The Citizens’ Advisory Committee on the School Parcel Tax will meet on Thursday, October 11, to hear an update from School Superintendent Connie Hubbard on the 2013 School Parcel Tax proposal. The meeting will be from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. at the District Administrative Office, 760 Magnolia Avenue.
October & November School Board Meetings Open Discussions on Parcel Tax-
The Piedmont School Board Invites Public Input
The Piedmont School Board will decide whether to ask voters to renew the School Support Tax at a November 28 Special Meeting. At its next three regular meetings (October 10 and 24, and November 14), the Board will review and discuss options for the proposed measure, including duration, amount, potential to increase, and any potential exemptions. By November 14, the Board expects there will be a draft measure developed based on recommendations, discussion and public input. Given State funding cuts, the existing School Support Tax constitutes over 30% of the District’s budget and thus its renewal is incredibly important to the education of our community’s children. I encourage anyone who has input for the Board’s consideration in developing the proposal to be put to voters in March 2013 to attend one of the next three Board meetings or email Board members with your comments.
Thank you for your involvement!
Richard W. Raushenbush,
Board President Piedmont Unified School District
Editors’ Note: The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Piedmont Civic Association.
Piedmont School Board invites public comment on the 2013 Parcel Tax Measure at Oct/Nov meetings-
Piedmont Unified School District will be recommending a School Support Tax to be placed on the ballot for March 2013.
The time to voice your opinion before the Board of Education approves a measure for the ballot is NOW.
The Board of Education would like to hear from the community on the renewal of the School Support Tax scheduled for March 2013. It has been approved by the community for the past 27 years and represents 30% of the District’s operating budget.
To express your opinion, attend one of the following Regular Board Meetings to be held:
- Wednesday, October 10, 2012
- Wednesday, October 24, 2012
- Wednesday, November 14, 2012
The Board of Education will take action on a measure to renew the School Support Tax at a Special Board Meeting to be held:
Wednesday, November 28, 2012.
All meetings start at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 120 Vista Ave., and will be televised on KCOM.
These meetings provide an opportunity to provide input on the amount and duration of this essential School Support Tax for all Piedmont students in grades K-12.
Input may also be provided to the Superintendent at: chubbard@piedmont.k12.ca.us and to the Board President at: rraushenbush@piedmont.k12.ca.us
– Press release – Piedmont Unified School District –
“A Great Public Education Isn’t Free. It’s up to us.”
The 2012-13 Giving Campaign for Piedmont schools kicked off this week, with dozens of volunteers gathering at two Piedmont homes to assemble and distribute campaign materials.
Piedmont parents with children in elementary, middle and high school received the mailer this week for the district’s largest annual fundraiser, seeking donations to help offset the devastating ongoing budget cuts faced by California public schools.Piedmont schools currently receive only 58 percent of their operating budget from the state and federal government, and rely on the generous support of our community to help offset the growing educational funding gap.
This year The Giving Campaign asks that each family consider contributing $1,000 per student to this year’s fundraiser. Donations of any amount will help protect the teachers, staff and essential academic programs that make Piedmont schools dynamic, competitive and strong.
Check your mailbox for this year’s Giving Campaign information and details on how you can help. For more information or to donate today, visit www.piedmontgivingcampaign.com. Our kids will thank you!
Superintendent Recommends No Change in Policy-
At its meeting on September 27, 2012, the Piedmont School Board will review its Interdistrict Transfer/Attendance Policy as it applies to non-resident grandchildren of Piedmont residents. > Click to read more…
Part 2: A Close-Up Look at Piedmont School Finances
The Piedmont School Parcel Tax initiated in 1985 has been renewed 7 times. In 2000, twelve years ago, the tax generated $2.5 million (or $643 per home, if divided equally over Piedmont’s approximately 3885 parcels). As of 2012, the levy averages $3,000, with a minimum of almost $2,000 and a maximum of $3,400. generating $9 million. School parcel taxes for K-12 education in the 3 next most heavily taxed cities in Contra Costa and Alameda Counties are less than $1,000 per household. > Click to read more…
The following announcement was received from the Piedmont League of Women Voters on proposed state tax measure to help school funding-
An advocacy forum on Proposition 30 on the November ballot will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 19, from 7:30 – 9 p.m. at the Ellen Driscoll Theater, 325 Highland Avenue. > Click to read more…
Budget Committee Sharpens its Pencils –
The Piedmont Unified School District has announced Budget Advisory Committee (BAC) meetings to examine and make recommendations on the district’s budget. The first in a series of meeting will be held on Thursday, September 20, from 3:30 – 5:00 pm in the District Office Board Room, 760 Magnolia Avenue. Members of the committee have not been announced. The public is welcome to attend. The meetings are not expected to be broadcast via KCOM. > Click to read more…
The $1 Million Problem – Temporary or Ongoing?
Piedmont schools face a $1 million deficit in 2013-14. The hope has been that recent Piedmont school financial shortfalls would be brief – a temporary problem created solely by an unexpected 2009 economic downturn. Instead, Piedmont Unified School District (PUSD) budget deficits may represent a longer-standing issue poised to extend into the future.
Prior to 2009, Piedmont school revenues grew every year, but the District’s expenses were growing faster. State Average Daily Attendance (ADA) funding increased each year until 2009. Total revenues also grew each year (35% in the 5 years prior to 2009, according to the Citizens’ Advisory Committee; see p. 45-46 and 19-20.)
Between 2002 & 201o, expenses rose from $20 million to almost $30 million, according to the Budget Advisory Committee chart (shown below). While other budget expenses remained relatively constant (at around $3 million per year), PUSD salaries, benefits and pensions expanded to 90% of the annual budget.
Parcel Taxes Rise to Cover a Growing Gap
Faced with growing expenses, the Piedmont Board of Education requested a substantial increase in school parcel tax rates from voters in 2006. In 2009, a sudden reduction in state revenue led to another request to increase Piedmont’s school parcel taxes. In both 2005 and 2009, voters were asked to allow the Piedmont School Board to levy additional annual 5% increases in interim years between the 4-year city-wide votes.
(The figures shown below do not include bond assessments, which are separate levies. See How do School Bond assessments fit into the picture (updated). Ranges reflect the minimum and maximum levy, based on parcel size.)
Note: Measure B figures do not include the temporary Measure E levies of $219 to $372.
In 2009, Measure B & E supporters argued an increased emergency parcel tax was necessary to offset state revenue reductions, and Measure B taxes would not increase. Opponents objected that parcel tax increases were funding uncontrolled spending growth in addition to making up for revenue reduction:
“While the district faces a cut in state funding (equaling about 3% of the budget), total income will be about the same next year. The real problem is an uncontrolled budget. In the last three years, spending has increased by about $5 million, or about 20%. The average annual increase has been over 6% or about $1.6 million. The problem is historic. In this decade, employee compensation has gone up by almost 60% + in some individual years as much as 9% to 11%. To cover these extraordinary increases the district has more than tripled the parcel taxes.” (See here; emphasis added.)
The 2009 Measure B campaign literature emphasized there would be “no increase in your taxes.” However, the Measure B guarantee of no increase applied only to the first year of the measure and did not extend to future years. Measure B also combined the prior 2005 voter-approved parcel taxes (Measures B & C) with 3 past annual increases imposed by the School Board between 2006 and 2009 (16% total). A total of 6 increases of 5% have been included since 2005, compounding to a 40% increase. The annual increases before and after the 2009 vote, while less transparent and less widely recognized than the 4-year ballot measures, nonetheless contribute to parcel tax growth. Homeowners do not receive annual written notice of the School Board increases.
Measure B was approved, as well as Measure E, a temporary emergency flat tax of $1 million for a period of 3 years, to bridge state revenue reductions.
The 2009 vote by residents was significant in 3 ways. First, the voters ratified past annual increases imposed by the School Board. Second, voters did not provide a mandate for future Measure B levies above the 2009 level (since the campaign was based on the assertion “your taxes will not be increased.”) Third, approval of the 2009 rate was followed by a February 1, 2010 Citizens’ Advisory Committee Report which noted adjustments to school programs and personnel were still required to increase cost efficiency – adjustments to create a stable “long-term financial plan” first requested by the School Board in 2006.
Read More in this series of articles examining Piedmont School Finances:
The Piedmont League of Women Voters will present a forum titled “School Funding—Why Proposition 30 Matters to You” on Wednesday, September 19, from 7:3o to 9 p.m. at the Ellen Driscoll Theater, 325 Highland Ave., Piedmont. The program is free and open to the public. > Click to read more…
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