Pollster: San Bruno Voters Support Parcel Tax for Schools

Local voters show overwhelming support for passing a parcel tax or bond measure if either option was put on a ballot for the , a pollster told the school board last week.

After surveying 400 people, , whose public polling company was hired by the district in November to gauge voter interest in a tax measure, said about 70 percent of the voters would be willing to approve either option.

The polling company also asked voters about whether they would support the district consolidating schools throughout the city and selling surplus property. While support was high for the tax measures, opinions varied on these options.

The results show that “this is a community that already has its mind made up about a lot of things,” Scott said at the Feb. 9 school board meeting.

The results of the survey come as the district is beginning to weigh its options for longterm revenue. The district is already being hit hard this year with an expected $3 million drop in property tax revenues. The district is also expected to face deficits in its budgets for the next two years.

The worries about future school funding are so dire that the school board voted to hold a special meeting Wednesday to decide whether to put a parcel tax on the June ballot if a is called.

Based on the results of the polling survey, school board members said they felt confident that residents would support the measure.

The survey showed that 70 percent of voters would approve a parcel tax on the ballot while 69 percent would support a general obligation bond. Under California law, parcel taxes must receive two-thirds approval by voters to pass and general obligation bonds must receive 55 percent approval to pass. Bond measures can only be spent on facilities and equipment and not on teacher salaries or other operating expenses.

However, the results showed that a majority of residents were opposed to consolidating schools throughout the district and were evenly split on supporting the district selling off surplus property.

With those sentiments, the board unanimously voted to give authority to Superintendent Dr. David Hutt to form a committee that will look into the district’s options for its surplus property. Property consultant Tom Shannon will be brought on to assist in the process.

“One of the options that could be looked into is what if we have the district office somewhere else? What would happen to that property,” board President Jennifer Blanco said Saturday.

In other action, the board voted 3-2 to not reinstate a $240 stipend for its members that was cut two years ago to help balance the budget during dire times. Blanco and board trustee James Prescott cast the dissenting votes.

Blanco said she thought the stipend wouldn’t have been a burden on the school district’s budget and that the amount pales in comparison to what board trustee Skip Henderson gets in health benefits from the district: $11,986.56, the maximum amount a board trustee can get (see attached).

“From what I saw, Skip Henderson gets a healthy amount,” Blanco said.

Only one other board member, Prescott, gets health benefits from the district.

Correction: This story incorrectly reported that several school board members get health benefits from the district besides Skip Henderson. In addition to Henderson, only James Prescott receives health benefits in an annual amount of $1,751.28.