Could Parcel Tax Save SD Schools?
More and more school districts in California are turning to a parcel tax -- a flat fee for every parcel of land owned by a resident regardless of worth -- which would go directly to the school district, not to Sacramento. San Francisco is the largest school district to have passed one so far. Would San Diegans support such a tax?
April 1, 2010
Above: Danielle Zdunich, a teacher at McKinley Elementary School, reads a book to her students, March 2010.
SAN DIEGO — TOM FUDGE (Host): I’m Tom Fudge, and you’re listening to These Days on KPBS. Maintaining the quality of public education takes money. And money for schools has been short in California ever since the passage of Prop 13. Things have only gotten worst in our current recession. And yet, there is a way to raise more money for schools: passing a parcel tax. San Francisco passed one, and now the San Diego Unified School District is weighing the possibility of doing the same. Like all local tax increases in California, this would require voter approval. Joining me to talk about parcel taxes, and what are the chances we may actually get one in San Diego, is Ana Tintocalis. And Ana Tintocalis is the KPBS News education