Sacramento City Unified considers parcel tax to reduce budget deficit | EdSource
This story was originally published by EdSource. Sign up for their daily newsletter.
Sacramento City Unified School District may put a parcel tax on the November ballot to help pull it out of a budget crisis so dire that S&P Global Ratings recently downgraded its bond rating.
The school board on Thursday directed district staff to explore the possibility of a parcel tax. District officials have not yet decided how much property owners within the district will be asked to pay, according to the Sacramento Bee.
The district will survey voters between June 25 and July 12, and will hold public hearings before the board approves the ballot measure, according to the Bee article.
As of May 21 the district’s budget deficit stood at $170.5 million, according to the district. In March the school district issued preliminary pink slips to 800 employees, most who are classified employees, to help reduce the budget deficit.
Despite that, S&P reduced its underlying rating from an A- to BBB for general obligation bonds and from BBB+ to BBB- on lease revenue bonds earlier this month. It warned that the rating could go even lower.
“The downgrade reflects our view of the rapid deterioration in the district’s general fund performance and available reserves due to the board’s inability to make necessary and timely budget adjustments and its decision to increase ongoing expenditures without commensurate revenue growth,” according to a statement from bond rating company.
EdSource is dedicated to covering in California and nationally. Other publications may republish EdSource articles, online or in print, at no charge, provided adherence to our guidelines. The embed code provided here includes a tracking pixel to enable us to measure the reach of our stories. It must be included in any online pickup of EdSource stories.
The following guidelines apply to all EdSource content, including stories, podcasts and video:
Editing stories: Trimming stories for length or adding additional localized reporting is allowed. However, if you wish to make material edits, please contact EdSource for approval prior to publication. Please reach out to Andrew and Smita at republish@edsource.org with questions.
Crediting EdSource: Authors and EdSource should be credited in the byline with a link back to the original article. (This is in the embed code. Please be sure to include it.)
Monetization: EdSource stories cannot be sold, but it’s OK to put EdSource articles on pages with ads.
Photos and graphics: Assets such as photos and graphics must be added manually. Photos taken by EdSource staff may be republished, but some images, such as those from third-party providers (Associated Press, iStock), may not be republished without permission or payment. Proceed with caution. You may also run your own photos with the EdSource story. On occasion, EdSource editors may be able to provide partners with embed codes for graphics or localized data. If you have questions, please contact us.
RSS Feeds: News organizations cannot systematically republish all EdSource articles via RSS feed or other mechanism.
News Brief
Tuesday, June 23, 2026 — 9:04 am
June 23, 2026
Sacramento City Unified School District may put a parcel tax on the November ballot to help pull it out of a budget crisis so dire that S&P Global Ratings recently downgraded its bond rating.
The school board on Thursday directed district staff to explore the possibility of a parcel tax. District officials have not yet decided how much property owners within the district will be asked to pay, according to the Sacramento Bee.
The district will survey voters between June 25 and July 12, and will hold public hearings before the board approves the ballot measure, according to the Bee article.
As of May 21 the district’s budget deficit stood at $170.5 million, according to the district. In March the school district issued preliminary pink slips to 800 employees, most who are classified employees, to help reduce the budget deficit.
Despite that, S&P reduced its underlying rating from an A- to BBB for general obligation bonds and from BBB+ to BBB- on lease revenue bonds earlier this month. It warned that the rating could go even lower.
“The downgrade reflects our view of the rapid deterioration in the district’s general fund performance and available reserves due to the board’s inability to make necessary and timely budget adjustments and its decision to increase ongoing expenditures without commensurate revenue growth,” according to a statement from bond rating company.
More News Briefs
Monday, June 22, 2026, 9:50 am
Twin Rivers Unified board to vote on contract for new superintendent
Monday, June 22, 2026, 8:09 am
Carvalho resigns as Los Angeles Unified superintendent amid FBI probe
Thursday, June 18, 2026, 10:36 am
California Teachers Association opposes one-time billionaire tax
Thursday, June 18, 2026, 10:25 am
Parents of kids with disabilities protest federal changes to special education, civil rights
Thursday, June 18, 2026, 10:18 am
Santa Barbara Unified bans YouTube at junior highs, high schools
EdSource in your inbox!
Stay ahead of the latest developments on education in California and nationally from early childhood to college and beyond. Sign up for EdSource’s no-cost daily email.
Thanks for signing up!
Stay informed with our daily newsletter