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Moraga council endorses Acalanes Union High School District Measure T parcel tax
Summary
The council adopted a resolution supporting Measure T, a proposed parcel tax by the Acalanes Union High School District, after hearing a district board member explain the district’s low per‑student funding and the parcel‑tax proposal.
The Moraga Town Council unanimously adopted a resolution March 26 endorsing the Acalanes Union High School District’s proposed Measure T parcel tax, which the district says would begin at $130 per parcel, run for eight years and include an annual adjustment capped at 3 percent.
Town Manager Scott presented the item and summarized staff’s recommendation after the council requested further information at a prior meeting. He told the council the district is seeking roughly $4.5 million a year and is proposing a special election in May; staff said the cost of a special election would increase the district’s election expense from earlier estimates of $200,000–$250,000 to approximately $900,000.
Nancy Hayford, a board member of the Acalanes Union High School District and a Moraga resident, described the district’s funding shortfall: "We received the lowest allocation by formula of any high school district in the state," she said, explaining the district's reliance on local and parcel tax revenue and noting the district’s existing parcel tax has been flat since 2010.
Hayford and staff described intended uses for parcel-tax proceeds across broad categories including attracting and retaining teachers, maintaining class sizes, updating technology, providing library services and academic counseling, and supporting career and college readiness. Hayford said parcel-tax money would not be used for district-office administrator salaries and benefits; the district also described continuation of an independent oversight committee to review parcel-tax expenditures.
Public commenters — including residents and a newly appointed planning commissioner — spoke in favor of the measure, saying local schools are an important community asset. Council members disclosed individual endorsements during deliberations and emphasized the community’s history of supporting its schools; they moved to adopt a council resolution in support of Measure T and added a signature line to the document so the mayor can sign on behalf of the council.
The resolution directs staff to transmit the council’s endorsement to the district; the council did not take any binding action on the ballot timing or the district’s decision to hold a special election.
