Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) has released its 2023-24 Parcel Tax Program Report, which provides details on revenues and expenditures for Measures B1 and A for that year, as well as an overview of the district’s parcel tax program and the Oversight Committee Report.
Last year, Measure B, which was passed in 2016, provided $13 million to AUSD. Those revenues were allocated to the 11 categories mandated in the measure, including small kindergarten through third grade class sizes; neighborhood schools, high school sports, art, music, drama, and media centers; AP courses; college and career counselors; and programs to close the achievement gap.
Measure A, which was passed in 2020, provided about $11 million last year. As mandated in the measure, AUSD used the revenue specifically to help attract and retain high-quality employees by raising salaries closer to the county average.
Together, the two measures provided more than $24 million to AUSD, or about 20% of the district’s budget. The two measures have an identical structure, which the California Supreme Court found to be legal and valid in October 2023.
Both Measure B1 and Measure A mandate the establishment of Oversight Committees to monitor the district’s compliance with the terms of the parcel tax programs. In October 2020, the Board of Education voted to create and maintain one comprehensive Parcel Tax Oversight Committee, which began meeting in April 2021. The committee is comprised of at least 11 community members (including parent/guardians and district employees) and meets four to six times a year to review the district’s compliance with the terms of its two parcel taxes.
The 38-page Parcel Tax Program Report also includes factual information on Measure E, a parcel tax that will combine and renew Measures B1 and A, without increasing taxes. Measure E goes into effect on July 1, 2025.
“I remain deeply grateful to the Alameda community for their support of our students, our staff, and our educational programs,” AUSD Superintendent Pasquale Scuderi stated. “At a time of ever-changing educational priorities and budgetary allocations at the federal and state level, having a stable source of funding at the local level allows us to plan and build stronger programs and attract and retain the high-quality teachers our students need and deserve.”
Both the staff and committee’s reports were presented at the March 25 Board of Education meeting.
