Rohnert Park residents weighing renewal of tax for schools

A Rohnert Park ballot measure would extend until 2025 a school parcel tax that raises more than $1 million a year for the school district.

Measure B on Tuesday’s ballot would continue an $89-a-year parcel tax that voters first approved in 2012. It needs a two-thirds majority to pass.

The $1.2 million a year it has generated for the district, which has about 6,100 students, has reduced class sizes and strengthened math and science offerings. Reading programs have been expanded, school libraries have been revived and classrooms are more technologically robust, with, for example, at least six Chromebooks in every classroom, teachers officials and parents said.

“The libraries were a mess - on life support,” said Maha Gregoretti, president of the Rohnert Park Cotati Educators Association. “They were skeletons. Now they’re alive.”

Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District Superintendent Robert Haley said Measure B’s initial approval helped the district “not just weather the fiscal storm, but thrive” at a time the state was cutting payouts to districts.

“We are experiencing a renaissance in our school district” because of Measure B, Haley said in an email. “We want to continue this now and into the future.

“We want to know we can count on some local funding that the state cannot take away.”

The vote on Measure B’s renewal comes amid a fierce discussion of new grading practices at the Cotati-Rohnert Park district.

Opponents say the new equal interval grading system is confusing and less demanding, while supporters say it maintains high standards but encourages struggling students to bring up their grades rather than become demoralized. Haley has called media accounts of the grading system inaccurate.

“Until the issue came up with the grading, I thought for sure, it’s a pushover. I hope it’s still a pushover,” said Prue Draper, a Cotati resident who signed the argument in favor of the measure.

Crystal Archuleta, whose son-in-law is a teacher in the district, said, “He says the way they do the grades is a mess.” But of the tax measure, she said, “I’m going to support it regardless. The schools need help.”

The ballot measure promises none of the receipts go to administrative salaries, and that they will support services including college and vocational preparatory programs. The funds also will preserve art and music classes, and keep class sizes small, supporters say.

No opposing argument was filed and there is no evident campaign against the measure. Supporters began phone banking in September and are now walking precincts to get out the vote.

“It’s $1.2 million a year that’s 100 percent locally controlled and benefits the students in our district, and the state can’t take away a dime of it,” said Susan Adams, chairwoman of the campaign.

Gregoretti is adamantly opposed to the new grading scales system - the teachers association has called on the district to stop requiring its use - but Tuesday’s measure has her full support.

“I know people are mad about the grading scale, and so am I, but you have to compartmentalize it,” she said. “That’s one issue and this is a different issue.”

Brian Sobel, who has consulted with political campaigns in Rohnert Park and Cotati, said the fact that the tax continues an existing one will help it along.

“The registered voters will have a feeling for how well the money has been spent because it’s a re-up, and that tends to bode well,” he said.

“The fact is that in these kind of elections, if people think the kids benefit by the extra money being infused into the system, I don’t think people will be punitive” because of the grading policy, Sobel said.

That’s the case with Jerry Pagnusat of Cotati. He and his wife allowed their photographs to be displayed on a flier in support of Measure B. And he objects to the grading policy.

“I don’t agree with it,” he said. But he hopes that voters will keep the issue “separate,” he said. “It’s not going to affect my vote.”

The Sonoma County Taxpayers Association took no position on the measure.

“A parcel tax is paid directly by the taxpayers in the district, and if they want to spend their money on school district operations and programs, it’s really a decision best left to them,” said Dan Drummond, the group’s executive director.

Voters in the 240-student Wilmar Union School District also are being asked to continue a parcel tax. Measure C would continue for eight years a $50 per year tax that voters first approved in 2004.

It is expected to bring in $53,000 a year for books and technology, library services and for core academic programs.

Staff Writer Jeremy Hay blogs about education at extracredit.blogs.pressdemocrat.com. You can reach him at 521-5212 or jeremy.hay@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jeremyhay.