Board Offers Irvine Voters New Twist on Parcel Tax

This time, the Irvine schools will do their school-tax campaign differently: they’ll seek to eliminate the opposition by giving it what it wants.

In voting to try again for a parcel tax for schools, the school board decided to provide exemptions for senior citizens--the biggest foes of the tax measure that recently failed.

Dozens of parents and teachers applauded the vote Tuesday night by trustees of the Irvine Unified School District to place another parcel tax on the April 11 ballot.

Voters narrowly rejected a flat $95 levy in November, a move that will force trustees to cut at least $4 million from the district budget and lay off about 100 teachers.

Trustees told residents that taking the tax to voters again was the only option to save the district’s highly regarded programs. On the chopping block are class-size reduction and specialized science and arts instruction.

“Does our community really want [to offer] a basic education?” asked Jeanne Flint, the board’s president. “I say no. Kids do deserve better.”

Her colleagues agreed that past failures in securing the parcel tax should not keep them from asking voters for their support one more time.

“What kind of lesson is it to get defeated once and not try again?” asked Trustee Karen Preston, referring to tax opponents who protested that the people had already voted no. “To try again means a lot. My momma didn’t raise a quitter, so I fully support this parcel tax.”

After about 30 speakers debated the issue during a heated meeting that did not end until midnight, trustees pondered whether to stick to the $95 tax that was on the November ballot or to exempt seniors and increase the levy to $120.

“[Asking for] $95 was pretty icky,” Preston said. “I don’t think that the market will bear $120.”

Opening the floor for a second round of comments on the tax amount, trustees went with the advice of Peter Cortese, 71.

“Ninety-five dollars, with a senior exemption by application, will bring you much support from seniors,” he said. “At least from one.”

But Preston warned residents that the senior exemption means that some programs would still disappear.

“We will still have to make cuts off the list,” she said. “Don’t tell me we didn’t tell you.”

Parents at the meeting vowed to support the new measure wholeheartedly.

“Another quiet campaign will not sit well with us,” said Marilyn Jacks, president of the Irvine PTA council, who had brought the signatures of 6,000 residents who support the tax.

And board member Margie Wakeham pledged that this would be the last time she would ask voters for the tax.

“I promise you that if this doesn’t go, I’m not going to vote for another one,” she said.