Close calls

The Pasadena Unified School District may have a tough row to hoe in implementing either a bond measure or parcel tax to help fund public education.

According to the results of a survey conducted by Dale Scott & Co., the district does not now have enough voter support for either type of funding measure to pass.

About 60 percent of the 500 voters polled said hey favored a parcel tax, with only another five
percent saying they are “leaning” toward voting for one. A parcel tax needs approval from 66.7 percent of the voters. A bond measure needs 55 percent voter approval.

And once dollar amounts for the tax burden to average citizens were affixed to the question, the approval numbers only declined.

Only 52 percent of those surveyed said they would approve a $40 per year parcel tax. That number dropped to 47 percent when the amount was raised to $50, then fell to 37 percent when those polled were asked if they would be likely to support a $60 per year tax.

The unfavorable response could be linked to the current state of the national economy. With rising gas and food prices, voters are more likely to be turned off by anything with a new tax attached to it.
But a deeper look at the study reveals that the public’s poor perception of the district could also play a part. Only 38 percent of those polled felt the district was headed in the right direction. And only 31 percent felt the district provided a good education.

In 1997, 73 percent of voters approved Measure Y, a $240 million bond measure designed to modernize the 33 schools in the PUSD by upgrading electrical systems, replacing plumbing and sewers, improving heating and ventilation systems, renovating restrooms, replacing roofs and installing technology infrastructure.

Seven years later, much of that planned work remains unfinished and the Board of Education in late 2006 voted to close four schools to bridge a yawning budget gap without first performing a comprehensive financial audit.

“I think they have a long way to go to truly justify needing more money,” said longtime schools critic and attorney Rene Amy. “What they are going to do is create something with a lot of nice logos, and it will sound good, and there will be no time for public debate or review.”

On Tuesday, the Board of Education is expected to vote on putting either a parcel tax or bond measure before voters on the November ballot.

“We certainly need more resources to do the things we need to do in the district and we cannot count on Sacramento,” said Board member Renatta Cooper. “If this community wants to have a good public school system, they have to fund it. That’s the only way it is going to happen. There is never a good time to ask people to increase their taxes, but if we can make a public school system they feel good about it could save them private school tuition, and I think that’s one of the goals. I have got to believe that on some level people are looking at the big picture.”

The money would be used to offset proposed cuts to education by Gov. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who asked for $4 billion in cuts from public education.

Former Board of Education member Bill Bibbiani said the district will have to provide more information to the public about its finances before voters approve anything.

“I want to see more specifically what their long-term plans are,” said Bibbiani. “They have talked about consolidating schools and changing grade structure, but to what end? There has got to be a lot more specifics before they go to the ballot for a bond measure or a parcel tax.”

But even if the district has not laid out all the details, local TV host and former congressional candidate Barry Gordon already knows where he stands on the issue.

Gordon, a former child star, was working at home two weeks ago when he was interrupted by a caller asking for an opinion on a bond measure and a parcel tax to help Pasadena’s schools.

“I was very surprised to hear a professional survey company asking about a parcel tax and a bond measure for Pasadena schools,” Gordon said. “I knew some people were talking about it, but I had no idea it was that far along. I would support either and both. I would support anything that has to do with improving schools.

“If the state does not realize education is an investment, I am hoping the people of Pasadena will,” Gordon said.