School district seeks approval of parcel taxes

The San Rafael City Schools district is asking voters to approve Measures G and H next month to support its elementary, middle and high school academic programs.

Both Measure G, for the high schools, and Measure H, for the elementary and middle schools, are on an all-mail special ballot election set for May 4. They are the only two items on the ballot.

If approved by two thirds of voters, the measures would renew the existing parcel taxes and increase each by $36, for a $72 total hike.

For Measure G, the current rate of $196 per parcel would rise to $232, while the Measure H rate of $287 per parcel would rise to $323.

Both measures would run for a term of eight years with a 3% annual increase. The annual increase is down 2 percentage points from the current tax package, which was passed in 2014 and expires in June 2022.

“We thought 3% was more in line with the cost of living,” said Jim Hogeboom, the school district superintendent.

The parcel taxes generate about 10% of the joint district’s $100 million budget. If they are not renewed, the district would need to lay off up to 60 teachers, Hogeboom said.

“We rely on the parcel tax,” he said, noting that the money goes to maintain smaller class sizes and programs in math, science, technology, music and art.

He said the district has already cut $3 million out of its budget over the past two years, including some layoffs.

“I think the district has done a really good job fiscally,” Hogeboom said. “Also, we’ve focused on equity — trying to get all our kids back to school during COVID.”

There are no arguments in opposition to either measure listed on the ballot, according to the Marin County Elections Department.

Measure G and H have slightly different voter pools. Measure G — San Rafael, Terra Linda and Madrone high schools — applies to all San Rafael voters. Measure H excludes voters in the Miller Creek School District, which operates its own elementary schools.

The joint district enrolls nearly 7,000 children, including about 2,900 K-5 students, 1,300 in middle school and 2,600 high schoolers. Enrollment is down by 330 students over this time last year, said Bob Marcucci, chief business officer.

That decline includes 210 elementary students and 120 in the high schools, Marcucci said. The district loses $10,000 in state subsidies for every elementary school student who leaves because the elementary schools receive per-student state financing, while the high schools are financed by property taxes that do not change in revenue based on enrollment.

At the same time that enrollment and state subsidies are dropping, teacher and staff pension costs are up, Marcucci said.

The state is requiring the district this year to contribute 15.9% of teacher salaries to the California State Teachers Retirement System and 23% of classified staff salaries to the California Public Employees Retirement System. In 2022-23, those mandates will peak at 18% and 26.3%, respectively, Marcucci said.

District trustee Gina Daly said the state needs to help school districts on the pension front. The school districts have no control on the pension contribution rate, she said.

“It’s up to Sacramento,” she said. “They need to buy down the unfunded liability. This has gone on for a long time. It’s been coming to a head for a few years.”

The district set the rates for Measures G and H after reviewing results from polling done in January. The polling showed more definitive voter support when the increase in the two taxes was dropped from $48 per parcel to $36, and when the annual escalator was reduced from 5% to 3%. The telephone survey, by Godbe Research Inc., included a sample of 838 San Rafael High School District voters, 539 San Rafael Elementary School District voters and 299 Miller Creek School District voters.

The total pool of San Rafael High School District voters is 18,670. That includes 11,559 voters in the San Rafael Elementary School District and 7,111 in Miller Creek School District, according to Godbe.