Measure M
Sacramento City Unified School District · Sacramento County · November 3, 2026
The question on your ballot
To address the decline in Federal funding for Special Education and to expand early intervention programs to every school, shall Sacramento City Unified School District adopt a $95 per year Special Education tax on each parcel of property until repealed or replaced by voters, raising $10 million annually, with exemptions for seniors, including Social Security recipients, and recipients of Supplemental Security and Social Security Disability and annual inflation adjustments, providing funds exclusively for Special Education and intervention programs, be adopted?
In plain language
Measure M is a school tax. It is for Sacramento City schools. It would help pay for Special Education. It would also grow early-help programs at each school. Federal money for Special Education has gone down. A YES vote lets the district charge a fee. The fee is $95 per year on each property. It stays until voters end or change it. Seniors are exempt from the fee. So are Social Security and disability recipients. The fee would also rise each year with inflation. The money can only fund Special Education and support programs. A NO vote means the district gets no new money.
Fiscal impact
The tax is $95 per parcel each year. It lasts until voters repeal or replace it. Seniors and people with disabilities may qualify for exemptions. The tax adjusts each year for inflation. It would raise about $10 million each year.
Impartial analysis
IMPARTIAL ANALYSIS OF MEASURE M Sacramento City Unified School District Parcel Tax Prepared by County Counsel Measure M, if approved by the voters, would impose a special tax in the amount of $95 per year on each parcel of land within the boundaries of the Sacramento City Unified School District. The tax would be in effect beginning July 1, 2027, and will continue until amended or repealed by the voters. Beginning the second fiscal year after approval, the tax rate will be increased annually in proportion to the increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), however, the increase shall not exceed three percent in any fiscal year. Upon receipt of a satisfactory application, an exemption from the proposed tax will be granted on any parcel owned and occupied by persons who are 65 years of age or older, or persons receiving Supplemental Security Income for a disability regardless of age, or persons receiving Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, regardless of age, whose yearly income does not exceed 250 percent of the 2012 federal poverty guidelines issued by the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The proceeds of the special tax are intended to be used for educational purposes, as set forth in the full text of the Measure printed in the Sample Ballot. The special tax will be collected by the Sacramento County Tax Collector at the same time as, and along with, the ad valorem property tax, and will be subject to the same penalties and interest that apply to ad valorem property taxes if not paid when due. The District is required by law to provide additional accountability measures for the proceeds. These measures include: (1) depositing the proceeds into a fund that is separate and apart from other District funds and shall be applied only as set forth in the Measure; and (2) providing an annual written report to the Board stating the amount of funds collected and expended, and the status of any projects or description of any programs funded from the tax proceeds. Passage of Measure M requires approval by two-thirds of the voters voting thereon. A “YES” vote on Measure M means you wish to enact the special tax. A “NO” vote on Measure M means you do not wish to enact the special tax. The above statement is an impartial analysis of Measure M. If you desire a copy of the Measure, please call the Sacramento County Registrar of Voters at [phone number omitted] and a copy will be mailed at no cost to you. ***YOU CAN FIND THE MEASURE ARGUMENTS FOLLOWING THE FULL TEXT OF THIS MEASURE***
Official ballot arguments
Filed for the official voter guide by each side, printed as submitted.
Argument in favor
The federal government has failed to deliver on its promise to provide 40% of the funds for Special Education. Today, we get 13%. The 7,000 Special Needs children in our Sacramento City Schools are blessed to live in a community that believes each one of them is “special.” Some have autism. Some have physical challenges. Some have learning disabilities. That’s why we have hired the nurses, the psychologists, the counselors, the qualified teachers, and the social workers these special children need. Last year, our School Board began an Early Intervention Project in 10 of our elementary schools. And it is succeeding. We can help Special Needs students! Sac City Teachers support the Special Education community. They voted to give up $97 million in order to close the District’s Special Education federal funding gap. Will you help with $10 million? Measure M is the Special Education and Early Intervention tax. Each real estate property owner would chip in $95 one time a year. We know that Sacramentans living on Social Security can’t afford even a small amount, so we exempted them from paying. We live in negative political times. Let’s show one another that we are better. Special Education. Special Children. Special Request. Please vote YES. s/Cancy McArn Superintendent, Sacramento City Unified School District s/Nicky Davis Milevsky President, Sacramento City Teachers Association s/Barry Broome Business Leader s/Jim Keddy Child Advocate s/Carl Pinkston President, Black Parallel School Board — Cancy McArn, Superintendent, Sacramento City Unified School District; Nicky Davis Milevsky, President, Sacramento City Teachers Association; Barry Broome, Business Leader; Jim Keddy, Child Advocate; Carl Pinkston, President, Black Parallel School Board
Children with disabilities deserve support. They also deserve the full facts and leaders who protect every dollar. The proponents say Washington failed. Local families should not cover that failure with a permanent tax, especially when FCMAT found serious weaknesses in SCUSD's budget monitoring. Their "$97 million" claim no longer exists. The county's fiscal adviser rescinded that agreement on July 31. On August 11, State Superintendent Tony Thurmond denied the district's appeal. The $158.6 million plan is dead. The $221.8 million deficit is not. An additional $10 million will not save SCUSD. Their "$95 one time a year" wording omits the true cost. $95 is only the first-year amount. Measure M allows an increase every year, up to 3%, and never expires unless voters repeal or replace it. Their senior exemption claim leaves out important facts. Only owner-occupied single-family homes with seniors 65 or older, people receiving SSI for a disability, and low-income SSDI recipients qualify. Seniors and disabled residents who rent get no relief. The cost is passed along in rent. They call the 10-school pilot a success but give no results. Measure M guarantees no funding share for that pilot and sets no performance targets. Worst of all, Measure M creates no independent citizens' oversight committee. SCUSD's superintendent or finance chief reports to the same Board that oversaw the budget crisis. Compassion is not a blank check. Protect students. Demand a real recovery plan, proven results, and independent oversight before another tax. Vote NO on Measure M. s/Alma De Santiago Parent s/Kellie Swayne Parent s/Alana Miyake Parent s/Cam Villa Parent — Alma De Santiago, Parent; Kellie Swayne, Parent; Alana Miyake, Parent; Cam Villa, Parent
Argument against
Every child deserves a good school and the help they need. Yet Sacramento City Unified School District wants more money before it fixes its budget. The state-created Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team rated SCUSD at HIGH risk of insolvency. Its December 2025 findings were "not remarkably different" from 2018, citing deficit spending, poor budget development, leadership instability. Poor monitoring also cost the district $16 million in Title I funding. Measure M is a tax that never expires. It starts at $95 per parcel and can rise up to 3% each year. With the highest increases, it could more than double in 30 years. Renters are not exempt. Landlords will pass along the cost. The timing should worry voters. One week after putting this tax on the ballot, the Board approved a $158.6 million plan. A day later, the county's fiscal adviser canceled the labor deal behind it. County officials said SCUSD still had a $221.8 million budget gap. They said the plan would keep the district from running out of money for only a few weeks. The county now checks payments early and stops them when cash is too low. Measure M creates no independent citizens' oversight committee. SCUSD's own top administrator writes a yearly report for the same Board. That is not public oversight. This tax is unfair. A family in a small home pays the same $95 tax as the owner of a far more valuable property on one parcel. Almost one-third of SCUSD schools are less than half full. Every half-filled or empty classroom still needs heat, staff and repairs. That is money not reaching students. Our children need stable schools and leaders who can manage a budget. They also need leaders who plan ahead, spend wisely, and put students first. Our kids deserve results, not another tax promise. Vote NO on Measure M. s/Judith Farina Retired Educator s/Loretta Hom Retired Teacher s/Eva S. Garcia Past School Board Member — Judith Farina, Retired Educator; Loretta Hom, Retired Teacher; Eva S. Garcia, Past School Board Member
Perhaps these numbers will assist you with the choice we are asking you to make: • This Federal Government puts up 13% of what we spend on students with special needs. Far below the longstanding “commitment” of 40%. • Measure M asks property owners for $95 a year. Not per month. And not forever. • Measure M allows the tax to be repealed at any time, for any reason. By a simple majority vote. • Sacramento allows an average of 25 apartments on a one-acre parcel. Measure M would cost each tenant a maximum of 30¢ a month. 30¢ a MONTH. • Teachers have signed a legally binding agreement to put up $97 million. • Your vote for Measure M adds a total of $10 million. Are the 7,000 Special Ed students worth that? Our answer is “Yes.” But it’s your answer that counts. s/Cancy McArn Superintendent, Sacramento City Unified School District s/Nicky Davis Milevsky President, Sacramento City Teachers Association s/Barry Broome Business Leader s/Jim Keddy Child Advocate s/Carl Pinkston President, Black Parallel School Board — Cancy McArn, Superintendent, Sacramento City Unified School District; Nicky Davis Milevsky, President, Sacramento City Teachers Association; Barry Broome, Business Leader; Jim Keddy, Child Advocate; Carl Pinkston, President, Black Parallel School Board
What supporters and opponents say — outside sources (not official ballot arguments)
Statements by campaigns, officials and news coverage, quoted with attribution and linked to the original. VoterDecoder did not write them and does not endorse either side.
Supporters say
No public statements in favor were found.
Opponents say
No public statements against were found.