Call it the Curse of the Pricey Peninsula Palace. We see a lot of that in San Mateo County where million-dollar residences are often the norm today. Burlingame is a case in point. Over the past 15 years or so, that town’s property values have soared. A home worth $1 million is just about average, even accounting for condominiums. Folks who bought those high-priced dwellings relatively recently pay much higher property taxes than longtime residents due to the tenets of Proposition 13, the landmark 1978 California tax relief measure. Some of those newcomers fought a city proposal to approve a bond to upgrade the municipal storm drain system last year. Their reasoning was that they would have to pay a disproportionate share of the tax, based on assessed valuation of their properties. They were right, of course. Now, the town’s public school district is considering much the same thing. A construction bond measure might be on the November ballot. Currently, Burlingame properties are being taxed at $55 per $100,000 of assessed value to support six public education bonds, two each by the elementary district, the San Mateo Union High School District and the County Community College District. Which means that the owner of $1 million house is shelling out $550 _ plus another $180 for a separate elementary district parcel tax. A third elementary bond could add between $30 and $50 per $100,000 of assessed valuation to that hefty bill. The owner of a home assessed at the $1 million mark would see his or her public school tax tab rise by something in the range of $300 to $500. No wonder those recent homebuyers have had some qualms.