Measure Y passes, mandating school board term limit
November 8, 2018
Palo Alto voted to pass Measure Y on Tuesday by nearly 7,000 votes, restricting Palo Alto Unified School District Board of Education members to two terms in office.
Over 72 percent of voters supported the measure, which will limit school board members to two consecutive terms in office. The two-term limit is standard in state and national government, including the Palo Alto City Council.
“I assumed school board term limits already existed,” senior Paloma Mitra said. “I guess not.”
Most current school board members voiced their support of the measure at a board meeting on Jan. 16, with Todd Collins praising term limits as a way to encourage turnover in government. Only Melissa Baten Caswell, who is currently serving her third term, opposed the idea of term limits for board members.
In recent years, two candidates — Caswell and 2012 candidate Camille Townsend — have taken advantage of the lack of a term limit, with both winning re-election after serving eight years in office.
![Charen Yu (left), the Palo Alto Unified School District chief business officer, presents the updated 2026-2027 budget during Tuesday's board meeting. According to Yu, expenditure changes are the primary reason for the deficit. “[Compared to the adopted budget], certificated salaries are up $18.8 million (which translates to 13.4%), classified salaries are up $11 million (or 17%), benefits are up $5.6 million and all other objects are down $2.9 million,” Yu said. “These are settled agreements with our bargaining partners. They are contractual obligations and they are the primary driver of the change.”](https://palyvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/budget-presentation-300x225.jpeg)
