Student Enrollment at Acalanes Union High School District (AUHSD) has recently dropped, but is already rebounding.
Measure T, the $130 annual inflation-adjusted parcel tax proposed by the Acalanes Union High School District (AUHSD), failed to get the two-thirds voter approval required in the May 5 election – although over 63% of voters gave it a thumbs up.
That means further cuts to the budget will be unavoidable, according to Superintendent John Nickerson.
“We know we have to make some cuts next year (2025-2026) and even more in the following year,” Nickerson said. “It’s disappointing. We know the community supports our schools, but we didn’t get the required two-thirds vote.”
Critics of Measure T questioned the decision to spend $500,000 to $700,000 on the special election (the county Elections Services Department has not yet presented the exact bill for handling the special election). “We didn’t see the size of the budget hole in time to put it on last November’s general election ballot,” said Nickerson, thus creating the need for the special election.
Once they recognized the urgency of the situation, the choices all involved significant expenditures. The district chose the one that would provide the quickest budget relief.
“We have a structural deficit that has been papered over by one-time funds over the last five years,” Nickerson said. Over that period, the district received more than $15 million in state and federal COVID-19 and Learning Recovery funding.
“That funding is ending, and inflation has eaten into the purchasing power of our current parcel tax,” Nickerson added.
The district also hasn’t had a bond measure since 2008, and nearly all the proceeds have been spent.
Last year, the district convened a Budget Advisory Committee that included representatives from education foundations, parents’ clubs and PTAs, the executive cabinet, AEA, SEIU and two of the district’s board members.
The committee recommended $1,585,000 in cost-cutting measures for the 2025-2026 school year. That included about $300,000 related to staff reduction, with other savings coming from lowering utility costs and deferring maintenance, plus savings on textbooks, training, travel and technology, among other categories.
Combined with retirements, layoffs and releases, some of which have already taken place, the district will save over $2 million next year.
Now, the district will reconstitute the Budget Advisory Committee to search for more.
For the 2025-2026 year, AUHSD anticipates an overall reduction in teaching staff of 7.4 full time equivalent positions, including cuts to match the projected declining enrollment for next year. Despite the reductions in staff, the district is continuing to hire, because if a science teacher leaves, say, the district can’t simply shift an English teacher into the lab. So at the same time that total positions are being reduced, it’s still necessary to compete for quality teachers for specific jobs.
Next year’s enrollment decline is projected to be temporary, according to Nickerson.“We will expect to grow between 20 to 40 [students] in the next three months,” said Nickerson. “The decline is about 35 students fewer than we were projecting in November.”
Additionally, declines and gains in enrollment are not evenly distributed throughout the district, with most of the drop-off for next year coming from Las Lomas.
“We are very fortunate that the position reductions (in the coming year) will have little, if any, impact at Miramonte,” said principal Ben Campopiano.
Nickerson said that there are at least a few hopeful budget developments, including the fact that all employee bargaining units agreed to a 1% salary increase. That compares favorably with other local districts which have averaged 3% increases.
The district is still facing a $2.5 million budget deficit next year. That doesn’t factor in higher salaries – or the possibility that the federal government will slash its $1.5 million in funding to the district.
“It’s troubling, looking forward,” Nickerson told district board members at the May 7 meeting. “Our budget will be very, very challenged (in 2026-27).”
A more balanced article would have included quotes from Measure T opponents.
The educational partners cited by the superintendent are supportive of the costly social justice programs and consultants that have weakened the academic programs and contributed to a biased school culture on all AUHSD schools. Parents and community members are concerned about the absence of respect for all students and community voices. It seems some voices and values are more equal than others.