Alameda (Calif.) district faces sizable cuts

From The San Francisco Chronicle: After voters in the Alameda (Calif.) school district defeated a parcel tax last month, officials are moving quickly to execute the necessary budget cuts. Beginning in the fall, K-3 classrooms will have more children -- 25 compared with 20 last year -- and gifted programs will be gone, along with six middle and high school counselors and a dozen or so teacher positions. A long list of programs will have been decimated and the school year is being shortened by five days. In the fall, the board, will consider increasing K-3 class sizes for 2011-12 to 32, or closing up to six of the district's 14 elementary, middle and high schools.. After that, parcel taxes passed previously by voters will expire, and the district will have to cut an additional $7.3 million.

JUNE 2010...from The San Francisco Chronicle: A tax referendum in the Alameda (Calif.) district appears to have fallen short of the two-thirds majority needed for approval. If the measure fails, If Measure E fails, district officials say they will be forced to close six of 10 elementary schools, one of two middle schools and one of two high schools. In preliminary returns. Yes votes totaled 13,789, or 65.3 percent, and no voters were 7,297, or 34.6 percent.

MAY 2010...from The San Francisco Chronicle: Voters in the Alameda (Calif.) school district have begun a monthlong, mail-only election to decide whether taxes will be raised to support public schools. Measure E would raise $14 million annually for eight years to keep libraries open and staffed, maintain small class sizes, and pay for music, arts and athletic programs as well as advanced placement courses. If Measure E fails, the district would need to drastically cut its $80 million annual budget - and the school board would probably do that by closing one of the city's two main high schools, one of its three middle schools and up to five elementary schools.