IRVINE : School Parcel Tax to Be Discussed

School board members are expected to debate tonight whether to seek voter approval for a tax to bolster sagging school district revenue.

The Irvine Unified School District board will also vote on a resolution in support of the proposed half-cent county sales tax.

The 21,700-student school district’s last attempt to win the two-thirds voter support necessary for an annual $35 tax on residential and commercial parcels was in June, 1991. Called Measure P, the proposal would have exempted residents age 65 and older. It failed by 211 votes.

But this time is different, school board members say. Community members and teachers are concerned about a potential $3 million in cuts from next school year’s $100-million budget. Notices of potential layoffs were sent to 30 administrators and all of the district’s 120 temporary teachers, who are hired on a year-to-year basis.

The school district, which had $107 million in Orange County’s failed investment pool, could raise between $3.6 million and $6.6 million a year on a tax ranging from $100 to $182.50 per parcel. There are nearly 36,200 eligible parcels in the city.