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It’s shaping up to be a long night for the Pleasanton Unified School District Board of Trustees as they are set to appoint a new interim superintendent, review some good news from the district’s Measure I1 bond efforts and discuss a proposed 2024-25 district budget filled with daunting information.
And while many might have their eyes on the interim superintendent decision, the budget discussion will be touching on topics that will affect students, staff and families throughout the district.
According to Thursday’s agenda report, revenues have been declining over the last two fiscal years and the state is now facing “significant challenges that will directly impact public education funding.”Â
Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed the suspension of Proposition 98, which sets aside a minimum amount of funding for schools based upon a set of formulas, in order to compensate for the decline in revenues. He also proposed drawing down the education rainy day fund, one-time education cuts and potential deferrals.
In the governor’s May Revise, it maintains ongoing program commitments and fully funds the statutory Cost of Living Adjustment, otherwise known as COLA, of 1.07% on the Local Control Funding Formula and most other programs outside of the formula.
The funding formula is how the state funds districts based on attendance.
Another key takeaway from the governor’s May Revise, according to the staff presentation, is that the state has shielded districts in the 2024-25 fiscal year from major cuts but is depleting its reserves at the same time which will “leave districts more at risk in the coming years.”
“The proposed 2024-25 Budget meets the required 3% reserves for economic uncertainties for 2024/25 but will not meet those requirements for 2025-26 and 2026-27 as required by the state for a positive certification,” according to the staff report.
According to the agenda report, the low COLA for the upcoming fiscal year and continued declining enrollment — coupled with increases in salaries, benefits and other costs — has brought even more budget challenges to the district, which means the board will be faced with tough decisions in these next few years.
“The budget includes significant right sizing, reductions and use of one-time funds to ensure fiscal stability in 2024-25,” the staff report states. “Looking beyond 2024-25, further reductions and/or revenue enhancements will be needed to ensure fiscal stability.”
According to Thursday’s presentation, the district will need to start making adjustments this year through the reallocation of expenses from programs and transferring of funds while also getting ready to look at cutting positions, jobs, department budgets and more in the next two years.
The district will need to also develop a detailed reduction and/or revenue-generating plan to bring up the district’s reserves above the required 3%, according to the staff report, but the school board is already committed to the district’s fiscal solvency, which is why it also committed itself during the April 1 board meeting to make needed reductions. Establishing a Superintendent’s Budget Advisory Committee to develop recommendations for the reductions and/or revenue-generating options will also be a part of that discussion.
While the state budget still needs to be finalized, the district believes it has incorporated reliable assumptions of ongoing funding into the 2024-25 budget, which is why the district plans on submitting the budget before the governor and state legislature sign off the state budget. Once the state budget is enacted, staff will bring the district budget back for adjustments during the first interim.
Staff will bring the district budget back for approval during the June 27 board meeting.
The board’s open-session meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Thursday (June 13). Read the full agenda here.
In other business:
* The board will be voting on updating the $270,000,000 Measure I1 Implementation Plan to include additional projects to the list thanks to the district saving money on previous Measure I1 improvements..
The additional projects include waterproofing work at Pleasanton Middle School; short-term backup power for the district’s emergency communications system; additional heating, ventilation, and air conditioning replacements throughout the district; water and energy conservation projects that focus on lighting; and potentially remodeling more middle school science rooms, according to the staff report.
* The board will be voting on an employment agreement for assistant superintendent of business services Ahmad Sheikholeslami who will be set to receive a salary increase to bring his overall base salary up to $$262,944.
* District staff will be presenting an update on the School Resource Officer Memorandum of Understanding between the city and the district while also providing an update on school safety.
This annual update on the School Resource Officer (SRO) program will include information on “student sexual harassment feedback and the results of general questions regarding student safety on PUSD campuses.”
The presentation will also include information about the one-year extension the city is providing to cover 100% of the costs for the program. The city has previously talked about sharing costs for the SRO program because it is facing its own budget challenges just like the district.Â
* Staff will be recommending that the district adopt the core curriculum for the Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program.
