Letters to the editor Letters to the editor (January 02, 2004)

Parcel tax seeks boom-era funding from tapped-out residents

Editor:

After spending at least $150,000 during the 2002-2003 school year to hold a special parcel tax election (Measure E) last June, the Mountain View-Whisman School District Board has authorized another parcel tax election for March 2004 -- less than a year after Mountain View voters defeated the first one.

The district school superintendent recently informed parents that the Mountain View Education Foundation raised $400,000 to restore programs and services eliminated in budget cuts. Instead of driving businesses out of Mountain View with a tax increase, the school district received generous donations to restore necessary programs.

It is unclear why the school district needs a hefty $1.6 million parcel tax.

Also, what is to prevent the foundation from raising money again next year? I am sure wealthy individuals, parents, and businesses who support the schools and/or want a tax write-off will be eager to contribute until the state's economy rebounds.

Will the Voice provide a pro/con analysis of the tax proposal for those who were unable to attend the public meetings held in support of the tax?

Unfortunately, Silicon Valley is still experiencing a major recession; the much-touted economic recovery has been a jobless one for California. To weather the uncertainty, many unemployed property owners have taken out equity loans to survive, in hopes of obtaining employment in the near future.

Workers have had to sustain large pay cuts to obtain or keep their jobs. In Mountain View, I see numerous vacancy signs posted at apartments, houses, and empty office buildings -- and moving vans moving people out of our city.

Yet, the school board continues to seek boom-era funding when the area is teetering on economic collapse. This proposed tax is a local property tax over and above the normal state property tax and a way to get around Proposition 13.

Businesses and ordinary citizens have supported the schools, but they are also trying to stay afloat. Perhaps the school board should request an external audit from the Governor's office to review its finances and provide recommendations on how the school district can live within its means, like the rest of us.

Elizabeth Reus
San Pierre Way

E-mail a friend a link to this story.