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Sacramento City Unified will ask voters in November to approve a tax requiring property owners to pay $95 per parcel each year to help fund special education.
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In a unanimous vote, the Board of Trustees on Thursday advanced a resolution placing a parcel tax measure before voters to help address rising special education costs.
The move followed the board’s approval, earlier in the same meeting, of a roughly $258.8 million special education spending plan for the 2026-27 school year.
A parcel tax is a local tax that property owners pay each year for every property parcel they own in the school district with exemptions for seniors and Social Security recipients. The unanimous vote advances the resolution to Sacramento County election officials for placement on the Nov. 3 ballot.
District officials said the tax would help expand its Multi-Tiered System of Supports, also known as MTSS, a program that is designed to identify students’ academic, behavioral and emotional needs early, before they become more serious.
The tax would require approval from two-thirds of voters to take effect.
Jennifer Santos, principal of Suy:u Elementary School, one of the program’s pilot sites, said the added MTSS resources have already produced results, including a 20% reduction in chronic absenteeism over three years. Most kindergartners moving into first grade are now at or above grade level, she added.
“Although we are ecstatic about our results, we are also anxious. We know this approach works, but we aren’t certain if our district will be able to continue to support this important work financially,” Santos said during Thursday’s meeting, urging the board to continue funding MTSS.
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“Every dollar we spend tells a story of what we believe is important,” Santos continued.
Some speakers opposed placing the measure on the ballot. Kelly Swain, a district parent, homeowner and real estate agent, praised the program but argued that families already face rising property taxes, insurance and utility costs. She pointed to the $258 million special education budget the board had approved earlier in the meeting and urged trustees to fund MTSS through existing resources.
“This is not just $95 every single year for a new homeowner,” Swain said.
“This is what we’re asking our families to continue to step up and bear the burden of mismanaged funds.”
Meanwhile, the district also approved a $258.8 million special education budget during Thursday’s meeting as part of its 2026-27 SELPA Annual Service Plan and Annual Budget Plan.
The approval came as special education spending has become one of the fastest-growing pressures on the district’s finances. The board’s approval moves the budget to the California Department of Education for review.
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