FREQuently Asked questions
When do i need a union rep?
Any time you think that meeting with an administrator might result in discipline you should ask a site rep to accompany you. We have "Weingarten rights" that guarantee our right to representation in these circumstances. AUSD would actually prefer you bring a union rep; it's better for everybody.
How do I correct an error on my paycheck?
Be it amount of sick leave, time-card money or salary, contact your payroll person at District Office:
Christophe Barthes, A-G
Jonathon Ye, H-O
Noreen McKenna, P-Z
What's a grievance?
It's your recourse when an administrator does something that violates our contract. See more under "Resources": 'Grievances.'
why can't we go back to 20:1 at k-3 & 9th grade English/Algebra?
The funding for class-size reduction to 20:1 at K-3 came in large part from the State. From 1996 to 2013, under SB 1777, the State subsidized 2/3 of the cost, at (for AUSD) approximately $X per year; districts covered 1/3, at (for AUSD) a cost of $X. When the bill was repealed, AUSD was -- like most districts -- unable to cover the necessary $X. The districts in the Bay Area who have maintained 20:1 have parcel taxes much higher than Alameda's.
We pay high property tax! Why don't we have more school funding?
Property taxes within a school district's area have had no relationship to that district's funding since 1978 when Prop. 13 came into being. All the money generated is sent to Sacramento, where it is re-distributed in an attempt to create equity among California's schools.
In 2014, Gov. Brown created a new funding formula that did away with the old Prop. 13 formula. It's called the Local Control Funding Formula "(LCFF") and here's how it works. Districts receive a base per pupil amount, depending upon grade level:
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K–3: $8,235
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4–6: $7,571
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7–8: $7,796
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9–12: $9,269
Districts receive additional money, 20 % of the qualifying student’s base rate, for students who qualify for free/reduced lunch, are in foster care or are English Language Learners. Further, districts with many such students get concentration grants. As Alameda gentrifies, it has increasingly fewer such students and we do not qualify for any concentration grants.