Oak Park wants school tax back on the ballot

Survey shows favorable support



 

 

Recent survey results show strong support for continuation of the $40-million bond measure that helped form Oak Park Unified School District almost 40 years ago, all but assuring that a bond extension will be placed on November’s ballot.

Martin Klauss, school district assistant superintendent, said if the measure is placed on the ballot and passes with 55 percent approval, Oak Park taxpayers would pay the same yearly tax they’ve been paying since 1977.

At the time, the tax was levied at $84 per $100,000 assessed home valuation, but a state law passed in 2000 limits the new tax to $60 per $100,000. The average homeowner pays $275 a year.

If it passes, the bond would run for another 40 years.

The bond has paid for the construction of all schools in the district and the modernization of Oak Park High and Brookside Elementary schools. Medea Creek Middle and Oak Hills and Red Oak Elementary schools would benefit from the new bond money.

True North Research, an Encinitas-based research company, conducted a survey of 364 likely Oak Park voters between Feb. 15 and 28 on how they feel about extending the bond. Timothy McLaren, president of the firm, presented the results at the March 8 Board of Education meeting.

Between the “definitely yes” and “probably yes” responses, about 71 percent of the residents agreed the bond measure is worthwhile. When told that the bond was simply an extension of a tax they were already paying, the number of supporters rose to 81 percent.

Projects ranked highest by those surveyed included an update on instructional technology to bolster student learning in core subjects (55 percent strongly favored). Almost 54 percent strongly favored improving labs and classrooms that cater to career technical education.

About half the respondents wanted to see roofs, plumbing and electrical and air conditioning units replaced, 42 percent favor better campus security and 38 percent want portable classrooms replaced with new modern classrooms.

The argument that resonated the most with voters was that the money raised by the tax would remain under local control and could not be taken away by the state, McLaren said.

One of the biggest arguments against the tax stems from a complaint that students who attend schools in Oak Park from outside the area are not required to pay any school taxes at all. More than 42 percent of those surveyed found this argument convincing.

Voters are also wary of a bond extension because the school district already passed two previous bonds and a parcel tax in the past decade. About 60 percent of residents saw this as an argument against an extension of the 1977 bond.

Measure R, a $29-million school improvement bond was passed in 2008 and will run until 2036. It costs $60 per $100,000 of assessed valuation at the time of the home’s purchase. Measure C6 is a $17.5-million technology improvement bond that costs homeowners $24 per $100,000 of valuation. It expires in 2042. Property owners also pay a $197 annual parcel tax that expires next year.

The combined school tax for a homeowner buying today’s $730,000 median-priced Oak Park home, including the 1977 bond, is about $1,000 a year, one of the highest totals in the region.


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