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Local PTAs, parents urge voters to renew Measure R; superintendent clarifies district reserves
Summary
San Marino PTA leaders and parents urged voters to approve Measure R parcel tax renewal; Superintendent De La Torre explained one-time federal COVID funds and the district's assigned balances and cautioned that one-time funds should not replace ongoing parcel-tax revenue.
SAN MARINO, Calif. — At the May 13 board meeting, San Marino PTA leaders and multiple parents urged the community to vote to renew Measure R, the district’s parcel tax that funds teachers and counselors. The board’s superintendent and staff also described the district’s financial posture and why Measure R is needed for ongoing staffing.
Marissa Kelly, San Marino Council PTA president, told the board Measure R is a six-year parcel tax approved originally in 1991 and provides about $1.6 million annually to SMUSD, supporting roughly 11.4 teaching and counselor positions. She said the renewal on the June ballot would cost taxpayers about $415 per year and requires a two-thirds supermajority to pass.
"If Measure R does not pass, SMUSD would face challenges to maintain safe and manageable class sizes and risk losing qualified teachers, counselors, library, and technology services across the district," Kelly said.
Superintendent Dr. De La Torre responded in a District update section that the district’s recent ending balance reported at second interim included both restricted and unrestricted funds and is not a surplus that can substitute for parcel-tax revenue. "One-time money can only be spent once," De La Torre said, adding that part of the district’s assigned balances came from federal COVID-era allocations and donations; the board set aside funds to cover obligations such as athletics-complex debt and to avoid layoffs if local parcel taxes fail.
Board members and parents emphasized community fundraising and the San Marino Schools Foundation and PTAs as important revenue sources; staff noted San Marino is not a "basic aid" district and relies heavily on state funding and local parcel taxes for programming.
The board did not vote on Measure R at the May 13 meeting; public information about voting dates and drop-off locations was distributed during public comment.
