Opinion: Ready to pony up $298 per year for L.A. schools?
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The Los Angeles Unified School District appears poised to ask voters for a $298-a-year parcel tax. Parcel taxes are assessed on property owners and are the same regardless of the value of the land.
In a Friday press release, the district announced that the school board will consider at its meeting Tuesday whether to place the tax on the November ballot -- which pretty much means, expect to see it on the November ballot.
Two years ago, voters were unwilling to pass a much smaller parcel tax of just under $100 a year. These require a two-thirds majority -- not a common way for new taxes to go. And The Times’ editorial board recommended a ‘no’ vote, criticizing the board for not including a citizens oversight committee in the proposal, among other things.
The details aren’t in yet on what this proposal would call for in the way of oversight. But certainly the schools are in much worse shape financially than they were a couple of years ago, and the economy is in somewhat better shape. Yet $300 a year isn’t an insignificant sum for many families.
Would you vote for it?
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--Karin Klein
