|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The Pleasanton school board is set Thursday evening for its first of five planned budgeting workshops spread between now and December.
The series of special board meetings is part of a multi-month budget engagement process that also includes Pleasanton Unified School District staff and community town halls, according to the Oct. 2 agenda report.
Following Thursday’s session, the remaining workshops are scheduled for, Oct. 16, Oct. 30, Nov. 6 and Dec. 4. However, district staff wrote in Thursday’s agenda that the ultimate goal is to make and approve recommendations for reductions for the 2026-27 school year by the end of November. The Dec. 4 Special Board Meeting is currently being held as a placeholder in case an additional session is needed.
Thursday’s session will focus on developing trustee criteria for evaluating options, such as shared core values and key priorities. The trustees will also review the budget reductions tool and discuss factors including reductions implemented for 2025-26, areas under consideration for 2026-27, and possible revenue strategies, according to the agenda.
These efforts come at a time when many school districts, including PUSD, are confronting structural deficits driven by declining enrollment, rising costs, and the expiration of one-time state and federal funds.
In 2024-25, PUSD unrestricted expenditures exceeded revenues by $7.2 million, and reserves declined to 0.55% — well below the state’s 3% requirement, according to district staff.
“While year-end closing showed some improvement compared to earlier estimates, variances in non-positional salary costs and special education services highlighted the need for stronger monitoring and earlier intervention,” staff wrote in Thursday’s agenda report. “The broader challenge remains ongoing deficit spending that cannot be sustained by reserves or one-time funds.”
Prior to the public workshop, the board is set for a closed-session discussion about confidential personnel matters — which was also the only topic on the agenda for a last-minute closed meeting Tuesday.
Also in closed session, the board is set to talk labor negotiations with the Association of Pleasanton Teachers and the California School Employees Association.
The closed portion of the meeting is set to begin at 5 p.m. Thursday (Oct. 2), followed by the open budgeting workshop at 6 p.m. The full agenda is available here.
Bond measures have been voted down in part because they did not include tax motions for seniors.
Several cases show that the absence of senior exemptions can significantly affect voter support.
Tamalpais Union High School District’s bond measure in March 2024 failed with 53.75% approval-just shy of the 55% needed. One vocal opponent, a longtime resident and retired teacher, cited the lack of senior exemptions as a key reason for her opposition. She supported school funding but wanted a measure that didn’t burden seniors on a fixed income.
California law sometimes prohibits senior exemptions for certain types of bonds, which can lead to resistance from older voters. In contrast, parcel tax measures often include exemptions for seniors, low-income individuals, and people with disabilities, which can help them pass more easily.
Historical data show that bond measures without broad support-including from seniors-are more likely to fail. For example, in 2020, nearly half of California’s school bond measures were defeated.