Ravenswood City School District Asks Voters to Approve Parcel Tax

The Ravenswood City School District is asking Menlo Park residents to approve a parcel tax that would allow it to keep art and music classes in its curriculum and attract teachers to the district, according to the district website.

This initiative is known as Measure B on the special election documentation, which has accompanied voter mail in ballots.  This election is special because voters can only vote by mail in ballot.

“Federal voters and voters who reside overseas permanently can’t participate in this local election,” said David Tom, elections manager for San Mateo County. 

Tom said 9,601 people are registered to vote in the school district, while 341,303 are registered to vote in this special election countywide.

“Usually for school districts, we’ll see a 30-55 percent turnout,” Tom said.

If two-thirds of the district voters approve the measure, people who own property within the boundaries of the Ravenswood City School District would pay $98 more dollars a year for the next seven years starting July 1, 2011.  

A yes vote would also enable the district to push the expiration date of the current parcel tax, Measure M, to 2018, instead of 2014, bringing the total amount each property owner would pay to $196.

The parcel tax would appear on homeowners’ property tax bills and would be collected by the San Mateo County Treasurer-Tax Collector along with regular property taxes.  Senior citizens, who are 65 or older, can apply for an exemption from the parcel tax. 

A no vote on Measure B would prevent the new parcel tax from being collected, but would have no affect on the current parcel tax.  

Ravenswood City School district staff declined to be interviewed about the specifics of the measure for this article, but information on the district website says the funding would be directed to teacher salaries and special programs that supplement a child's education.