VOTE ON PARCEL TAX SET FOR TONIGHT.

Byline: Eugene Tong  Staff Writer

CASTAIC - The Castaic Union School District, bracing for deep cuts in the coming year due to the state fiscal crisis, is considering a measure to tax local property owners to bridge the budget shortfall.

The school district governing board is scheduled to vote tonight on whether to begin a campaign to place a parcel-tax proposal before local voters on the November ballot. If approved, it would generate revenue to help prop up threatened programs for Castaic's roughly 3,400 students.

``All school districts, including ourselves, will be walking the tightrope next year,'' said William McDermott, assistant superintendent of administrative services. ``We don't know how it's going to come to us, but we know there is a very large chunk of money that's not going to come to us that funds really important programs for kids.''

California is saddled with an estimated $34.6 billion deficit, and lawmakers have looked to public education for reductions. While the size and shape of the cuts have not been determined, Gov. Gray Davis has proposed to defer for a year 3.66 percent in state per-student funding - a school district's primary revenue source.

An informal survey of local residents on the issue conducted by the district found that 47.7 percent of respondents would support a four-year tax of $100 annually per land parcel to help maintain school programs.

An additional 26.4 percent of those surveyed say they would support a four-year tax of $50. About 14 percent opposed the tax.

If the board decides to move forward with the campaign, the district will research and submit a final parcel-tax measure for voter consideration in November, McDermott said.

``We'll do some more intense polling to see if it's feasible, if the desire's there, and what the cost the people might feel comfortable with or if it covers the intended cuts that we're looking at,'' he said. ``If it passes, then we wouldn't have to eliminate programs.''

One program whose fate remains uncertain is third grade class-size reduction, which reduces the ratio of students per teacher from about 30 to one to 20:1.

The governing board will decide whether to end the program tonight.

McDermott said the class-size reduction is underfunded by the state and costs the district an additional $80,000 a year. With a projected 5 percent growth in enrollment in the coming school year, more teachers might have to be hired to maintain the 20:1 ratio.

It's an additional cost the school district won't be able to cover without a parcel tax, officials said.

``Like most districts, we're trying to keep the cuts as far from the students as possible,'' McDermott said. ``But with about 80 percent of your budget going to salaries and benefits ... it's very difficult.''