Cupertino Union School District Parcel Tax Failing: Early Results

CUPERTINO, CA — The Cupertino Union School District’s second attempt in as many years to pass a parcel tax is in danger of failing again with unofficial results reported Wednesday.

Measure A requires two-thirds of the vote to pass and as of Tuesday night, 59 percent of voters supported the measure. All votes were cast by mail, and 24,467 ballots were cast as of Wednesday. There are 77,750 registered voters in the district, though the Santa Clara County registrar predicted that 95 percent of ballots have been counted.

Voters were asked if they wanted to raise the current parcel tax supporting the school district, the largest elementary school district in Northern California, from $250 per parcel to $398 per parcel annually for the next eight years. The current parcel tax expires in 2022.

The funds would be used to retain teachers, keep schools open and ensure fiscal solvency for a district that is struggling financially and coping with a drop in enrollment that is resulting in less funding from the state. The Cupertino Union School District is one of the lowest funded in the state because it doesn't get enough in property tax revenue to qualify as a basic aid district — one that gets to keep excess property tax money — and it doesn't receive much in "high needs" funding from the state because of Cupertino's high cost of living.

The district, which has 17,000 students across 25 schools in six different cities, saw a similar measure that would’ve raised the parcel tax fail in March 2020. It is also dealing with a riff between some parents and school board members over reopening schools, resulting in a recall effort.

The next update on the vote tally will be Thursday at 5 p.m., according to the registrar.