Measure W on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot would add a $168-a-year parcel tax for eight years in the Acalanes Union High School District, which covers Lafayette, Moraga, Orinda and Walnut Creek. The district says it would raise about $6 million a year. It needs two-thirds of the vote to pass.

Why it matters: Property owners already pay two Acalanes parcel taxes totaling $301 a year, according to the county counsel's analysis. If Measure W passes, the total would be $469 per parcel starting July 1, 2027.

What Measure W does

  • $168 per taxable parcel each year, from July 1, 2027 to June 30, 2035. The amount is flat; a small condo pays the same as a large home.
  • Money goes to teachers, class sizes, STEM and arts programs, counseling, libraries and career-technical education. The measure says none can go to administrators' salaries or benefits.
  • Exemptions on application for owner-occupied homes of people 65 or older, SSI disability recipients, and some lower-income SSDI recipients. People already exempt from the current district parcel taxes are automatically exempt.
  • A citizens' oversight committee and annual reports are required.

The district runs Acalanes, Campolindo, Las Lomas and Miramonte high schools and the Acalanes Center for Independent Study.

The case for

The district says it has cut more than $4 million over the past two years, affecting electives, library and counseling services, and that local parcel tax funding has not increased in 16 years. Supporters, including Walnut Creek Councilmember Matt Francois and former Orinda Mayor Amy Worth, wrote in the ballot argument that it is "not an expense problem; it's a revenue problem."

The case against

The Contra Costa Taxpayers Association leads the opposition. Its ballot argument says voters rejected Measure T, a $130 parcel tax, in a special election last year that cost the district $834,000, and that W asks for nearly 30% more. Opponents say per-student costs rose from $10,305 in 2012-13 to $20,508 in 2024-25 and call it "a spending problem."

Supporters' rebuttal says the district holds a Aaa Moody's credit rating and that opponents take figures out of context.

Also on Lamorinda ballots: Orinda council race and Moraga council race. Full guide: Bay Area Election 2026.