A Majority Vote Should Prevail : Something is wrong when more than 60% can’t approve a measure

Local school districts are suffering because the state can no longer afford to fully finance public education. The mammoth Los Angeles Unified School District faces the largest budget deficit, but the pain is common in school districts throughout the county.

The state’s budget deficit has translated into round after round of reductions in classes, programs and staff. To avoid even more Draconian cuts, six school districts requested an increase in property taxes in Tuesday’s local election. Another school district, in Newhall, proposed a general obligation bond that would have been paid back through increased property taxes.

The requests were reasonable, and a majority of the voters backed the parcel taxes in the Claremont, Culver City, El Segundo, La Canada, Las Virgenes and South Pasadena school districts.

But the will of the majority will not prevail in any of the districts. This is democracy?

The majority will not prevail because the winning margins fell short of the two-thirds vote required by Proposition 13 to approve local taxes. That will penalize thousands of children.

The special taxes were reasonable. In Culver City, for example, the new tax would have levied an additional $98 on each parcel of land. (Senior citizens would have been exempt from the new levy.) Those new fees would have raised nearly $1 million for the strapped district to compensate for some of the cuts.

Use of new revenues would have been restricted in most districts. In Las Virgenes the new revenues would have reduced class size, restored elective classes and paid for an additional period for middle-school students, but none of the new money would have paid for teachers’ salaries or administrative costs. However, that safeguard was not enough to persuade two out of three voters. In this case an overwhelming 64% vote still spelled defeat. That’s incredible--and wrong.

Local school districts can no longer depend on Sacramento to pay every bill. Absent new local revenues, the deepening deficits will force herculean cuts in pay, staff, classes and supplies. No one need ask any more why Johnny can’t read.