East San Jose voters to weigh school parcel tax

East Side Union High School District has placed a parcel tax on the Nov. 5 General Election ballot in an effort to generate a much-needed revenue stream.

If approved by voters, Measure N will generate $6.4 million annually for five years to help fund the financially-strapped school district. The $49 per parcel tax needs a two-thirds majority or about 66.6% approval to pass. The measure would pay to maintain college and career programs, as well as competitive wages and benefits for teachers and staff to help attract and retain qualified educators. Older adults can apply for an exemption.

“Given the state’s current imbalance in school funding between districts, East Side students are not funded at the same rate as their peers in other districts in the county,” East Side Union High School District spokesperson Sergio Diaz Luna told San José Spotlight. “Our district is seeking additional sources of funding to ensure our students have the same tools and resources as students in four districts less than 30 minutes away.” 

Since 2014, the school district has initiated four general obligation bonds, and one parcel tax in 2018. Three of the general obligation bonds passed. But the 2018 effort, which was $49 per parcel with a seven-year timeline, failed. General obligation bonds fund capital improvements such as new schools, facility renovations and equipment.

The financially beleaguered school district is facing an estimated $71 million deficit by the 2026-27 academic year, according to the district’s forecast. This is largely due to a loss in state funding based on student attendance and one-time funds.

District enrollment has decreased from 22,606 students in 2018-19 to 20,471 in 2023-24. It’s projected to drop to 15,735 in 2028-29.

Meanwhile, district teachers protested in May for higher wages to keep up with increasing cost of living. In a statement, the district said although it’s committed to providing competitive salaries to its teachers and staff, it relies primarily on state funding to pay salaries and fund operations.

School districts are reeling from the end of one-time funding provided by the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund. Most of this funding expired in September, Superintendent Glenn Vander Zee said.

“East Side Union High School District is doing what we can to address the expiration of one-time funds,” he told San José Spotlight. “The board of trustees acted to place before the voters a ballot measure to address that loss of funding.”

Contact Lorraine Gabbert at [email protected].