Voters should OK Palo Alto schools’ parcel tax measure

The Palo Alto Unified School District is in one of California’s wealthier and better- educated cities. For the 2019-20 school year, the district’s expenditures per student were $22,126, giving it a considerable advantage over most competitors. But that doesn’t mean the district is immune to budget challenges stemming from expectations that it will provide a wide range of quality programs and classroom experiences for its 12,000 students.

The economic fallout from the pandemic created an immediate $2.5 million hole in the district’s budget last spring after the city of Palo Alto backed out of a lease agreement for the district’s Cubberley Community Center. And efforts to enhance distance learning placed additional strains on the budget.

School officials decided in July to place a six-year renewal of the district’s $836 parcel tax on the Nov. 3 ballot. Voters should approve Measure O, which would raise an estimated $16 million a year.

In addition to the parcel tax, property owners pay a yearly levy that covers the cost of school construction bond payments. That tax is $80.30 for every $100,000 of assessed valuation. For the owners of a home with an average assessed valuation of $1,450,909, that works out to $1,165 annually.

The parcel tax funds would go to the district’s general fund. Superintendent Don Austin says the money could cover the cost of 150 faculty and staff members.

In 2015, 77% of district voters approved the existing parcel tax. Voters should renew it[ by voting yes on Measure O.