Irvine District Needs Parcel Tax

Irvine has an important issue on the ballot for Nov. 2 that addresses a central question for suburban school systems. Given the financial pressures to maintain quality, should voters in a school district tax themselves to preserve a mission of excellence? The answer for Irvine Unified School District voters who will consider Measure B should be yes.

The measure proposes a special four-year $95 per parcel tax that could be extended by voters in additional four-year periods. The district proposes to use the money to close a budget gap; it has a $2.4-million deficit this year and plans to spend $1.5 million more of reserves this year for that purpose.

The result is that programs considered crucial to the district’s pursuit of excellence--its arts, music and science programs--are on the line. In the absence of a tax approved by two-thirds of district voters, the schools will have to begin making substantial cuts in these areas.

Irvine has prided itself on quality, but that continued tradition depends on revenue. The system says that its funding levels from the state, set in the 1970s, leave it $95 per student short of the average school district in Orange County.

It says it already has cut $12 million to maintain its fiscal position. The proposal would raise $3.4 million per year locally. Previous attempts to pass such a measure received a majority of support but failed to get the necessary two-thirds.

The notion that public school systems can aspire to excellence is important for a community’s identity. The issue comes down to whether a public school system that aims for high standards can maintain them as it loses control of discretionary spending. If not, it must cut programs to make the budget pencil out.

Providing this reliable source of revenue will free the district to plan to continue its programs without waiting to see what will happen in Sacramento.

Irvine residents have indicated clearly their desire to have and maintain a high quality public school system, and this will help them achieve that goal.