Facing $13.9 million in cuts to the 2011-12 school year, Santa Rosa City Schools is considering putting a parcel tax before voters, but board members say it isn't likely to happen in November.
The impending cuts come on the heels of $5.6 million in reductions for the school year that starts Aug. 17 — cuts that eliminated classroom days, reduced library and maintenance positions, and increased class sizes.
It is only a matter of time before the district turns to voters for funding, trustee Laura Gonzalez said.
"It's inevitable," she said. "We need more money because we are not being funded correctly by the state."
But board members expressed caution over both the timing of a tax measure and how it would be presented to voters.
"November is not a good idea. It's not the right time," said trustee Larry Haenel.
A side note in board budget discussions for months, the issue will be a central focus Wednesday night when trustees discuss whether to pursue a tax measure.
Among the considerations are the size of a potential parcel tax, the timing of placing a tax proposal on the ballot, and whether to pay for a poll that would survey voters' sentiments.
Santa Rosa is divided into an elementary district and a high school district. There are nearly 21,000 parcels in the elementary district and about 67,700 in the high school district.
If passed by two-thirds of voters, a $100 tax would generate about $1.6 million annually in the elementary district and $5.4 million in the high school district, according to district staff. The projections assume 20 percent of parcel owners would qualify for a senior citizen exemption.
But trustee Wally Lowry said the district is pinched between facing a significant financial shortfall in state funding and turning to an electorate enduring hard financial times themselves.
"If we went to $90, I don't think it would pass and if we went $10-$15 per parcel, it wouldn't give us very much. To make it meaningful, I think the sums would have to be high enough," he said.
Andy Brennan, president of the Santa Rosa teachers union, backs a parcel tax but said finding the right dollar figure will be crucial for any measure's passage.
"I think we have to be careful in what we ask for," he said. "I think something in the $40 to $60 range might be doable. I don't think the public would go for $100."
Board president Bill Carle also expressed reservations about the timing of taking the issue to voters in November. No matter the timing, he would push for any tax to have a sunset clause, he said.
Sonoma County's largest school district last asked voters to support a parcel tax in 1995. The proposal would have taxed property owners $39 per parcel within the elementary district and $29 within the high school district.
The measure pulled in 55 percent of the vote, but failed to pass the necessary two-thirds threshold.
Frank Pugh, the only current board member who was serving the district in 1995, said voters need to see what will be lost after $13.9 million in cuts are made before they are asked to chip in for those programs.
A parcel tax in November would be too soon, Pugh said.
"The more information that we could provide the public as to where we are financially would be helpful for the public's willingness and level of support," he said.
"There is a level of homework that has to happen before we can actually make that happen," he said.
Lowry said the district can't reach $13.9 million in cuts without seriously considering closing schools and laying off teachers.
"After we have cut $5 million-plus this year, you can't find that $13 million without doing drastic affairs," he said. "The big savings are in things like moving people around, closing schools. Whatever it is, it's probably going to be related to fewer teachers."
The school board will meet at 6:30 p.m. in the Santa Rosa City Schools board room, 211 Ridgway Ave.
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