![\"Chris](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SAC_342_262104_JV_Crocker_Turf.JPG\" "\\"Chris")
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Chris Ralston, assistant superintendent of facilities for Sacramento City Unified, speaks at Crocker\/Riverside Elementary School in April. Ralston suggested Thursday that the board consider asking voters to approve a parcel tax measure on the November ballot.<\/p>\n
JOS\u00c9 LUIS VILLEGAS<\/p>\n
jvillegas@sacbee.com<\/p>\n
Sacramento City Unified School District is considering asking voters to approve a parcel tax, as district officials search for new local revenue to support student programs and services amid an unprecedented budget crisis.<\/p>\n
During Thursday\u2019s board meeting, Chris Ralston, SCUSD\u2019s assistant superintendent of facilities, outlined the possibility of adding a parcel tax measure to the November ballot. A parcel tax is a local tax that property owners would pay for each parcel they own within the school district.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe parcel tax doesn\u2019t exist in isolation. It\u2019s one piece of a larger fiscal sustainability plan the district is working through,\u201d Ralston said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not coming to the community asking for more revenue without doing our own hard work first.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the possible uses of a parcel tax were still being shaped, Ralston said, the idea was \u201ca conversation starter\u201d to channel dedicated local revenue for students.<\/p>\n
Parcel taxes are not based on property value, and the district has not yet proposed a specific amount property owners would pay. The measure would need approval from more than two-thirds of voters to pass. Thursday\u2019s presentation served as an early step in the process, and the board voted to let staff continue exploring the option.<\/p>\n
The district plans to survey voters on the proposal from June 25 to July 12 and present the results to the board on July 23. Staff would later return with a public hearing and formal resolution before the measure could be placed on the ballot.<\/p>\n
The presentation came as the district scrambles to close its ongoing budget deficit and avoid state receivership. During the meeting, the board approved a budget showing that the district\u2019s fiscal crisis could stretch years beyond next school year.<\/p>\n
Amid the district\u2019s financial strain, Ralston floated another funding idea in April<\/a>, when he suggested a bond measure for school consolidation and modernization, with the money going toward facilities and infrastructure projects.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a tight but workable window,\u201d Ralston said.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n
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