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It’s been over a week since the Nov. 5 general election and the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters is still counting ballots, but the results of local education races have become more clear.
The registrar of voters has already counted roughly 728,000 votes countywide and estimates it has about 34,000 ballots left to process. The county has until Dec. 5 to certify the local results.
In general, the outcome of school board contests and school funding measures in the Mountain View area are consistent with what was seen in initial returns on election night. Here is a recap of where local races stand, based on results released as of 4:57 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 13.
Los Altos School District – Measure EE bond
In one of the closest local races, the Los Altos School District’s $350 million bond measure has received 55.84% (12,493 votes). That’s just over the 55% threshold required to pass.
Measure EE bonds would be repaid by levying an annual tax on properties within the school district estimated at $30 per $100,000 of assessed value. The Los Altos School District’s boundaries cover much of Los Altos and portions of Mountain View.
The district plans to use Measure EE proceeds to both upgrade existing campuses and potentially build a new school on a parcel of land in Mountain View that the district bought roughly five years ago.
The school board passed a facilities master plan in September, which lays out a list of roughly $700 million worth of improvements the district wants to make to its schools. That exceeds what could be paid for with Measure EE, but the plan identifies and prioritizes projects the district wants to try to complete with bond money.
These initiatives include upgrading heating and cooling systems, repairing roofs, renovating the district’s two junior high schools so they can accommodate sixth graders, and upgrading transitional kindergarten and kindergarten spaces on certain campuses.
The school board has said that it plans to use the majority of Measure EE money to make these types of improvements to its nine existing campuses, but hasn’t decided how much to set aside for construction on what’s known as the “10th school site.” The district bought the 11.7 acre property in Mountain View in 2019 with plans to build a new school, but construction hasn’t begun.
The district has considered various options for what to construct on the site and has indicated it wants Bullis Charter School to be housed there. Bullis has made clear it isn’t interested and the charter school’s board formally opposed Measure EE.
Mountain View Whisman School District – Measure AA parcel tax
The Mountain View Whisman School District’s Measure AA parcel tax looks to be passing easily with 74.91% (18,278 votes), well over the two-thirds threshold required to pass.
The measure would implement a tax based on the size of the buildings on each parcel of land within the school district. Property owners would be charged 15 cents per square foot of building area, up to a cap of $1,750 annually. Vacant properties would be charged a flat fee of $25. The tax would last eight years and apply to both commercial and residential properties.
Measure AA is a departure from the typical way schools structure parcel taxes. Normally, they are flat taxes, with the same amount charged regardless of the size of a property.
That’s how Mountain View Whisman’s existing parcel tax works, with each property paying $191 per year. Measure AA would replace that tax. It is expected to raise $5.4 million annually, well above the $2.8 million that the current one brings in.
The school district could use the proceeds to pay for things like teacher salaries, textbooks and supplies, and hiring support staff. District officials have said they plan to use the money to pay for largely the same teachers and programs as their existing tax.
Measure AA looks to be passing by a wide margin, despite the school district facing a range of controversies in recent months. Mountain View Whisman has received substantial scrutiny for spending on six-figure contracts to provide meditation services for district officials, hire executive leadership coaches and retain the services of an outside public relations firm.
The district’s superintendent recently resigned after taking a leave of absence and the district may undergo a state audit meant to investigate possible fraud, misappropriation of funds or other illegal fiscal practices.
Mountain View Whisman School District – Board of Trustees
Ana Kristina Reed, Lisa Henry and Charles DiFazio appear on track to secure three open seats on the Mountain View Whisman School District’s Board of Trustees.
Reed has received 17.45% (8,875 votes), Henry has gotten 16.58% (8,429 votes) and DiFazio is at 15.52% (7,890).
They are ahead of the remaining five candidates in the race: Christine Case-Lo with 14.87% (7,561 votes), Erin Davis-Hung with 14.5% (7,374 votes), Raymond White with 10.18% (5,177 votes), Nancy Mize with 7.96% (4,049 votes) and Shawn Dormishian with 2.94% (1,496 votes).
Three out of five seats were up for a vote this November, with no incumbents running for re-election. The winners will join Bill Lambert and Devon Conley on the governing body.
The eight-candidate field was one of the biggest in recent memory. With the district embroiled in various controversies, many of the contenders ran on platforms that focused on increased transparency and accountability in the district.
The new board is expected to face a variety of important decisions, including picking a new superintendent, navigating a potential state audit overseeing the spending of parcel tax proceeds.
Mountain View Los Altos High School District – Board of Trustees
Alex Levich and Vadim Katz appeared to have secured two open seats on the Mountain View Los Altos High School District’s Board of Trustees.
Levich has received 35.46% (21,376 votes) and Katz has gotten 33.31% (20,078 votes). That’s ahead of Li Zhang, the remaining candidate in the race, who has received 31.24% (18,830 votes).
The top two vote getters will replace Phil Faillace and Sanjay Dave on the five member board. Neither incumbent ran for reelection. The new board members will join Thida Cornes, Esmeralda Ortiz and Catherine Vonnegut on the governing body.
The district is primarily made up of Los Altos and Mountain View high schools, as well as Alta Vista High, an alternative school, the MVLA Adult School and several other alternative programs.
