Voters from El Cerrito to Hercules will decide Nov. 3 whether to keep paying a school parcel tax that West Contra Costa Unified has relied on since 2004. Measure V would renew the tax for nine years at its current rate.
What Measure V does
According to the county's official ballot materials, the measure continues the tax at 7.2 cents per square foot of building area, raising about $10.24 million a year from July 1, 2027, through June 30, 2036. Seniors can claim exemptions, and the measure includes citizen oversight and audits. Richmondside reported that the rate works out to about $72 a year for an average homeowner. The current tax, Measure T, expires at the end of June 2027.
The district says the money would protect core academics, science, music, arts and career technical programs, help attract and keep teachers, and maintain mental health services and counselors. Because it is a special tax, it needs a two-thirds "yes" vote.
A district under strain
WCCUSD serves about 25,000 students at 56 schools, Bay City News reported. In February the board voted to cut $127 million from its budget by 2027-28 to avoid state receivership, including a 10% staff reduction and school closures and consolidations. That followed a five-day teachers' strike in December that ended with an 8% raise and better health benefits, which the district puts at $105 million over three years.
The arguments
Supporters, including the teachers' union president, argue that state funding has not kept up with rising costs for special education, salaries, utilities and insurance. Opponents, including Denise Gianni of the Contra Costa Taxpayers Association, argue the district has a spending problem, not a revenue problem, and that past oversight did not prevent its financial instability.
Passage is not assured. Richmondside reported in July that a Godbe Research survey found about 65.8% of voters would vote yes, just short of the two-thirds threshold. The last renewal passed with 76%.