State Should Reform Prop. 13 for Schools

By Ruby MacDonald, El Cerrito| 9/28/2023

Re: “The hidden price tag of California’s public schools” (Page A1, Sept. 17).

On Sept. 17, this newspaper asked what will happen when no one can afford to pay “The hidden price tag of California’s public schools,” referring to sizable contributions voluntarily paid by parents in affluent districts to their children’s schools.

That question should have been considered more carefully before this newspaper advised voters in 2020 to vote against Proposition 15 [“Schools and Communities First“]. Proposition 15 was intended to raise much-needed revenue for schools and local governments by taxing at market value — instead of the original purchase price — commercial properties worth more than $3 million. Proposition 15 would not have affected homeowners’ property tax protections. Also against Proposition 15 were business groups like the Proposition 13-promoting Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and California Business Roundtable, along with the leadership of the California NAACP.

Nevertheless, Proposition 15 came within 4% of winning with the support of numerous community organizations.