Ross Valley School District parcel tax measure fails

Measure E, a proposal to renew and increase the Ross Valley School District parcel tax, has been defeated, the county elections office said Wednesday.

The measure needed two-thirds voter approval to pass. The latest count has it at 62.62%

The measure needed about 300 more yes votes — assuming no additional votes against — to reach 66.67% majority, said Lynda Roberts, the Marin County elections director.

The elections office had about 45 ballots left to count as of midday Wednesday, Roberts said. Those were mostly ballots received by mail on Tuesday, the deadline for post-election ballots, and postmarked by May 6, the day of the election. The office also had 98 ballots that had some “signature issues,” she said.

The voters who cast those ballots have until May 21 to rectify the problems.

“After that, we will post final results and certify the election,” Roberts said.

Even if all the remaining ballots were yes votes, the parcel tax would fall short of the two-thirds majority, she said.

In a letter to constituents, Tyler Graff, the superintendent of the school district, called the election results “a deeply disappointing outcome.” But he noted the measure still had a strong majority in favor.

“That support is meaningful,” he said.

The election outcome will trigger immediate action to cut the district’s 2025-26 budget at the trustees meeting on June 4, Graff said. The reductions, based on recommendations by the district’s budget advisory committee, will include eliminating guest support teachers and technology platforms that support student learning, he said.

Also, the district will cut “teacher leadership positions, some sections at White Hill, and potentially more,” Graff said, referring to the district’s middle school.

“These decisions will be painful but necessary,” he said.

Regarding teacher salaries, Graff said options for sustainable wage increases that the district had hoped to provide will be slim.

“Without new revenue, offering the salary increases our educators deserve becomes harder,” Graff said. “RVSD remains among the lowest-funded districts in Marin and still needs $3 million annually to reach even the bottom quartile of peer districts.”

Graff did not indicate whether the district would try again next year for a parcel tax renewal or increase. He also declined to speculate whether a second try would include a switch from a flat tax to a square-footage tax, as proposed in Measure E.

The district’s parcel tax expires in 2028.

Mimi Willard, president of the Coalition of Sensible Taxpayers, declared victory Wednesday in the group’s opposition campaign to Measure E. The organization objected to the measure going before voters in an off-year, low-turnout special election.

In a message to supporters, Willard said the group “successfully defended the core values of democratic inclusivity, fairness, transparency and affordability.”