Contra Costa Taxpayers Association

MAY 7, 2024 San Ramon Valley Unified School District Election Ballot Measures

Measure E.  San Ramon Valley Unified School District (2/3rds to pass): Should the District renew its existing school district parcel tax at $144 per year rate raising $6,800,000 annually, for 9 years, with senior citizen exemptions, independent citizens oversight committee and Independent annual audits. The Parcel tax rate shall be adjusted annually, commencing July 1, 2026, calculated by the average of the prior monthly percentage changes in the CPI-U All Urban Consumers, San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward area, published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, rounded to the nearest dollar, to attract and retain teachers, support academic programs in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math, reading and writing, and to prepare students for college.  This parcel tax was initially adopted in 2004, and renewed and reauthorized in 2009 and again in 2015.  The parcel tax cannot be extended without approval of 2/3rds of the voters; it provides exemptions for certain low-income people on a fixed income.

Rationale for Opposition: The district has a declining enrollment. The budget has been mismanaged. The Superintendent who recommended salary increases that the District could not afford has resigned. The previous renewals did not include a CPI increase.  With annual adjustments, the “fixed” parcel tax will go up every year.  The size of this parcel tax should be revisited by the Board with its new administrators before any action is taken.

Measure F:  San Ramon Valley Unified School District (2/3rds to pass) Should the District establish an additional school district parcel tax at the $98.00 per year rate raising $4,560,000 annually, for 9 years, for teaching reading and literacy to the District’s youngest students and for students who need mental health services, and to provide specially qualified teachers for students with special needs.  The Funds shall not be used for administrator salaries.

Rationale for Opposition: The district has a declining enrollment.  The Superintendent who recommended salary increases that the District could not afford has resigned.  The County provides an extensive list of Mental Health programs funded county wide and equipped to provide services that may be duplicated at SRVUSD.  There was no indication of the number of children receiving special education so we are not able to calculate the cost per student, as a comparison with the cost per student receiving county-wide mental health services. This parcel tax should be revisited by the Board with the new administrators before any action is taken.