The Redwood City School District is considering asking for voter support for a parcel tax that would go toward teacher salaries, student services and in-class resources — addressing program cuts due to budget restraints.
The expiration of one-time funds that were awarded to districts during the COVID-19 pandemic have left many searching for ways to maintain programs by seeking alternative revenue generators.
At the board meeting March 13, trustees and Superintendent John Baker discussed aiming for the ballot June 2, 2026. If passed, the district could begin receiving revenue before the 2026-27 school year.
For board President Mike Wells, the one-time funds provided to districts during the pandemic “showed us what could be done for student services when you’re more fully funded.”
“Now that those are gone, we do have to find other ways to bring that revenue back and I do believe that this is a good avenue to be pursuing,” Wells said.
The district has considered asking voters for a parcel tax for the last few years, but a poll conducted in 2024 showed only an estimated 60% support from voters. Falling short of the required two-thirds approval, the district chose to hold off funding a campaign.
The need for revenue remains though, prompting a group of parents to look at moving forward with a citizens’ initiative to get a parcel tax on ballots, which would only require a majority approval to pass.
However, there is far more flexibility in campaigning and availability of resources if the district sponsors the parcel tax measure, Hauser said. If a citizen-led initiative were to move forward, the district would not be able to use any public resources for polling, obtain legal counsel, or communicate what the funding revenue would address.
Polling should be conducted yet again to determine the feasibility of either avenue, trustees agreed.
“We would never recommend placing a measure on the ballot if we thought it could not be successful,” Hauser said.
Should the district proceed with sponsoring the ballot measure, Hauser still maintained the need for parent support in “getting this measure over the finish line.”
“Based on what I heard, I do think that group would likely manifest itself if you decided to move forward in this process,” Hauser said.
Jessica Shade, a parent working on the citizens’ initiative, said budget cuts have already had an impact on students, and will likely only continue to be made.
“We’re supportive of any way we can get a parcel tax for our students, regardless of whether it is a district initiative or a citizens’ initiative,” Shade said. “We just know this is critically important.”
Should the district route not show a likelihood of passing, Shade said parents will continue the citizen-led effort despite the challenges.
(65) 344-5200 ext. 106
Daily Journal staff
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(2) comments
RCSD is one of the richest school district in San Mateo County, but also the most segregated. That is not a coincidence, that is by Superidt. John Baker's own design.
Nationally and internationally, schools (without school districts) can provide fantastic education for every student on $6,000-$10,000 and are paying their teachers well. This district now has over $22,000 in per-student-funding and growing fast.
Only 28% of that funding does actually go to teachers and towards education - the rest goes into real estate projects and various segregation schemes John Baker and his board have promoted over the years. And every single board member took advantage of those schemes.
Legally those 28% are supposed to be 60%, but Nancy Magee and her Office of Education (SMCOE) give RCSD 'exemption' over 'exemption'. Without oversight and right under the noses of SMCOE and Nancy Magee, corruption runs high in San Mateo County's school districts.
The reason Redwood City and San Mateo promote school segregation is the fact that the state sends more money if you have "segregated, underserved" schools. The state is basically incentivizing bad actors ... and bad actors always take advantage.
San Mateo's school districts are highly overfunded, in fact for many years Education funding (ERAF) went back to the city and county, because school districts in Redwood City and San Mateo are too rich for their own good.
https://calmatters.org/commentary/dan-walters/2020/07/bay-area-counties-school-funding-property-taxes/
I’d recommend folks vote NO on any potential parcel tax until the Redwood City School District has been DOGE’d and programs have been evaluated for potential waste, fraud, and abuse. What are the academic rankings within the school district and have they shown any marked improvement? Again, vote NO until fiscal management has been determined to be in the best interests of students, not teachers.
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