With regard to schools and home value: Look at Albany — a very pretty town but the houses are famously small — yet there’s always demand for homes because of the schools. I think well-staffed, well-managed and safe schools are very important to parents.

regards http://propertybulgariasale.net

So what is the reality of Alameda’s quality school district?

Perhaps you could argue that this reality is the shared perception by the fast majority of local citizens - that even though AUSD has significantly less revenue per student than other school districts that are perceived as providing a high quality public school education, AUSD is also perceived as offering the same high quality education, and has a proven record of success with such markers as high test scores and a high number of regional, state, and national awards for its achievements.

How do you judge our school district?

The URL you posted in #49 is for Ca. D.O.E. site, specifically a chart of achievement awards. I poked around and didn’t find quick access to district populations for comparison.

Can you perhaps save us wading through the web site and direct us to information on populations to which you refer, so that we could easily see the validation you allude to?

Susan, my # 46 was in response to the # 44 post by Frances. I think this sentence in the Frances post sums up the education/real estate price nexus: “The important point is not that property values go up as school funding goes up, but that property values are affected by the *perception of school quality*.” I agree with Frances on this point. It seems to me that the reality of the quality of education in this city runs secondary to the “perception” of its quality. The argument we hear for increasing school funding through parcel taxes is a good marketing tool for the real estate industry in that it makes homeowners think their property will be of more value because it’s taxed higher. A really convoluted argument, in my view.

I suspect younger people who seek a good education for their kids by buying here would appreciate property prices in tune with the reality of the quality of the actual education level not the perception. In the Alameda district (and most other bay area public schools) that would make the real education quality low to middling with a few exceptions. Yet prices here remain high.

Hmmm.

Sad is it may be, people do sometimes have to move from Alameda. Sometimes they get new jobs. Sometimes they decide to move out of the Bay Area (or the state)because they can’t afford the cost of living here. Sometimes they die (and move on to Even Nicer Places). And sometimes, as they grow elderly, they have to sell their homes and move into assisted living facilities.

And when that happens, younger people who are seeking a good education for their children, often move in — right into those homes that were vacated. The population doesn’t rise, that is, as much as it turns over.

So yes, keeping property values up is important to many people in your community.

I would argue (strongly) that providing a good education to our children is important regardless of the property value issue, as well. But I don’t want to stray too far off topic.

Susan

Good try, Frances.

Setting aside, for the sake of discussion, the reality of the privileged souls already living in our fair city, that being we have enough people given the laws of egress and MA, you lead us into a perception which will increase demand for housing in our city. You deem this demand increase important because property values “go up” and will lead people seeking what is perceived as the best education for their musically and athleticism inclined kids and who will be more than willingly to pay not only H but I, J and K to realize their perception.

What does your perception gain the privileged souls who already reside here? Higher property value, you say. What of we who care not a whit what property values are but live here because we like it here and wouldn’t sell regardless how much the precious value of the property is? Your perceptions do nothing but pressure those politicians, who thrive on pressure, seek methods which in the long run will make this island unlivable.