IRVINE : School Board Weighs Parcel Tax for Ballot

With costs going up and income falling, the Irvine Unified School District board of trustees tonight will consider putting a $35-per-parcel tax on the June ballot.

If the board approves a recommendation from district staff, it will ask voters on June 4 to approve a $35-a-year tax on each property parcel within the district. The proposed tax, which would need a two-thirds majority to pass, would bring in about $1.4 million and would remain in place for four years.

The proposed tax would be a partial remedy for an estimated $3-million budget shortfall expected in the next school year because of Gov. Pete Wilson’s proposed cuts, Deputy Supt. Paul Reed said Monday.

“The governor’s proposal creates a real dismal scenario for all of the public schools in California,” Reed said.

A district task force is looking at current spending to recommend further cuts for next year’s budget. A similar task force last year recommended cuts that resulted in $2.4 million in savings and avoided hurting many classroom programs. The cuts reduced the district’s vocal music program and reduced services such as psychological counseling, busing and maintenance.

But with the state’s proposed budget looking bleak for the next school year, the next round of cuts probably will have to reach into the classroom, Reed said.

Budget problems have affected nearly all public schools in California because of smaller-than-expected increases in state funding and increasing teacher and staff pay.

In anticipation of placing the property tax on the June ballot, the Irvine school board authorized a community poll last month to gauge whether voters might endorse the tax. Results of the survey showed that an aggressive public information campaign would be needed to convince voters of the need for the tax.

Historically, Orange County voters have rejected similar property taxes for schools. In 1989, voters in the Westminster School District rejected a $100-per-parcel tax by a 3-to-1 margin. And in 1983, Irvine Unified voters refused to give the necessary two-thirds approval for a proposed $50-per-parcel property tax.

Tonight’s public hearing on the tax is scheduled during the board’s 7:30 p.m. meeting at 5050 Barranca Parkway in Irvine. During the meeting, the board also will be asked to endorse a hiring and spending freeze instituted by the district staff last week because of the expected budget shortfalls.