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Board approves engagement with consultants to survey voters on consolidating parcel taxes
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Summary
Trustees approved an engagement agreement with Team Civics and FM3 to conduct voter research and guide timing and messaging for potentially combining two parcel taxes (Measures R and E); staff said the goal is to reduce recurring election costs and test November 2026 as an option.
The San Marino Unified School District Board of Education on March 10 approved an engagement agreement with Team Civics and FM3 Research to conduct a voter survey and advise the district on whether to consolidate its two parcel taxes.
The presentation, led by Joy Coomer of Team Civics and a representative of FM3 Research, outlined two paths: renew Measure E alone before its June 2027 expiration, or combine Measures R and E and place a consolidated renewal on the November 2026 ballot. Coomer said combining the measures without changing the base rate could reduce how often the district must place parcel taxes before voters, lowering long‑term administrative and campaign costs.
FM3 described a proposed dual‑mode survey of likely voters (about 300 completed interviews, plus or minus a margin of error near 5.7%) in English and Mandarin to reflect the district’s linguistic demographics. The firm said the phone/online survey would test initial ballot support, run message testing on likely uses of the funds, and include demographic cross‑tabs. FM3 estimated the vendor work at roughly $33,000 for the 300‑interview approach; county election costs for a November consolidation were discussed separately and were estimated to be under $50,000 by district staff.
"A survey now will help us understand whether voters would accept combining the two measures and help inform the timing and message for a renewal," Coomer said during the presentation.
Board members asked about survey length, completion rates and sample clustering; FM3 said online completion and dual‑language options would help reach the community and that only completed interviews are counted toward the target sample.
Following the discussion the board moved to approve the engagement agreement with Team Civics and FM3 Research. The motion passed on a roll call vote with all trustees recorded as aye.
Next steps, as described by staff, include finalizing the survey instrument with district review, conducting the research, and returning findings to the board before any decision to place a measure on the November ballot.
