For decades, the Tahoe/Truckee community has embraced a legacy of great education, believing that when we invest in our students, we invest in the future of our entire region. Since 1989, local voters have consistently stepped up to fund the future of our youth, establishing a deep tradition of community-led support for our public schools. That long-standing commitment has built a culture where we don’t just hope our children succeed; we give them the foundation to “believe to achieve.”
High-performing local schools foster vibrant neighborhoods, support local businesses, and build a resilient future for everyone who calls the Tahoe/Truckee region home. Thanks to an enduring partnership that local voters have continuously reinvested in through Measure AA, Measure A, and similar initiatives dating back to 1989, the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District (TTUSD) consistently prepares students for top-tier colleges, skilled trades, and everything in between. However, without a renewal of this long-standing parcel tax, this vital source of dedicated local funding is set to expire.
The challenge before us is clear: without renewing our existing local funding, an estimated $5.6 million will need to be cut, risking the very academic programs, manageable class sizes, and teaching talent our region has spent decades building.
Measure P is not a new tax; it renews an existing tax (formerly Measure AA) that maintains local school funding. California’s basic education standard, the bare minimum the state requires, does not guarantee arts, science, or PE at the elementary school level, let alone hands-on, real-world learning. Voting Yes on Measure P enables us to continue to close that gap, giving our children something better, now and for generations of Tahoe/Truckee kids still to come. When local students are empowered to achieve, the whole region reaps the rewards:
- Measure P will preserve hands-on learning in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), keeping our kids competitive and prepared to solve complex challenges.
- Measure P will help us attract and retain high-quality teachers at a time when teacher shortages are an ever-growing concern.
- Measure P will sustain career and technical education in high-demand fields like health sciences and skilled trades.
- Measure P will maintain manageable class sizes, giving every student the individual attention they need to thrive.
Measure P upholds strict fiscal accountability to ensure local tax dollars directly benefit local classrooms. Every dollar stays right here in our region, guaranteed against state or federal cuts or redirection. No funds can go, or have ever gone, toward administrative salaries. An independent citizens’ oversight committee, backed by mandatory annual audits, guarantees that every dollar is spent exactly as voters intended. Senior homeowners (65-plus) also remain eligible to apply for an exemption from the parcel tax.
Join local parents, teachers, longtime Tahoe/Truckee residents, and business owners in renewing local school funding and voting Yes on Measure P to continue to protect quality education and strengthen our community.
To request a lawn sign, volunteer, or learn more, visit tahoetruckeeschools.com.
~ Hayden Pruitt and Amanda Helm serve as co-chairs of Protect Tahoe Truckee Schools-Yes on P. Pruitt is also the chair of the Measure AA Citizens’ Oversight Committee, with Helm as the vice chair. Pruitt has called Truckee home for 10 years and lives in Glenshire with a kindergartner and a 3½-year-old Tasmanian devil. A seven-year Truckee resident, Helm is the mother of three thriving TTUSD students across the elementary, middle, and high school levels.
