The San Marino Unified School District Board of Education was expected to vote at its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday evening on a resolution to begin the process of providing guidelines for an oversight committee or task force that would be activated if voters approve Measure E on March 2.
With its proceeds earmarked for education funding, Measure E raises $968 per parcel in San Marino as well as commercial properties and residences within the boundaries of the SMUSD. The special election will be held on Tuesday, March 2, by mail-in ballot.
First approved by voters in 2009 for a six-year term, the parcel tax was renewed in 2015 and is scheduled to expire this June. If Measure E receives the required two-thirds vote, taxpayers will be charged in perpetuity, as the six-year sunset clause has been removed from the ballot.
The official ballot statement says that the tax will be assessed in each fiscal year “until ended by voters.” The board’s proposed resolution — Resolution 13 — has been crafted as a response to public opposition to the permanent nature of the parcel tax and responsibility and costs of calling for a vote to end the tax that would be placed on the electorate. The cost to hold an election that includes voters in the city of San Marino and the school district has been estimated at $80,000.
The board heard the first reading of the proposed resolution at a special meeting held on Jan. 19, and Resolution 13 was listed as an action item for Tuesday’s agenda. During board discussion at the Jan. 19 meeting, newly elected board member Julie Chan Lin suggested the SMUSD host an informational town hall gathering.
“We are getting emails and texts and calls,” said Chan Lin. “We really have a desire to be transparent and work with the community. I think we should put together a town hall and invite the community to come and talk about their concerns regarding Measure E and help them understand why we have made this something that’s not just six years but that’s ongoing. They need more. The community needs more time to understand and digest this.”
Jane Chon, who, like Chan Lin, was elected in November and took the oath of office in December, emphatically stated the need for accountability.
“If we do not reassure the community and the public and the voters that we are absolutely 100% committed to creating some form of an oversight committee with the interests of our voters and our taxpayers represented in a genuine transparent open and authentic manner, then I think we are going to end up kind of shooting ourselves in the foot,” said Chon.
The second reading of Resolution 13 calls for the creation of “an accountability structure” and a commitment to be transparent with the fiscal resources provided by the successful passage of Measure E as an ongoing parcel tax, if it is eventually approved by voters. The resolution will also create “a trigger mechanism to end Measure E at some future time where the tax is no longer necessary to sustain the district.”
The resolution also calls for the board to appoint a task force or oversight committee within 60 days of certification of the election, which will meet at least once a year. It also requires the district to “maintain a reserve account to pay for fees and expenses associated with an order to the county registrar to call an election within the boundaries of the district to submit to the voters the question whether the district shall discontinue, and effectively end or decrease, the levy Measure E special tax within the district.”
Ahead of Tuesday night’s scheduled vote, school board President Shelley Ryan explained her position on Resolution 13.
“I think it represents the fact that the board has heard the community,” said Ryan. “There is a group of citizens that has voiced their concerns to board members. The previous board, which includes myself, all voted to go with the recommendations to go with the parcel tax committee. The new board has some questions. We heard a lot of questions about that particular piece. They did not like the part that the parcel tax didn’t end. We heard that, and we thought what can we do to put checks and balances in place. In the end, we have some new language that we hope will address the issue. We are not taking lightly their tax dollars.”
According to the SMUSD, Measure E funds 35 full-time equivalent teaching positions, which will be eliminated if the parcel tax is not passed. A second school parcel tax — Measure R — is scheduled to sunset in June 2025. First approved by voters in 1991, Measure R generates $1.6 million annually at $366 per parcel and also includes all parcels and commercial properties located within the city of San Marino as well as the boundaries of the SMUSD. Measure R currently carries a six-year term and requires two-thirds approval by voters. Voters 65 years of age and older can apply for an exemption from either or both of the parcel taxes.
Board Considers Resolution Creating Parcel Tax Oversight
