Ross Valley School District Parcel Tax Passes

The Ross Valley School District’s Measure A, which increases an existing parcel tax by $149, earned ample voter support Tuesday.  

With all precincts reporting, the measure received 73 percent of the vote. It required a two-thirds vote to pass.

The Ross Valley School District Board of Trustees, district Superintendent Eileen Rohan and other community members gathered Tuesday night at  restaurant in Fairfax to watch the election results. 

“Once again our community continues to support our schools,” Rohan told Patch after the final results were posted. “Every member of our community came forward and said this is what they want to do and it has made all the difference. We are very grateful. We are very blessed and we are immensely appreciative.” 

School officials and volunteers spent all of election day making phone calls to voters.

“We started early this morning and ended at 7:30 tonight,” said district board president Chris Carlucci from Pancho Villa’s. “The people who live in Ross Valley really understand the importance of high-quality education and our students are really lucky to have the generous support of the community.”

The measure raises the annual tax rate from $309.66 to $458.66, with automatic annual increases of 4 percent for the next eight years, according to the Marin IJ.

The IJ reported: 

The district, which relies on state per-pupil funding for much of its $18.5 million budget, said it needs the tax hike to offset state budget cuts. Supporters said state funding has dropped by more than 20 percent since 2007.

The ballot measure shares the same name as the $41 million facilities bond Measure A, which 71 percent of the voters approved two years ago. This  the groundbreaking of bond-funded upgrades to White Hill Middle School, where portables classrooms will be demolished and replaced with new buildings that will house Seventh graders, Eighth graders and three new music rooms.