LASD Board Highlights

Para traducir, haga clic en el enlace "Ver en el navegador", luego haga clic en el enlace Traducir al final del boletín.

要进行翻译，请单击“在浏览器中查看”链接，然后单击新闻稿末尾的翻译链接

Чтобы перевести, нажмите ссылку «Просмотреть в браузере», затем нажмите ссылку «Перевести» в конце бюллетеня.

翻訳するには、「ブラウザで表示」リンクをクリックしてから、ニュースレターの最後にある翻訳リンクをクリックしてください

If you missed the meeting, you can watch the video of the meeting here.

On August 7, the Los Altos School District Board of Trustees unanimously voted to place a measure on the November 7, 2023 ballot to renew its existing parcel tax that is due to expire soon.

For over 30 years, LASD voters have supported our neighborhood schools with locally controlled parcel tax funding, currently accounting for 13% of the District budget. A portion of this funding is set to expire, meaning that LASD could face nearly $3 million in annual cuts to teachers and academic programs.

LASD remains committed to attracting and retaining the skilled, experienced, and dedicated teachers needed to maintain high-quality education in our schools. However, the fact remains that due to unstable and inadequate state funding, LASD teachers are among the lowest paid in Santa Clara County. Reliable, local funding in the form of a parcel tax helps ensure that LASD teachers don’t leave for higher paying districts.

If approved by two-thirds of local voters, the parcel tax renewal measure would renew expiring local funding at the current $223 rate plus $72 per parcel, providing $3.7 million annually and would continue to be used to:

● Attract and retain highly qualified teachers

● Protect programs in reading, writing, science, technology, engineering, arts, and math

● Maintain high-quality neighborhood schools

The measure would continue to require fiscal accountability measures, including:

● Proceeds could be controlled locally and could not be taken away by the State

● None of the money raised could be used for administrators’ salaries or pensions

● Independent citizens’ oversight and mandatory annual audits could help ensure funds are spent as promised

● Includes an annual 4% adjustment (increases $12-15 per parcel per year) in order to keep pace with the rising costs of providing a quality education

● Senior citizen homeowners could continue to be eligible for an exemption from the tax

● The measure would expire after 8 years and could not be renewed without voter approval

LASD has carefully listened to the community’s response while exploring the ballot measure to renew expiring school funding. With these conversations in mind, the Board placed the parcel on the November 7, 2023 ballot.

For more information, check out item H.4. on our agenda online.

The Los Altos School District Board of Trustees, teachers and staff welcome its students and families to the 2023-24 school year!

Student enrollment is slightly higher than last year, especially in our Transitional Kindergarten program. Please let your friends and neighbors know that registration is still open if they'd like to enroll their child in our schools. Visit our Registration Page for more information.

Over the summer, we made some improvements in classrooms and other school facilities, including new and improved lighting at some schools, updated traffic markings around schools for safety, and improved play fields.

LASD staff also welcomed international visitors from Shanghai High School to share our best practices in education. It was a wonderful opportunity to share ideas, instructional strategies and showcase our staff's amazing work.

For more information, check out item H.1. on our agenda online.

The Los Altos School District receives limited funding from the State of California for specific purposes. Although expenses are increasing in LASD, there has been no increase in state funding to offset those costs. For example, Transitional Kindergarten for children aged 4 and 5 is expanding due to State requirements. That said, although we have more students and an increased need for staffing, LASD does not receiving additional funds for this program.

However, LASD is receiving additional State funds for its music program, in addition to some funds to offset the cost of Special Education and additional funds the district will use to fund its Computer Science program

For more information, check out item H.2. on our agenda online.

The next meeting of the Board of Trustees is on Monday, August 21 at 7:00pm. Los Altos School District Board of Trustees meetings are open to the public at 201 Covington Road, Los Altos in our Board Room. To attend meetings remotely, please visit our Board web page and use the provided zoom link. Please note: public comment can only be provided in person at the Board meeting or via email at trustees@lasdschoos.org, but cannot be made online.

If you would like to stay updated regarding upcoming Board meetings, please email mbirnie@lasdschools.org, providing your name, email address and a request to be added to the email list for Brown Act updates, including upcoming meetings and agendas.

Website: www.lasdschools.org
Location: 201 Covington Road
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LASDK8/