El Segundo Schools Again Fail to Get Enough Parcel Tax Votes

For the second time in five months, El Segundo school officials failed to persuade enough voters to support a special $120 annual parcel tax to support local schools, bringing dire warnings about the future of local education.

“If the goal of the people who voted against the parcel tax is to achieve mediocrity in their school system,” Supt. William Manahan said Wednesday, “they’re doing a good job of . . . it.”

The proposed parcel tax, embodied in Proposition K, was supported by 61.3% of the voters Tuesday but needed a two-thirds, or 66.67%, vote for passage. In November, the same measure received support from 59% of the voters.

“We can elect a President of the United States with a simple majority and a governor . . . with a simple majority,” Manahan said, “but it takes a landslide majority to provide support for the schools.”

That, Manahan said, holds school districts hostage to a minority of the voters.

Like other districts around the state trying to make frayed budget ends meet, El Segundo has been hampered by the requirements of Proposition 13, the property tax limitation measure adopted by the state’s voters in 1978. Under Proposition 13, any new property taxes must be approved by two-thirds of the voters.

The parcel tax, which was to last three years, would have raised about $550,000 a year for the district. School officials were so short of money last year that they came close to cutting 11 teachers. However, the City Council stepped in with a deal to lease some city land, which saved seven of the teachers, at least for this year.

Manahan said every effort will be made to retain as many of the teachers as possible by finding other areas from which to cut money next year. However, the district has lost more than $800,000 in state funds over the past three years and Manahan said he did not know if it would lose more this year.