Election Guide

Measure HH – Lakeside Joint School District parcel tax

On Nov. 5, voters in Lakeside Joint School District will consider extending a $647 annual parcel tax with Measure HH.

Jump to a section:

What is Measure HH?
Who will vote on Measure HH?
What does a “yes” and “no” vote mean on Measure HH?
What are the plans for Measure HH money?
Prior ballot measures in Lakeside Joint School District
Arguments for and against Measure HH
Measure HH full text, impartial analysis and official ballot arguments

What is Measure HH?

If Measure HH is adopted:

A $647 parcel tax set to expire in 2025 will be extended eight years.
The tax would continue to bring in about $500,000 annually to the school district.
Unlike the current tax, Measure HH would increase the tax by up to 3% annually to keep pace with inflation in the Bay Area Consumer Price Index.
School district leaders anticipate the tax to raise $500,000 annually.

Who will vote on Measure HH?

Voters who live in Lakeside Joint School District in the Santa Cruz Mountains will consider Measure HH on the Nov. 5 ballot. The district includes parts of Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties.

The measure needs more than 66% of the vote to be adopted.

What does a “yes” and “no” vote mean on Measure HH?

A “yes” vote would extend an annual $647 parcel tax assessed value within Lakeside Joint School District.

A “no” vote would not extend the parcel tax, and it would expire in 2025.

What are the plans for the Measure HH money?

The $500,000 per year for Lakeside Joint School district could be spent on:

Salaries for teachers and staff.
Mental health services for students.
Core academic programs, including reading, writing and math.
Arts, music, physical education, gardening and outdoor education.
Science and technology programs.
Middle school students’ instruction at schools outside the district.

Homeowners age 65 and older are exempt from the tax.

Arguments for and against Measure HH

Lakeside Joint School District Superintendent Sean Joyce said if Measure HH is not adopted and the existing parcel tax expires, the school district’s budget would lose 20% of its funding, and it would need to lay off aides and administrators.

The parcel tax pays for unfunded state requirements like free school lunches to all students, he said. It also allows the school to pay competitive wages and reduce staff turnover.

If Measure HH fails, the school would not immediately close, Joyce said. But layoffs could lead to a vicious cycle of declining school performance and more parents leaving the district, he said. “Eventually the school would close, without a doubt,” he said.

Opponents to the measure have said the tax is unneeded and unfair to people who own land without homes. “It’s not equitable,” said Carlton Loeber, who lives outside Lakeside School District and partially owns two undeveloped parcels within the district.

Loeber said a parcel tax for the school should be based on the square footage of a home, and that the senior exemption should also apply to people who don’t live on their property.

In official ballot arguments, Loeber wrote that Lakeside administration is overstaffed, and that the single-school district doesn’t need a full-time superintendent and a full-time principal.

Joyce said the parcel tax applies to all properties and is a flat tax because many district residents live off the grid in trailers or unpermitted houses.

Joyce said his position as superintendent is necessary. “When I came into this district, the district was seriously looking at closing down, because there was a sense by a significant number of members of the community that the school wasn’t serving the needs of the community,” he said. “My mission was to redirect and renew the district, which we did. That doesn’t come without a cost, and the cost is paying salaries, including my own.”

Unlike administrators who serve as both superintendent and principal in some Santa Cruz County districts, such as Bonny Doon Union Elementary and Pacific Elementary, Joyce does not have a full-time administrative assistant, he said.

Measure HH ballot text

To prevent Lakeside School from closure, attract and retain highly qualified teachers, protect core academic programs in reading, writing and math, and support innovative science, technology and engineering programs, shall Lakeside Joint School District’s measure be adopted, renewing expiring local funding without increasing the current $647 rate, providing $500,000 annually for 8 years that cannot be taken by the State, with senior exemptions, annual adjustments, citizens’ oversight, no funds for administrators and all funds staying local?