Uncategorized

Measure A tax fails to pass

by Gabrielle Pollock

 

News Editor

On May 2, residents of Los Gatos voted on a new parcel tax that unfortunately did not pass. The tax, Measure A, would have been an additional tax on top of a previously passed parcel tax.

The Los Gatos Union School District, which runs four elementary schools and one middle school, looked to double parcel tax revenues by implementing a new eight-year 290 dollar tax that would raise over 2 dollar million annually.

The Measure A tax would have supplemented an existing 290 dollar parcel tax, doubling the residents’ parcel taxes to 580 dollars per household. Kim Simon, co-chair of the measure, explained how “we know local funding is a proven method that our schools can count on. We’ve seen time and time again that the community supports funding for our schools, so we do expect the community will support this measure.”

Measure A would have gone directly to the Los Gatos Union School District. According to superintendent Diana Abbati, “If approved by two-thirds of voters, Measure A would take effect July 1 and generate approximately 2.8 million dollars annually.

Janette Canare and Kim Simon, co-chairs of the measure, described that “This measure will help the schools provide innovative programs in science, technology and engineering. Those subjects are very important since we live in the heart of Silicon Valley.”

Unfortunately, on May 2, Measure A did not pass. Unlike usual votes which need a majority to pass, a parcel tax needs a supermajority or 66.7 percent  to pass. From the vote counts, Measure A in the Los Gatos Union School District received 65.6 percent of votes, shy of only 1.1 percentage points.

Since the Measure did not pass, schools will continue to look for ways to gain an income that will allow for these crucial changes for expansion and further development.

(Sources: Mercury News and LGUSD)

Categories: Uncategorized

Leave a Reply