Beverly Hills : Third Try for Parcel Tax

The Beverly Hills school board is hoping that the third time will be the charm to pass a parcel tax to help the city’s financially strapped schools.

At Tuesday night’s public hearing, board members were told that preliminary results of a community survey it commissioned showed that the public would, in fact, support a parcel tax.

Based on those findings, the Yes on Schools Committee urged that the measure be placed on the June ballot. The school board is expected next week to approve a resolution to put the tax to a vote in a special election June 4.

The tax proposal differs only slightly from one that fell just four votes short of passage last June. Under state law, such a tax must be approved by a two-thirds majority.

The tax, which would be levied over the next five years, would generate more than $21.6 million for the school district. Commercial and residential plots of land would be assessed between $250 and $750 depending on their size and use.

No one spoke in opposition to the tax at Tuesday’s board meeting, but board mem ber Frank M. Fenton said this would almost certainly be the final attempt.

The Beverly Hills Unified School District first tried to pass a parcel tax in 1987, which called for a flat fee of $270 per parcel. The measure was supported by 59% of the voters.

When the second proposal was rejected last June, the district laid off 41 teachers, eliminated some classes and programs and increased class sizes. The teachers lost a 3% pay raise for the 1990-91 school year that was contingent on passage of the tax.

This year the Beverly Hills School District has a $28.6-million budget. A $1.26-million deficit is predicted for the 1991-92 school year.