Los Gatos-Saratoga school district puts new parcel tax on May ballot

Voters in Los Gatos and Saratoga will decide in May if they want to almost triple a parcel tax that funds programs and staff at high schools in both municipalities.

The Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School district board on Jan. 30 voted 4-0 to ask voters in the district to increase the tax from $49 to $128 per parcel. The issue will be decided by mail-in balloting; the measure must be approved by at least two-thirds of voters to pass. The district had no information yet on when the ballots will be mailed out or how much the special election will cost.

The $49 parcel tax has been in place since 2011, and the district last voted to renew it in 2016, leaving it to expire in 2025. District officials have argued that the current parcel tax has not been adjusted for cost of living increases, and is resulting in teachers leaving for other districts that are able to pay higher salaries.

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If the parcel tax increase passes, it will be implemented on July 1 for nine years, according to the resolution. Starting on the same date in 2025 and every year after, the amount for the parcel tax will be adjusted to align with the cost of living, the resolution states.

Parcel tax funds are used to retain staff at competitive salaries and maintain both academic and college and career preparedness programs, the resolution states. None of the funds will be directed to salaries and benefits for administrators.

A community survey conducted by EMC research in early January found that two-thirds of residents already support the tax increase and feel positively about the work that the district does and the quality of education available to local students.

The survey’s findings also indicate that while awareness of the need for funding in the district has increased since September, the measure is still “vulnerable to opposition.”