School districts around the state have begun passing their version of the following resolution in support of commercial property tax reform of Prop 13.
If you would like to ask your school board to pass a similar resolution, please reach out to Hope Salzer. Hope will guide you through the process and assist with the outreach.
Each school board will modify the below resolution to reflect the needs of their community. Educate Our State does not believe the solution to our public education crisis is changing commercial property assessment without commensurate changes in the way schools are funded; however, we do believe this needs to be part of the discussion.
Educate Our State also recommends a resolution for School Boards that would support our position on Parent Engagement. Please click here to review that document.
RESOLUTION NO. _________
WHEREAS, the per pupil education funding in the State of California is now near the bottom of all States in the United States of America, and the lack of adequate funding is having a serious impact on the ability of school districts to provide an excellent, or even adequate, education for students;
WHEREAS, most states in our nation fund schools via the more stable source of property taxes;
WHEREAS, Proposition 13, passed in 1978, limits the ability of elected representatives and voters to determine property taxes within local jurisdictions;
WHEREAS, Proposition 13 limits the ability of elected representatives and voters to set property taxes on commercial property owners as well as on owners of residential property;
WHEREAS, Proposition 13 has been a primary cause of the inadequate funding of education in the State of California;
WHEREAS, the general public receives no benefit from the reduced property taxes on commercial properties because the commercial property owners either rent the property at market rates or, if they operate a business on the property, charge market prices for their goods and services;
WHEREAS, over time, Proposition 13 has shifted the property tax burden to residential property, including homeowners and working families, and away from commercial property owners, as a result of commercial property owners' ability to avoid revaluation;
WHEREAS, the State of California continues to face chronic budget crises in large part because Proposition 13 has forced the state to rely on more volatile revenue sources than property tax, like income taxes and sales taxes paid by working families that move in tandem with economic cycles, causing deficits and requiring cuts to vital services that grow our economy and thereby worsening economic downturns;
WHEREAS, regularly reassessing non-residential commercial property would, according to an analysis of data provided by the California Board of Equalization, generate at least $6 billion in additional revenue for California;
WHEREAS, additional revenue to the State of California would result in more funding for education within the State of California;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the ______ [Unified] School District supports commercial property tax reform that will require non-residential commercial properties to be reassessed immediately and regularly while maintaining residential property owners’ protections under Prop 13; and
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the ______ [Unified] School District will communicate this position to the elected representatives of the District in the State Legislature.
Localities Passing the Resolution Supporting Commercial Property Tax Assessment Reform
(as of Nov 15, 2013)
SCHOOL DISTRICTS (23)
Alameda County (7)
Albany Unified
Berkeley Unified
*Fremont Unified
Livermore Valley Joint Unified
*Oakland Unified
Piedmont Unified
Pleasanton Unified
Contra Costa County (4)
Brentwood Union
Canyon
Pittsburg Unified
Walnut Creek
Los Angeles County (3)
East Whittier City
Lynwood Unified
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified
San Francisco County
*San Francisco Unified
San Mateo County (3)
Burlingame
Menlo Park City
Portola Valley Elementary
Santa Clara County (3)
Berryessa Union
East Side Union High School (San Jose)
Franklin-McKinley (San Jose)
Santa Cruz County
Bonny Doon Union Elementary
Sonoma County
West Sonoma County Union High School
CITIES & COUNTIES (3)
Albany City Council (Alameda)
City of Santa Monica (Los Angeles)
City of Richmond (Contra Costa)
* One of the top 20 largest School Districts in CA.
