San Marino Expected to Pass Parcel Tax

Supporters of a parcel tax renewal to help fund San Marino’s highly ranked schools say that even in uncertain financial times they would be surprised if the measure fails.

They have history to back them up. San Marino residents typically have been willing to pay for a better quality of life. The first vote on the school parcel tax, in 1991, was approved by 80% of the voters. And last November, another tax for police and fire services won 85% of the votes.

“I’ll be stunned if it doesn’t pass,” said Richard Giss, chairman of the Citizens for San Marino Schools, the measure’s supporting committee. “This measure has broad community support, even among parents who have no children or who send their kids to private schools.”

The group’s main concern is that people in this city of 13,000, where the median household income is more than $127,000, go to the polls, Giss said. To help ensure this, they are sending out massive mailings to residents and will conduct a phone campaign on Election Day.

“This is the only measure on the ballot and there’s not a lot to remind people to go to the polls in March,” Giss said. “If lethargy sets in, we may have a problem.”

Senior citizens are exempt from the four-year tax, which charges $100 a year per parcel of land.

San Marino schools face serious budget cuts if the parcel tax is not renewed in the March 7 special election.

In an era when many school districts have had to cut back on special programs, the San Marino Unified School District has earned a reputation for its arts, music and physical education programs.

“If it doesn’t pass, our relative standard of excellence will be in jeopardy,” Supt. Thomas Godley said.

San Marino High School ranked ninth among the state’s public high schools in the 1992-93 California High School Performance Report, which rates academic performance of students.

The parcel tax provides $500,000 a year, nearly half the annual school budget of $1.1 million. In the last four years the money has helped the district reopen 10 condemned classrooms at Huntington Middle School, maintain an average class size of fewer than 30 students and afford modest increases in teacher’s salaries.

There is no formal opposition to the tax.

The measure requires two-thirds approval; polls will be open to all registered voters who live within the district, which includes two unincorporated county areas near Pasadena and San Gabriel.