Santa Cruz Residents to Vote on 2 Parcel Tax Measures for Public Schools

Thousands of Santa Cruz County residents will be voting Tuesday on two parcel tax measures to secure funding for public schools.

If passed, Measure O will create a $72 annual parcel tax to benefit educational programs within the Santa Cruz City High School District, according to an impartial analysis by county counsel.

The money would help keep Career Technical Education, science, technology, engineering and performing arts curriculae and help maintain athletic programs.

The district oversees two middle schools and three high schools. Supporters of the tax, including county Supervisor John Leopold, said secondary programs aren’t receiving enough financial support from state and county budgets.

The district needs to maintain the programs to make sure students are competitive when applying to college, according to supporters.

The tax breaks down to $6 a month for taxpayers, supporters said. The funds would stay within the district and not benefit administrators’ salaries.

The district is currently benefiting from Measure I, a $38 annual parcel tax passed by voters in 2012, which expires in 2021, according to county counsel.

Measure I retains teachers and librarians, makes counselors available for academic and career counseling and improves academic programs.

If Measure O passes, it would overlap with Measure I for five years, according to county counsel. Measure P is a $105 annual parcel tax for the Santa Cruz City Elementary School District that would also last for eight years.

The funds would be allocated for hiring and retaining teachers; keeping small class sizes, continuing art and music instruction and supporting school libraries.

If passed Measure P would extend a parcel tax for the elementary schools passed in 2008 and set to expire next year, according to measure supporters including county Supervisor Ryan Coonerty and former mayor Hilary Bryant.

Measure J, similar to Measure P, was passed in 2012. It renewed an $85 parcel tax for eight years for the elementary school district, according to an impartial analysis by assistant county counsel Jane Scott.

The measure would coincide with Measure J for five years, according to Scott. Both measures, if passed by the required two-thirds majority, would start implementing the annual tax on July 1 through 2021.

Votes can only be submitted through mail-in ballots and there are 72,001 people eligible to participate in the election, according to the county clerk’s office.

The county will count ballots with a postmark on or before Tuesday and received in the mail by Friday. Two voter assistance centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Tuesday for residents to pick up a second ballot, submit their vote with a touch screen voting unit, drop off their ballot or ask questions.

The centers will be at the county Elections Department at 701 Ocean St., Room 210 in Santa Cruz and Congregation Church of Soquel at 4951 Soquel Drive in Soquel.

--City News Service, photo via Shutterstock