LAFAYETTE, CALIFORNIA — Acalanes High School students took their message about school funding to a busy Lafayette intersection, holding signs urging voters to support Measure W on Tuesday morning.
Update: An earlier version of this article used the word “protest”. We have changed it to “rally” to make clearer that the students are in support of the measure, as stated in the article’s text.
Photos take by the Bay Area Telegraph show students lining the sidewalk at Pleasant Hill Road and Deer Hill Road/Stanley Boulevard, raising printed “Yes on W” signs alongside homemade posters as cars passed through the intersection.
Some participants wore bright orange skirts and tutus, adding a splash of color to the roadside demonstration. The signs made their position clear: they wanted voters to approve more funding for their high schools.
The rally brought a school budget debate out of board meetings and onto a corner where passing drivers could see students making the case themselves.
What is Measure W?
Measure W is on the November 3, 2026 ballot for voters within the Acalanes Union High School District.
It would levy a $168 annual tax per parcel for eight years, generating an estimated $6 million annually. The measure requires two-thirds approval to pass.
The district serves Acalanes High School in Lafayette, Campolindo in Moraga, Miramonte in Orinda and Las Lomas in Walnut Creek, along with its Center for Independent Study.
District officials identify retaining teachers, maintaining manageable class sizes and supporting advanced academic programs among the measure’s priorities.
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Budget cuts are already affecting schools
According to the district’s FAQ, AUHSD has absorbed $4.2 million in ongoing reductions over two years.
Those reductions have affected electives, counseling, technology and other services. One particularly visible change: the district says it has moved from one librarian at each school to one librarian serving the entire district.
District officials attribute the financial pressure to inadequate state funding, rising costs and the loss of anticipated revenue from Measure T.
The Yes on W campaign says the new funding would help restore positions lost to cuts, including teachers, counselors and librarians. Those are the campaign’s stated goals; future district budgets would determine specific allocations.
What property owners would pay
The proposed tax works out to $14 per month, or $1,344 over its eight-year term for a parcel without an exemption. It would remain a flat $168 annually, with no inflation adjustment.
Measure W would provide additional funding alongside the district’s existing parcel taxes, Measures A and G. AUHSD says revenue from those taxes has not increased in 16 years.
Homeowners age 65 or older would be eligible for an exemption on their primary residence. The district also lists exemptions for qualifying recipients of Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance.
The measure includes citizens’ oversight and independent audits. Its resolution prohibits using the revenue for administrators’ salaries or benefits.
If approved, the tax would begin in the 2027-28 fiscal year, with the district saying it would appear on property tax bills in November 2027.
For the students holding signs in Lafayette, the campaign message was simple. The decision now rests with district voters on November 3.
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