To: Governor Gavin Newsom, The California State Legislature, and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond

Petition:

California is home to the fifth-largest economy in the world, yet we operate a deeply inequitable, two-tiered education system. While a select few attend lavishly funded private schools with state-of-the-art facilities and tiny class sizes, the vast majority of our children—over 90%—attend public schools that are chronically underfunded, understaffed, and struggling for basic resources.

This is not just a gap of resources; it is a gap of opportunity, one that perpetuates systemic inequality along racial and economic lines. The ability to pay tens of thousands of dollars in private school tuition is a privilege. It allows a select, and often predominantly white, segment of the population to buy their way into an elite educational track, leaving behind the public system that serves the majority of California's students, particularly students of color and those from low-income families.

It is time to ask those who benefit from this educational exclusivity to invest in the public good and help level the playing field for children who do not have access to the same privileges.

We, the undersigned, demand the introduction of a California Educational Equity Tax—a modest tax on K-12 private school tuition to directly fund local public schools.

Here is our proposal:

1. The "Educational Equity Tax": We propose a 7% tax on all K-12 private and independent school tuition fees in the state of California. This is not a tax on families struggling to make ends meet; it is a contribution from those paying for a luxury educational product, with annual fees often ranging from $20,000 to over $50,000.

2. Local Revenue for Local Schools: To ensure maximum impact, this tax should be structured like a local sales tax. The revenue generated within a specific county or city would be collected and allocated directly to the public school districts within that same community. Money from San Francisco's elite private schools would go to the San Francisco Unified School District; money from Beverly Hills would go to the Beverly Hills and Los Angeles Unified School Districts. This ensures that communities see a direct benefit.

3. A Substantial New Funding Stream: How much could this raise? Let's look at the numbers.

California has approximately 500,000 students enrolled in private K-12 schools.
With average tuition conservatively estimated at $20,000 per year, the total private school tuition market in California is roughly 10 billion (500,000 students×$20,000).
A 7% tax on this amount would generate an estimated $700 million in new, dedicated funding for public schools every single year.
This $700 million could fund thousands of new teachers, hire more school nurses and counselors, repair crumbling classrooms, purchase new textbooks and computers, and restore vital arts and music programs for children who need them most.

This is a globally recognized, common-sense policy. This is not a radical idea. In the United Kingdom, for example, there is a major political consensus moving towards applying a 20% Value Added Tax (VAT) to private school fees to fund state schools. They recognize that educational hoarding by the wealthy starves the public system that is essential for a healthy democracy and a fair society. It is time for California to show the same leadership.

By signing this petition, you are sending a clear message: the quality of a child's education should not be determined by their parents' wealth, their race, or their zip code. It is time to address the systemic inequities that are amplified by a system where the privileged can opt out, leaving the public system—and the underprivileged children within it—to fend for themselves.

Let's tax luxury to fund necessity. Let's invest in ALL of California's children.

Sign this petition to urge our lawmakers to pass the California Educational Equity Tax.