Alameda Unified Releases 2014-15 Measure A Report

Announcement submitted by Alameda Unified School District:

The Alameda Unified School District presented its 2014-15 Measure A Staff Report last night at the Board of Education meeting. The report shows that in 2014-15 the parcel tax continued to support core, highly valued programs in the district, and the district continued to spend its parcel tax revenues as stipulated in the original measure language.

The Measure A Oversight Committee also released its annual report Tuesday night.

Measure A, a 7-year parcel tax passed by 68.01% of Alameda voters in 2011, raises approximately $12 million per year for the district, making it AUSD’s second-largest revenue stream. An 11-member Oversight Committee reviews Measure A revenues and expenditures several times a year to ensure the parcel tax program foll0ws the measure’s mandates.

Measure A specifies that the tax’s annual revenues be allocated to 11 categories, including: maintaining neighborhood schools and small class sizes for grades K-3; preserving art, PE, media center, and AP classes; maintaining teacher salaries; closing the achievement gap; supporting and upgrading technology; preserving the high school sports programs; supporting charters; and creating innovative and magnet schools.

The measure sunsets in June 2018.

In 2014-15, the district received $12,167,478 in Measure A revenue and spent $12,003,353. (The slight difference is due to a delayed purchase in the Technology Department.) The percentage of Measure A funds allocated to each category remains true to the measure’s language, as shown in the table on the next page.

The Measure A Oversight Committee’s report confirmed that the data in the staff report was accurate and noted that the district has shown “a high level of ongoing fiscal transparency” in reporting the measure’s revenues and expenditures. “As a committee, we are deeply aware of how crucial this parcel tax is to the success of our schools, students, and employees,” Sherice Youngblood, who chairs the committee, says. “We very much appreciate the care district staff take in making this information both public and understandable.”

Notes Superintendent Sean McPhetridge, “Measure A allows AUSD to maintain high-quality programs and retain high-quality teachers. I am grateful to the Oversight Committee for supporting us in this work and grateful to Alamedans for providing the school district with this much-needed revenue. Because of it, we continue to be able to offer wonderful educational opportunities and strong schools here in Alameda.”

Both reports, along with supporting materials, can be found on the Measure A section of AUSD’s website.

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