Measure W: Investing in our schools

I support Measure W.

Our schools have absorbed over $4 million in cuts over the past two years — impacting elective offerings, counseling supports, and library services that our students depend on.

Measure W is a parcel tax on the November 2026 ballot. It is a practical, accountable solution to a real and urgent funding gap.

  • Measure W is a parcel tax on the November 2026 ballot. If approved by two-thirds of voters, it would levy $168 per parcel annually for eight years, generating $6 million each year for AUHSD high schools. Funds stay local and cannot be taken by the State.

  • If approved, Measure W funds would go directly to attracting and retaining qualified teachers, maintaining manageable class sizes, and sustaining advanced academic programs in math, science, engineering, and the arts. Funds would also support library services, academic counseling, career training, and career and technical education in fields like biotech, health sciences, and skilled trades — along with updated technology to support modern learning.

  • Measure W includes several accountability measures: a Citizens' Oversight Committee is required by law, annual independent audits ensure funds are spent as voters intended, and by law funds cannot be taken by the State. Senior homeowners age 65 and older are eligible for an exemption on their primary residence, as are individuals receiving Supplemental Security Income or Social Security Disability Insurance regardless of age.

  • AUHSD's funding per student is among the lowest in California amongst similarly sized districts— not because our community doesn't care, but because the state funding formula disadvantages districts like ours. The last local parcel tax increase was 16 years ago. Without Measure W, further cuts to programs and staff are likely.

  • Yes. Over the past two years, AUHSD has absorbed more than $4 million in ongoing budget cuts, reducing administrative staffing, counseling services, library services, maintenance and operations staff, and advanced elective offerings. These are painful reductions that have real consequences for students.

    At the state level, AUHSD is part of the Raise the Base coalition, which is pushing Sacramento to increase the base grant that every California school district receives under the Local Control Funding Formula. Because supplemental funding for high-need students is calculated as a percentage of the base grant, raising the base lifts funding for all districts — including those serving high-need students. It is a rising tide, not a zero-sum fight.

    Measure W is not a substitute for fiscal discipline or state advocacy — it is a response to a structural funding gap that belt-tightening and lobbying alone cannot close quickly enough to protect our students and programs today.

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