How is Lakeside Joint School District doing?
Lakeside School has served our unique mountain community for nearly 150 years. What started as a one-room, one-teacher school, has grown into the only preschool through 5th Grade school available to families who wish to raise and educate their children in the mountain lifestyle.

How are Lakeside Joint School District schools funded?
Lakeside Joint School District (LJSD) relies on voter-approved, locally controlled parcel tax funding in order to provide qualified teachers and support academic programs in our local school. Local parcel tax funding accounts for 20% of the District’s budget.

How has local funding supported our schools?
Local funding has helped Lakeside Joint School District attract and retain qualified teachers and support academic programs in our local school. The District also utilizes this source of funding to ensure that every child can attend the public middle school of their choice. This source of funding is set to expire next year and would require voter approval in order to be renewed.

What happens if local school funding expires?
If this source of locally controlled funding expires, the District is facing $500,000 in cuts. This loss of funds could potentially lead to teacher layoffs, loss of academic programming and the closure of Lakeside School.

Does the District have a plan to renew expiring parcel tax funding?
The Board is considering a measure that would renew this expiring source of funding at the existing $647 rate, with modest annual inflation adjustments to keep up with the rising cost of providing a quality education. This would allow Lakeside School to keep its doors open without putting an additional undue burden on our local taxpayers.

How exactly would a parcel tax renewal measure support LJSD schools and students?
The current measure under consideration would renew the existing parcel tax at current rates and could continue to be used to:

• Keep Lakeside School open

• Attract and retain highly qualified teachers and school staff

• Provide a quality public middle school education for every student

• Protect core academic programs in reading, writing and math

• Support innovative academic programs in science, technology and engineering

• Maintain our whole-child, broad-based curriculum that includes the arts, music, physical education, gardening and outdoor education

• Offer mental health support to meet students’ academic and social emotional needs

Would fiscal accountability provisions be included in a potential renewal measure?
Any local funding measure would include strict fiscal accountability requirements, including:

• All proceeds are controlled locally and cannot be taken away by the State

• No money can be used for administrators’ salaries or pensions

• Independent citizens’ oversight and mandatory annual audits are required

• Senior Citizen homeowners are eligible for an exemption from the cost 

How much would the potential renewal measure cost?
If approved, the potential measure would renew the existing parcel tax at the current rate of $647 per year with modest annual inflation adjustments to keep up with the rising cost of providing a quality education until ended by voters.

Has past voter-approved funding been spent as intended?
Yes. The LJSD Citizens’ Oversight Committee has reviewed past spending of parcel tax funding and has found that Lakeside Joint School District has spent all its funds on voter-approved programs.

Would senior citizen homeowners be exempt from the cost of the potential measure?
Yes. Senior citizen homeowners would continue to be eligible for an exemption from the cost of the measure, as would residents with disabilities. Current exemptions need not reapply. If you are eligible for an exemption but aren’t currently exempt you will need to apply for exemption.  The deadline to apply for exemption for Fiscal Year 2024-25 was June 30, 2024.  Exemption applications for Fiscal Year 2025-26 will be available by June 2025 if a new parcel tax measure passes in November 2024.

Would all funds benefit Lakeside School only?
Yes, all funds from the potential measure would benefit Lakeside School only. No funds could be taken by the state or used for any purpose other than supporting Lakeside School.

I don’t have children attending local schools. How would this measure impact me?
Even if you don’t have children attending community schools, quality local schools keep our community and property values strong.

How can I share my thoughts?
If you have any questions or input that you would like to share, please contact lsjd@lakesidelosgatos.org.