SRVUSD Per Student Spending Lowest In Tri-Valley

SAN RAMON VALLEY, CA — The San Ramon Valley Unified School District said it gets less money per student than other nearby districts because fewer needy students are enrolled in its schools.

Most states have historically funded schools based on local property taxes, but California and others have tried to move away from this system, as critics say it can contribute to funding inequities between districts. California funds schools based on the Local Control Funding Formula, passed in 2013.

The formula takes money from local property taxes and state aid, and allocates a base per student amount based on grade level, EdSource reported. Additional money is distributed to schools based on the number of students who are learning English, low-income, homeless or foster children.

That means a district like SRVUSD with fewer needy kids doesn't get the additional resources that districts with more needy kids would get.

See how much money SRVUSD gets compared to other area districts, per SRVUSD:

The district addressed the funding gap in a note to the campus community as tensions escalate between SRVUSD and its teachers union, San Ramon Valley Education Association. SRVEA members have been working on an expired contract since last summer and call for the district to commit to capping class sizes and hiring additional staff, should more funding become available.

Many districts put Local Control Funding Formula money toward employee pay, saying they need to be competitive and recruit good teachers, SRVUSD wrote.

SRVUSD said it recognizes the need for some students to have additional resources, but it has nonetheless struggled because of the funding model.

"(D)istricts like ours ... do not receive supplemental dollars have fewer dollars for programs and other services in order to free up funds with which to recruit and retain the best educators," SRVUSD wrote.

Read the full note here.

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