Nicasio School voters OK parcel tax renewal
Nicasio School District voters overwhelmingly endorsed renewal of an existing parcel tax in a special election Tuesday.
With 100% of ballots counted, Measure J received 99 yes votes, or 75.57%, compared to 32 no votes, or 24.43%, according to the Marin County Elections Department. Measure J needed a two-thirds majority to pass.
“I’m thrilled,” said Barbara Snekkevik, Nicasio’s superintendent and school principal, on Wednesday. “It’s a straight renewal with a 3% annual increase, for 10 years.”
Snekkevik said Measure J will renew the existing tax, in place since 2015, beginning on July 1, 2025.
“This tax represents 17% of our budget,” Snekkevik said. “Since we’re such a small size, it would have had a huge impact if not renewed.”
Margie Bonardi, the district’s chief financial officer, said the parcel tax rate is currently at $726.42 per property, and will rise to $748.21 on July 1, 2025.
“The district’s current annual budget is about $1.4 million,” Bonardi said.
The district has one school, Nicasio School, which serves 36 students from transitional kindergarten through eighth grade, Snekkevik said.
Nicasio School has three multi-grade classrooms: transitional kindergarten through second grade; third, fourth and fifth grades; and middle school, she said. The district employs one full-time teacher for each of the three classrooms, Snekkevik said.
“We’re so thankful to the community for the renewal,” Snekkevik said. “It’s clear that they value a strong public education. We’re very excited and proud to be a part of this community.”
There are 445 eligible voters in the district, according to the county website.
The stated purposes for the funds raised by Measure J are “to maintain small class sizes, provide competitive salaries for teachers and staff, offer instructional programs that support diverse learners and fund school operations,” according to the district website.