San Ramon Unified School District voters overwhelmingly approved Measure C, a local parcel tax that will provide additional funding for local schools in an attempt to curb the negative impact of state budget cuts.

Set to go into effect this July, the tax has an annual cost of $144 per parcel of land, and will last for the next seven years.

Needing a two-thirds vote to pass, Measure C received over 72 percent of the votes in the May 5 mail-in election. This tax proposal was the district’s last chance to renew the current annual parcel tax of $90 that is set to expire at the end of June.

According to the terms of the measure, the new tax will provide funding to retain qualified and experienced teachers, address the impact of budget cuts, and maintain math, science, literacy and other academic programs within the school district.

“Revenue from the tax will be put into the district’s general fund,” said district spokesman Terry Koehne.

School board member Rachel Hurd said the specific uses of the money will be determined at a later time, possibly after the May 19 special election when state funding can be better assessed.

Expected to bring in $6.7 million annually, the new parcel tax will help relieve some of the pressure caused by the estimated $14 million lost by the district because of state budget cuts.

Though the school board will make the final decisions regarding how the tax revenue will be spent, Principal Mark Corti is hopeful that some of the teachers who were pink-slipped can now be saved.

Corti said the pink slips that were issued to hundreds 

of teachers and district employees in March and April were one of the wake-up calls for voters in this election. Koehne agreed, citing the difference in attitude in this election.

“People, by and large, were a little more serious about this election and its implications,” said Koehne. “People understood how soon the tax was set to expire.”

This sense of urgency wasn’t present last June, when the district put Measure D, a similar parcel tax of $166, on the ballot. The measure failed after receiving support from only 63 percent of voters.

Another difference between last June and this May was the public support and involvement in the campaign. Hurd, one of the three chairs running the “Yes on C” campaign, mentioned how reaching out to voters by phone and mail made a difference.

“The community was much more engaged,” said Hurd. “By going after likely supporters, we were able to bring in a more supportive turnout.”

Corti views the community’s approval of the tax as a sign of the support education has in the district, and the desire voters have to see continued quality education.

“The community validated the great job that teachers are doing in schools throughout the district by passing the parcel tax,” said Corti.

Robin Stevens, a parent of a Cal High student, voted in favor of the parcel tax. She feels that in order to keep public education at a high standard, there should be less reliance on government and state funding, and more local support, such as Measure C.

“The tax needed to be passed, because without it, based on the state’s financial situation, it would have just been catastrophic to the school system,” said Stevens.

With over 39,000 ballots cast, nearly 50 percent of registered voters in the district, this election demonstrated the issue of funding for education is a top priority.