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Moraga presentation details school funding gaps as community pushes for Measure I parcel tax
Summary
The Moraga Education Foundation told the Town Council that local public schools lag state funding; parents and MEF volunteers urged the council to endorse Measure I, a parcel tax aiming to raise roughly $1.7 million annually to shore up programs facing cuts.
Anna Moon, executive director of programs at the Moraga Education Foundation, told the Moraga Town Council that district funding is far below state averages and that local fundraising helps close a large gap in per‑pupil funding.
"My name is Anna Moon. I'm the executive director of programs at the Moraga Education Foundation, and I'm here to talk about 3 things," Moon said, outlining that the Moraga School District and the Acalanes Union High School District rank near the bottom in state funding comparisons and that the districts face multi‑million‑dollar cuts. She said Moraga School District is about $6,600 per student below the state average and Campolindo is about $4,500 per student below the state average.
The presentation explained how California's Local Control Funding Formula allocates additional funding based on concentrations of students who are English learners, foster youth or living in poverty; Moraga does not generate those add‑ons and therefore receives a smaller allocation. Moon also summarized local parcel taxes historically used to support schools, and described Measure I, a proposed June parcel tax that would add $295 per parcel for seven years (a two‑thirds vote is required).
Parents and community volunteers filled the public‑comment period to press the council for a public endorsement and help with outreach. "For only 80¢ a day for each parcel, we will be delivering over $1,700,000 for our schools on an annual basis," Megan Donnelly (speaker 14), a campaign co‑chair, told the council. Larry Jacobs (speaker 12), speaking as a private citizen, urged the council to publicly support the measure, saying the parcel tax would help avoid painful program cuts.
Speakers stressed that the tax is meant to "protect and maintain" existing programs rather than start new initiatives. Several commenters highlighted specific threatened cuts — including a districtwide PE specialist — and urged the council to coordinate public outreach so voters understand the district structure (two separate districts serve Moraga students) and the consequences of inaction.
Councilmembers asked about MEF's role in the campaign. Moon said MEF generally supports parcel taxes and that its board is likely to consider an endorsement; she added that MEF, as a 501(c)(3), will follow nonprofit rules about political activity and that the MEF board president will be a volunteer co‑chair of the Measure I campaign.
The council did not take a formal endorsement vote during the meeting but agreed to schedule a future agenda item to consider endorsing Measure I and to bring the request back at an upcoming meeting so staff and council can consider the legal and procedural steps required to list the town as an endorser.
The council moved on after public comment; the agenda item to return with a formal endorsement discussion was placed on a future meeting list.
