$4.5M Cannabis Tax Grant Transforms Youth Prevention Services Across JUHSD

The Jefferson Union High School District Governing Board celebrated a landmark moment Sept. 15 — a $4.5 million state cannabis tax grant that will place substance use prevention and treatment staff at all five high schools for the first time in the program's 20-year history. But the celebration came alongside sobering fiscal news: the district closed 2025-26 with a $5.3 million deficit and faces another $6.4 million shortfall this year, putting reserves on a path to depletion without significant budget action.

• $4.5M Prop 64 grant lets YouthPoint Health expand substance use prevention to all five campuses and launch a new treatment services arm
• District ends fiscal year $5.3M in the red with only 12.4% reserves; budget committee must deliver recommendations by January
• Tax revenue growth projected to slow from 5.4% to 2.56%, well below the 5% the district budgeted — a gap that could force mid-year corrections
• Board unanimously backs Proposition 3 to preserve $5–15 billion in annual K-12 education funding set to expire in 2031
• New California pregnancy leave law grants school employees up to 14 weeks paid leave starting January 2027
• Teachers union mobilizes for Measure M on the ballot and deepens labor-management collaboration at every school site

The basics: YouthPoint Health, the district's school-based health center, won a five-year, $4.5 million grant from the state's Proposition 64 cannabis tax revenue, administered through the City of Daly City. The board unanimously approved an MOU with Daly City to receive the funds (5-0, voice vote) and created a new Inspire AOD Prevention Services Program Director position to lead the expansion (5-0, voice vote).