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The Dublin Unified School District Board of Trustees is set to vote on proposed budget cuts of $6.8 million for the upcoming school year and discuss their process of finding the district’s next superintendent.
During Tuesday’s regular meeting, the board will consider approving the multi-million dollar reductions and savings package to address the district’s projected structural deficit.
Taking into account two years of prior reductions and “extensive stakeholder feedback”, the proposed reductions include eliminating select management, certificated and classified positions; reducing non-essential spending; adjustments to deferred maintenance over a three-year period and programmatic changes such as restructuring Valley High School services, according to a memo by Superintendent Chris Funk.
Of the proposed reductions, $3.86 million is suggested to be cut from the district office (56.56%) with $2.9 million cut from school sites (43.44%), the memo states.
“The reduction plan was intentionally split between the District Office and school sites to avoid over-concentrating cuts in any single area of the organization,” according to the memo.
Along with the multi-million dollar cuts on the table at Tuesday’s meeting, the board is set to consider resolutions to cut classified services by 16.5 full-time equivalents (FTE) and certificated services by 17 FTE when accounting for management and non-management positions, the resolutions state.
According to the memo, there are multiple factors contributing to the multi-year structural deficit such as lower-than-projected COLA for 2026-27, a “significant vacancy-savings budgeting error” totaling approximately $3.6 million, rising staffing costs, increased health and welfare and insurance costs, one-time expenditures related to closing out the district’s solar project as well as costs associated with placing a parcel tax measure on the June 2026 ballot.
“Absent corrective action, these pressures would materially compromise the district’s ability to maintain required reserve levels and remain fiscally solvent in future years,” according to the memo.
Previously, staff set a goal to reduce ongoing spending for next school year by approximately $8.4 million, based on a COLA of 1.27%, according to a slideshow prepared for the meeting.
Staff later dropped the target goal to $6.8 million based on a COLA of 2.16% and presented a reduction package at the Jan. 13 board meeting totaling $7.4-$7.5 million for 2026-27.
Based on direction from the board, some of the proposed cuts were pulled back such as elementary counselor positions and the district nurse, the memo states. Savings were also identified to retain the child welfare and attendance position and the lead library technician position.
“These adjustments reduced the impact to student-facing services while maintaining the overall reduction target necessary to address the District’s structural deficit,” the memo states.
During Tuesday’s meeting the board will continue its discussions from a special meeting held on Saturday (Jan. 24), regarding the process for selecting the district’s next superintendent, given Funk’s retirement at the end of the school year.
Among the decisions before the trustees is whether the board will select a superintendent directly or enlist the help of a consultant or firm.
The board meetings’ open session is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. on Tuesday (Jan. 27). The agenda is available here.
