The Portola Valley School District released an online survey this week to allow the community to provide feedback on priorities as the district considers asking voters to renew a soon-to-expire parcel tax.
The survey asks community members to rank the importance of school priorities such as maintaining small class size and retaining qualified and experienced teachers, noting that "feedback is critical as the ... District considers local funding options."
District officials have said it's necessary to renew Measure O, which generates $1.2 million annually and expires in June 2021, to keep current programs afloat. Measure O raises revenue that goes toward advanced math, science and technology programs; reading and writing programs; art and music programs; reduced class size; and retention of teachers, according to the district website.
A September survey conducted by Godbe Research and TBWB Strategies found that 72.8% of voters in the district would support renewing Measure O in March 2020, according to a presentation prepared for the district's Oct. 2 school board meeting.
After discussing survey results, board members asked staff to draft a resolution to put renewal of the parcel tax on the March ballot.
The board is likely to vote on the resolution at a Nov. 20 meeting, which is the last meeting before the deadline for a March election, district Chief Business Officer Connie Ngo said.
Two-thirds of voters must approve the parcel tax renewal for it to pass.
Fill out the latest survey here by the end of the month.
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Comments
Portola Valley: Westridge
on Oct 16, 2019 at 4:18 pm
on Oct 16, 2019 at 4:18 pm
Will the School Board please answer the questions that are being asked repeatedly? Specifically, why is this additional money needed when our property taxes have gone up, and the number of students has gone down? The District will already have additional money to spend on each student.
How is it that in this very wealthy, very small School District, in which we spend much more money per student than any other district on the Peninsula, it still requires yet more money to provide classes and class sizes that we all had in public school growing up? It seems that a closer eye could be paid to how the District is spending its money, so that each dollar really counts.
One example: why do we have both a Principal and and Assistant Principal/Dean at CMS? What does the Principal actually do? All of us have witnessed (especially with the merry-go-round of Principals that CMS has had) that the glue holding the administration and school together is Ms. Shima.
Many more examples that don’t involve staffing, teaching, or classes could definitely be examined to make sure that school dollars are being used in the members way to benefit the students.
Portola Valley: Central Portola Valley
on Oct 16, 2019 at 5:28 pm
on Oct 16, 2019 at 5:28 pm
Agree with the above commenter that Ms Shima runs CMS. She should be principal or even superintendent. She has done a great job and we are very lucky to have her.