Manhattan Beach Parcel Tax Will Appear on June Ballot
Mar 09, 2022 08:11AM ● By Jeanne Fratello
The MB Citizens for Schools organizing group. Front row (l-r): Suzy Werre, Karen Komatinsky, Wysh Weinstein, Hilary Mahan, Amy Howorth. Back row: Angie Smith, Kate Sinclair, Michael Sinclair.
The Manhattan Beach City Council has approved a citizen-led parcel tax measure for the Manhattan Beach public schools to be placed on the June ballot.
The parcel tax measure - drafted by a group of residents known as MB Citizens for Schools - attempts to address longstanding funding issues at the Manhattan Beach public schools. The measure would aim to bring local control and stability to school funding by creating a 12-year, $3-per-day parcel tax, amounting to $1,095 per year.
(Senior citizens - age 65 and over by July 1 of the tax year - and those receiving Supplemental Security Income/Social Security Disability Insurance benefits would be exempt from the tax).
(Senior citizens - age 65 and over by July 1 of the tax year - and those receiving Supplemental Security Income/Social Security Disability Insurance benefits would be exempt from the tax).
"We are thrilled that the City Council heard the community’s call to support our public schools," said Angie Smith, co-chair of MB Citizens for Schools. "We look forward to the work ahead and the potential to finally bring adequate funding to the next generation of kids."
City Council approved the measure for the June ballot on Tuesday night on a 5-0 vote, despite some skepticism voiced by Councilmembers Joe Franklin and Suzanne Hadley about the timing and the expense of putting it up for a vote in June.
Franklin in particular expressed concern that the relatively fast unfolding of the parcel tax measure had not given enough time for community members to review or understand it. Hadley also said that she felt "rushed" by the timing as it was presented to council, but said that she would support it - and ultimately Franklin followed suit.
According to supporters, if the measure is approved in June, the dollars would be able to be collected by July 1; whereas if it went on the November ballot the money would not be available until 2023.
"This is not a 'sneak up on anybody' kind of election," said Councilmember Richard Montgomery, who spoke up in favor of putting the measure on the June ballot. "We have many issues we dispute in the city - that’s not anything new - but one fact is indisputable, which is that California schools have suffered from consistent underfunding, and Manhattan Beach is one of the lowest."
Mayor Hildy Stern added that there was still plenty of time left to educate the community so that they could make an informed decision at the voting booth. "This has been a remarkable effort. In just nine days [MB Citizens for Schools] got over 4,000 signatures. If we are concerned about whether this will have the visibility in our community, this seems like a group that could definitely get that done."
The city also approved $150,000 to cover the cost of the June election.
Signatures Captured in Just Nine Days
The signatures were certified after more than 150 volunteer supporters had managed to collect a total of 4,087 legal signatures between February 4 and 13. The goal of 3,000 signatures represented 10 percent of the Manhattan Beach population.
And while Los Angeles County allows 180 days for such an effort, the volunteer group managed to carry it off in just nine days.
"It's so inspiring that our community was able to come together to do this," said Madeline Kaplan, one of the signature-gathering leaders at Meadows Elementary School. "If we can establish a funding mechanism to create the best possible schools we can have, we will all win - and that’s so exciting."
"This
initiative is exciting because it’s community-driven," agreed Kate
Sinclair, a member of the MB Citizens for Schools organizing committee.
"It’s about our town - our community - engaging and working together to
support our students and schools."
Sinclair
added that the initiative follows a longstanding tradition of Manhattan
Beach community members who are willing to step up to do what it takes
to provide excellence in the schools.
"Our
school system has been built over the years by generations of dedicated
citizens rolling up their sleeves to help," she said.
Behind the Scenes at Signature Gathering
The signature-gathering process began with the MB Citizens for Schools organizing committee, and with the help of residents, quickly evolved into scores of volunteers who carried clipboards around town.
Kaplan said that the effort by "Team Meadows" started with a small group and spiraled outward from there.
"The fact that we started with immediate buy-in from those initial families told me that so many people see the value in a continued investment in academic excellence in our district," she said.
On the first signature-gathering day, Kaplan held an event in her driveway and got 84 signatures. From that point on, she said, the effort expanded daily with more people saying, "How can I help?"
For example, Kaplan said, she met a parent from another elementary school who told her, "I'm so glad you have this! My husband needs to sign and my neighbors need to sign." So Kaplan gave her the clipboard, and the clipboard made a journey through that other parent's neighborhood, to a birthday party, and then to yet another friend.
When Kaplan went to pick up the clipboard, the host of the birthday party insisted that she could still find a few more supporters, even though the Super Bowl was about to start. Sure enough, she was able to find 16 residents to sign in the hour and a half before the game began.
"Because of the connections that Team Meadows - and teams at every school - made, we had this chain reaction of passion and success in getting these signatures," said Kaplan. "It was a team of people completely dedicated to
getting this done, because they know that everyone wins in Manhattan Beach when our
schools are the best."
Parcel Tax Measure Attempts to Address Structural Deficit
The proposed parcel tax measure attempts to address longstanding funding issues at the Manhattan Beach public schools.
Despite
its high property values, Manhattan Beach is the second-lowest funded
public school district in the state, due to quirks of how California
funds its public schools.
For years, Manhattan
Beach residents have worked to supplement minimal state funding through
outside supplements such as grants given by the Manhattan Beach
Education Foundation.
In 2018, Manhattan Beach voters approved Measure MB,
a six-year $225 parcel tax that is slated to sunset in 2024. However,
district-wide needs have continue to outpace that supplement.
Additionally, MBEF, which was designed to enhance, not stand in for,
state funding, has not been able to keep up with that need.
“We
have seen a need to fund our schools at a higher level for decades and
our community has stepped up in many different ways - including in
enrichment opportunities offered through MBEF - yet we have known and
recognized for many years that this is not sustainable on a long term
basis,” said Hilary Mahan, the executive director of the Manhattan Beach
Education Foundation. “This parcel tax would give us the opportunity
to truly focus on providing our students with the learning opportunities
and high quality education that they deserve.”
(The
Manhattan Beach Unified School District had been examining different
proposals for a parcel tax but has now stepped back to allow this
citizen-led measure, which would require a simple majority vote to pass,
to proceed.)
According to the ballot language, funding would be used for:
- Protecting quality academic, arts, and education programs including science, math, reading, writing, social studies, language, technology, engineering, music, arts, and physical education.
- Maintaining manageable class sizes
- Investing in 21st century technology, learning tools, instructional materials, and supplies;
- Increasing staffing and program funding;
- Increasing teacher salaries to help the district compete with other districts in recruiting and retaining qualified teachers;
- Providing additional professional development to teachers;
- Providing more competitive compensation to other school district staff;
- Providing oversight to monitor how the district is spending the parcel tax revenue.
Several supporters who spoke to MB News reiterated that a parcel tax is not a novel idea, and in fact many similar upper-middle-class communities in California have used the same tactic to boost school spending - and academic excellence.
As to various concerns about the school district that some potential opponents have raised, the organizers have tried to keep the focus on the big picture, and on fixing the long-term structural problem.
