Competing California ballot initiatives threaten to destabilize school funding

Proposition 3 would extend an existing high-income tax, but competing tax proposals—including a billionaire tax—could confuse voters and jeopardize the extension. Educators and unions warn failure could expose schools to an estimated $8–12 billion annually; Proposition 43’s two-thirds threshold for initiative special taxes beginning in 2027 may also affect local school revenue measures. Ballot design and district-level consequences remain unsettled, and claims about Proposition 40 require caution.