Effective School Board Meetings

The most telling moment of the Lowell Joint School Board meeting on September 13^th was when the teachers walked out, leaving about 15 people in the room. Considering that five of those remaining were candidates for the school board in the next election that meant that turnout from parents and the general public was almost nonexistent.

We can only benefit from the increased involvement of parents and members of the public, so what can we do to help improve turnout? Here are a few suggestions:

• Clearly state the date, time and location of the board meetings on the district website.
• Utilize the district’s auto call system to contact all parents the day before a board meeting with the meeting details.
• Ensure that all materials presented during the meetings are concise and available for view prior to the meeting.
• Consider holding special meetings dedicated to complex or controversial topics to allow more time to review the information.
• Invest in microphones. It’s difficult to hear the board members’ comments.
• Allow more interaction between the board and the public during meetings.
• Increase the amount of time for public comment from three to five minutes. (If there are limited comments, allow even more time)
• Provide meeting notes on the district website within 48 hours of the conclusion of the meeting.

The only way to address the current challenges facing the district is to foster an open environment for the honest exchange of ideas.

If elected, I will work to make the school board meetings a place where all are welcome to come and share their point of view.

Know Your Candidates for the School Board

We are five weeks from election day and here is another chance to learn more about the eight candidates running for the Lowell Joint School Board.

You will have many opportunities to learn about each candidate's positions and we'll provide several options for you to choose from. You can find all the information that we highlight on the front page of the site (right below my picture).

Today's link is to an article in the La Habra Journal which can be found around in several locations around La Habra (Blockbuster and James Hardware for example). You can also access the article online by clicking here.

This is another great way to learn more about the people that will be making decisions that impact the district for the next four years.

Remember, you get to choose three representatives this year.

Choose wisely!

Searching for Revenue – Parcel Taxes

The Lowell Joint School District’s recent budget troubles are well documented and without additional revenue to replace the recent cuts imposed by the state, there are some tough choices coming.

One option that has been pursued in the past and should be considered again is a parcel tax.

What is a Parcel Tax?

“Parcel Tax” is the common term for a school district “qualified special tax”. Cities, counties and other districts can also adopt special taxes. Special taxes are permitted by the California constitution, and require approval at an election by at least 2/3 of those voting on the measure. However, there have been recent proposals that would allow California voters to amend the constitution to reduce the required vote to 55% for school district parcel taxes, the same for school bonds.

Have any districts approved Parcel Taxes?

There are 14 parcel tax initiatives on the ballot in California for the November election. There were 32 parcel tax initiatives on the May/June ballot, with 24 receiving the required 2/3 supermajority needed for approval. You can see more information on recent parcel tax proposals here.

The Lowell Joint School District proposed a $95 parcel tax for eight years in 2005 but it failed to reach the required 2/3 supermajority with 53% of the vote. The tax would have generated $900,000 in additional revenue for the district. If that proposal had passed we might not be in such a difficult situation today. You can read a story about the election here.

Recently the Little Lake School District in Santa Fe Springs decided not to place a parcel tax proposal on the November ballot. A recent poll conducted by the district showed support ranging from 58% to 63%. You can read the details here:

Is a Parcel Tax the Best Option?

I think it is safe to say that no one likes to see their taxes raised and in these tough economic times it would be hard to get a parcel tax approved but what are the other options? You can only cut so much before you begin to damage the very thing you are trying to support – the children.

Parcel taxes have been approved in other districts across the state and a well written proposal with a short timeframe and support from the teachers could reach the 2/3 supermajority required for approval. As I have said before in posts on this site, we need to think of new ideas and a parcel tax is something that should be considered.