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Measure E Puts Ross Valley School District Voter In A Quandary
I’m at a crossroad. For the second consecutive time in a lifetime of voting I’m in a quandary over whether to support a local school tax. This one is Measure E to raise an additional $3 million annually for the Ross Valley School District. Voters in San Anselmo, Fairfax and Sleepy Hollow are deciding this in a special election ending on May 6th.
In the past, this would have been a “no-brainer” for me. I’ve served two terms on the board of the Ross Valley School District and actively worked to pass numerous tax and bond measures for the district. I generally believe that teachers should be paid more, particularly if we want good people on the job. I buy the argument that good schools bolster property values because they generate demand among parents who want to live and raise their children in a healthy community. I assumed that this support for my children, grandchildren and our schools would be unwavering.
Do we need to increase revenues for our schools? Absolutely! Teachers in the Ross Valley School District are underpaid relative to Marin’s other school districts. Good teachers can and do leave for higher paying jobs.
I want to support this measure, but I’m troubled by the undemocratic process the school district is using to engineer a victory. Rather than seeking community-wide support in a general election, the District has resorted to a special election hoping for a low voter turnout that makes getting a 67% winning majority easier.
The District is also misleading its voters. This is a not a tax renewal as is described in the ballot materials. It's a new measure that changes the method of taxation while also substantially increasing the amount that is raised. It includes a new automatic annual 3 percent increase and the method of taxation switches from a per parcel to a square footage rate. In a democracy, we need honesty and this doesn’t pass.
Additionally, the proposal allows senior citizens to exempt themselves from the tax. Nevertheless, seniors get to vote even though they get the benefit of good property values. This amounts to representation without taxation.
I’d like to see state legislation mandating that all local tax measures be presented exclusively in general elections and that senior exemptions be prohibited. Unfortunately, these are common political tactics that have been used for decades.
Also troubling is the use of taxpayer money for political consultants who are paid to bamboozle us with leading survey questions and recommendations to undermine full participation in important decisions that affect the entire community. It’s time to scrap these practices and operate in a truly democratic way.
In the meantime, my ballot marker wavers. While I remain undecided on Measure E, I’m not likely to support future tax measures in special elections. Nor am I likely to support tax measures with senior exemptions, particularly when I might need to apply for one and would be subjecting others to a tax I’m not willing to pay.
As it stands, Ross Valley School District’s Measure E and the newly passed tax increase from the Tamalpais High School District (which I did not support) together will add more than $2,000 to the annual property tax on our home. It can be argued that the Tam District put the Ross Valley School District in an untenable position with a huge over-ask for infrastructure improvements when the more important priority, particularly for San Anselmo, Fairfax and Sleepy Hollow, is teacher salaries.
Together, these tax increases are staggering.
Most troubling though is the undemocratic process that is being used within our community at a time when our nation’s democracy hangs in the balance. We’re setting a bad example for our children.
Spencer Sias is a resident of San Anselmo and community volunteer