An army of ones
Public education supporters enlist volunteers to help back parcel tax proposal
By André Coleman 01/28/2010
One day after the Pasadena Board of Education voted to place a property tax increase on a spring special election ballot to help close the biggest budget deficit in the school district’s history, a nonprofit organization kicked off a campaign to ensure the proposal doesn’t fail at the polls.
On Tuesday night, the school board agreed to place a $120 per parcel-tax increase on a special mail-in ballot in May. Two-thirds voter support is needed for tax increases to pass.
On Wednesday, Invest in PUSD Kids — a local nonprofit organization made up of teachers, parents and concerned residents — was scheduled to hold a rally at Lake Avenue Congregational Church in Pasadena to enlist volunteers and drum up support.
“We already have a solid army of parents and teachers who will be volunteering,” said organizer Peter Dreier, a professor at Occidental College who has children attending public school in Pasadena. “We want to expand the size of that army so we can run a very effective ground campaign. It is going to depend on people talking to people in their homes, churches, synagogues and school sites. It is going to be a grassroots campaign and this is a way of recruiting more people.”
If approved, the parcel tax would increase local property taxes on about 70,000 parcels in Altadena, Pasadena and Sierra Madre, raising $8.4 million annually and helping to reduce the projected $20 million budget deficit the district faces in the coming fiscal year.
If voters do not approve the tax, up to 100 teachers could lose their jobs, forcing increases in class sizes and library closures, officials say.
“It’s a huge issue,” said parent Carla Dyson. “I have three kids in the district. I would be the first one to admit that our schools are not perfect, but there has been a lot of momentum in a lot of schools. My fear is that if we don’t do anything about these budget cuts that momentum is going to stop, and I don’t want that.”
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