Election loss leaves Alameda schools scrambling

For decades, parents have shelled out a real estate premium to take advantage of Alameda public schools, spending more money for rent or a mortgage for the peace of mind that comes with solid standardized test scores and a seat at the school down the block.

That's what Heather Genschmer did.

She wanted her son Myles, 3, to have the public school experience she had as a child, one filled with art, music, gifted programs, field trips, sports and high-quality academics.

The public education Genschmer envisioned is now on the line in Alameda after the defeat June 22 of the Measure E parcel tax.

The measure would have raised $14 million annually for eight years to give Alameda schools a shot at keeping its education program intact. Instead, the measure's defeat left the district $7 million short at the start of the fiscal year Thursday and put it $3 million further in arrears next year.

More cuts to come

The school district is moving quickly to execute the necessary budget cuts. Beginning in the fall, kindergarten through third-grade classrooms will have more children - 25 compared with 20 last year - and gifted programs will be gone, along with six middle and high school counselors and a dozen or so teacher positions. A long list of programs will have been decimated and the school year shortened by five days.

In the fall, the board, looking ahead to 2011-12, will consider increasing K-3 class sizes again to 32, or closing up to six of the district's 14 elementary, middle and high schools, district officials said. After that, parcel taxes passed by voters previously will expire, forcing the district to address an additional $7.3 million in cuts.

Those cuts would be devastating, said Genschmer, a single mother.

She talked about the field trips she took as a child and the music classes that were as much a staple of her education as math or reading.

"You just expect you're going to send your child to school and have all the things that I had," she said. "We moved from Oakland to Alameda for the good schools. We'd have to reconsider where we're going to live."

Few school districts in California remain unscathed by the recession, with most forced to do what Alameda is doing: laying off teachers, boosting class size, cutting popular programs or all of the above.

In Alameda, the $10 million shortfall over the next two years is a significant chunk of an $80 million annual budget

"We are back to 2004 funding levels," school board member Mike McMahon said. "We have 2010 expenses."

Many families are considering alternatives: charter schools, private schools or even a move to another city, McMahon said.

"I can completely understand their concerns," he said.

Measure E fell short by 257 votes of the two-thirds majority needed to win out of nearly 22,000 cast in the mail-in election.

The measure would have replaced two expiring parcel taxes, doubling the amount paid by homeowners to $659 a year. Business owners would have paid 13 cents per square foot, up to $9,500 annually per parcel.

Opponents said the tax was unfair, with businesses on large lots like plant nurseries or boatyards being charged the same as large retail box stores.

'They threatened us'

The Measure E campaign got ugly, with organizers telling businesses that a refusal to support the measure meant they didn't support the children or the schools, said Michelle Kelley, manager of Paulines Antiques, an Alameda institution for 55 years.

"They threatened us. They bullied us," Kelley said. "We tried working with them. They were unwilling to work with us."

The local business community has consistently bought ads to support school yearbooks, offered items for fundraising auctions and hired students for part-time summer jobs. The schools were never refused, Kelley said.

"We're happy that it did not pass, and we're hoping this will give the chance the school district needs to work harder to be financially responsible and stop coming to the taxpayers," she said.

Yet it appears Alameda taxpayers could be hit up again. The school board Wednesday instructed district staff to look at putting a new parcel tax measure on the ballot as early as March.

Some parents are already lining up behind it, said Jenny Johnson, who has a daughter entering the second grade and a 3-year-old daughter not far from entering school.

"Everybody knew (the vote) would be close," she said. "If the community is showing this much support, we can work to get the (300) people we need to pass it."

E-mail Jill Tucker at jtucker@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page C - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle