Saratoga school board members listened to a presentation at a June 22 meeting regarding the tax measure and recent polling results from Dennis Cima of the Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group and Santa Clara County Office of Education's Blue Ribbon Task Force. Formed by County Superintendent Colleen Wilcox, the task force includes community leaders focused on increasing resources for public education in Silicon Valley and throughout the county.

From May 12­16, Cima said, 500 potential voters were interviewed over the telephone about whether they would support a countywide parcel tax, and the results were promising.

"Voters are more optimistic about things in Santa Clara County than they were last October," said Cima, referring to previous pollings.

Proceeds from the tax would most likely be designated to improve student literacy and reading skills, while ensuring that a credentialed teacher is placed in every classroom in the county. The tax would also provide a stipend for credentialed teachers, with the intent of increasing the number of certified teachers in every district.

While Cima said the tax doesn't address every school district's needs, it centers on "what matters most." If the measure passes in November, school districts could receive the additional revenue as soon as January 2006.

Out of those polled, 48 percent said they saw a great need for improving areas such as student literacy and reading skills along with raising teachers' salaries. Other specific needs included expanding after-school programs, reducing class sizes, recruiting and retaining quality teachers and replacing outdated textbooks and materials.

In an initial vote, 36 percent said they were "definitely" in favor of the tax and 23 percent said they were "probably" in favor of it, for a total of 68 percent support. This confidence is most likely due to better economic times, Cima said, and more stability in Sacramento with the new governor.

When the voters were surveyed again with amended ballot language, those percentages slightly improved, with 71 percent in support of the tax. While the ballot language has yet to be finalized, it's amended version would most likely include a senior-citizen exemption and an eight-year sunset clause. A sunset clause is a statement added to the end of a measure that causes the act to "sunset," or become ineffective, after a certain date.

Saratoga school board member and secretary Michael Gipe questioned how the funds would be distributed if the measure passed. Cima said each of the 32 school districts in the county would receive at least 90 percent of the revenue collected from within their boundaries. The parcel tax—at a $195 flat tax per parcel—would be imposed on all owners of parcels of land within the county. There are approximately 6,000 parcels in the Saratoga Union School District, according to district Superintendent Lane Weiss. The tax could bring in as much as $86 million annually, with a little less than $800,000 of that going back to the Saratoga elementary and middle school district.

The measure would need support from two-thirds of qualified voters in the county to pass. Cima said it's most likely that the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors would be the organization to put the measure on the November ballot, costing about $1.1 million.

Senate Bill 592 would give the board of supervisors permission to put the measure on the ballot and has already been passed by a state Assembly committee. As of press time, Cima said the bill was awaiting the potential for passage on the Assembly floor.