By David M. Greenwald
Executive Editor
Davis, CA – In 2020, voters in Davis approved an expansion of the parcel tax. It is set to expire in June 2025 and the school board next Thursday will discuss a potential renewal of the parcel tax.
(Correction: The board is actually discussing the Measure H school parcel tax that passed in 2016 and which is set to expire at the end of the 2024-25 school year. Measure H has an 8-year term. This is the school parcel tax that has been renewed/extended at the end of each term since 1984.)
“Parents and community members agree that the local schools are a primary reason they choose to live in Davis,” the district said in a release on Wednesday. “For 40 years, Davis public schools have relied on voter-approved, local funding to maintain strong academic programs, support qualified teachers, and provide a high-quality education to students.”
Leading up to the 2020 ballot measure, a board subcommittee of then-board member Alan Fernandes and current board member Joe DiNunzio held a series of public workshops where they discussed the alternatives to the parcel tax, including the contraction of programs and other cuts before settling on expanding the parcel tax to help increase teacher compensation to make the district more competitive with similarly situated districts.
One of the challenges identified at the time is that, while Davis is an affluent district, in some respects that works against it as it gets less in the way of support money from the state.
The district has then used the parcel tax—a local revenue measure—to supplement state ADA money.
As the district explains, “Parcel taxes are voter-approved locally controlled funding 
sources that have enabled Davis schools to maintain a tradition of quality educational programs to prepare students for success after graduation and attract and retain the best teacher talent.”
When it was first established in the 1980s up until 2008, it was $100 per parcel per year. Now it is at $768 per year.
As the district explains, “Without it, Davis Joint Unified School District (DJUSD) schools would lose nearly $12 million annually, which could lead to teacher layoffs, larger class sizes, and cuts to academic programs and services.”
With the measure set to expire, “The DJUSD Board of Trustees has been engaged in discussions about placing a measure on the ballot in 2024 to renew this expiring source of funding.”
Unlike the last parcel tax, right now, “While no final decisions have been made,” the district is discussion a measure that would not constitute a new tax, “but would instead renew the existing Measure H parcel tax at the current rate of $768 per year, raising approximately $11.7 million per year, ongoing until ended by voters.”
Some of the goals include:
- Attract and retain high-performing teachers and educational staff
- Provide for outstanding academics in science, technology, engineering, math, reading and writing
- Maintain library services
- Limit class sizes
- Protect art, music, world language, career technical education, AP courses and other electives
- Sustain athletics and co-curricular programs such as robotics, journalism, theater and debate
- Promote student safety and physical and mental health
- Provide teacher training, resources and classroom support
It also has fiscal accountability measures and local control requirements:
- All revenue would be spent in local schools and could not be taken away by the State
- Continuation of exemptions for seniors and residents with disabilities with no reapprovals necessary
- A citizens’ oversight committee annual audit would be required
- No funds could be used for contract management salaries
As DJUSD continues to plan for the future of our exceptional schools, a school parcel tax subcommittee continues to meet in regular open sessions to allow for public participation.
The district invited the public to contact the Board of Education at BOE@djusd.net or join the upcoming meeting of the Board of Trustees on November 2, 2023, in Community Chambers at 23 Russell Boulevard in Davis when they will be considering placing this measure on the ballot in 2024.
