Voters across East San Jose will decide this November whether to hand the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District more than $215 million in new taxes, about 14 months after the district closed six campuses and amid fresh questions about how it has handled bond money in the past. The ballot includes Measure O, a parcel tax increase, and Measure P, a $100 million facilities bond, both pitched by district leaders as necessary to stop budget cuts, protect academic programs and fix buildings that are more than 60 years old.
According to The Mercury News, the district serves about 7,300 preschool-through-8th-grade students in East San Jose, a population in which 78% are considered socioeconomically disadvantaged and 43% are classified as English language learners. District officials say the tax measures would prevent budget cuts and protect services, though Alum Rock Union did not respond to a request for comment on the measures, per the same report.
Measure O would replace a parcel tax that voters approved in June 2022, raising the annual levy from $214.10 to $310 per parcel and generating roughly $6.5 million a year starting July 1, 2027, for seven years, the outlet reports. It would mark the district's fourth parcel tax since 2010 and needs a two-thirds supermajority to pass. Measure P, a separate $100 million bond, needs only 55% approval and carries an average annual tax rate of $25.52 per $100,000 of assessed property value, collecting about $6.3 million annually through 2054 with total debt of roughly $170 million including principal and interest, according to the same account.
Why the District Says It Needs the Money
Supporters frame the measures as essential to protect academic programs, staff and services while repairing facilities that have aged for six decades, the Mercury News reports. Measure O funds would specifically protect services for students with disabilities, academic programs, qualified teachers, foster youth and students experiencing housing instability, while Measure P money would go toward repairing roofs, plumbing, infrastructure, safety systems, classrooms, restrooms, play areas, cafeterias, athletic fields, gymnasiums and locker rooms. The district has said budget cuts could take away dedicated teachers, vital services and academic programs if the measures fail.
The financial pressure traces back to a steep and sustained enrollment collapse. A June 2026 Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury report found that Alum Rock Union's enrollment fell 39% over the prior decade, from about 10,900 to roughly 6,700. The district attributes the decline to charter schools, families moving out of the area and lower birth rates, and the shortfall reached $20 million before the board voted unanimously in December 2024 to close six campuses — Cassell, Cureton, Dorsa and Meyer elementary schools, Joseph George Middle School, and Renaissance Academy at Fischer — for the 2025–26 school year, according to San José Spotlight.
That same enrollment pressure is playing out beyond East San Jose. Neighboring San Jose Unified School District also approved closing five elementary schools in March 2026 due to declining enrollment, Hoodline previously reported, underscoring that the demographic shift straining Alum Rock Union is not unique to one neighborhood.
Trust Deficit Looms Over the Ballot
Opponents argue voters have already given the district more than $444 million in school bonds over the last two decades, counting the $179 million Measure G bond in 2008, the $125 million Measure J bond in 2012, the $140 million Measure I bond in 2016 and the $71.5 million Measure S bond in 2022, per the Mercury News. Measure P would be the district's fifth school bond sent to voters since 2008. Mark Hinkle, president of the Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association, opposes both measures and said passing Measure O or P would reward bad behavior, criticizing the proposed bonds for repeatedly funding leaky roofs, the newspaper reports.
Hinkle's skepticism lines up with findings from the county's watchdogs. The same June 2026 Civil Grand Jury investigation revealed that Alum Rock Union spent $52.9 million in bond funds between the 2021–22 and 2024–25 school years without a functioning Citizens' Bond Oversight Committee — the very body meant to track how taxpayer dollars get spent. The district has said it will establish a citizen oversight committee to oversee spending of each measure's funds if the new measures pass, and Measure O proceeds specifically cannot fund programs not listed in the measure, including administrators' salaries, under the ballot language reported by the Mercury News.
Leadership Turmoil and Fiscal Scrutiny
The oversight gap has unfolded alongside years of administrative instability at the district office. The board fired Superintendent Germán Cerda in July 2025, making him the second superintendent ousted in under 18 months following Dr. Hilaria Bauer's termination in March 2024, San José Spotlight reported. After his firing, Cerda stated publicly that he was ousted after questioning board members' expense reimbursements.
Those questions grew louder in November 2025, when public records showing Board Vice President Andrés Quintero received $22,700 in district reimbursements for doctoral coursework sparked parent protests and prompted reviews by the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office and the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, according to the same outlet. A March 2026 FCMAT audit investigation into board reimbursement practices concluded there was insufficient evidence to indicate fraud, misappropriation of funds or illegal fiscal practices, San José Spotlight later reported, offering some vindication even as public wariness persisted.
Meanwhile the district continued spending bond dollars on facilities: in September 2025, the board approved spending $5 million from voter-approved Measure S bond funds to purchase the former Downtown College Prep Alum Rock Charter Middle School campus at 2888 Ocala Ave., adding 14 classrooms and a gymnasium to absorb students from the closed campuses, as Hoodline has previously detailed.
Academic Stakes Behind the Ballot Measures
Beyond the fiscal fight, the district's academic outcomes remain a central argument for supporters of new funding. In 2024–25, just 29% of Alum Rock Union students met or exceeded English language arts proficiency standards and only 21% met math proficiency standards, compared with statewide rates of 49% in English language arts and 37% in math, the Mercury News reports.
Measure O requires a two-thirds supermajority to pass, while Measure P, a school bond, needs only 55% approval, according to the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters. Measure O also includes exemptions for homeowners over age 65 and recipients of Supplemental Security Income for a disability. Registered California voters will receive ballots for the Nov. 3 election, and the voter registration deadline is Oct. 19.
