LVUSD Looks at New Parcel Tax

About 66 percent of respondents to a privately conducted survey said they would vote in favor of an annual $114 parcel tax to support the Las Virgenes Unified School District.

The results were presented to the Board of Education on Tuesday by Goodwin Simon Strategic Research in an effort to help LVUSD administrators decide whether to pursue placing a parcel tax on the ballot as early as this fall.

Goodwin Simon polled 500 local voters via telephone between April 27 and May 2 and asked them an array of questions relating to the prospect of a new tax.

The research firm found that $114 was the maximum parcel tax amount that could potentially win approval by two-thirds of voters, the margin needed to pass a parcel tax in California.

A parcel tax of that amount could generate up to $2.4 million for the school district, said Supt. Donald Zimring.

Seventy percent of survey respondents who identified themselves as knowing  a "great deal" about the LVUSD's current budget situation said they would vote in favor of a parcel tax, Goodwin Simon President Paul Goodwin said in his presentation to the board.

Those results mean it would be worth it to educate the public on budget cuts and the difficult decisions the LVUSD has had to face over the past several years, he said.

"There is clearly support to be gained when people understand the urgency of what the district is facing," Goodwin said.

Pursuing a parcel tax is nothing new in California.

From 2001 to June 2009, 83 parcel taxes were passed by voters in the state. The yearly tax ranged from $36 to $346.

Homeowners are currently paying a $98-a-year parcel tax to benefit Las Virgenes Unified. The tax was originally approved in 2004 and then renewed in 2007 to last through 2015.

The school district has not decided yet whether to pursue an additional parcel tax.

Administrators are waiting for Gov. Schwarzenegger's May budget revise to be released Friday. That revise will inform districts throughout the state how big a funding cut they will face in the upcoming school year.

The LVUSD also has to balance its books after the recent approval of the May 24-27 furlough days resulting in a 5.4 percent pay cut for teachers and other employees.

"Right now our budget situation is fluid," said board member Dave Moorman.

 Moorman said additional research needs to be done to see whether a new parcel tax is something the community wants to take on.

Board member Cindy Iser said it was too early to take sides on whether to introduce a new parcel tax, but the survey results gave her something to think about.

"The information was interesting and illuminating," she said.

If approved by voters, funds from a new parcel tax wouldn't start to be collected until the 2011-12 school year, Zimring said.

If the district decides to move forward, it could place the matter on the state's general election this November or wait until November 2011.

Zimring said it would cost about $30,000 to put the measure on a general election ballot and $200,000 to hold a special election.