Public education proponents seek to change Prop 13
Posted on 15 April 2010 by Liska Koenig, The Guardsman
By Liska Koenig
The Guardsman
California education advocates are spearheading a campaign to repeal Proposition 13, a property tax law they argue is costing the state billions in potential tax revenue that could aid struggling public schools.
Recent budget cuts to education stemming from California’s $20 billion deficit have resulted in soaring college tuition, public sector layoffs and the elimination of thousands of classes at colleges throughout the state. Formerly one of the leading states in the country, California has now sunk to 47th position in per-student spending, according to the National Center for Education.
Proposition 13 sets property tax rates at 1 percent of a property’s value for businesses and home owners and caps tax increases at two percent per-year until the property is sold.
“A great deal of funding for education comes from property taxes, and when property taxes are limited, then funding for education suffers,” said Gus Goldstein, president of the American Federation of Teachers Union, Local 2121.
AFT 2121 endorses a change to a split-roll tax, which would apply different taxes to residential and commercial properties, with special consideration for rental properties.
“We need a carefully crafted legislation so renters and owners of rental property won’t be penalized,” Goldstein said.
Until Proposition 13 was approved by California voters in 1978, the assessed value of a piece of property