Richard Harris, who has been on the school board since 2007, has decided not to run for reelection. Instead, during his final months, he plans to propose a new $642 per year parcel tax in addition to what Davis residents already pay.
“If you want a gold standard of education you gotta pay for it,” he told the Davis Vanguard this week. “That’s what I think we deserve and that’s what I’m going to ask the people for.”
The new $642 tax would be in addition to the recently approved Measure C. The total would be $962 per year for each single-family home, according to the Davis Enterprise.
Harris’s stance is that previous parcel taxes only provided brief relief, rather than all-out solutions. So, even though past parcel taxes have been passed, the cuts and layoffs continue, leaving teachers and parents frustrated. This tax, he says, is a more comprehensive solution.
A majority of the school board must approve the proposal to get it on the ballot. We’ll know more about other board members’ reactions at the June 21 school board meeting.
In the meantime: Would you vote Yes on a $642 additional parcel tax for schools?
