As President of the Alameda Unified School District Board of Education, I want to speak directly and candidly to our community at a moment when district leadership and representatives of the Alameda Education Association (AEA) are engaged in mediation over salaries and health benefits. The Board remains optimistic, engaged, and deeply committed to finding a solution that honors our teachers while protecting the long-term stability of our schools.
Let me be clear from the outset: this Board profoundly values our teachers. We respect their expertise, their dedication, and the central role they play in shaping the lives of Alameda’s children. The success of Alameda Unified rests on their daily commitment to our students, and this Board has consistently demonstrated that we take that responsibility seriously.
Our record speaks to that commitment. Over the past decade, the Board has increased teacher salaries by nearly 40 percent — reflecting both appreciation for educators and recognition of rising living costs in the Bay Area. In the most recent bargaining cycle, we approved a 7 percent salary increase and made a historic decision to cover 100 percent of healthcare costs for individual employees. Alameda became only the second district in Alameda County to make that commitment.
At the same time, we have experienced firsthand how volatile healthcare costs can be. In that same year, Kaiser raised its premiums beyond what the district had authorized, meaning even our bold investment was not enough to keep pace with rising costs.
This brings us to the heart of today’s mediation.
The discussions center on AEA’s proposal for a 9 percent salary increase this year, largely funded through one-time dollars from a reserve account that was already designated for ongoing costs — including approximately $6 million annually in healthcare expenses that were negotiated in our last round of contract negotiations
This Board does not believe it is fiscally responsible to use one-time funds to cover permanent salary obligations. This is not a position taken lightly, nor is it meant to diminish the needs of our educators. Rather, it reflects our duty to ensure that today’s decisions do not create tomorrow’s layoffs.
The truth is that most school district budgets are shaped far more by state decisions than local decisions. Each year, California provides districts with a cost-of-living adjustment, known as COLA. This year’s COLA is 2.3 percent — far below the 9 percent increase being requested (last year’s COLA was under 1 percent and next year’s is expected to be 2.5 percent). While state revenues grow slowly and unpredictably, salary commitments are permanent. That mismatch creates real financial risk.
At the same time, federal support for Special Education has steadily declined, forcing local districts like Alameda to redirect millions of dollars from general education to cover mandated services. These are not optional expenses — they are legal obligations — yet they place increasing strain on our budget.
Fortunately, Alameda is uniquely blessed with a community that deeply values public education. Our local parcel taxes and bond measures have allowed us to supplement state funding in ways many districts cannot. For that, this Board is profoundly grateful.
Measure A, passed in 2020, specifically provided a 8 percent salary increase for teachers — and that promise has already been fulfilled. Those dollars were intentionally structured for that purpose and cannot be stretched indefinitely to fund additional raises. And I must state with great importance — every dollar of our parcel taxes go to salaries — not buildings, not infrastructure, not AUSD’s reserves.
On one critical point, the Board, AEA, and the California Teachers Association are in complete alignment: California must do more to fund public education and support teacher compensation.
Some may ask: why is the Board so focused on fiscal caution? The answer is simple: because we have seen what happens when districts overpromise without sustainable funding.
Nearby districts have faced painful financial crises that will lead to layoffs, potential school closures, program cuts, and deep community mistrust. Those outcomes did not come from a lack of care for teachers — they came from structural budget decisions that proved unsustainable.
Alameda Unified is a vibrant and high-performing district because of the incredible work of our teachers, administrators, staff, families, and community. I want our educators and community to know this clearly: the Board has authorized a salary offer that is higher than what has been publicly reported. We are working hard to balance fair compensation with fiscal responsibility — not because we want to limit teachers, but because we want to protect them from future instability.
Ryan LaLonde
President, Alameda Unified School District Board of Education
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