It's a political victory for teachers that may have saved education programs for generations of students in one Bay Area school district.
Faced with massive teacher layoffs and cuts, teachers in the West Contra Costa Unified School District mobilized to pass a parcel tax that will save jobs and school programs.
Measure B, which will generate $8 million a year for five years, needed a 67 percent yes vote to pass and got 70.7 percent. Jubilant teachers cheered and shouted at campaign headquarters when the results were announced June 8.
Teachers helped persuade a community that had rejected a parcel tax in March. A $450 million school bond also failed last fall.
"This victory is a tribute to the hard work of our teachers, who joined the entire community in making phone calls and going door to door to promote Measure B," said Terri Jackson, president of United Teachers of Richmond, representing 1,900 educators in the district.
It wasn't known at press time exactly how many teacher layoffs or cuts would be reversed, but many jobs were expected to be saved.
Facing a $16.5 million budget deficit, the district had decided to lay off more than 300 teachers, including all counselors, and was going to shut down all libraries, sports, and music programs.
Mike Myslinski