first parcel tax of $59, and Los Gatos, at $49.

Residents of south Los Altos are served by the Cupertino Union School District and will receive Measure C ballots in the mail, as well.

Residents not yet registered to vote can still register up to Monday and vote in the May 3 election, said Elma Rosas, spokeswoman for the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters. Mailed registration forms that are postmarked by April 18 will be accepted. Voters can also return their registration forms in person at the Registrar’s Office, 1555 Berger Dr., Building 2, San Jose.

For voters’ convenience, there is a white 24-hour drop box by the flag pole outside the registrar’s office. Early voting is available Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the registrar’s office in San Jose between now and up to the day before the election, and from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, Rosas said.

Ballots were mailed out the beginning of last week, according to Kenyon. All residents in the district boundaries should have already received a ballot, or will receive one at any time now.

Kenyon said the tax alone will not solve the budget problem but will help, with $2.3 million per year for the next six years. See the budget update in the PDFs, above right.

The tax needs a two-thirds-plus-one vote to be approved, according to Bill Cooper, school board president.

With a $597 parcel tax already in force—it was approved several years ago–some wonder why another tax is needed.

“We oppose this tax, which brings the total school parcel tax to $790 per parcel,” said Ronald Haley, a Los Altos Hills resident and parent leading the campaign against the tax. “As taxpayers, we all need to live within a budget; the school district should be no different.”

Haley said at a board meeting in April that other measures can be taken to help the district with its budget crisis, such as smaller compensation packages for teachers and using money “more wisely.” See his presentation in the PDFs, above right.

Although the parcel tax, if approved, will help the district’s finances, it will not totally wipe out the estimated deficit of $4.7-$5.9 million, depending on enrollment figures.

“The parcel tax is not the end-all solution,” Cooper said. “The parcel tax will represent a significant portion, which will be our shortfall. The ultimate solution will be a collective of community effort, parents, non-parents alike and staff alike, as well as the district having to tighten its belt.”

A team of three parents is leading the campaign to vote yes on Measure E. The group has called voters to explain its need, sent out mailings, gone door-to-door and spoken at school events, according to Jay Gill, one of three parent leaders who volunteered to form a committee for the campaign.

Gill characterized opponent Haley’s presentation as a “wildly absurd proposal.” The presentation compared Los Altos to Cupertino schools, which are not comparable at all, Gill contended.

“Do we want big schools and big teacher turnover, like Cupertino? I’m not sure that’s what our community wants,” Gill said at the April meeting.

The tax will have a significant impact on what the district is lacking in budget, according to Cooper. The district is counting on Los Altos Educational Foundation (LAEF), the PTA and staff concessions to help with the rest.

Cooper said this current year, LAEF provided the district with $2.3 million, but he added that this was earned with parents donating for programs that are not guaranteed to be available next year.

“We’re basically saying, ‘Will the community step up to the plate and help with what the state can no longer provide?’ I know that’s a hard question to ask,” Cooper said. “This is not a business. It’s an education, and (kindergarten-through-eighth-grade years) are the most important years of our kids’ lives in their educational foundation.”

Ballots are due back to the county registrar of voters office by 8 p.m. May 3.