Election 2026: East San Jose school district asks voters to approve more than $215 million in tax measures

This November, Alum Rock Union Elementary School District is asking Santa Clara County voters to approve a parcel tax and school bond that officials say will prevent budget cuts, protect academic programs and repair aging facilities — and will total more than $215 million by the time it ends in 2054.

The measures come as Alum Rock Union Elementary School District closed six school sites last August and consolidated or redesigned several others due to a $20 million budget shortfall stemming from a significant decline in student enrollment.

The district serves about 7,300 preschool-through-8th grade students in East San Jose, 78% of whom are considered socioeconomically disadvantaged and 43% of whom are classified as English language learners.

If approved, the parcel tax ballot measure — Measure O — would replace a parcel tax approved by voters in June 2022, raising the annual tax from $214.10 to $310 per parcel — about $6.5 million annually, instead of the previously estimated $4.5 million annually.

The district is also asking voters to approve a separate $100 million school bond — Measure P — to fund much-needed repairs at school sites across the district.

The parcel tax measure requires two-thirds approval to pass. The new tax rate would begin on July 1, 2027, and continue for seven years.

The bond measure requires 55% of the vote to pass and the average annual tax rate would be $25.52 per $100,000 of assessed property value. The bond is estimated to collect about $6.3 million annually through 2054, with total debt including principal and interest expected to reach $170 million.

Supporters say the measures are necessary to protect critical academic programs, staff and services for socioeconomically disadvantaged youth, as well as repair the district’s more than 60-year-old buildings and ensure classrooms are safe and functional.

But opponents argue voters have already given the district more than $444 million in school bonds over the last two decades, and Measure O would be the district’s fourth parcel tax since 2010. They point out that the tax rate has risen significantly since voters passed Measure I’s $160 per parcel tax rate in 2010.

The district said enrollment dropped from 16,000 students in the early 2000s to about 7,300 students in the 2024-25 school year, leaving the district with too many schools for the number of students enrolled. Alum Rock Union Elementary School said charter schools, families moving out of the area and lower birth rates contributed to the decline.

The district said if passed, the parcel tax funds will protect services for students with disabilities, improve reading, writing, math and science programs, attract and retain highly qualified teachers and support foster youth and students experiencing housing instability.

Without the funds, the district said budget cuts could be necessary, which would take away “dedicated teachers, vital services and academic programs that students rely on every day.”

The $100 million bond measure funds, if passed, would be used to replace or repair roofs, plumbing and other aging infrastructure, install and upgrade campus safety and security systems, construct new classrooms, modernize restrooms, play areas and cafeterias and construct athletic fields, gymnasiums and locker rooms, according to the district.

Primary supporters of both measures include the district’s school board vice president Andres Quintero, board members Minh Pham and Corina Herrera-Loera, and the district’s Teamsters labor union, which represents school support workers including custodians, administrative staff and school bus drivers.

Measure O’s parcel tax would include exemptions for homeowners over the age of 65 and those who receive supplemental security income for a disability regardless of age. Tax proceeds would also be prohibited from funding any program not listed in the measure, including administrators’ salaries.

If passed, the district’s school board will also be required to establish a citizen oversight committee to oversee the spending of each measure’s funds and a written report will be submitted to the board each year detailing the amount of funds collected and the status of any project or programs authorized to be funded.

But the two proposed measures come as the results of the June primary election’s school parcel taxes and bond measures could signal trouble for their passage.

An EdSource analysis showed the June primary’s passage rate for school parcel tax measures fell below the state’s historic average of 65%, with only 53% of measures passing, while June school bond approval rates were 62% — far below the state’s historic average of 78%.

Mark Hinkle, president of the Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association — an opponent of both measures — pointed out that Measure P is the district’s fifth school bond sent to voters since 2008. All but one have asked voters to fund projects to improve schools and fix aging infrastructure, specifically “leaky roofs,” he said.

“If you have an apartment, did they replace the roof every four to eight years? No, that’s ridiculous, right?” Hinkle asked. “So why are leaky roofs on three out of the four last bond measures for Alum Rock Union Elementary School District?”

Voters approved the $179 million school bond Measure G in 2008 to improve neighborhood schools, renovate facilities and repair aging infrastructure. Four years later, voters approved the $125 million school bond Measure J for the same reason, along with the $140 million school bond Measure I in 2016.

Voters also approved the $71.5 million school bond Measure S in 2022 to improve academic classrooms and build teacher and staff housing.

Hinkle also pointed out Alum Rock Union’s proposed Measure O parcel tax is the district’s fourth parcel tax sent to voters in the last 16 years to ask for funds to protect the district from budget cuts and maintain academic programs.

Hinkle argued declining enrollment should mean the district needs fewer teachers and fewer classrooms and criticized the district’s literacy and math scores, which he said falls far below the state average despite millions of local taxpayer funds to protect and maintain such programs.

According to 2024-25 state test results, about 29% of the district’s students met or exceeded English Language Arts proficiency standards, while 21% of the district’s students met or exceeded math standards — far below the 49% state average in English Language Arts and the 37% state average in math.

Hinkle said passing Measure O or P would “reward bad behavior.”

“That’s just not the way the real world works. And yet that’s what the school districts want us to do,” Hinkle said. “You assume that if there’s a problem, throw more money at it. Well there’s a problem, we threw more money at it and we got worse.”

According to the state test results, Alum Rock Union Elementary School District’s scores in English Language Arts improved slightly from 2023-2024, while the district’s students maintained similar proficiency rates in math from the previous year.

Alum Rock Union Elementary School District did not respond to a request for comment on the measures.

Registered California voters should soon see their ballots for the Nov. 3 election arriving in the mailbox. The last day to register to vote for the election is Oct. 19.