School closures ‘back on the table’ after CUSD parcel tax fails
Zoe Morgan/Town Crier File Photo
Montclaire Elementary School in Los Altos reopened last month, above. Its district faces substantial financial challenges.
The Cupertino Union School District will once again consider permanently closing schools, along with a host of other impactful cuts, after voters rejected a parcel-tax proposal from the district last week.
Measure A would have levied a $398 annual tax on each parcel of land within CUSD’s boundaries, raising an estimated $14 million annually for the cash-strapped district. It needed two-thirds approval to pass but received only 59.34% support, as of the ballots counted by Monday afternoon (May 10) – more than 7 percentage points shy of the required margin.
Zoe Morgan/Town Crier File Photo
Jason Carballar, the Los Altos School District’s warehouse coordinator, shows the cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment the district stockpiled in its board room last fall.
As schools reopen for in-person learning, local districts are receiving millions of dollars in one-time state and federal funding to help cover the additional expenses the pandemic has brought on.
From rapidly rolling out distance learning last spring to now making sure campuses comply with health requirements as students and teachers return, the pandemic has led to an array of unexpected costs.
Districts received various sources of money over the past year to offset the new expenses but are now receiving larger sums, thanks to a California law meant to incentivize reopening, plus the $1.9 trillion federal COVID-19 relief bill that Congress passed last month.
The Cupertino Union School District s parcel tax election was conducted by mail.
Initial election night results show the Cupertino Union School District’s Measure A parcel tax falling short of the two-thirds support needed for passage.
Of the ballots counted thus far, 58.56% are in favor of the tax (13,358 votes) and 41.44% (9,454) are opposed, with 66% approval required.
The results released tonight (May 4) represent ballots the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters received and processed prior to Election Day. More ballots will be counted in the coming days.
The vote was conducted by mail, and ballots postmarked on or before Election Day are eligible to be counted, as long as the registrar receives them by Friday (May 7).
UpdatedWed, May 5, 2021 at 5:50 pm PT
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Cupertino Middle School is one of 25 schools in the Cupertino Union School District. (Google Maps)
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.
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