Despite recession, voters agree to tax themselves in support of schools
Published: June 13, 2012
Times are tough, but voters throughout the state reaffirmed their support for local schools earlier this month. They approved nine of the 13 school-related parcel taxes on the June 5 primary election ballot by the required two-thirds majority. Although school bond measures did not fare as quite as well, 23 of those 34 measures received a 55 percent majority vote, their threshold for passage.
The margins of victory on parcel taxes were especially noteworthy; six of the parcel tax measures received 70 percent or more yes votes. A measure to impose an $85-per-parcel tax on Santa Cruz property owners won with the largest margin, with an impressive 81.2 percent of the vote.
All parcel tax measures received better than 60 percent support. The four parcel tax measures that failed to garner the two-thirds vote required for passage nonetheless received an impressive 62.3 percent to 65 percent approval. Advocates for public education have tried for years to change the rules governing these taxes to permit voters to approve them with a 55 percent majority rather than a two-thirds vote, but the state’s powerful anti-tax lobby has consistently blocked all efforts at reform.
An analysis by Michael Coleman, a consultant with the League of California Cities, concluded that the 69 percent pass rate for school parcel taxes in June was about 10 percentage points higher than 58 percent average between 2001 and 2011. However, school bonds’ 68 percent pass rate in June was about 10 points lower than the average over the past decade, Coleman said.
“This bodes well for school-related measures on the November ballot,” he said.
Teri Burns, senior director in CSBA’s Policy and Programs Department, said she was encouraged by the June 5 results. “The fact that parcel taxes passed so resoundingly indicates how important local schools are to voters,” she said. Burns added that she could understand why tax measures—which raise revenue without incurring debt—might be more popular than bond measures.
“Voters want to see where their money is going,” she said.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson said he hopes voters who approved taxes and bond measures on June 5 will also vote yes on revenue measures that will benefit schools and other public services that are slated for the November ballot.
"Tuesday's election results show that California's voters remain willing to invest in our schools, and I applaud them for their vision and commitment,” Torlakson said in a prepared statement. “I remain hopeful that this will carry through to the November ballot, when voters throughout California will have the opportunity to restore some of what years of budget cuts have taken from California's schools and students."