The case for Yes on Measure H

The funding gap is real

On the state's per-pupil funding metric (LCFF base grant), RVSD ranks 959th of 995 California school districts — the bottom 4% statewide.^[1] The existing parcel tax fills roughly 16% of the district's $30M budget,^[2] and Measure H renews it with an increment that keeps that gap from widening.

This funding gap is structural. RVSD oscillates between California's two school-funding regimes (state-aid and community-funded) and captures the upside of neither.^[3] For the mechanics, see our LCFF explainer and our post on why RVSD is underfunded in a wealthy county.

We'd still pay less than every comparable neighbor

The single most useful comparison is to the other Marin K-8 districts on either side of us. Every one of them has a parcel tax. Most of them are much higher than ours, today and after the 2026 ballot measures.^[4]

What this table shows:

• Today, RVSD's $742 is the lowest comparable rate in central Marin — and it's about 40% of what Kentfield homeowners pay.
• Even with the increase, RVSD's $1,282 would still be below Mill Valley, Kentfield, and Ross. Our neighbors pay $400–$700 more per parcel for the same kind of K-8 service.
• The two districts at our rate (Reed Union and the small unincorporated districts) are either very small or unusually well-funded by other means. Reed Union covers 1,400 students in Tiburon and Belvedere; its per-pupil revenue is roughly $29,700 vs. RVSD's $18,200 — they don't need a high parcel tax.

Mill Valley, Kentfield, Ross, and Larkspur-Corte Madera parents have collectively decided that $1,500–$1,900 per parcel is what it costs to run a K-8 school district in central Marin. Measure H asks Ross Valley for less than any of them — and we have structurally less local property tax revenue to fall back on, because RVSD oscillates across the basic-aid line while those districts sit firmly above it.

What's already been cut

RVSD has not been waiting for Measure H to economize. According to district materials and public Marin IJ reporting:

• Teachers received no salary increase this year, not even a cost-of-living adjustment.^[5]
• RVSD pay sits at the bottom of Marin's school districts, making hiring and retention harder.
• Staff cuts are already in place; class sizes and program breadth are under pressure.
• Administrators report the budget has been "cut to the extreme" through standard means.^[5]

This is the context for the $540 increase. The current $742 figure is mostly the same parcel tax voters approved over a decade ago, plus inflation. The structural increase underwrites teacher compensation and prevents another round of program cuts.

What "no" actually looks like

The current parcel tax does not vanish overnight if H fails — it expires June 30, 2028. But the Marin County Office of Education required RVSD to file a written, three-tier contingency plan; the district presented it at a January 27, 2026 special board meeting.^[6] It is a county-supervised obligation, not a campaign mailer. Per RVSD's own 2025-26 Adopted Budget: with the failure of Measure E in May 2025, the existing tax will sunset in June 2028, removing in excess of $5 million per year from the district — "which will have large negative impacts upon fiscal health and stability of the Ross Valley School District."^[2]

The election calendar leaves no slack

There are only two regularly scheduled California statewide elections before the existing tax expires: June 2 and November 3, 2026. The next statewide election after that is the March 7, 2028 presidential primary — technically before the June 30, 2028 expiration, but operationally too late to certify, place on the ballot, win, and bridge the FY 2028-29 budget without a multi-month revenue gap.^[7] A No on June 2 leaves November as the last realistic shot. A No on both makes the contingency plan's Tier 3 the document the district then has to execute.

Why renewal alone isn't enough

A renewal-only measure would lock RVSD into the same purchasing power it had in 2012. In the meantime: 14 years of compounded cost growth, several rounds of state mandates that added expense without funding, declining birth rates that reduce the per-pupil share of fixed costs, and a teacher-pay environment in Marin that makes it impossible to compete on salary alone.

Trustees publicly considered increases of $350, $540, $600, and $750 before settling on $540 as the compromise.^[8] The Coalition of Sensible Taxpayers had publicly suggested $149. Superintendent Tyler Graff's response on the record: a $149 increase "wouldn't resolve any of the district's budget issues."^[8] The lone dissenting trustee, Anna Marsh, voted against the measure because she preferred an even larger, $600 increase that would "better meet the district's urgent need to restore fiscal health."^[8]

In other words: the board's deliberation was bracketed on one side by an anti-tax watchdog asking for $149 and on the other by a sitting trustee asking for $600. $540 is the compromise.

If you want the timeline and inflation-adjusted context behind that number, see our post on why $540 is the first real parcel-tax raise since 2012.

What's changed since May 2025

Measure E in May 2025 received 62.5% Yes — a clear majority, but short of the 66.67% supermajority California requires for parcel taxes.^[9] In December 2025 polling commissioned by the district, 73% of voters approved of how RVSD manages taxpayer dollars.^[10] Voters trust the district; the structural obstacle is the two-thirds supermajority bar. The board listened, and Measure H is structured differently:

• Flat per-parcel. Every taxable parcel pays the same amount. The 2025 per-square-foot model was hard to understand and felt punitive to larger properties.
• Plain ballot language. The ballot title makes the renewal-and-increase structure explicit, with the dollar figures up front.
• Regular statewide ballot. No special-election cost. Voters were (rightly) annoyed at the 2025 special election bill.
• Senior exemption preserved. Existing exemptions roll over; nobody has to re-paper their exemption.
• Independent oversight. An annual audit committee reports publicly.
• No money for administrators or pensions. Codified in the measure.

It costs less than people think — and won't if it fails

The parcel tax increase ($540) is about $45 per month. For most households, that's less than the cost of a month of streaming services. For seniors who qualify, it's $0.

Endorsements

Measure H has been endorsed by elected officials at every level of government, every current RVSD trustee, the teachers' union, and major civic organizations.

Endorsements compiled from KeepRVSDSchoolsOpen.org and Marin IJ reporting. Titles and affiliations are listed for identification purposes only.

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