There are big plans for North San Jose, with as many as 16,000 new housing units about to be built there. The problem is that new housing means new families, and new families means new schools for their kids. Who is going to pay for them, especially now, with the city already struggling with a $110 million deficit? The cost of three schools to serve the population in the new development is as much as $200 million. To complicate matters, the schools would be part of the Santa Clara Unified School District.
The District is hoping that the 3,000 voters already living in North San Jose will approve Measure A, which is due by March 8. The proposed tax measure would impose a $6,500 fee on developers for each new unit they build, as well as a $1,960 fee per year on people moving into those homes. It would not affect people in existing homes, who would continue paying just $19 per year, since they have “already contributed to the construction of new schools.”
Many people object to the two-tiered tax structure, while others, including Mayor Chuck Reed, argue that the steep price tag could frighten potential developers away. The Measure requires a two-thirds majority to pass.
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