Voters in Dublin were leaning toward narrowly rejecting Measure I, a school district parcel tax, based on early returns Tuesday night from the Alameda County Registrar of Voters Office.
The measure, which needs a two-thirds majority to pass, had 64.3% of the vote late Tuesday.
If it ultimately wins approval, the Dublin Unified School District’s measure will renew an expiring $96 parcel tax and add $48 to that for a total of $144 per parcel per year.
The money — nearly $3 million annually for nine years — would be spent on maintaining small class sizes, attracting and retaining teachers, and on student counseling, tutoring and other types of academic assistance programs.
The funds could also be used to buy new instructional materials, upgrade classroom technology and enhance book collections and school library programs.
It would be the first time in 18 years that the district’s parcel tax revenue increased, according to the ballot measure language submitted to the Alameda County Registrar of Voters Office.
“Without Measure I, Dublin schools will lose $2 million in locally controlled funding, adding to the $12 million already cut from the district’s general budget,” according to the ballot argument in favor of the measure submitted by the school district.
No argument against the measure was posted on the Registrar of Voters website.
Measure I provides exemptions for senior citizens and requires an independent oversight committee to monitor its implementation and conduct annual audits.
A website supporting the measure lists endorsements from the Dublin Teachers Association, the Alameda County Democratic Party, Alameda County Supervisor David Haubert and former Dublin Mayor Melissa Hernandez, a Haubert aide who was running in the U.S. congressional race to replace Eric Swalwell, among others.
