Superintendent Letter March 2010

Alameda schools achieved marked improvement district-wide, exceeding 2008 API (Academic Performance Index) scores in almost every grade level. AUSD improved overall from 810 to 823, a growth of 13 API points. A score of 800 is considered excellent.
Alameda’s 2009 high school graduates headed off to a wide variety of colleges and universities, including Harvard, Yale, Howard, Brown, Baylor, Wellesley, Penn, Boston University, USC, all the University of California campuses and California State University campuses.
Newsweek magazine named Alameda and Encinal High Schools among the top 1,500 high schools in the nation.

Beyond academic successes, there were many achievements in athletics, the arts, and continuing community engagement in our schools. There is still work to do to, but as a community, we should reflect on our successes and be proud!

Board Adopts Master Plan

We have reached the end of the Master Plan process, and I want to thank the parents, teachers and staff who brought the meetings to the community, and to those members of the community who took the time to participate in this process and offer feedback.

The goal of the Master Plan is enriching the educational experiences and improving the academic outcomes of all AUSD students despite the many challenges the District currently faces.

Last year, AUSD began working on a Master Plan to help guide the District in the coming years. The Master Plan will serve as a blueprint to guide decision-making on finances, staffing, programs and facilities over the next five school years. Because so many will be impacted by decisions made from guidance in the Master Plan, broad community input was critical to ensuring that the plan reflects the priorities of the community. Opportunities for input included eight community workshops, 29 meetings held by community volunteers, 30 school-site meetings led by principals and other site leaders, as well as surveys.

After nearly one year of community outreach, data gathering and evaluation, the plan was adopted by the Board of Education on February 23^rd.

Like districts across the state facing cuts in state funding, AUSD has to prioritize, examine the potential outcomes of choices and increase efficiencies wherever possible. The recently completed “second interim” budget report confirms that due to severe cuts in state funding, AUSD is facing cuts of $7 million in 2010/2011, $9.8 million ($2.8 million more) in 2011/2012, and $17 million ($7.2 million more) in 2012/2013.

Under the adopted Master Plan, AUSD schools are facing two very different scenarios over the next several years.

Plan A is based upon the passage of a replacement parcel tax that will help bridge those budget gaps brought on by state cuts to our funding.

Plan A: AUSD becomes a state-of-the art, 21^st century district through eight core strategies:

1. Redesign of the Central Office for efficiency and improved quality of service;

2. Raising the bar for academic achievement and equity;

3. Creating a system of school options such as magnet schools;

4. Maintaining neighborhood schools;

5. Strengthening enrichment programs;

6. Optimizing enrollment;

7. Building partnerships with non-profits, businesses and philanthropic organizations;

8. Passing a parcel tax to replace Measures A & H.

Plan B outlines the likely cuts that will have to be made if Alameda voters do not approve a replacement parcel tax.

Plan B: The District will resolve the projected budget deficits by:

Cutting staff;
Increasing class size to 32:1 for all grades;
Closing three or more elementary schools;
Closing one middle school;
Closing one high school and consolidating 10th ‐ 12th grade to students to the remaining campus;
Cutting teacher positions due to the reduction of the inter‐district transfer program;
Reducing salaries and benefits for teachers, administrators, and classified staff;
Cutting up to five (5) instructional days;
Eliminating or reducing most/all programs funded by Measures A and H.

You can find more background on the Master Plan at: http://www.alameda.k12.ca.us/index.php/home/master-plan

District Efficiencies An Important Component of the Master Plan

In the last 7 years, more than $7 million in cuts have already been made to district services. In the coming months, I will be proposing an estimated $500,000 in additional cuts to administrative costs and district services. Administrative cuts and streamlining are an important part of the Master Plan and reflect a commitment to ensure AUSD offices deliver a quality education for every student while keeping administrative costs as low as possible.

AUSD has hard choices ahead, but I believe that by coming together as a community we can weather the storm. As I visit school campuses every day, I see hard-working students, committed and resourceful teachers and staff, and parents who want the best education possible for their students. Outside our schools, I talk to people every day who are not directly involved with our schools, but support public education and understand the impact that quality schools have on the overall community.

Parcel Tax Update

As you may know, a Parcel Tax Advisory Group (PTAG) was formed last October. They were tasked with proposing a structure for a new parcel tax, which, if successful, would supersede the current parcel taxes (Measures A and H).

The group held 4 meetings and were guided by the following:

The necessity of ensuring long-term local funding for the District;
The need to enlist community support for a replacement parcel tax;
The legal and political constraints of a parcel tax;
The goal of achieving a fair and equitable tax structure; and
The desirability of resolving the outstanding Measure H litigation.

On January 7^th, the PTAG voted to make a series of recommendations to the Board of Education for the structure of a new parcel tax that would replace Measures A and H.

On February 9^th, after reviewing the findings of the PTAG, the Board directed me to begin outlining different scenarios—using the structures evaluated by the PTAG recommendations and financial data—towards drafting replacement parcel tax language. I will be presenting my recommendation to the Board at their meeting in the coming weeks.

Despite the challenges ahead, I am confident that our schools and district will continue to be a source of pride for our community in 2010.

Thank you for your continued interest in our schools! Feel free to contact me directly with questions or concerns at 337-7060 or e-mail me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Sincerely,

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Kirsten Vital
Superintendent of Schools