Months before a longstanding parcel tax is set to expire, San Marino Unified will ask residents to approve an identical tax, Measure E, during a special election on Tuesday, March 2.
In a board of education resolution, district officials said the money is necessary because state funding is “inadequate to provide the level of support to the district’s education programs that the residents of the district expect.”
It will require a two-thirds vote to pass.
Unlike a bond measure, which can only be used to build facilities, a parcel tax such as Measure E can be spent on teachers salaries and any other expense the district may incur.
The district has collected about $4 million annually from the previous Measure E, which has been in place since 2009. To fund this, every property owner in the district pays $968 each year, or a little more than $80 a month, regardless of property value.
Right now, the previous Measure E is set to expire on June 30.
If voters approve the new Measure E — which is identical to the previous — the parcel tax will stay in place until it’s ended by voters, according to the resolution.
The board of education will have the option to increase the tax annually to keep up with inflation, the resolution says, noting that it will rise by either 3% a year or match the percentage of inflation noted by the Los Angeles Statistical Area Consumer Price Index — whichever is less.
The board can also reduce the tax if it chooses.
Like the previous Measure E, homeowners over the age of 65 are exempt from paying the tax on their residences.
The district has one other parcel tax already in effect, Measure R, which is set to expire on June 30, 2025. It provides about $1.6 million annually to the district, costing every property owner $366 a year.
According to the district’s website, existing Measure E funds support the salaries of 34 teachers, three counselors and four technology support positions. Officials say the money keeps class sizes smaller and preserves many of its extracurricular activities.
Here is the full text of the ballot measure:
PRESERVE SAN MARINO SCHOOLS – To continue San Marino’s tradition of community support for local schools, to retain outstanding classroom teachers and continue advanced programs in math, science, engineering, technology, provide honors and advanced placement classes, and to minimize class size increases, shall San Marino Unified School District continue to levy a $968 education parcel tax, with exemptions for seniors, raising approximately $4 million annually, to be assessed in each fiscal year with annual inflation adjustments until ended by voters?
