District settles lawsuit, agrees to share parcel tax with charters
The West Contra Costa Unified School District has agreed to share parcel tax revenue with charter schools located in the district under the terms of a lawsuit settlement announced Thursday.
The California Charter Schools Association, which brought the lawsuit, said the agreement should send a message to other districts that have a parcel tax or are considering putting one on the ballot this year: Give charter schools a fair share to avoid possible litigation and do what’s right for kids.
“We are pleased that the district has agreed to terms that will ensure that all public school students are eligible for their fair share of funding in the spirit intended, and as voters mandated” when they passed the parcel tax, said Jed Wallace, president and CEO of the charter schools association.
The lawsuit was the first that the charter schools association had brought over a parcel tax, which 124 districts in the state – about 1 in 8 – have passed at some point, according to a 2013 EdSource report. A parcel tax, a uniform tax on individual properties, is one of the few sources of revenue that districts can raise on their own. Often temporary, it requires two-thirds voter approval to District settles lawsuit, agrees to share parcel tax with charters | EdSource:
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