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The SRVUSD Board of Education is set for a special meeting Thursday to review and vote on approving an additional budget report required by the county following a downgrade in the district’s financial status.
With the Contra Costa County Office of Education changing the district’s financial status from “positive” to “qualified” after the district’s second interim financial report, SRVUSD is now required to file a third interim report consisting of information available from July 30, 2024 through April 30 of this year on average daily attendance (ADA), the district’s funds and cash flow, and an update to its multi-year projection.
The discussion and vote on the report, which is due to be filed with the county by June 1, is the primary item on the agenda.
While revenues are up by more than $1.8 million compared with the second interim report approved by the board in March, those funds are dwarfed by expenditures, which are up by more than $5.6 million.
One bit of good news for the district since the previous report is a $61,251 learning loss mitigation grant, which is the only change in restricted one-time funds carryover since the second interim report. Some positive changes are also included in the updated multi-year projections, including an increase in ADA for the current year and projected increases in the next two years.
Public Employment Retirement System costs are also projected to be down next year, but up in 2026-27.
Overall, the picture of the financial situation at the district continues to be grim in light of the third interim report, with reserves at the minimum and a historic low, meaning the district lacks the funds to endure unforeseen costs in the coming years. That picture will become more clear following negotiations in Sacramento on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget for the upcoming year, which must be finalized by June 30.
After Thursday, budget discussions at the district level are set to continue at the board’s June 10 meeting, which will see the first reading of the proposed budget for the upcoming school year, with the board set to vote on the budget June 17.
The SRVUSD board is set to meet at 6 p.m. Thursday (May 22). The agenda is available here.
In other business
*In a closed session ahead of the public meeting, the board is set to discuss one case of anticipated litigation, the appointment of an elementary school principal, and a performance evaluation for Superintendent CJ Cammack.
*The board is set to hold an informational hearing and first reading on a proposed new cellphone policy at the district, in alignment with a new state law requiring school districts to have policies limiting or prohibiting cellphone use by students during the school day.
While the new law requires policies to be adopted by July 1, 2026, the proposed policy up for discussion at the upcoming meeting is set to go into effect starting in the 2025-26 school year should it be approved by the board.
