Voters in the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District narrowly approved more than doubling an annual parcel tax.
Officials from Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties certified the results of a May 7 special election on June 4 and June 6, respectively, which show the parcel tax increase passing with 66.7% of the vote. The measure needed 66.67% of votes to pass.
The vote means that the annual parcel tax for properties in the district’s service area – Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Saratoga and parts of Campbell, San Jose and Santa Cruz – will increase from $49 to $128.
The district will be putting the additional funds toward retaining its faculty and strengthening its academic and career preparedness offerings.
The election results come right on time for the district’s teachers association to ratify its new contract for the next three years with an 8% raise and one less workday each school year. The ratification comes after negotiations had slowed down in May as the district had conditionally offered a 2% raise with an additional 3% if voters approved the tax increase. But teachers were hoping to wrap up negotiations before the school year ended to avoid losing momentum and ensure the teachers had a break.
The contract was ratified on June 7, the same day as Los Gatos High School’s graduation ceremony.
The $49 parcel tax has been in place since 2011 and was renewed in 2016 for another eight years. With the parcel tax set to expire in 2025, the district’s board of trustees voted in January to put the tax hike to the voters in a special election, giving the district enough time to put an altered measure on the November ballot if the first one failed.
Teachers association president Jen Young said she was expecting a close call for the parcel tax election, she but didn’t expect it to be as close as it was. She said teachers in the district are “thrilled” with the results and are relieved to know that voters ultimately expressed support for them.
“It’s much needed to have the parcel tax support from them,” Young said. “I know it’s tough times for many people right now and that’s not lost on us, but it’s much needed to maintain the level of quality that we provide in our education to students in this community, so we’re very thankful.”
District superintendent Bill Sanderson echoed Young’s sentiments.
“I am absolutely thrilled that the public supported our district to retain and attract highly qualified teachers and educators, as well as maintain our innovative programs,” he said in a statement. “The majority of our budget is spent on our workforce, which made this increase a high priority.”