Comments Received Regarding 2007/08 Preliminary List of Spending Reductions

For background, you can visit 2007/08 Budget Background.

Tally of Comments

Posted in reverse order of date received

Staff 3/1/2007

I wasn’t sure if I should write a letter because I’m one of the new kids on the block if you will; however our office is always busy with very little down time, we have students who come in through out the day with injuries, illness, nosebleeds etc., it’s hard to imagine maintaining and running the front office efficiently without appropriate staff. I can give you an example that can drive this home to our District Board.

We had a child on 3-2-07 who came into the health office with a stomach ache, I asked him if have to use the bathroom he said “no” I was also assisting three other kids who were not feeling well, and when I looked at the kid I’m referring to in this letter, he had a strange, sick to stomach look on his face so I grabbed his hand and ran with him to the bathroom and he started throwing up and heaving severely, needless to say, I could not leave him unattended. In between assisting with problematic situations, telephones ringing off the hook; we often have to deal with discipline issues and parents demands.

In addition to all of the hands-on treatments and attention throughout the day, I also have data entry of health records for all of last year’s new students, the current new students and soon to be September enrollees, of which I have approximately 30 minutes per day for data entry. I am also the front desk and main office relief person so that the front office secretary can take her lunch and breaks, or when there is a huge back up of students, telephones, paper work and parents’ I can step in and assist. Sometimes this all happens in waves, and sometimes it is consistent throughout the day. Many times I am called out of the health office to go to a classroom and assist with a sick or injured student. This is a blanket breakdown of a day in the office, I’m sure if I were to give an itemization of what we do, this letter would be much longer. Please consider reading the health office assistant and office assistant job postings and the “other duties as assigned” clause to give you a small example of the main office-health office and front office duties.

Cutting the health office assistant’s hours would be, in my own perception and opinion, a negligent act towards the health and welfare of the children at Ruby Bridges Elementary School.

Parent 3/1/2007
I wanted to commend you all on the budget meeting on Tuesday evening. I particularly appreciated Luz's presentation. This was my fifth meeting on the subject and I think the explanations and the comparisons to other districts was extremely helpful. Of course, it's always difficult to make cuts, but I felt much better after seeing that the adjustments would accomplish (most of) the job and still keep our schools in a relatively good position in terms of counselors, etc., compared to similar school districts.
I know it's especially difficult to make staff cuts. Having made my living in the corporate sector for over 25 years, most people don't get the opportunity to have the public write letters and speak about how much -- or how well -- they do their jobs before a downsizing. The decision is usually made by management without their input, and they often have to leave the same day. I'm sure the affected staff are unhappy about the decision, but I think it was handled in as open and considerate manner as possible.
I would have made these comments to you in person at the meeting, however, I did not want to add to the list of 26+ speakers!
Going forward, in the spirit of full transparency so that parents and the community at large are not surprised in the future, I would like to suggest that each school be responsible for publishing at least a quarterly report of what their budgets are by line item, how they are doing against that budget and explanations of variances. This is standard practice in the business world -- for a reason. Every school already produces newsletters for parents and it seems reasonable that this information can be included in those newsletters four times a year. Along with this information, they could also publicize their fund raising efforts and foundation funds progress. I think this practice would allow parents, staff and the general public to take proactive -- versus reactive -- action. This would also serve to highlight those schools that are doing a good job with their budgets and those that may need coaching/intervention. Lastly, it would help spread the weight across thousands of shoulders instead of just yours.
Thank you again for your service to the community and our children.

Parent 2/27/2007
I am writing to express my concerns about the proposed reduction in budget for the counseling services at the high schools. I have an 11th grader (at AHS) and an 8th grader (at Lincoln. Our HS counselors are already spread thin, and any reduction in hours will make them even less available to support students. Our College and Career Center is staffed by one person (for close to 2000 students), so students are not able to receive the amount of help they would benefit from. This is of special concern for families that may not be as familiar with the college application process. My husband and I both have advanced degrees, and have been through the process of taking entrance exams and applying to college and grad school, and we have found the current college testing and application process to be extremely challenging to decipher and stay on top of. I can only imagine what it's like for students that come from families where they will be the first ones attending college. And, I think we'd all agree that a college education is the best first step a student can make towards professional and financial success. Do we want to put this in jeopardy?
Further, our head counselor administers the AP program. Since Alameda High prides itself on the AP exam pass rate, our school is rated fairly high nationally based on its AP stats, and students are attracted to and choose to attend the school because of this, I would hope that any cuts to the counseling services are done in a way that will not impact the AP program at either high school.
I was pleased that I did not see class size reductions for 9th grade math and english classes in the list of cuts. I feel particularly strongly that a 20-1 ratio should be preserved for math, espcially since the district has chosen to accelerate students in math at the middle school level. I'm not a strong supporter of this program and remain unconvinced that it's in our students' best interests or advisable for them to be taking Calculus as juniors. That being said, I for one do not want my daughter in an Advanced Algebra II class with 34 other students when she's also making the adjustment to HS in general. The class will be challenging enough when there are only 20 students' questions for the teacher to deal with!
Thank you for your attention, and I hope the meeting tonight goes well. Unfortunately, I cannot attend, but I do appreciate the careful thought you are all putting into the budget.

Staff 2/27/2007
I work for both the Instructional and Curricular Vice Principals. Two years ago, Encinal was reduced by one full time Office Manager I and I took over a large percentage of that position as well as my own.
If my position were to be cut to 11 months, it would have an immense impact on the students and the operation of the school in general.
During the last few weeks of school I am responsible for assisting & organizing STAR testing, as well as the AP Exam which are both administer in May. Much of the prep work for the exams is done during Spring Recess.
During June I am responsible for entering data and coordinating with the counselors to ensure that all seniors have met their senior graduation requirements (Senior Project and Portfolio and Community Service). In addition I am impacted with the graduation program, graduation, grades and closing the school year at our site. Once grades have been posted, I update senior transcripts and send out literally hundreds of official transcript to the colleges and universities on behalf of our graduated seniors.
During the next few weeks (summer recess) I oversee several large projects, essential to a successful school opening. They include preparation for the opening “School Registration Packets” and student volunteers involved in the project, as well as a 9th grade mailing and the 9th Grade Orientation Camp. I am the liaison for pre-registration, inter-district and intra-district applications and renewals, the public and service groups such as the PTSA & Boosters. During the Office Mang II’s vacation I oversee the general operation of the school and ensure that it remains open.
If my position were cut to 11 months much of the work above would have to wait for my return. The opening of school would be impacted, as well as other duties typically done during the first few weeks, while I attempt to “catch up” with the work left undone during the few weeks you are suggesting cutting from my position.
I have worked for AUSD for over 23 years and am very committed to my job and the success of our students. By cutting this position to 11 months you jeopardize my ability to support the students and staff to my fullest. I implore you to seek other alternative to this cut.
Thank you for your time and consideration.

Parent 2/27/2007
I am an active parent with three children in AUSD.
I am extremely frustrated with the situation the AUSD finds itself in. I have attended meetings with the AEF, and the groups promoting changes in the base funding, and I left not understanding how we have found ourselves in this situation, and even more confused by the proposed solutions. It seems rather sudden that the district is looking at cutting everything about the schools that it can promote as making it different than, say, Oakland USD. Under the current plan, as I see it, we'll have no class-size reduction, no arts/music, no extracurricular activities, no college-track assistance. Wonderful.
Right now, I want to go on record as opposing the cuts to High school counseling and college preparation instruction, especially in the proposed firing of Mr. Maiers. Mr. Maiers has been helpful to my daughter, who had a minor scheduling issue that could have become a major impediment to her proper completion of coursework at Alameda High School. He was one of the FEW people
I have dealt with in the AUSD who was helpful, understanding, professional and able to act. The elimination of his position and the impact on this important element of educational service is short-sighted penny-wisdom at its worst.
When looking for cuts in a budget, it seems counterintuitive that you would look at the smallest budget lines (of which high-school counseling must be one) to gain needed savings. I am resigned to the fact that you will eliminate all of the services (educational excellence, art, music, sports, extracurricular activities) that made Alameda USD attractive to me as a parent moving from Oakland 10 years ago. But now, faced with the necessity to cut budgets, you're looking at a uniquely valuable service that promotes students' success in the real world.
Has anyone tried to reach an agreement with the teachers to freeze salaries temporarily or look at alternatives for raising revenues? I'm sorry if my ignorance has allowed me to miss these efforts. I admit I am speaking from frustration, not full knowledge.
I guess I'm going to need to look at private schools - While I realize that will make the problem worse, and I have been a strong supporter of public schools, the lack of forsight and creativity in admin, and the continuing decline of services in AUSD schools is going to force all of us to make unpleasant choices.
Hmmmm. Meanwhile, if there is something that parents in the district can do, please make that known. Thank you for your time.

Community Member 2/26/2007
I appreciate your keeping all of us up to date. This is the worst crisis we have been in since I have lived here & it is a heart breaker. I just don't see where cuts can come from. We are trying to attract students to our schools & as long as the legislature continues its current funding measures, we & other districts like us are going to be in a hole yearly. I don't have any ideas but I appreciate your efforts to try to make sense out of it all.

Parent 2/26/2007
Please reconsider High School recommendation cuts. 9th grade is a very important year for students. Getting a good start to your 4 years of High School is extremely important for students. The 20-1 ratio in math and English are vital to a successful career. My son is currently a 9th grader at Alameda High in Algebra 2. The quick pace and difficult material would make this class very difficult in a 30-1 ratio. These students are beginning to take total responsiblity for themselves and would be lost in 30-1 classes.
Counseling cuts are always on the chopping block because it seems less disruptive. Counseling and College and Career support are what many parents look for to help their child get into a good college. Cuts here in this area will ultimately kill the reputation of good high schools in Alameda. More parents will send their kids to Bishop O'Dowd, thus losing more revenue for the district. High schools must offer counceling and College/Career support.

Parent 2/26/2007
I am a parent of a 9th grader and 10th grader at AHS . I would like to urge the school board not to make any cuts in terms of the counseling services. Each counselor has over 500 students to look after. Any cuts from this department would hurt any student with plans to go on to college. My daughter receives 504 services and Mr. Maiers helped her to obtain extra time on her SAT testing since he is the coordinator for the testing board at AHS. She is also a member of the CSF club and will be traveling to UC Davis with Mr.Maiers as the advisor for this group. My other daughter is on the AP track which Mr. Maiers is in charge of. With school shootings going on all around us, it behooves the school board and superintendent to pay attention to the amount of attention students are receiving. If a counselor is not on hand to pay attention to student behavior at AHS, dire consequences could result.
I would be happy to pay 100% of my daughter's swimming team expenses. I would NOT be able to replace a counselor at Alameda high who serves ALL the students.

Parents 2/25/2007
As concerned parents of high school and middle school students, PLEASE DO NOT RESTRUCTURE THE HIGH SCHOOL ADMINISTRATIVE COUNSELING SERVICES. The counselors are the only contact that we as parents have between public school and the world beyond. Our Alameda High School student frequently seeks the advice of both Mr. Maiers and Ms. Pula regarding the connection between class selection at AHS and future College (not to mention the endless encouragement they offer to raise GPA and try AP classes - which benefits my student as well as AUSD!). I cannot imagine how lost we will be when our incoming middle school student enters AHS without a counselor to navigate us through class requirements, schedules and basic sound advice necessary to succeed to higher education. PLEASE do not eliminate or reduce this service as I believe it will greatly hurt our students and AUSD as a whole. We as parents have put so much into our students education thus far, don't cut us loose on the final stretch!

Staff 2/25/2007
I am writing in reference to Item 6d of the proposed budget cuts. I’d like to share some information which I think might assist you in evaluating the actual impact of the proposed cut.
Let me project and give you an idea of the actual impact it would have on Alameda High School . During the summer, I have responsibility for several major projects that are essential to the closing of the previous school year and the opening of the new school year, as well as the overall operations of the school as a whole throughout the year. Attached is a partial list of the types of projects that I do during the summer.
When the principal’s office manager is on vacation during the summer, I handle all deliveries of textbooks, instructional materials and supplies. I remain the liaison to the community and within the district for incoming questions, concerns and critical inquiries. I also coordinate, as well as repair, damaged textbooks.
I am in close contact with all the support and service groups that function during the summer in order to coordinate their projects and needs with AHS. This includes PTSA, boosters, and community groups needing information or access to the campus.
It would be far more costly to the district to reimburse at an hourly rate for the work that is completed during the summer. As a salaried employee, I complete the assignments as part of my regular work duties. To maintain our current level of preparation for the opening of school at an hourly rate would cost the district significantly more than to maintain my position as a salaried employee. The effect would be no cost savings to the budget, but probably significantly more costs at the hourly rate.
During the school year, other major breaks (for example, spring break) is used for preparation for STAR testing, which is a significant job for a school this size, as well as site coverage when the Principal’s office manager takes vacation.
On the personal side, I have worked at Alameda High School for 6 years. Prior to working at AHS, I worked in Student Services at the District for 3+ years. I am a single parent.
My job in Student Services was a 12 month position and I transferred to AHS to a 12 month position. By cutting my job to 11 months, the decrease in salary will affect my retirement, monthly salary, benefits, vacation, etc.
I understand the district’s fiscal dilemma, but it would seem reasonable to look at this particular line item over a period of years and to make the necessary adjustments as the individuals in these positions retire or leave the district. I am appealing to you NOT to change my job to an 11 month position. Thank you for your consideration and deliberations.

Teacher 2/25/2007
Is it too late to speak to and ask for some other possible cuts? I am sorry that I did not try to carry this torch from the start of the process, but I got to thinking very seriously about it the other day...
Remember, I was a high school athlete, recruited by several small schools. I ran track for Stanford; I have coached on two occassions at AHS; my own son was an outstanding runner here....
So, I recommend...
Eliminate all district funding for interscholastic athletics.
Rationale: Although at first seeming like a dire hit to our kids, the proposal has the potential to affect few students since Alameda has such a wide range of club sports. Further, any present interscholastic sport that wished to do so could organize as a club and then compete with the school's sponsorship but not its funding. For example, my son's sports, soccer and running. Well, there is more than enough club soccer in Alameda to make any player on any level happy. The cross country runners could organize, charge their runners on a level that club soccer players pay, pay their coach a decent salary, and then ask for affiliation with the school, the league, North coast...Swimming is like soccer, many club opportunities, tennis is like cross country, a small enough sport to organize and pay its way...the only sport that could not pull this off would be football, and many colleges have dropped football because of its cost. If a kid wanted a fall sport and had been playing football, he could play soccer or run cross-ciountry, or maybe football would charge its players and save its program.
So my question is this...Is there any use in coming to the Tuesday meeting and proposing this, or are the recommendations finished? I mean, a proposal like this would need major coommunity discussion. And, is the proposal so wild and crazy that no one would even consider it?
Let's be frank here, eliminating athletics is the one place where our sports-mad community might actually voluntarily pay what they should for our services and facilities...Remember that the sports would be paying for the use of facilities for games and practice...
Even as I write this, I can see that it should be proposed as a long-term solution, with plenty of time for community input, and, if done at all, implemented a year hence...also the ramifications on our affiliation with CHAA and NCS is not something that I actualy know anything about.

Teacher 2/25/2007
Thank you for receiving and posting our open letter. We at Wood hope that we can count on your support tomorrow night.

Parent 2/25/2007
In considering budget cuts, I submit to you that increasing technology expenditures and cutting counselors demonstrates a lack of interest in promoting college education for Alameda high school students city wide. I do not want my children to become data input clerks but I do want them to go to college. I have moved my children from private school to Alameda High on the basis that the District can offer my children, and indeed all of Alameda's students, a serious college preparatory course of study and a counseling department that is strong and available to assist them in achieving their University goals. If the District is not committed to a strong college preparatory system, I will have to reconsider private school.
I got a call last SATURDAY afternoon from a counseling office employee setting up an appointment for my sophmore son for his graduation/college admissions counseling session to be held this week. This is conference with a parent, a student and the counselor to review the students classes taken so far, their University plans and their graduation requirements. BRAVO to the counselors for having a system in place that sends a message to the students that the High School places great emphasis on their college plans. It is one thing for parents to say it. It is quite another for the school to continually send the message that it is available to help and expects the kids to go to college.
This country needs more college graduates. It is a well documented fact that students with access to counselors in High School have a far great likelihood of continuing to college that students in schools without counselors. Do we want Alameda's high schools to gain the reputation of being second rate? Of course not!
Keep the counselors. The technology expenditures can wait. The school has an adequate technology budget to give the kids the basics. What they REALLY need is a solid course of basics including writing (which can actually be done without a computer - I've done it) literature, math science, social studies and foreign languages. There is a reason computer technology is not a University entrance requirement.
Let's keep our collective eye on the ultimate prize - well educated high school students, each of whom believe that college is a possibility. It is almost impossible to make a real living in the Bay Area on just a high school diploma.(See this link regarding the difference in salary expectations for high school vs. college graduates:
http://money.cnn.com/2006/10/25/pf/college/census_degree/index.htm?postversion=2006102606
Our District should be encouraging ALL STUDENTS to go to college. Keep the counselors. It's important!

Parent 2/25/2007
Where is the proposal to add capacity to the ACLC ?
- you have a school that is oversubscribed and appears to deliver good value (gets it done with available ADA funding allotment)
- when kids do not get in they leave the district
- if there was more capacity could some folks going to private schools come back (and bring the ADA with them)
I'd propose the district look at letting them expand capacity to generate top line revenue.
Consider giving them the site they asked for.

Teacher 2/25/2007
I have learned since sending my letter re: Class Size Reduction, that AUSD will lose approximately $300,000, the amount received from the state of California for Class Size Reduction Grade 9, in order to save $88,000. This sounds very much like the old adage "Penny wise and pound foolish".

Community Member 2/24/2007
It is a tough job you have but these cuts are unacceptable. This is why we voted for you to make the tough stands. Thanks!

Teacher 2/25/2007
As a teacher here in the district I am writing to tell you that I totally disagree with the contemplated cuts of our schools office staffs. The office is the hub of all the schools in Alameda if they are anything like our office at Lum. Our office staff is the best in town and they always go above and beyond for all members of our school community. Our school would not function as well as it does with their hours reduced.
Why can't the cuts be as far away from the children as possible? The reduction of office staff hours directly impacts the services our children and their families recieve. Why are the plans only to shift personnel at district? Why do we continue to have so many consultants? Why do retired principals get paid so much when they come back and sub?
Without our teachers and office staff our schools wouldn't function.

Teacher 2/25/2007
Thank you for your wonderful information. You responded to my e-mail rapidly. Thank you for keeping class size reduction. The counselors are needed too. We really need more of them not fewer at Alameda High School. Who will do the scheduling for next school year? This is a major job. The vice-principals are already too busy. John Maiers has done a fine job as Head Counselor. He responds rapidly to any problems I may have. He is very valuable to the teachers. He takes the difficult case loads. It would cause problems to eliminate his current position.

Staff 2/23/2007
I know that you have been receiving some very factual and heartfelt e-mails from Health Office Assistants regarding the pending reduction in their hours.
We just received the hours based on the new formula yesterday. I hope that you receive a copy of their hours plus the proposed hours of the Office Assistants before you vote on this proposal.
I am not going to repeat what the other e-mails have said but I want to make the following points:

• Health Office Assistants work directly with students averaging 40,000 office visits per year district wide. Office assistants are very often their backups. By reducing hours at both positions, you will be removing the frontline and the backup for student care, leaving the Office Managers to do a portion of both jobs. When looking at the hours per school, for both positions, there are 6 elementary schools that will have only the Office Manager in the school office for a part of every day. Multi-tasking is an art that Office Managers are very good at, but this is too much to ask of anyone. This would seem to be more work than the phrase “other duties as assigned” should entail.
• At step 28, Health Office Assistants are either the lowest or the second lowest on the pay scale. The District is getting a lot of service for a very low cost. Plus, they are the only Office Tech position that mandates CPR/1st Aid training.
• There is going to be a large gap in care at elementary schools that only staff can fill, as volunteers cannot be used because of medical confidentiality issues.
• Students will continue to come to the office because of illness and injuries regardless of whether or not we have appropriate staff to care for them, but someone will have to care from them – Office Managers?, Principals?, Teachers?,Who?
• Is the very great risk involving student care, worth the small reward that reducing Health Office Assistants’ hours would entail?
• Health Office Assistants were the primary group that earned the $50,000 Medi-Cal MAA money referenced in item 9D. That will go down with fewer health hours per site. This becomes a lose – lose situation.

Wood Middle School Community 2/23/2007
We are gratified that Superintendent Dailey has heeded the Alameda community’s deep commitment to neighborhood schools by removing the closing of Wood Middle School from her recommended list of budget reductions.
Wood is a special place, because:

• Wood is the only secondary Alameda school to meet all its API and AYP goals this past year. Since 1999, our API has grown 108 points. Our 2005-2006 growth showed a 24-point gain.
• Based on this high performance, Wood was invited this year to apply for California Distinguished School recognition. Our staff collectively put in many hours completing the application because we believe so strongly that Wood School deserves this honor.
• Wood is part of a larger community, evidenced by our commitment to working with our neighbors. Wood students regularly mentor students from our neighboring school, Lum Elementary. The annual Wood Museum will be Alameda Free Library’s first exhibit since opening in its new location on Oak Street. Science classes participate in an ornithological study with Cornell University to note the migrating patterns of songbirds. Sixth grade core teachers have an on-going and deepening collaboration with the U.C. Berkeley Graduate Department of Anthropology. The University assists in Wood’s “Big Dig”, our annual archaeological endeavor, and also provides virtual field trips to excavation sites around the world. Wood School is partnered with a sister-school in San Juanillo, Nicaragua. Students exchange packets and letters. These are but a few of the myriad examples that demonstrate Wood’s school-community connection.
• Wood serves one of the most diverse communities in Alameda. We are a rich mix of various cultures and economic backgrounds. We are home to speakers of at least 20 different languages. Ten percent of our population is served by special education programs. We host the District’s only middle school counseling-enriched Special Day program. We also house the only Severely Handicapped program for middle schools in Alameda. This all provides for constant interaction among our special education and general education populations. Our award-winning Learning Center serves as a demonstration model for schools throughout the state.
• Wood has assembled an outstanding group of dedicated professionals, including several who have been recognized by the district and state. Two teachers received the Alameda School District’s Teacher of the Year award: Anselmo Reis, 2006, and Jim Peters, 1994; Nancy Ely was nominated for Teacher of the Year by the California League of Middle Schools, 2006-2007.
• Wood receives constant support from our parents. Parents donated more than 6,000 hours of volunteer time during the last school year. The PTA is an ever-present partner on our campus, providing grants for teachers, supporting Student Leadership, advocating for our school, hosting parent education events, and boosting morale for the entire Wood community.

Staff 2/23/2007
I write this after receiving information about the proposed budgets cuts to the hours of the AUSD Health Office Assistants.
Coming straight to the point, to cut the few hours left to the health assistants, as shown in Article 6a of the proposed budget, would be chaotic, at best.
We are trained personnel that deal with specific first aid related situations, including potentially life threatening medical conditions that just can’t be handled by anyone. These situations occur throughout the seven hour school day. In the short three hours that I work over the lunch period, I see an average of twelve children daily. I’ve noticed in the health log, that the office assistant, in her short three hours in the morning, often sees many more than that, and ‘health assistant’ is not her primary function.
I believe that the funds generated *only* through the voluntary hours logged by the health assistants through the MediCal Administrative program, as shown in Item 9d (last quarter adding more than $50,000 to the district funds), show the commitment to the district and to the schools that we, health office assistants, have. Please take all of this into consideration when making your decision.
It is another difficult year of cuts, and while there needs to be a more permanent, long term solution, I applaud your efforts in the difficult task at hand and trust you will make the best choices for our children.

Staff 2/23/2007
After having been reading the information on our district budget crisis, it has come to my knowledge that the health program in our district may face modifications translated in our health office assistants’ reduction of working hours.
In this regard, I would like to ask you to take into consideration the adverse effect this might have on students and staff in case this change were to happen. Illnesses, injuries, and emergencies do not know of budget cuts or similar issues, therefore they will continue to occur at our schools. By not having the appropriately trained person, i.e., the health office assistant, to take charge of them, someone else will have to deal with these problems. This might result in an inappropriate manner of handling the cases with unfortunate consequences to the students’ safety and the school district’s liability. Moreover, this reduction of hours would put an extra work load on other staff members, such as classified employees and teachers, who would have to cope with these while possibly neglecting their own job duties. In addition to this, I would like to mention that health office assistants are very well aware of particular students’ medical conditions due to the constant interaction and are able to see to their needs properly.
I would also like to point out that the health department has been generating revenues through a Medi-Cal Administrative program, which is done voluntarily by health office assistants as an extra effort to generate some inflow of money into the district’s funds.
Lastly, I would like to thank you all for your magnificent efforts at trying to manage the district budget crisis in a reasonable and fair manner. We all know that it is a complex issue and that the decision on cuts and reductions will be a very difficult one.

Staff 2/23/2007
What can I add to the other many letters/emails you've already received to encourage you to change your minds about this latest suggested round of cuts….I just don't know.
Aren't we here to serve the students of Alameda and their parents to the best of our ability? How can we do that if it's decided year in and year out to cut our hours. Don't you feel in your hearts that what money we have should go to the schools FIRST and then District Office? It just doesn't seem to work that way.
Has the thought ever crossed your minds that possibly each employee at District could "donate" an hour or possibly half an hour each day of the week like you've already asked of me two previous occasions (not to mention how many others at school sites). I started at the District working 6 hours/day (much to the delight of the Office Manager and Health Clerk). I was first cut to 5, then 4, and now you propose 3.5 hrs. Do you have any idea how much pressure this puts mainly on the Office Manager, who is already overworked (as we all are and underpaid). We're a great team but it's hard for the team to work effectively when 2/3's of the team isn't here! The hours are cut but the workload increases and increases. Why is it that the lowest paid seem to pay the price. I love working at the school helping the kids. It's fun and so rewarding….but so frustrating when you can't get your work done.
Please, please try to help the staff at all the school sites…cuts shouldn't and mustn't be made here again. Thank you for your consideration of this request.

Staff 2/23/2007
I have been closely following the Board Meetings and reading the notes of our Alameda website regarding the district reduction plan.
It concerns me that the health program in our district may endure a reduction of hours. Our program has already been reduced by the closure of three small school sites.
My apprehension is: If we remove hours, then we eliminate direct interaction with students. If we continue to reduce hours then this allows that only our mandates be met. Our students would have less direct contact with the Health Assistant. This is truly a disservice to our students and staff. Health Assistants are familiar with their students. They have knowledge of their health problems because of their day to day relationships with them. Health Assistants can recognize a possible dangerous health condition with a student because they are aware of their particular situation.
Since the district has already closed three schools, cut employees and displaced students, there is a level of concern. The health program has dedicated employees. We are continually on the reduction list. I feel the health program has already been reduced and feel it is time we not be targeted for any more reduction. This would have a negative effect on our students and put greater liability on our district.
There is one more point I would like to make. Our district receives money which the Health Assistant group generates through Medi-Cal Administrative Activities Program. I feel that is an asset to our district and needs to be taken into consideration.
In these difficult times, I want to close in saying thank you for supporting the health and well-being of all our students and employees in this district.

Staff 2/22/2007
I am at a loss for words on how to convey my shock at learning of the possibility of this segment of employees hours being cut………... again.
I do not want to remain silent.
I firmly believe that every employee at AUSD works very hard at his or her particular position but has it ever been considered to cut some of the district employees hours by 1/2 an hour? That has never been done. Why is it considered OK to do it to the school offices? These employees salaries are much lower by comparison than most district personel, therefore when you cut their hours the savings effect is very small. Furthermore, we deal directly with the children every day and the quality of our service to them is directly felt.
We at the school site offices are hard pressed to meet our daily work load. Service to the students, parents and teachers will suffer if hours keep being cut for the office staff.
I urge you to reconsider such a cut in the name of the students we are trying to serve.

Staff 2/22/2007
It deeply saddens me that the Alameda Board of Education will yet again cut clerical hours. I find it hard to believe that people who purport putting children first are really putting them at risk.
The Alameda Board of Education is considering cuts that will put students in danger by cutting school office staff back to dangerous levels. The Health Clerk, Site Office Assistant and Office Manager deal with the students on a daily basis. Students with fatal allergies, diabetes, asthma, emotional problems, injuries, illness and custody issues are dealt with on a daily basis.
Teachers are not the only people who deal directly with the students. The office staff also deals with students, teachers, parents, grandparents, District employees, community members, prospective employees, prospective families, vendors, other school districts, Social Service agencies, and day care providers to name a few. We make sure that the people who show up to take a child out of school are authorized to do so; that the person registering the child for school is really the legal guardian; that the children have the state required immunizations.
Elementary school offices are understaffed as it is; to cut even more is unconscionable.
We are a dedicated group, working more, and more hours. We work overtime that we are not paid for because there is no money in the budget for clerical overtime. Comp hours are never taken because there is never a “good” time. We come to work no matter how sick we are because there are no clerical subs. I implore you to think the cuts through. Who will be there for your child if these cuts take place?
AUSD wants to bolster the number of students attending the Alameda public schools. But, when a community member walks into the neighborhood school office to register a child for school and sees mail piled on a desk, the phones ringing, supplies piled and children sitting around in wet, dirty clothes and no adult in sight, what will he think? Will he realize that the one person left to staff the office is out on the playground comforting a child with a leg that might be broken? Or will he think this is not a safe environment for his child—the private school with the fully staffed office is the place to be.

Staff 2/22/2007
I’m a health office assistant at Earhart School as well as a parent with two kids in the Alameda Public School System. I am not writing to you fighting for my job because the way I see it, the “powers at be” have already made up their mind and there isn’t a lot I can do to change their minds. So, why am I writing to you? A good question. I’m writing to you because I want you to truly understand what happens at the schools on a daily basis.
My general role here at the school is taking care of the kids and keeping records of all immunizations as well as special health needs. It sounds so simple, but my role goes deeper than that. In addition to the sick child, injured child or just the child that needs to talk just to avoid an overload of life, I have two type one diabetics and one child on a feeding tube that I have to deal with on a daily basis. That’s not even mentioning the number of kids with allergies that require immediate care or the number of children on medication that needs my assistance. This also includes holding the hysterical child on my lap for 45 minutes waiting for the parents to pick them up.
Dealing with just the diabetics and the feeding tube child takes up at least an hour of my time everyday. The parents of these children depend on me to keep them informed of their blood sugar levels and of their nutrition needs. This means me calling each parent daily so that they are informed about their child.
If for some reason I am not available to help these children or any of the other children, then the office staff will help me. If our positions are cut, how are these children going to be taken care of? We work as a team and we are there to support and help each other in every way possible. We have had medical emergencies at this school and it took all three of us to deal with the child making sure that nothing happened to her until help could get to her. Imagine, had we had a reduction in staff, what could have happened to that child who happen to be having an allergic reaction to nuts.
Before making any cuts to staffing, please take a careful look at what you are cutting and ask yourself, are there other ways to make the same cuts.
If you make these cuts, what are you going to tell the parents of the kids that were not treated properly. If you know what you are going to say, can look the parents in the eye and, can sleep at night knowing that the kids at the schools are no longer being looked after, then you must not have a conscience and that saddens me.
As I have said, everyone in the office works as a team. We all support each other and help out in any situation especially in emergencies. I always thought that the district as a whole worked together, as a team all the way down to the individual schools. Is this no longer true?
Believe me; I have worked in a State agency for many, many years. Every year, it’s the same old thing with the budget… cuts must be made. Don’t you think people understand that? I understand that cuts must be made, but in the expense of our kids? That I don’t understand. They say, the kids are our future… what kind of future are we truly giving them?
Again, all I’m asking is you to think about what is being done and ask yourselves, is that the best way to go about it?

Staff 2/22/2007
I am writing to you to ask that you look seriously at the proposed cuts to school site office assistants. I was given the new staffing figures yesterday, and was in disbelief as to what the district is proposing. Has anyone making these decisions ever spent a day, or even part of a day, in a school office? I implore all of you to do so before accepting this outrageous proposal.
We take care of students, teachers, substitutes, parents, custodians, vendors, payroll, purchasing, newsletters, attendance, keeping SASI updated, enrollment, ordering buses, contracted studies, tracking staff use of copy machines (and unjamming them), tracking all textbooks, answering phones – shall I go on? We have diabetic children, one in need of constant monitoring and a child who needs to be fed through a feeding tube. There are children with severe allergies who have epi-pens stored on site. What shall we tell parents if we are so distracted that we’re unaware that a child is in danger? I can tell you first hand that I have spent days in the office without an office assistant or health clerk, and I cannot get my job done. Will the office assistant cuts have an impact on students? You bet it will. Shall I start giving out numbers as to who I should take care of first? Maybe I should keep the phone on voice mail all day, because there certainly won’t be time to answer it. That will make parents happy. If you’re concerned about enrollment, you had better start here. We are continually given more tasks to do, but no one seems to care to look at this picture. Why are you not looking at expensive consultants or new programs that have ridiculously hidden costs such as hundreds of dollars in special markers and post its? Or Successmaker - is this program really helping? I have heard otherwise.
I have worked for the Federal government and for private industry and have always been paid for the time I spent on the job. You don’t see the extra hours we now spend getting our job done. How much more can you ask of us?
I have never been as happy and fulfilled as working at a school site, but yesterday you slapped me in the face and my morale is the lowest I have ever felt. I have always taken pride in my job, but I will be unable to complete anything in a timely manner. When will the District stop taking, and expecting the impossible from its employees? I understand that cuts are necessary, but where is the human issue? It’s time that the District start taking care of its employees. Please look long and hard before accepting this proposal.

Staff 2/22/2007
I appreciate your doing so and also the website information. I will keep it on file for future postings. You cannot know how important it is to us that you remain accessible and responsive to each of us. Everyone has their own slant and I know you cannot please all. I am also an AUSD parent so naturally I am interested in getting more money to the schools in any way I can… in fact, though, I think the best thing we can do is to get the State to get us on an even par with comparable school districts now that we do not have the Naval Base here or the funding it provided. That money (about $2.7 M) would be about the amount we need to stay afloat without cutting our existing budget. Surely Don Perata should be able to help us out and we have Mr. Garamendi’s grandchildren at this AUSD school. I have heard talk about sueing the State of California . Except that it would probably be a long. Expensive process, I think I like the idea. At least for the present, we feel that the Health Offices can continue to work hard to generate more Medi-Cal money for the District’s General Fund. We have asked Ardella to get more involved in this work as the amount of money we earn for the school district is computed as a percentage of our salaries. Since we are at one of the lowest pay grades, we are anxious that someone like Ardella who is at the top salary level would work with us on this because a percentage of a big salary means even more money could be generated for the general fund. So far she is lukewarm to the idea although she has minimally involved Donna Fletcher. As far as I know, the Health Offices are the only entity that BRINGS IN MONEY to the District.

Staff 2/22/2007
I wanted to make sure that everyone understands what the College and Career Position means to the high schools. It is the biggest bonus we could possibly have. I’ve worked as a high school counselor at other high schools and in other states. The position that carries out those duties was always held by a credentialed counselor and paid on the counselor pay roll. So, what a bargain AUSD is getting by having someone who is paid as a clerk, perform the same services. If this position is cut, the counselors then will have to do all of the work of getting students college applications in, their financial aid forms completed, and all of the scholarships attended to. Do you think someone who already has a full work load will have time to do this adequately? I don’t. Although we all try to keep up with the current eligibility qualifications, that in itself can be a full time job. To have someone who is knowledgeable about all of the college options to work with our students should be something that AUSD absolutely cherishes. The number of individual students and families whose lives are changed because their child got that scholarship, got into that particular college should be valued, not tossed out. I feel it would be a great disservice to have this position cut in any way. Please consider this position as the valuable one it is.

Parent 2/22/2007
This is my 12th year as an active parent in Alameda schools. I have 3 boys in our schools, including two at EHS. I have an MBA and previous positions have included working to restructure both corporate and public organizations. At Berkeley and Chapel Hill I was involved in many student activities including counseling and course scheduling. Currently I am taking classes through UCLA to complete the Certificate Program In College and Career Counseling.
I believe counseling services at EHS could be greatly improved while still cutting costs. However, the current proposals to consolidate and modify positions are not the answer. For the last 6 months I have volunteered considerable time in the Encinal College and Career Center with Tracy Allegrotti. The letter she sent earlier this week is an accurate picture of the comprehensive and critical services provided by the EHS College and Career Center . It is shocking that this position is set up at a clerk level.
What are the responsibilities of EHS counselors? Most students I know see counselors only for course scheduling and a tally of requirements remaining for graduation (which by the way many students discover is not enough to get them into a CSU). Students I know do not rely on counselors for advice on college requirements or letters of recommendation.
Many things have changed tremendously since our counseling office was established. Why do we keep doing things the same way without considering a better use of the scarce funds we do have? With high counselor to student ratios, most students do not get personal counseling from their counselor. Applying to college has gotten increasingly complicated in terms of requirements, applications and financial aid. Students who will go to college need advice from someone who keeps up and understands these issues. Students who will not go to college need help identifying careers and training programs and understanding the impact of their performance in high school.
Instead of the proposed cuts, I suggest a budget be set up for high school counseling staff. A working group could identify the services which need and should be provided and then suggest the best way to staff these services (undoubtedly there are state and federal requirements I am unaware which would be incorporated). Perhaps, some duties such as tabulating course requirements for graduation could be computerized. Maybe a skilled counselor would work with at risk kids or students who need true ‘counseling” (not just paper processing). The counseling structure we have now could be greatly improved. Instead of just cutting, let’s analyze how to both cut and improve what we get for our limited funds.
Of course, I am happy to talk to anyone about this in more detail. Or better yet, you might talk to the kids!

Teacher 2/21/2007
As a working teacher and fellow professional I must strongly protest any proposal any contemplated cuts of our Lum School office staff. We need these people and our school will not function without them. It is absurd to think that that an elementary school of five hundred and fifteen students can be safely managed by a staff of one. There also seems to be a raging double standard regarding staff cuts between schools such as Ruby Bridges and schools such as Lum.
Alameda Unified had little trouble over the years funding expensive inservices, overrated speakers and other educational hubris to say nothing of constantly backtracking and reinventing programs that are frequently unnecessary. Now the economic chickens have come home to roost and our office staff personnel are being asked to sacrifice to atone for years of misappropriating our resources. As a school board member it is your responsibility to balance the budget but this needs to be done in a safe, sane and sensible manner.

Teacher 2/21/2007
I was alerted to the possibility that Lum School might lose the second secretary and the school nurse.
I wanted to let you know that their work and support are much needed at the school. As a second grade teacher, I am indebted to their help and the students benefit and learn much from them being part of the school staff.
I would like to ask for your reconsideration.

Staff 2/21/2007
I wanted to write all of you regarding the proposed cuts in office hours (site office assistant and health office assistant). PLEASE do not cut our staff – we all directly interact with the students and when one is absent, no work is done except taking care of the students. Reduced hours means there will only be one person in the office for a good part of each day. Answering phones, attending to sick/injured students and taking care of over-the-counter parent/teacher problems is all that can be accomplished. There is no time for attendance, purchasing, enrolling, inputting data into SASI, and all the other hundreds of jobs that we do in the office. There must be other cuts that could be made farther away from the children.

Staff 2/21/2007
I appreciate the difficult decisions that you must soon make and I know each cause probably seems as worthy of consideration as the next. But I am writing, however, to encourage you all to re-examine cutting Health Office Assistant (AKA Health Clerks) hours at elementary and middle schools irrespective of the enrollment numbers. This is expecially important since the number of hours Health personnel work has always been predicated by Fiscal… exclusively by school enrollment. We still have the same enrollments relative to the fiscal formulations in place already. I also feel that due to the vague wording of Article 6a, the District INTENDS to adjust the existing staffing formulas downwards. I only work 3 hours a day. To work less than this is just not feasible.
I would also like to emphasize that reducing hours does not reduce the services required (mandated by the State) by the students, staff and parents at each school. The amount of Health Office visits by students and staff run about 4 times the school population. We have about 10,000 students so we see 40,000 students annually. Other office staff, in some cases just the Office Manager, must assume these responsibilities… most of which they have neither training or inclination to do because they are already OVERBURDENED. The number of students who get injured, require 911 services, or get sick at school is not going to be reduced because Health Office hours are arbitrarily reduced. These services still need to be rendered as well as the continual record-keeping, follow-up, and reports mandated by the state. In addition, if a child is seriously injured or dies on campus and there is no qualified Health professional in attendance, our district is open to lawsuits which are far costlier than the health hour cuts proposed. PARENT VOLUNTEERS cannot assume our duties because of confidentiality issues and HIPA laws.
Lastly, I am extremely dismayed that Item 9d does not credit the Health Office staff for generating the $50,000.00+ in Medi-Cal funds that recently went into the District coffers. This is not in our job descriptions. We do it voluntarily and gladly as a way to add much needed revenue. We anticipate far exceeding this number next quarter when more Health staff are trained and able to participate.

Parent/Staff 2/21/2007
I realize that you have some very tough decisions to make in the upcoming weeks. I for one would not like to be in your shoes. However, I believe that some of the suggested cuts the district is asking you to make have not been made with the most thoughtful effort. Please let me explain.
I am currently the career tech at Encinal High School. Prior to my job this year I taught elementary and middle school in this district for 15 years. To take this job I took a cut in pay of 50%.
My eldest daughter graduated from Encinal High School in 2004. In November of 2003, she called me while I was visiting my husband in the hospital, crying hysterically because she could not submit her UC application. “Something was wrong with the computer!” I had to “come home now.!” As I drove home from the hospital I started thinking about all the kids sitting at home working on their UC applications. I started thinking about the kids who did not have internet access; the kids who did not have parents who could be there in a moment’s notice to help out their child. You see, like many of you, when my daughters were going through the college application process, I became their counselor. I learned the difference between Single Choice Early Action, Early Action, Regular Decision, Early Decision, etc. I read everything I could get my hands on, so I could help my children make sound choices regarding their college choices. Not because there was not people at the high school who could do this, but because they were busy doing other things.
About a year ago, I began the College and Career Advising Certificate Program at UCLA. I decided I wanted to help kids realize their post-high school dreams—it didn’t matter what their dreams were, I wanted to help them make their dreams come true. I did not feel I was doing this teaching at a middle school. There are seven classes in this certificate program: The College Admissions Process, Counseling the College Bound Student, Financial Aid Fundamentals, Testing/Career Assessment, Special Issues in College Advising, Using the Internet for College/Career Counseling, and Practicum in College Counseling. I will have finished the certificate program in this June.
It just so happened, this past spring the career tech that held the job before me was moving. I applied for the job and got it. I rationalized taking this job (and pay cut) because I would not be certified by the time it started; I wanted to make sure I could do the job, and that I could make a difference. I have since found out that I am great at this job. I am helping kids achieve their dreams, and I am making a difference in kids’ lives. (I also happen to love this job)!
My job is like a moving target. I need to be ready for anything. I meet with parents regarding the college application process; I meet with them regarding what their kid can do after high school (“I really don’t believe you should be graduating my son; he’s not mature enough.’) I meet with parents about the classes their kids need to take to get into the best college (even if they are only a freshman). I advise parents that a B in Algebra 2 as a freshman will not hurt their kid’s chances of getting into Berkeley, or Stanford, or any other highly selective school. I meet with the military representatives who show up almost on a weekly basis. I meet with kids. I advise kids. I hold financial aid nights. I hold college nights. I write letters of recommendation, even during Christmas vacation, when they show up on my porch at 11 pm the day before they need to be post-marked. I answer calls from EHS coaches at 8:am on Saturdays because they have a student-athlete who is meeting with a college coach that night…and then I run to school and print out a transcript for them.
I help my undocumented students navigate a very scary and difficult road to college. I talk to admission officers about kids. I set up visits of representatives from colleges, universities, the military, art programs, specific careers, historically black colleges, technical institutes, apprenticeship programs. I talk to College Board when they screw up a kid’s test score, and even when they don’t. I write to colleges to advise them that a student who has applied to their school has just been named a National Merit Finalist. I help parents and students with Financial Aid. I promote my students!!
I manage the UC Berkeley Incentive Awards Program for our school. I manage the AVID-Region 4 grant. I manage the Bank of America Awards Program. I advise kids on what tests to take, the differences between the ACT, SAT Reasoning and SAT Subject Tests. I find out that Harvard requires 3 subject tests, while any other school that requires them, only need two, but you should NEVER take the Math 1 test (it won’t count as one of the two). I know that all colleges will accept SAT’s for seniors up to the December test, except for San Diego State—they won’t take them after November. I issue fee waivers for SAT’s, ACT’s and college applications—it’s s very expensive business.
I stay up to date on the UC and CSU and NCAA changes. I advise our counselors on college admission requirements, because their focus is the graduation requirements. I advise the ACLC counselor, because she has “no college admissions background.” I help plan and implement the College of Alameda College Fair, which many of you attend. I do classroom presentations. I do grade-level wide presentations.
I meet with parents considering AUSD and Encinal High to let them know that yes, this is a great school, yes, their child will receive a wonderful education here, and yes our graduation rate is higher than 40%--(a question I was just recently asked). I send out an on-line newsletter at least twice a month to over 200 subscribing families and students announcing jobs, scholarships, application hints, summer programs, college open houses, and all the other stuff that is sent to me in the mail. I do not want to miss giving one kid that thing that may open new doors for them.
I look at SAT/PSAT/AP data and advise the various school departments of any obvious patterns. I enter all SAT/ACT/PSAT and AP scores to the students’ transcripts. I help kids select the schools to apply to. I keep my center open every Monday and Wednesday from noon until 8:pm during the month of November so kids without internet access can work on their college applications. I celebrate with them when they receive acceptance letters and give them a hug when they receive a rejection.
I keep of track of all awards won, all scholarships available and won, college acceptances and the decisions the kids have made about what they are doing after high school. I create data sets of kids at EHS and the schools they get into so I can do a better job advising future classes. I help parents and students analyze their financial aid packages and help them choose the one that makes the most sense for their family. I help kids through the EOP application process for the CSU’s. I attend workshops on the weekend (without pay), so I can have as much information as necessary to better advise my students. I will pay for these conferences and workshops out of my own pocket because there is no budget. I sit on the Student Assistance Team and am the CSEA rep on School Site Council. I sponsor “The Real World-College According to Those Who Go,” inviting back alum during their winter break to talk to parents and students about their college experience and their advice to future graduates. This past December we had recent EHS graduates from Stanford, Berkeley, Brown, Cornell, the University of Washington, UCLA, UC San Diego, UC Santa Cruz, UC Santa Barbara and San Diego State attend and share their experiences. I stay in touch with alumni for this very purpose.
I serve the high-end kids, the low-end kids, the educationally disadvantaged, the socio-economically disadvantaged. I serve any kid who walks in and wants help figuring out what they should do after high school. And then, when it’s all over, I start it all over again with the juniors.
You see, this is not a seasonal job, as I believe a district employee stated at a recent meeting. If I am to truly “Serve Children” this is a full-time, on-call job. And I don’t mind it at all, because I am helping them to achieve their dreams.
You may be wondering why I have not spent the time and energy to become a regular counselor. Well, I’ve been encouraged to do this, and have investigated this as well. There is very little that a PPS program teaches you that actual high school counselors do today. If you look at St. Mary’s or Cal State East Bay’s programs, you will find no classes on master schedules, no classes on graduation requirements, no classes on the CAHSEE and its’ ramifications, no classes on college admissions, no classes on career advisement, no classes on changing schedules. There are plenty of classes on human sexuality, alcohol and substance abuse, psychological testing and family violence. I believe Luz stated at the meeting the other night that the state ratio of counselors to students is 1 to 960. Even if counselors were able to provide this type of counseling, they’d never be able to do it at that large of a ratio.
The reason why this ratio has increased is because districts (such as Berkeley Unified and LA Unified) have cut counseling staffs and have hired credentialed teachers with career and college advising certificates. They are counted in the teaching staff ratios and not in the counseling staff ratios.
The purpose of this letter is not to toot my own horn. Even if this job was not cut and not combined with text book technician (which I wouldn’t get due to seniority) I don’t know if I could do the job for the pay for another year. I have two kids in college and another one three years away. I don’t know if I could afford to do it another year.
We are at a crossroads in the district. If we continue to cut programs, we will continue to lose families and students. I find it disheartening that the district does not have at its’ fingertips exit data or exit interviews from parents who are choosing to leave our district. I believe if we had this information available, you, as the board of education, could make better decisions, more-informed decisions.
I apologize for this letter being so long, but I found it necessary to provide you with information, the district has not yet asked for.
Your job is very tough. I wish you only the best in making these very tough decisions.

Parent 2/21/2007
I have been following the AUSD budget crisis and trying to get involved. I'm still trying to understand the many parts of the problem.
Can you explain, or lead me to documents that explain, the rationale behind the recent update in the teacher's contract that increased their salaries? I've heard different things, including that the money came from the parcel tax, but would like the real facts. My husband blames the current deficit on that contract. Was that a significant factor? And, if this is the case, who voted this decision?
I realize, again, that there are many reasons for the current situation probably mostly having to do with state funding issues, but was curious about this particular topic because it hits a little closer to home.
I, like teachers, are part of a union and can appreciate their work to get better compensation for our teachers (as they are some of the best in the area!). But I just wonder ultimately what the cost is to our students.
Thank you, in advance for your time in responding.

Staff 2/20/2007
I am an 8th grade student at xxxxx Middle School and a memeber of the journalism class. Currently, I'm working on an article about the proposed budget cuts, specifically the decreased funding for sports, creation of larger classes, and the reduced number of counselors, and their effects on the students and community. I was hoping you might be able to answer a few questions for me.
What are the expected effects for the $100,000 cut from athletics?
Would only 9th grade English and Math classes have an increased student to teacher ration?
The information on the AUSD website was unclear. What exactly is the proposal for decreasing counseling positions for the Middle and High schools?
I noticed a plan for eliminating all career and college counselors. If this is done, where will the students turn for these services?

Staff 2/20/2007
I am an office assistant at xxxx School and an employee of AUSD since 1981. It seems that my job is at risk of being cut due to another budget crisis.
I have felt the affect of lower enrollment/budget cuts first hand. My job as office assistant at Washington School was eliminated due to lower enrollment.
I exercised my option to bump someone with less seniority than myself so that I could remain employed, keep my benefits and work toward my retirement.
That was one of the most difficult decisions to make and terribly upsetting for the person I displaced (as well as myself).
Here we go again. AUSD doesn’t have enough $$ to pay the bills. This time I want to fight for my job.
What does it takes to run Earhart’s office? It is the office manager and the assistant’s job to tend to the needs of our 545 students, their parents and families. We have about 31 teachers. Their job is teaching, period. Bravo to them for the excellent job they do.
But they don’t answer the phones, order the supplies, take care of sick children, help and direct substitute teachers, prepare payroll, do enrollment of all new students and transfers between schools, daily attendance, news letters, all the notices from district to parents….and more. Not to mention being great listeners and problem solvers, too!
That and much more is the job of the office manager and office assistant. It is not a one person job.
Do we need to spend hundreds of dollars for yellow markers for a “new” way to teach language arts?
Do we need to spend hundreds of dollars for purple sticky notes for the same?
Do we need to spend thousands of dollars for licenses for a supplemental program like Successmaker?
How much is Renzulli costing the District?
How many conferences do experienced teachers need to attend to “learn” how to teach better?
Dig deeper into past spending. Please examine departmental spending and how often expensive new curriculum programs are bought. And how about overtime pay?
I can’t tell you how much overtime office staff already puts in to complete projects. There is no monetary compensation.
Don’t hit the property owners of Alameda with another tax increase. Look at the bigger picture and close Wood School and possibly a small elementary.
I appreciate the task you have ahead.

Teacher 2/19/2007
Now that the final Board meeting has come and gone, perhaps your emails have thinned out some. I did appreciate being to see all the various emails on your site. You are the one trustee who seems to want to communicate with those of us in the trenches, whether as teachers or students.
I think that now, the Board might turn some very serious attention to revenue enhancement, not that the same idea has not occurred to you. I hope that it is not imposing on you to make suggestions and ask questions. Today, as I was walking past the Historic High School building, tow thoughts crossed my mind.
First. I know that plans are afoot to renovate the wing of the old building that has been housing the public library into more classrooms, but might that be put on hold and the space leased or even sold? The City seemed very anxious to get its hands on the Carnegie building for a permit center...might they be interested?
Second and most of all I wondered about the Adult School? is the Adult School part of AUSD? Do we have a legal responsibility to run an adult school. Why shouldn't adults take advantage of College of Alameda if they need academic instruction? Are we charging the absolute maximum fees permissible for people using adult school services? Were cuts to the adult school on the table during the recent crisis talks? Even if the adult school is funded by another source (and I suspect that it is), could AUSD terminate its relationship with the adult school and sell or lease the space that it now occupies? I know that all of this sounds harsh, but when the Board is making choices that affect students in the classroom, it seems to me that the district's responsibility might be thought to end with 12th grade.
I am sure that Board business is a 100 hour a week job for you, and, believe me, I, for one, appreciate all of the work that all of the trustees do. Please do not feel any responsibility for actually writing and answering these questions. Just consider them grist for the mill.

Teacher 2/19/2007
As a teacher in AUSD for over 30 years, I am very concerned about the direction the district has continued to go in the last several years in dealing with budget "shortfalls". This year has not been any different. The district needs to be more proactive in securing revenue instead of cutting programs, services and staff that directly impacts students.
I strongly urge the board to keep Wood Middle School open! Closing it contradicts research and good teaching practice. Research indicates that students do not perform as well academically in larger schools. It may also prove to be financially unsound. (For example, if parents choose to enroll their children in private schools because of consolidation, we would lose ADA.)
I encourage the district to communicate more effectively, the failure of the State and Federal Governments to fund our district in an equitable manner. With this knowledge, perhaps more parents would lobby their government with letters, petitions, etc., to get our "fair share". I encourage the district to be more diligent in seeking partnerships, grants, endowments and sponsorships from the many corporations, businesses, AUSD alumni and parents in our community.
The district needs to reduce spending at the district level. This could start with an immediate and indefinite freeeze for hiring consultants and special assignment support staff at the district administrative level. The plan to eliminate the Public Information Officer should be implemented, but there should not be the establishment of a "communications/community outreach specialist". This responsibility could be shared by the secretaries at the Assistant and Superintendent's offices.
The directors of curriculum and instruction should be eliminated (not restructured) and could become the responsibility of the Assistant Superintendent. In addition to the above district level cuts, the distsrict should not spend money to restructure and increase technology services. This is not the right time to spend money we do not have. I also question the district's plan to restructure and increase Special Ed Services unless the State and Federal Governments provide the required funding to do so.
Lastly, I encourage the district to be more proactive in pursuing ways to increase student enrollment and student attendance. Has the district researched what other districts do to improve ADA? Perhaps, with this information the district can implement those plans which increase ADA. (Ex: marketing for increase enrollment, fines issued to parents of truant students) I believe the Board of Education can support AUSD 's core values and can help AUSD to reach the desired 2007-09 goals. I am asking you to respectfully consider implementing the suggestions that were made above. It would be a step in the right direction to enable AUSD to better serve its students. Let's work together to give the students (now and in the future) the quality education they deserve.

Teacher 2/19/2007
We want to commend Ardella Dailey for choosing not to close Wood School and consolidate middle schools. This was in the best interest of students and their families, which includes elementary schools in the surrounding area. It was an educationally sound decision! We are concerned however about the district's failure to make cuts farthest away from students. We strongly urge you to consider making cuts at the district level. (Example: freezing spending money on consultants and district-level "special projects" support staff.)
Thank you for your consideration in this difficult matter.

Parent 2/19/2007
I am a parent of two school-aged children in Alameda and I attended the public meetings at Chipman, Wood and Lum. I also attended the Board meeting last week.
I'm writing to you during your evaluation period of the two proposals presented to you by Superintendent Daily to urge you to consider giving priority to existing programs over funding new expenses.
I don't understand how we can even consider new optional expenditures considering our current situation. When I raised the question at the community meeting about why the original budget would include $340,000 in new expenses when we had school children pleading to keep their existing programs in place, the response was that the $140,000 for computer tech support would possibly help the schools/the district become more efficient.
I suspect that's the kind of thinking that may be partially why we are in this situation. Thinking about my own personal finances, if I know I'm going to have to reduce my spending in order to pay my taxes, I don't go out to Best Buy to purchase a computer so that I can process my taxes by TurboTax because it's more efficient. I wait until I can actually afford it before I buy a new computer -- or I choose to get myself into debt. The school district needs to have that same sort of very basic common sense discipline.
There are other options available for computer support that should be part of the creative "thinking outside the box" that the community should be helping to provide.
I don't know the background behind the Special Ed expense but if that is an optional enhancement, that should be questioned, as well.
Thank you for your consideration.

Teacher 2/15/2007
Your proposed alternatives are wise.
But I must object to the fact that Encinal seems to be targeted. Our JROTC program never should have been on the block, as it fulfills the PE requirement for many students, and has sent so many students to the service academies, and all branches of the armed service.
Second, Tracy Allegrotti, in the College and Career Center is a true treasure who loves our kids, and MUST be retained at all costs. Only 17% of our students have parents who have attended college, THEREFORE, a college and career specialist is especially necessary here.
Third, it seems clear from our perspective that EHS is being attacked from all angles. When ACLC separated from our school 5 years ago, it reduced our student population (and test scores), then couple that with the District's failure to enforce attendance boundaries (at least 150 students at AHS should be attending EHS) and you've got inappropriate staff reductions.
Thank you for working on behalf of our school. Please try to educate our Superintendent (who we have only seen once this year! ) and our new still wet behind the ears CFO, what the West End of Alameda is about. No more outrageous proposals like this recent round of proposed cuts should reach the Board.

Teacher 2/14/2007
I’m so encouraged by the community support for education and your vision regarding drawing the line now and maintaining what keeps us attractive as an educational choice in Alameda .
Additionally, I’m energized to help better market our schools and the “Good News” about education in Alameda through our website and through PSA’s on our newly activated channel. We need to educate our community about the quality programs in Alameda and then we will have the support to maintain our programs with limited allocations by developing alternative funding sources.)
I know at Bay Farm we got back over 10 students who left us to go to Chinese Christian and then came back to us. I believe our elementary programs can’t be beat and we can get even more to come to us if we market ourselves properly and provide space for them to come. More later….but count me in on the planning and implementation!

Staff 2/14/2007
I agree with you 100% (re: 2/13 BOE Meeting coments)

Student 2/14/2007
I am an 11th grade student at Encinal High School. I am writing to on behalf of the proposed budget cuts that would take place next year. I am aware of the fact that the AUSD needs to cut a total of $2 million from next years budget, but I am also aware that many of these cuts will happen at Encinal High. There are many proposed cuts that will affect Encinal and the students that attend it, such as the cut of the College & Career Center, which will effectively prevent many students from receiving the information and stupport they need to attend college. Also, the proposed cut of a few counselors, which will also prevent many Encinal students from receiving the attention that they need and deserve. These cuts will destroy the efforts of so many and cause a general reduction in the amount of students that pass on to college, reducing the amount of students enrolled at Encinal High, and furthur lowering the revenue that the AUSD will recieve. If I may make a reccomendation, I would suggest that cuts be taken from Alameda High School, which as of right now will only receive a fraction of the cuts that Encinal will. I propose that some of Alameda High's extracurricular programs, such as the Judo club, be cut. These programs are relatively non-beneficial to students, and definitely are not as necessary as our counselars or our Colllege and Career Center. Please consider my reccomendation and respond to this e-mail to give me your feedback. Thank you.

Teacher 2/14/2007
I just wanted to inform you all of a condition here at Island that directly applies to one of the items on the proposed budget.
Item 10 c – Utilities / Electric.
Here at Island we have a situation that involves the use of a lot of electricity.
I do not wish to knock the fact that we have at long last heat in every room and even functioning air conditioning, however, the blower units run 24 hours a day.
We do not have the option of turning them off – ever.
The classroom switches have been disabled.
There used to be a single timer that would turn off all electricity to the units, but with the frequent outages, it goes out of whack each time a squirrel gets fried on the high tension wires in the area.
The only way to turn off the blowers is to physically disconnect them from their power sources, not an option I am open to.
Were the switches to be reconnected, the responsibility, would lie with the staff, and help out the district.
If the district were to investigate to see if this condition exists at other sites and, if possible, to rectify this electrical over usage, the district might be able to save this little bit of money.

Teacher 2/14/2007
To: Earl Rivard
Thank you for making a great speech last night at the school board meeting. Your points were logical and stated clearly enough that everyone could understand exactly what has happened in the negotiation process. You and the association have my complete support. Thanks for being a great leader.

Parent 2/13/2007
It came as quite a surprise to read that the Spending Reductions and Resources Allocation Plan for AUSD considers the elimination of Grade 9 Class Size Reduction (Item 2a) as having only a “moderate impact on maintaining core values”, whereas the elimination of the Public Information Officer (Item 13a) is viewed as having a “high impact on maintaining core values”. I truly hope I have not been mistaken, as a language arts teacher for the past thirty years, in dedicating myself to imparting what I believed to be “core educational values” having a “high impact” on the future success of my students.
As you know, the current budget provides for a cap of twenty students in ninth grade English and math classes. This practice is widely recommended and practiced across the state and nation because ninth grade is such a critical year emotionally, socially, and academically. I assume that everyone believes the acquisition of writing, speaking, reading and thinking skills is at the core of our educational agenda. It certainly is true that the teaching and practice of these skills forms the basis of every English class, and that success across the curriculum depends in large part on the acquisition of these skills early on in school.
Among the many skills addressed in ninth grade English, several involve the writing of an analytical essay (also tested on the California High School Exit Exam). For developmental reasons, this is the first time most students will be expected to use higher-level, critical thinking skills, to synthesize their ideas and then to present them in an original, organized, coherent and well-written essay. This is not a simple task. The teaching of this kind of writing and thinking is a labor-intensive effort on the part of both student and teacher. It requires numerous drafts and revisions. There are no answer keys for this. There are no scantrons for this. To be sure, there are detailed, complicated rubrics to be adhered to, but mostly there are thoughtful, insightful and sometimes copious comments to be written out on each draft of each essay.
Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts in learning to write. Students must write and write and write some more, and someone must provide feedback if students are to improve their skills. It is difficult enough to provide the kind of feedback they need in a class of twenty, young, ninth graders, but impossible to do so in classes of 35 ninth graders, most of whom are still struggling with sentence structure, let alone paragraphs. Typically, high school teachers have five classes per day, with a potential total of 175 students! My colleagues in tenth, eleventh and twelfth grade English are forever faced with piles of papers to read and grade. Imagine, if you will, reading all those essays, week after week, month after month, after teaching all day during evenings and weekends. It is not even the slightest bit of an exaggeration, to say that it is a wonder anyone is willing or up to the task.
As impressed as I am with the dedication of my colleagues in English, if class size reduction in the ninth grade is eliminated, the loss will be directly to the students, upon entering high school and beyond. They will not receive the attention and feedback they need and deserve during their first and most critical year of high school. Many will feel lost in large classes, intimidated by a huge, comprehensive, high school, surrounded by much older students without the attention and support they need. In turn, their confidence, skills, and motivation will likely be diminished. If their first high school experience leaves them feeling neglected and ignored, they may never recover the enthusiasm necessary to reach their true potential.
I urge you to seriously re-consider the ramifications of your recommendation to eliminate the Class Size Reduction in Grade 9. The incalculable loss to approximately 700 of our young students, and the toll it will exact from already-overworked teachers, is not worth the relatively small savings. Do the right thing and make the cuts as far away as possible from the students. Start with item 13a.

Parent 2/13/2007
An example of my confusion is looking at the Art/Band stipends, I'm stilll not sure what this means. Is there already a 5-year Visual and Performing Arts Plan? or is it suggesting creating one? and either way are their additional funds for this, or how does this cut affect this program.
Another example is the JROTC, I've heard that reducing the program requires hiring more PE teachers, but the language here doesn't reflect it if it does.
Anyway, I'm sure you are inundated by questions on this stuff. I'm going to try and come tonight, but may not be able to.
one of my concerns is the amount we are leaving in the budget for after school sports programs (which I think are great and important) at the expense of more core programs like Art and Band. I understand the "if you cut the program, some kids will be lost" argument, but am concerned that we may not be looking at the loss in education across a wider-base of pupils. We're cutting the bone at this point it seems, none of the cuts seem particularly easy. Counselor positions is another place of concern (in my very limited understanding, I realize I don't have the answers).

Student 2/13/2007
I speak from a recent Alameda High School graduate's perspective as I say that Mr. Maiers was and is an indispensable resource for students that want to achieve more than just what is set forth by the standardized tests. I entered Alameda High in 2002, and even as a tiny frightened freshman, I came to realize that Mr. Maiers was the one who was truly encouraging students to be more than just the average student. "If you think you can do it," he said, "then go for it! ... Just making sure though, how much sleep are you getting?" He really epitomized a high school counselor for students- not restricting in their academic growth, but always keeping in mind the risks of putting too much on one plate.
Without Mr. Maiers, I don't think that I would have been able to do many of the things I did academically, because with his encouragement, I felt as if I was somehow taking more responsibility for my education in pursuing a track that was not common; in pursuit of getting the most out of every aspect of the education offered at Alameda High. What is all of the disctrict's money going towards, anyways, if not for the elevation of education? Despite a busy schedule, I was able to experience top-notch introductions to a variety of fields, which has manifested itself in my current state of education. I am a first year at UC Berkeley with intentions of possibly double majoring in Physics and English (thank you too the wonderful AP Physics and AP English classes!) something that I would not have been able to consider had I just sat around and submit to just "getting by" in school. Now, as I look at my peers, my juniors, and even my little brothers and their perspectives on learning and education, I recognize more and more now that instilling an appreciation for the pursuit of knowledge is the most important part of developing from a student to a successful individual; it is far more important than just scraping by and eventually getting the grades so that you can graduate. Because, when you're in college, nobody is going to be around to tell you how to "get by," or what the "general education requirements" are when you want to become a doctor, lawyer, or a psychologist - you had better want to be one, and learn to pursue that on your own.
And contrast such encouragement to one where being told that just being able to get by is all you need in school, that you shouldn't push yourself too hard, that trying too hard is a mistake seems to be a direction that we're heading. Think, as parents, which would you rather have your child experience? Freedom to explore potential, or just educational apathy? And granted, Mr. Maiers isn't necessarily the only one who champions this cause, but I do think he is one who truly understands the minds of students aspiring to more than the average. Please consider this in your assessment of the school budget and the upcoming cuts. Thank you.

Teacher 2/13/2007
We need John Maiers as a full time head counselor based at our site Alameda High School . We need the everyday support he provides to make things run more smoothly and cohesively. We have a very large school of 1900 students.
We believe that the value of having a head counselor here on site has been vastly underestimated. John does more than merely carry out the duties of head counselor. John brings extraordinary quality and the dedication to the job.

• John provides essential leadership within the counseling department, so that there is consistency in the programming and counseling of students.
• John supports our instructional and curricular needs in terms of counseling and programming.
• John brings our voice with the knowledge of the concerns of our school and department to the district and the school wide level meetings.
• John has had long term experience and success in putting a master schedule together because he listens to the teachers and the departments to make a master schedule that balances the desires and the needs of the school, the teachers, and the students.
• John has helped us to spread the load of difficult-to-teach classes within the department while making it so that collaboration and support with the department is easier to provide.
• John has provided the support to implement adherence to prerequisites, while allowing students to move from one level to another as circumstances dictate. As a consequence, students are more accountable for taking the appropriate level, not just the easier course.
• John ensures difficult counseling decisions are made with increased level of consistency.
• John does a thorough job of attending to details. The end result is that we have the vast majority of our students in the right classes from the very beginning of school, with a master schedule that works well.
• John Maiers provides us crucial support in dealing with major changes in math curriculum. He has attended lunch meetings and spent additional hours listening and giving input as to how we can work together. We have implemented changes on a short time line and he has been able to be a significant help because he is here everyday. The support and follow through is critical for real change to actually happen.

Teacher 2/13/2007
The 20:1 math classes for the ninth graders at Alameda High School serve several important functions.

1. First, the ratio allows for teachers to provide more individualized instruction and more individual attention. The importance of smaller classes has increased as the standards of mathematics that students must attain have increased. We have the responsibility to guide all students to meet these standards while making the mathematics more accessible without substantially diluting the rigor. These standards range from the minimum of Algebra 1 for graduation to the even faster acceleration of students through mathematics where ninth graders are taking Advanced Algebra 2.
2. The smaller classes ease the transition from a relatively small middle school to a high school of almost two thousand students. Students at the high school must bridge to being able to function more independently in an unfamiliar environment. Right now because the freshmen are grouped together in English and mathematics, these smaller classes act as anchors where they get more attention and guidance about how high schools work and what are successful strategies that work.
3. The smaller classes make it easier to identify students who are having difficulty. The greater speed in spotting the students makes it more likely that we can catch the problems when they are smaller and easier to fix. Often times the students need more structure and more immediate classroom consequences – remedies that are much easier to apply in a smaller classroom environment.
4. We feel very strongly that the 20:1 classes are an essential part of building a foundation for increased achievement for all our students. The evidence is apparent in the data for Alameda High School .

Parent 2/12/2007
Quick question/idea, it would be great if the school district could show the "remaining" budget for each item they are suggesting cutting. Without that info, it's hard to know the impact of the proposed cuts.
Would that be something either you have, or could get from the district?

Parent 2/12/2007
Again, we are faced with the elimination of the head counselor position at Alameda High School as one of the budget reduction proposals for the 2007-2008 school year. With a daughter successfully entering college this past fall, more than ever, we know the value and necessity of Mr. Maiers as head counselor at AHS. His valuable guidance through applications, recommendation letters, acceptances and scholarships are what prepares these high school seniors to graduate and enter their freshman year with confidence and dreams. Mr. Maiers oversaw all of the AP exams – whether it be one student taking it (my daughter happened to be the only one taking an AP exam subject AHS didn’t even offer) or a classroom full. His dedication, experience, time and effort cannot be replaced and your public high schools will suffer with this deep loss. It is because of Mr. Maiers as head counselor at AHS that the city of Alameda can compete with school districts well known for their academics as well as their affluence. I am convinced now that Mr. Maiers keeps AHS competitive – a Berkeley (no. 1 public university) to a Harvard – without the attitude!
With a sophomore at AHS and an incoming freshman this fall, our confidence with the Alameda public high schools lies with Mr. Maiers. We are depending on him to guide our 3 boys through AHS with hopes, vision and academic challenges as he did our daughter. He is absolutely the best high school counselor there is. It would be a devastating loss if his position was cut. Please reconsider the proposed cut of head counselor at AHS, Mr. Maiers is too valuable to lose.

Parent/Staff 2/12/2007
Health Office Assistants Daily Responsibilities

Staff 2/11/2007
I have done the calculations on the staffing ramifications of eliminating the 20/1 classes in 9th grade English and Math. The projected 9th grade enrollment at AHS for fall 2007 is 460 students, excluding special education. By raising the average class in 9th grade to 29/1, eight class sections each in English and Math would be cut. This equates to 3.2 FTE at AHS. The equivalent cut at Encinal should be about 1.8 FTE. Therefore, AUSD could eliminate 5.0 FTE in English and Math for next fall. The projected savings for this cut is only $88,000; since the state picks up much of the cost of this program.
If only 15 students opted to attend private school for 9th grade instead of AHS or EHS, the entire savings would be wiped out. I think this is a highly likely scenario, since I have already talked to a parent whose daughter is in private school for 8th grade and who has told me this will be the deciding factor in sending her child to AHS. I know this information is not particularly welcome, since AUSD is already well short of the needed budget cuts, but I think it is important that you have the best possible data to make these difficult decisions.

Teacher 2/11/2007
Let me say thanks for the revised list of budget cuts- they represent wisdom, and sensitivity to the messages sent by so many of us at the community meetings held in the past few weeks. If I may, let me offer a small but significant suggestion. The class size reduction at 9th grade is going to hurt Encinal in two ways- as something that attracts new students to EHS, and as a program that contributes greatly to the transition and success of our freshmen. And while I am appreciative of the proposal to maintain small classes for those in the literacy program, I’d like to offer a compromise idea: might it be possible to have a modified class size reduction, for our CP classes, of 25 students, while allowing our new EXP classes to be filled to 35? We would have three levels then- 20 for literacy, 25 for CP and 35 for EXP. I know there is no money from the state for this kind of structure, but I wonder if we might still work towards it with the resources that we have. Thanks for your time and good luck in the next few weeks.

Staff 2/11/2007
I am writing this letter in response to the proposed cutting of Island High’s counseling position. I debated whether or not to write this letter because as the present counselor at Island I did not want it to be construed as a pitch for my job personally. I finally decided that I would take the risk of any misunderstandings because I believe strongly that a full-time counselor at Island is imperative to the success of the students.
I understand that on paper the smaller enrollment does not always seem to warrant a full-time position but I hope you take under consideration that all the students are at risk students with special needs. The population at Island is constantly changing and every student is behind in credits of varying amounts. This requires an individual plan for each student to be able to move forward as well as to make-up lost credit. There is a sizable amount of bookkeeping as well as data entry that the counselor is required to keep up on personally because Island does not have a counseling secretary. In addition to their academic needs are the more important personal issues that need to be addressed on a daily basis. Even though on some days there are support counselors present on campus many of the students want to confide in someone with whom they already trust and feel a connection. It took many years for Island High to gain a much needed full-time counselor.
I can honestly say that a part-time counselor will not be able to keep up with the demands of the job or more importantly the needs of the students. I trust that you will give some serious thought to the issues I have presented in this letter.

Teacher 2/11/2007
As a teacher ot two sections of ninth grade honors English (a class that Ihave taught for the past 15plus years), I feel that I have a unique insight into the motivations of this group of students and parents who would be affected by cuts in class-size reductions at the high school level. Long story short, if you cut class-size reduction, you will lose enough of these students that the per-student loss will cost you more than you will save. I would guess (and it can be nothing but a guess) is that you will lose at least 10 talented students to private schools. I know that Mr. Maiers always makes our small ninth grade classes a selling point to all families of incoming high school students...Sort of, We make sure that your student gets off on the best possible foot in ninth grade." So you seem to be considering sort of a "cut off the nose to spite the face" option here.

Parent 2/11/2007
I am the parent of an Alameda High School Sophmore who was switched into Alameda public schools from private schools as a Freshman. We plan to have our 8th grade daughter attend Alameda High after graduating from St. Paul's Episcopal School in Oakland as well. I have put my faith in Alameda High to prepare my children to get into top flight Universities. After comparing Alameda High to the available local private High Schools, including Head Royce and College Prep, I believe AHS has the ability to provide just as good if not a better education than a private school. We want to support our local public High School and promote its image as an excellent choice for secondary education. However, AHS will only be able to sustain its reputation and provide that level of excellence in education if it maintains the availability of adequate counseling assistance.
I have had a number of interactions with the counselors - both the assigned counselors and the Head Counselor at AHS and they have address critical questions and provided key information and assistance to my son as well as providing necessary information as I plan for my daughter's transition to high school. If AUSD wants to get private school families back to public school, we have to know that basic services such as adequate scholastic counseling are going to be provided.
How about producing revenue by courting some of the families who have exited the public school system in favor of private schools? I had to really dig for information when I wanted to investigate AHS as an alternative for my private school students. There was precious little advertising about how non-public school 8th graders should go about getting information about the local High Schools. This information needs to be saturating the city in September and October when private school kids are being courted by the private High Schools with tours and brochures. Instead of cuts, wouldn't a better alternative be to bring students back to the school system and create a model High School?
Please don't cut the counselors. They provide a vital service. We want our local High Schools to be able to brag about the Universities where the graduates go to continue their studies. Eliminating the counselors will directly affect the university entrance success of Alameda's high school graduates.

Teacher 2/10/2007
The current budget shortfall has required more cost cutting but I am surprised that there is again a proposal to cut John Maiers’ job at AHS. When the matter came up last year, there was a groudswell of support with a petition that evidenced John’s importance to the students at AH, and thankfully his job was spared.
The school district’s goal of “cutting far from the students” is a sound one and cutting John Maiers’ job will be contrary to that goal. Below is a list of what John actually does at AH, that is, as opposed to his official job description:

• Officially counsels 236 students. His real workload is probably much higher, which he estimates to be closer to 400. I know the latter is a truer figure because one sees a stream of students, even parents and teachers in his office constantly. Everyone at AH knows that John counsels students who officially should be consulting with other counselors but do not because the students appreciate John’s efficiency and expertise.
• AP coordinator and administers more than 700 tests.
• Administers the SAT tests.
• Administers the CAHEE tests.
• In charge of the Master Schedule for every single student and teacher.
• In charge of all ELD students – about 200.
• In charge of the California Scholarship Federation and as part of his duties take students on day trips to colleges in the area, e.g. Davis, Sacramento, Stanford, Santa Cruz, etc.
• Disburses college application information and fields innumerable questions and writes hundreds of letters of recommendations.
• AH’s representative administrator at football, soccer, and basketball games, which require his attendance about twice a week.

Parent 2/10/2007
A few questions on Alternative #2.

1. For athletics (8a) since is would be cut in 1/2 instead of the full 94,000 what would that mean in terms of sports being cut. Would we keep the High School sports that we have with less money and or coaches? Would JV teams be cut? I think we may want to consider a pay to play for those who can afford it.
2. Utilities- Electricity (10c) - How did the 37,500 go to 75,000 for alternative 2?
3. Shift Teacher Stipends -Band and Art (15a) - What exactly would this 62,255 be cutting? I hear rumors of drama productions being cut from Encinal and I hope that is not where it would be.
4. Adjust staffing formula for ES & MA clerical. The 101,640 for alternative 2. What actually would this be cutting? Would it still cut down the hours for health clerk/office assistant at xxxx?



Teacher 2/10/2007
We need our school counselors. As a High School teacher at xxxx School and a parent of graduates of Alameda Unified District, these counselors are invaluable and there are not enough of them. We need more not less.


Parent 2/10/2007
I notice that the recommended changes save 1.4 million. So we need to come up with at least 1 million in donations; do we additionally need to bring our reserve up to the state required level? What kind of money are we trying to raise RIGHT NOW?
I also wonder why we're keeping both a public information officer who apparently isn't really doing much public information at all - who is this mystery person and what is their job? - and adding on a Communications and Community Outreach Specialist at $45K/year, which... I presume... also informs the public? I'd like to know - what are the parameters of this job and - if I can apply for it!


Teacher 2/10/2007
Does the District have a grant writer on staff? Even if it means hiring a grant writer, it may pay off for the financial return, although that requires shifting to multi-year budgeting rather than what appears to be annual.
US Dept of Education has a list of grants, and some of the technology companies do, too. Even some of the assistive-technology service providers, such as the maker of AlphaSmart, offer grants.


Parent 2/10/2007


Here is a proposal that I have to offset you budget deficit. We have a dysfunctional hospital that the voters were swayed by scare tactics that assessed my property $200.00 a year. Trade the school parcel tax of $90.00 to the hospital and redirect the $200.00 to the schools. Little League is also on your property. Put a $20.00 use fee on each player.

Parent 2/9/2007
First, I wanted to commend you for conducting a very open discussion of the current budget crisis, and for the district's prompt responses to concerns and questons by the community. Nothing builds trust better than the willingness to be open about problems and to engage others in the solution. I also want to thank you for taking the middle school consolidation option off the table. Going ahead with the consolidation would have been extremely disruptive to the district in my opinion, and would have prompted our family in particular to consider other communities for educating our children.
With the consolidation option removed, I would like to suggest the following ways to resolve the present crisis, fully understanding that a change in state funding will be needed ASAP to avoid one next year. All of the suggestions have already been expressed by others and more than once, so I'm hoping to simply lend my weight to these ideas.
(A quick question: I understand that the budget is short 2.1 million, while the proposed cuts equal $2.5 million. I am not sure what the reason for the difference is but I would think we shouldn't cut more than is necessary to close the budget gap. If you have time to explain the difference, I would appreciate it.)
Short term suggestions:


1. Eliminate the Alameda Science and Technology Institute. I understand it is very expensive to run the program currently, and the proposed increase for it of $180,000, for the benefit of what I understand are only 80 students, seems puzzling. If the program is of value to the district, then I would recommend suspending it until grants are obtained to run it, which was the way it was originally funded. It doesn't make sense for the district to maintain an expensive college based program serving less than one percent of the student population, while depriving hundreds of other high school seniors of college counseling. Eliminating or suspending ASTI seems a very apparent opportunity to trim "fat" from the budget, without hurting a large number of students.
2. Charge fees for athletic activities, as well as uniforms and equipment. Many students and their families are already used to paying for sports, in some cases thousands of dollars a year. A nominal fee for high school athletic activities would not be foreign to the participants, and it would eliminate the need to cut stipends.
3. Across the board voluntary pay reduction. Instead of taking programs and services away from students which could cause the downward spiral mentioned earlier, I would rather see a overall district belt tightening, with everybody—from custodians to teachers to principals to the superintendent—taking a small temporary graduated reduction in pay until we come up with a way to run the district more efficiently or equalize funding. At least one teacher has expressed this idea already, mentioning that a 2% cut in his salary would be a small price to pay for having to deal with increased class sizes or increased administrative duties. Parents have passed a school parcel tax twice, and they have also offered to help close the budget gap through aggressive fundraising, showing their own commitment to the district. I understand the reasons why money raised through bake sales or donations cannot be used to close the budget, yet it shows the continued willingness of families to sacrifice for Alameda education. It would be encouraging to see a similar willingness on part of district employees.
4. Reduce the budget reserve. I understand that the budget reserve can still be reduced, even though it is below its normal level already. Considering the down spiral effect any reductions of programs could have on our schools (through loss of students to private schools), reducing the budget reserve while leaving programs intact should be considered, to prevent the effect from happening.

Obviously, I think that all other proposed cuts are unacceptable or will reflect badly on the district in the long run, but particularly class size increases, counseling reduction, and reduction of stipends for electives such as band and art. I really fear that making cuts close to the students will cause Alameda schools to lose their appeal and siphon students away, compounding the problem. I also think the JROTC program should be spared if at all possible. Though I'm not a proponent of the military at any level, I do believe that eliminating the Encinal JROTC program would yield a very small gain, considering the special benefits it offers students needing its specific kind of motivation and discipline, and the fact that half of it is funded by the Army anyway.
For the long term:
A better outreach to families who leave the district for private schools. I have personal friends who have left the district because of lack of responsiveness to a specific problem. They claim they never received a call back after they announced they are leaving the district. Trying to better resolve the issue or following up with the family with a phone call could have caused some of these families to reconsider their decision. Usually, if one child leaves, siblings leave too, so the benefit of personal contact and attempt at resolution has multiple returns.
Ongoing shifting of funds and pursuing of