Local Funding

Alameda has a long tradition of funding its schools through voter-approved parcel tax measures. These sources of funding account for approximately 20% of the current AUSD budget. This allows AUSD to attract and retain quality educators as the cost of housing and living continues to rise in our community. It also helps the District provide educational technology, support career technical education, and sustain strong programs in science, technology, engineering, arts and math, preparing high school students to compete at the top colleges and in the 21^st-century workforce. Without these sources of funding, the District could be forced to consider cuts and layoffs up to $24 million annually. The State has proven to be an unreliable funding partner. To fill this gap, Alameda schools rely on local funding like many other neighboring school districts in the Bay Area.

In order to help ensure a stable funding source for Alameda schools while maintaining quality education, AUSD is actively exploring options to renew our local parcel tax funding. Currently, the District relies on two existing revenue sources to support quality schools and attract and retain excellent teachers. While no final decisions have been made, the District is considering a measure that would consolidate these two funding sources into a single measure. This potential measure could continue to provide locally controlled funding to help AUSD maintain quality schools by:

• Sustaining strong academic programs in reading, writing, math, arts, and sciences
•  Attracting and retaining high-quality teachers by keeping salary and benefits competitive
• Supporting teachers and counselors in keeping struggling students on the right track
• Protecting art, music, and performing arts programs

AUSD has proven to be a good steward of public funds and has spent past voter-approved funding as promised. Any future parcel tax measure could include the same fiscal accountability as past measures, including:

• All funds would be controlled locally and could not be taken away by the State
• Independent citizens’ oversight and mandatory annual audits would be required
• Senior citizens and individuals with disabilities would be exempt from the cost — current exemptions need not reapply