District Financial Update, Part II
“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end.
But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”
― Winston S. Churchill, Prime Minister – UK, 1943
Although there has been some improvement to our overall financial stability………the improvement is only incremental at best. The financial issues that face the school district are still concerning and will continue to be an issue for us for the remainder of this school year and next.
We will not experience rapid improvement in the short term, but overall, the trajectory of our finances is on an upward trend. Simply put, it took years to get into the previous situation and it will take years to reconcile.
The good news is that in the third year of our financial projection the district will have eliminated all “deficient spending” and will present balanced budgets from the 2026-2027 school year and beyond. With that said, there is still a strong need to budget conservatively and to examine all expenditures closely.
With our short-term financial goals being met, it is time to look at next year’s budget. The State of California recently released the governors proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2025-2026. We will have more information on that and our proposed budget in the next financial update.
On the instructional side, we need to look to reduce class sizes across the district and specifically the formative k-3 instructional program and restoring some of the discontinued transportation opportunities. Reducing class sizes, expanding transportation AND maintaining financial stability will pose a significant challenge for the district.
1/16/25