On June 6, Measure A, a parcel tax renewal and extension, was officially certified as having enough votes to pass — and it was by a remarkably slim margin of 8 votes among more than 11,000 ballots cast.
The increased revenue contributed to an 8% salary increase for all employees of the district, including all certified, classified and management staff.
To pass, the parcel tax needed a combined 66.7% “yes” vote in both Santa Clara and Santa Cruz County. Although the preliminary parcel tax votes predicted an extremely narrow win by 0.05%, the final voting ended by an even narrower margin, with 7,804 (66.74%) voters casting their ballot in support of the tax and 3,890 (33.26%) voters casting their ballot in opposition.
“I’m really grateful that the parcel tax passed,” special education teacher Lauren Taylor said. “It feels nice that the community rallied around a parcel tax to support teachers, even though it only won by eight votes, it’s still nice to see that the community cares and values the education that our teachers bring to Saratoga.”
By this slim margin, teachers’ salaries in the Los Gatos Saratoga Union High School District (LGSUHSD) have become more competitive with those of neighboring districts.
“You may not be able to see immediate changes at the two high schools in our district, but this parcel tax passage should have a longer-term effect of attracting and retaining high quality educators,” said Los Gatos math teacher Jennifer Young, the president of the District Teachers’ Association (DTA).
According to a Mercury News editorial, one reason some voters may have voted “no” for the tax was what the paper called the district’s lack of transparency during the voting process. The editorial cited the peculiar timing and wording of the parcel tax as “misguiding.” They believed the district chose a “low-turnout election” where opponents of the tax were less likely to vote and supporters were more likely to vote. However, the district board reportedly did not abuse any rules during the voting, and — according to the results of the parcel tax vote — most members of the community agreed the benefits of the tax outweighed the monetary costs.
The goal of the parcel tax is to increase the revenue of the district to keep LGSUHSD salaries competitive. To do this, voters agreed to raise the tax by $79 annually: Moving forward, owners of parcels will be billed $128 each year instead of the original $49 set by the 2016 vote, which was set to expire in 2025. Each year, the amount will be adjusted to account for inflation. The tax is set to expire in 2033.
While recognizing the importance of compensating the teachers and other staff for their work, the district was not allowed to comment on the election during the school day or use district resources to promote it. Instead, a volunteer committee called the Committee for Excellent Los Gatos-Saratoga High Schools was formed. The committee engaged in outreach and campaigning to inform community members about the importance and effects of the measure.
Proponents of the measure see it having positive effects for years to come.
“The district is thrilled that the public supported this measure to retain and attract highly qualified teachers and educators, as well as maintain our innovative programs,” said Tanya De La Cruz, the district’s public information officer.
