Schools

School District Sets Aside Revenues from Tax Hike

The move follows the advice of the Citizens' Advisory Committee to put some money in a reserve fund.

The school board voted unanimously in April to raise the Measure B parcel tax rate by 5 percent for the 2011-2012 fiscal year, the maximum amount allowed. The increase means an additional $406,555 in revenues for the school district this year. Three-fifths of that increase—$244,350—has now been set aside in a reserve fund to buoy up the district's finances next year when the supplemental Measure E tax expires and Measure B nears the end of its life cycle.

The transfer was one of two conditions made by the Citizens' Advisory Committee when it endorsed the increased Measure B levy in February. The school board was in agreement that a portion of the tax increase should be saved for later, though some argued that it should have been the full amount.

The committee's endorsement of the levy was also contingent upon the district negotiating substantial givebacks with its employee groups while avoiding layoffs. The district has followed orders in that respect too, getting everyone from classroom aides to the superintendent to agree to an unprecedented cap on health benefits and a continuation of furlough days, and implementing minimal program reductions that resulted in .


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