The countywide parcel-tax measure would have brought in just under $800,000 for the Saratoga district and as much as $86 million annually to the county. The tax—at $195 per parcel—would have been imposed on all county owners of parcels of land. Each of the 32 school districts in Santa Clara County could have received at least 90 percent of revenue collected from within its boundaries. But groups who opposed the tax, such as the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, prevailed in working to ensure the tax wouldn't pass.

The intent of the tax was to improve student literacy and reading skills, while ensuring that credentialed teachers are placed in every classroom in the county. The tax would have also provided a $2,000 stipend to credentialed teachers, with the intent of increasing the number of certified teachers in every district. The measure was to have been placed on the ballot by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.

But the authoring statute—Senate Bill 592—sponsored by Sen. Liz Figueroa, D-Fremont, didn't gain enough support in the Legislature on July 1 to allow the measure to go forward, according to Dennis Cima, of the Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group and the county Office of Education's Blue Ribbon Task Force. The task force includes community leaders focused on increasing resources for public education throughout the county and was formed two years ago by county Superintendent Colleen Wilcox.

Cima said part of the hurdle proponents faced was the need for "the urgency statute" to be passed before Aug. 6, to ensure its placement on the November ballot. This would have required a two-thirds vote in the Assembly and the Senate. Cima said the recent "speed bump" has been discouraging for advocates such as superintendents, teachers, business leaders, parents, elected officials and organized labor groups.

"I'm disappointed," said Saratoga Superintendent Lane Weiss. "I was hoping voters would have the opportunity to weigh in and cast their votes on the matter."

Weiss said he's not promoting or disputing the parcel tax, but said timing just wasn't great to have an urgent piece of legislation put forward at a time of economic uncertainty. He also mentioned that not all school districts are supporting the measure, including those that already have existing parcel taxes and would be impacted by a "layering" effect with the countywide tax. Weiss added that the Saratoga district has a high interest in the matter and will be following the measure in the future.

Cima said the task force will be taking a break for the summer and coming back in the fall to move forward with the measure. Supporters will continue to pursue similar legislation in the fall for a 2006 countywide initiative, hoping to gain a majority vote and the governor's signature, instead of a two-thirds vote, since there is no longer the same urgency for the measure to pass.

"It was disappointing given all the work we've been doing over the last two years," Cima said. "But we are continuing to move forward. We've built a broad group [of advocates] over the last few years."

Opposition to SB 592 came from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, an organization dedicated to protecting Proposition 13 and promoting taxpayers' rights. Kris Vosburgh, executive director of the association, said the group opposed the measure because it was expanding the taxing authority.

"It blurs the lines of accountability if you go to a countywide parcel tax," Vosburgh said. "We don't understand why something like this was deemed necessary in the first place."

Vosburgh said it wasn't essential to spread the tax out over an entire county, since it would overlap school districts. Vosburgh said another reason he thought the parcel tax didn't gain support was because "It's an election year, and I think lawmakers feel that people are already overtaxed."

Vosburgh and Jon Coupal, president of the association, referenced the Serrano vs. Priest case from the 1970s. In the case, the California Supreme Court declared California's property-tax-based school finance system to be unconstitutional and a violation of equal protection rights. Property-tax revenue can't be relied on as a primary source of education, Vosburgh said.

Coupal added SB 592 would have only increased Serrano disparities, allowing wealthier school districts to obtain more revenue over poorer ones. Coupal described the tax as inequitable because all parcel owners would be charged at the same flat rate, whether the proprietor was on Social Security or a millionaire.

"We're highly concerned with the ever-growing use of parcel taxes, which tend to be highly regressive," Coupal said.

Coupal said he'd like to see school districts make better use of money they already have. Despite the defeat, Cima said advocates are not throwing in the towel just yet.

"The goals are still there, and that is improving literacy and ensuring a qualified credentialed teacher in every classroom," Cima said. "We don't expect those needs to go away just because this legislation didn't pass. We continue to believe that improving student achievement is our coalition's top priority."