Feelers out on parcel tax

La Cañada Flintridge residents living in the western section of the city may soon be asked to vote on a parcel tax for the Glendale Unified School District.

District officials have hired a survey firm, True North, to issue and analyze a poll to test support for the tax, which would be tied to specific educational programs and expenses. Residents west of Rosebank Drive are served by the Glendale district.

The firm would also determine where the parcel tax funds should be spent. A political consulting group, TBWB Strategies, is working pro-bono to ensure the survey is comprehensive.

“It’s determining the viability of doing a parcel tax,” said Glendale Unified Deputy Supt. Dick Sheehan, slated to become superintendent July 1. “We’ll be looking to put out a survey at some point, probably sooner rather than later.”

Parcel taxes — fees paid by all property owners, with certain exemptions for senior citizens — require a two-thirds majority.

Almost 60% of district revenue from the state has been cut to 2005-06 levels, with 6.2% of district spending coming from non-property-tax funds, such as community contributions, interest income and developer fees, according to a report by EdSource, a nonpartisan nonprofit that tracks education trends in California.

State leaders have since altered funding formulas, lowering the minimum funding guarantee to school districts.

School boards across the state have resorted to parcel taxes to offset budget cuts.

Los Angeles Unified is asking voters to approve a $100 tax in a June election. Voters in Culver City approved a similar tax last year.

Glendale Unified submitted a qualified budget to the Los Angeles County Office of Education, an admission that it may not meet its financial obligations for three consecutive years. By law, school districts must project solvency for three years, but Glendale Unified officials project an $18.5-million deficit in 2011-12.

“I think everyone is coming to the opinion that this is the best shot,” said Edward Bash, chairman of SOS Glendale, a volunteer parent group that advocates a parcel tax.

“If we don’t do this, what are we going to do? We can’t let the system go bankrupt.”

The survey responses will determine whether the district hires a consulting firm to tailor a public campaign for the parcel tax, Sheehan said.

“All that will be based on what the survey tells us,” he said. “Everything is on the table, but you learn so much from doing the survey.”

Parents from SOS Glendale and the Parent Teacher Assn. will help True North and Glendale Unified develop survey questions, officials said.

“There’s more across-the-board cooperation and positive involvement on the behalf of the school board and superintendent’s office, so it’s good news,” Bash said. “Even though it was spring break, there was a lot activity behind the scenes.”