Novato voters have been told that they have no choice but to approve a new school parcel tax or risk losing programs in art, music, science, math and sports when in fact the current tax of $4.15 million, which guarantees those very programs, is good for over three more years.
Measure A proponents want voters to approve a $6 million a year tax that goes up 3% a year for eight years, on top of $329 million dollars in voter approved bonds — the highest bond total of any school district in Marin.
Parcel tax proponents have made dire warnings about any future decreases in spending. Yet budget reductions devised in 2018 through collaboration with teachers, administrators and PTAs have only been partially implemented.
For many years now, the Novato Unified School District has failed to make teachers a priority. Teacher salaries are below the state average despite Novato voters approving school parcel taxes since 1992.
NUSD is also leveraging current teacher contract negotiations by saying voters must first approve Measure A. This, despite Superintendent Kris Cosca being given a $10,000 raise and a guaranteed 3.5% annual increase for four years on a salary of $232,000 with benefits of $46,000.
To date, the board has only cut $4 million in spending over the past two years even though pension costs have risen $1 million a year for the past six years.
With rising pension costs and depleted reserves, NUSD must follow through with cost-saving measures, but voters cannot count on the district to take these steps unless they first say no to a tax increase.
Since 2014, NUSD has known about state increases to pension costs. NUSD’s solution was to deplete reserves to cover costs rather than devise a realistic program of spending cuts beginning in 2015.
The key to many of these problems is good fiscal planning and common sense. No government agency can live beyond its means without repeatedly turning to voters for bailouts.
And remember, more money is coming from the state of California via multi-billion dollar education budget increases in addition to Prop. 98 basic funding.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office is calling his new 2020 education budget proposals the largest K-12 education per-pupil expenditure in history. The next step at the state level is changing legislation by supporting Full and Fair Funding – a ballot initiative that increases taxes on income over $1 million to raise per-pupil funding to the top ten national average.
What can NUSD do to help itself?
> It can respond to the overall decline in student enrollment by consolidating a campus and increasing class size by one pupil per grade which could save $1.4 million a year.
> It can reduce salaries for administrators and cut back positions that do not include school site staff.
> It can ask board members to stop having the district pay for their health insurance.
> It can end the practice of hiring consultants to do the work of highly paid administrative staff.
> It can collaborate with groups throughout the state to support Full and Fair Funding.
The district can further support teachers and students by adding new curriculum as part of school consolidation. Novato parents want choices that are currently lacking – NUSD needs to attract and retain local students who have left the district for nearby charters and private schools. This is what other districts are doing to keep families in local schools.
The current parcel tax is safe. It doesn’t expire for more than three years and generates $4.15 million a year, which the district must use for teachers, classes and programs.
Don’t let supporters use scare tactics to force you to bail them out. Make them follow through with the budget reductions devised in 2018 and demand support for Full and Fair Funding for schools. Vote no on Measure A.
Tina McMillan is active in local issues. She is a long time Novato resident and business owner. Julia Lavaroni is a Marin County native and local taxpayer advocate.
