Election results reflect disparity in school bond and parcel tax requirements
Published: November 9, 2010
Voters throughout California approved nearly 73 percent of the bond measures for K-12 education in last week’s balloting but only 11 percent of the parcel taxes, illustrating once again the daunting challenge posed by the two-thirds approval required for parcel taxes.
A review of preliminary, unofficial election results posted on CSBA’s Web site shows 59 K-12 bond measures on the Nov. 2 ballot and 17 K-12 parcel taxes. Each of the bond issues qualified for the 55 percent majority authorized under Proposition 39, the measure state voters approved in 2000 to lower the required majority in exchange for strict accountability conditions.
Local voters approved 43 of those 59 general obligation bond issues, generating more than $2 billion for capital investments in school facility construction and improvements. If the 55 percent majority applied to parcel taxes, the passage rate would have rocketed past 70 percent, with 12 of the 17 bids for parcel taxes passing.
“I think the results are more a reflection of the difficulty of getting a super-majority vote than of lack of support for public education,” said Rick Pratt, CSBA’s assistant executive director for governmental relations.
“Of the 15 failed parcel tax measures, 12 would have passed with a simple majority requirement and 10 would have passed with a 55 percent vote requirement. Only two failed to get majority approval. To me, this shows that—even in these tough times—the majority of voters recognize the value of public education and are willing to tax themselves more to support our schools.”
CSBA has long supported proposals to lower the parcel tax, such as State Constitutional Amendment 6, the most recent in a series of attempts by state Sen. Joe Simitian to make it easier for public agencies to raise local revenue by lowering the parcel tax threshold. The measure died on the Senate floor when the legislative session ended.
Despite the high hurdle posed by the two-thirds majority requirement for parcel taxes, the Berkeley Unified School District Measure H parcel tax racked up the highest approval rating in the state for a school revenue measure. Unofficial returns showed more than 80 percent of the district’s voters agreed to 10-year levies of roughly 6.3 cents per square foot for residential property and nearly 9.5 cents on commercial property. Parcel taxes generally finance dedicated programs or services, such as helping to provide essential maintenance of schools and grounds.
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