This story first appeared in Thursday morning’s Daily Post print edition. If you want to read important local news stories first, pick up the Post in the mornings at 1,000 Mid-Peninsula locations.
The Palo Alto school board will discuss whether to go forward with a parcel tax renewal that a former board member says may not be necessary.
School board president Shounak Dharap told the Post Wednesday night that he has put the parcel tax on the agenda for the board’s next meeting on Feb. 10 at 6:30 p.m., 25 Churchill Ave.
The focus of the meeting will be the district’s budget, and the issues about the parcel tax raised by former board member Todd Collins will be discussed.
Collins has argued that it may not be necessary to replace the expiring $941-per-year parcel tax because the money the district gets from the regular property tax has been increasing beyond what a parcel tax would generate. Meanwhile, enrollment is decreasing. The district has fewer kids to educate.
Collins says that 10 years ago, the district received funding of about $16,000 a student. This year, that number is more than double — $35,000 per student.
Dharap said he’s concerned about the budget because cuts may be necessary. He’s talked to officials in other districts who have had to make cuts. And he said many grants were issued during the Covid pandemic, and if they were five-year grants, a common length, the grants would be ending about now.
What a novel concept, if we have enough money from our other sources, lets not extend or create a new tax and give Mr. or Ms. taxpayer a break for a change.
Are you a teacher struggling to afford to live anywhere within an hour radius? Teachers are educating some of the wealthiest parents in the world.
No more taxes. Enough!
Live within your means like everyone else.
If you need to make cuts, let’s cut the mandatory ethnic studies classes. Fixed the problem.
How can the school board ask people for this additional money when they’re going to get a larger amount from increases in the property tax? It almost seems like a con job. I’d normally support a school parcel tax, but I can’t under these deceptive circumstances.