Acalanes Schools Ask Voters for a $168 Parcel Tax With Measure W After $4.2 Million in Cuts

Voters in Lafayette, Moraga, Orinda and Walnut Creek will decide on Nov. 3 whether to give their public high schools a new stream of local money. Measure W, placed on the ballot by the Acalanes Union High School District, would charge $168 per parcel each year for eight years and raise about $6 million annually, according to the district.

Who it covers

The district runs Acalanes, Campolindo, Las Lomas and Miramonte high schools, along with the Acalanes Center for Independent Study and an adult education program. It is separate from the TK-8 districts in those cities, several of which asked voters for their own parcel taxes in June. The district says Measure W money would go only to its high school programs.

Why the district says it needs it

Acalanes already collects two parcel taxes, Measures A and G, approved in 2006 and 2010. The district says that revenue has not grown in 16 years and has not kept up with inflation. Over the past two years it has made about $4.2 million in ongoing cuts, including more than $2 million in 2025-26 and another $2.2 million taking effect this school year. Those cuts reduced advanced electives, counseling, administrative and maintenance staff, and library services, which went from one librarian at each school to one librarian for the whole district.

The district says the money would help it pay teachers competitively, keep class sizes manageable, maintain advanced math, science, engineering and arts programs, and support career and technical classes in fields such as biotech, health sciences, auto mechanics and fabrication.

What it would cost

The tax is a flat $168 with no annual increase, and it would first appear on property tax bills in November 2027. Both residential and commercial owners would pay. Homeowners 65 and older could get an exemption on their primary residence, as could people receiving Supplemental Security Income or Social Security Disability Insurance. The measure calls for a citizens' oversight committee and annual independent audits.

Like all school parcel taxes in California, Measure W needs a two-thirds yes vote to pass. The district's board voted unanimously to put it on the ballot after voter polling and town halls this summer.

On the Walnut Creek agenda

The Walnut Creek City Council was scheduled to consider endorsing Measure W at its Oct. 6 meeting, along with the regional transit tax Measure RTM, the city's Measure T on the treasurer's office, and the statewide housing bond Proposition 1, the Walnut Creek Record reported. The voter registration deadline is Oct. 19, with same-day conditional registration available through Election Day.