La Ca�ada Valley Sun: La Ca�ada Flintridge, California

La Ca�ada Valley Sun: La Ca�ada Flintridge, California

Feelers out on parcel tax

By Max Zimbert

La Cañada Flintridge residents living in the western section of the city may soon be asked to vote on a parcel tax for the Glendale Unified School District.

District officials have hired a survey firm, True North, to issue and analyze a poll to test support for the tax, which would be tied to specific educational programs and expenses. Residents west of Rosebank Drive are served by the Glendale district.

The firm would also determine where the parcel tax funds should be spent. A political consulting group, TBWB Strategies, is working pro-bono to ensure the survey is comprehensive.

“It’s determining the viability of doing a parcel tax,” said Glendale Unified Deputy Supt. Dick Sheehan, slated to become superintendent July 1. “We’ll be looking to put out a survey at some point, probably sooner rather than later.”

Parcel taxes — fees paid by all property owners, with certain exemptions for senior citizens — require a two-thirds majority.
Almost 60% of district revenue from the state has been cut to 2005-06 levels, with 6.2% of district spending coming from non-property-tax funds, such as community contributions, interest income and developer fees, according to a report by EdSource, a nonpartisan nonprofit that tracks education trends in California.

State leaders have since altered funding formulas, lowering the minimum funding guarantee to school districts.