School District Works to Generate Support for Parcel Tax

Board of Education members are betting on the success of a parcel tax measure to help maintain school programs and bring some stability to the struggling district as they continue to campaign for the measure.

Larry Vanden Bos, member of the Board of Education, on Tuesday night asked for support from the on Measure M, a local school parcel tax that would secure funding for the district as it faces shrinking support from the state.

The measure, which will be on the Nov. 8 ballot, would replace two existing parcel tax measures, Measures P and V, with the same tax rate at $374 per parcel per year. Unlike Measures P and V, which are set to expire in 2013, Measure M has no expiration date. It will protect $7 million in local education spending, according to the district.

According to the district, Measure M in part will preserve advanced academic programs in math, science and technology, the retention of teachers and employees, up-to-date classroom technology, and smaller class sizes.

Vanden Bos urged the council and community to endorse the measure, which he said would help mitigate current financial hardships in the district such as lower funding per student and less support from the state.

"The only reason we’ve survived at this point is the generosity of the community," he said.

Mayor Steven Zuckerman said many residents might object to the measure thinking it would introduce new taxes, which he said isn't the case.

"A lot of people have an initial reaction to any kind of parcel tax, [they say] 'No I can't pay any more new taxes,' but this really isn't more new taxes, it's simply combining two existing measures," he said.

The district needs two-thirds voter approval for the measure to pass, said Vanden Bos, who is also running to keep his spot on the Board of Education.

"It's a very difficult number to achieve," he said.

But not passing the measure could mean a back-to-basics style of teaching with fewer electives and other school programs, Vanden Bos said. 

"We'd be back to the 'three Rs,' reading, writing, arithmetic," he said.

Though he urged residents to vote for the measure and for fellow council members to take individual action, Zuckerman said the council shouldn't endorse the measure as a whole. His was the only vote against the endorsement.

members at a Sept. 20 meeting.

Palos Verdes residents can vote on the measure during the Nov. 8 elections.