ELECTION: Portola Valley approves school parcel tax

Daily Post Staff Writer
Update, May 8: Portola Valley voters have overwhelmingly approved a school parcel tax.
Measure S needed two-thirds of the vote for passage. It received 75.1% of the vote.
The results were 1,967 votes in favor and 652 against. The turnout (number of people returning ballots over the number eligible to vote) was 47.6%.
Original story, May 1: Voters in Portola Valley will decide whether to renew a parcel tax for the school district in an all-mail election. The ballots are due Tuesday, May 4.

The Portola Valley School District serves about 500 students at Corte Madera School, for pre-kindergarten to third-graders, and Ormondale School, where fourth-to eighth-graders go.

This is the second attempt by supporters of Measure S to get a parcel tax approved. In March 2020, a renewal of the current $581 tax with a 3% annual increase failed, getting 64.45% of the vote. Parcel taxes need 66.67% of the vote to pass.

With Measure S, the tax would be $471 per parcel and last eight years.

The district currently gets 7.5% of its $15 million budget from its parcel tax.

All ballots will be received through the mail, but those who are not registered to vote in time for the election can vote at the elections office at 40 Tower Road in San Mateo. Replacement ballots must be requested by April 27 for them to be mailed to the voter.

Ballots and voter information pamphlets will be mailed to registered voters between Saturday and April 27, according to the county elections office.

Ballots will be accepted in person until May 4, but if the ballot is postmarked by May 4 and arrives by May 7 it will be counted.

The final results of the election will be certified by June 3.

For more information about Measure S, go to the county elections website.