School Board's Vote to Put Parcel Tax on Ballot Fails

After a lengthy—and, at times, contentious—debate, the San Bruno Park School District board’s proposal to put a parcel tax on the ballot didn’t pass Tuesday night.

The board was split 2-2 on the vote and couldn’t come to an agreement on the details of the tax measure, which left the issue at a standstill. School trustees Kevin Martinez and Henry Sanchez cast the dissenting votes, and school trustee Jim Prescott was absent, saying last week that he wouldn’t be able to attend Tuesday’s special meeting because he would be “busy all week.”

The board’s decision now leaves voters with only the option of voting on a $40 million construction bond in June if a special election is called. The bond measure requires 55 percent approval and could only be used on improving facilities and equipment. But if the special election doesn’t happen, then neither would the bond measure vote.

Board members agreed to take up the $96-per-parcel tax measure for the November election. If passed, the parcel tax could bring in for the district $1.1 million annually over four years for teacher salaries and other district expenses.

The board’s decision was preceded by hours of debate between board members and speakers from the audience at the meeting, who went back and forth on whether pursuing both a bond measure and a parcel tax could really work.

Chris Kiely questioned the school board’s approach and said he had doubts that the school district had enough support from voters to pass a parcel tax, which requires two-thirds approval, citing a public survey completed for the school board that showed only 59 percent of residents were in favor of passing a tax at $96 per parcel.

School trustee Skip Henderson lashed out at Kiely, a former school board member, for his comments and said he was being too negative about whether the parcel tax could get the 67 percent approval needed to pass.

“Why don’t you be part of the 67 percent?” Henderson asked Kiely during their verbal exchange.

Afterward, Henderson apologized for raising his voice, saying his comments were only the result of his passion for education.

“I’ll be happy to debate it on the White House steps if I have to, but I want to see this thing passed and I want to do it right,” Henderson said. “If you have any suggestions that you can give us for the language of this ballot measure that’ll help us keep it on track, I’ll be willing to listen to you…because I want to see this thing passed more than the bond issue.”

Parent Pamela Gamble also said she opposed the parcel tax because, with the recent announcement that 12 teachers got preliminary pink slips for next school year and with mismanagement rumors over the district’s last bond measure, she wasn’t assured the district had its priorities in order.

“What is truly your priority?” Gamble said, “because you’re asking more money from the taxpayers and, obviously, there is a history where people feel the money was not spent wisely or in the appropriate places.”

The school district’s construction bond measure is now at the mercy of the state Legislature, which is at a standstill itself about whether to approve Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to hold a special June election to close a $27 billion budget gap.