Davis teachers make less than other school districts. This 2020 ballot measure can help
Voters in Davis will decide if they want to pay another parcel tax to support local public schools this March. This time, funds will increase teacher and staff compensation.
Compensation for Davis teachers ranks low for a district of its size in California. Among 318 districts with more than 200 teachers that responded to a recent state survey, only 19 paid a lower average salary than Davis Joint Unified School District’s $70,675 in the 2018-19 school year. The statewide average was $82,746.
Measure G, supported by the DJUSD Board of Education, would create a new parcel tax of $198 a year to boost salaries and benefits for district employees, except four top executives including superintendent. Total expected income from the tax is about $3 million annually.
Proponents of the measure say it’s necessary for the district to attract and retain quality staff. The Davis Teachers Association, the Davis Chamber of Commerce and Yolo County Association of Realtors are among the measure’s supporters.
Residents in Davis and other parts of DJUSD are no strangers to parcel taxes. Davis introduced its first parcel tax in the 1980s, and has been cycling through taxes as they expire since then.
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In 2016, Davis voters passed Measure H, a $620 parcel tax that expires in 2025. Funds from Measure H help preserve existing programs and maintain past reductions in class size, per DJUSD Board of Education Trustee Alan Fernandes.
Measure G doesn’t expire. That means that if it passes, only the school board will have the authority to pause collection or put a measure on the ballot repealing the tax, said Fernandes. The board can also adjust the tax annually for inflation.
Measure G’s cost to taxpayers is clear, but property owners in a number of vulnerable groups would be exempt from paying it. Social Security disability recipients and people over 65 are eligible to apply for waivers. District employees who live in Davis could also apply for such an exemption.
Closing the gap between salaries of Davis school staff and pay in peer districts is critical, and The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board supports Davis Joint Unified School District’s Measure G.