SRVUSD chief business officer Danny Hillman is set to present his final proposed budget to the school board this week amid his pending departure from the district, with the board poised to appoint his successor the same evening.
The upcoming public hearing on the draft budget for the coming year is set to be the final one ahead of the board’s anticipated vote on its adoption on June 16, with a June 30 deadline to submit an adopted budget for review by the county and state looming.
The proposed budget and the district’s overall financial situation is marked by glimmers of hope despite ongoing financial turmoil in educational funding at the federal, state, and district level.
“The Board approved budget reductions from 2025-26 combined with increased State revenues (COLA, special ed, etc.) will help eliminate the district’s deficit spending for the next two years,” district staff wrote in a presentation for the upcoming meeting.
District staff are even estimating a small surplus of $1.9 million in the coming years, resting in the district’s unrestricted funds and balancing out continued deficit spending of its restricted funds. But that is not expected to be permanent, with deficits anticipated to return after current union contracts expire in the 2028 to 2029 school year and enrollment declines set to persist for the foreseeable future.
Financial challenges aside, the district faces an additional tricky situation with the timing of its June 30 deadline to adopt a budget for the coming year, the same date as the governor’s office is required to adopt a state budget, and ahead of the July release of the state budget trailer bill.
That means funding at the state level remains to be seen as the district moves forward with its budget adoption process, with any changes, such as additional funding from the discretionary block grant, set to be incorporated in its 45-day revision on July 28.
The district’s revenue according to estimated actual spending came out to almost 1% higher than expected in the second interim budget report, offset however by actual expenses estimated at 1.37% above expectations.
Despite efforts to lower or maintain costs amid budget cuts that went into effect in the past school year, actual costs for capital outlay costs came out to 25.44% higher than anticipated, with costs for books and supplies coming out to 10.42% higher than expected, with services coming out to 2.43% more than projections.
While spending in other categories saw either a less than 1% increase or remained flat, actual costs for the past year are estimated to come out at $6.6 million more than projected in the second interim budget update.
Following the public hearing and budget presentation from Hillman’s office, the board is set to vote on a contract for his successor.
“Staff recommends the appointment of a highly qualified candidate with more than a decade of progressively responsible experience in school business administration, including service as a Chief Business Official and Director of Business Services in multiple California school districts,” Superintendent CJ Cammack wrote in a staff report.
That candidate is Vincent Morales, who currently serves as Hillman’s counterpart at the Walnut Creek School District. Under the proposed contract, Morales would be hired for a two-year term starting July 1 for an annual base salary of $304,990, not including benefits, statutory costs, or business expense reimbursements.
Under the salary schedule for the position proposed with the contract, Morales’ base salary would increase to $314,139 after 12 months, then to the highest step of $323,563 after two years. From then on, he would be subject to a 3% annual salary increase, or the same level of increase that bargaining members receive in their future contract.
The SRVUSD Board of Education is set to meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday (June 9). The agenda is available here.
In other business
*The board is set to seat a new student trustee.
*The board is set to consider a revised workplace violence protection policy, in accordance with new state regulations.
*The board is poised to vote on extending contracts with assistant superintendent of human resources Melanie Jones and assistant superintendent of educational services Christine Huajardo through 2028.
*The board is set to accept the resignation of special education director Amy Capurro effective June 30 as one of the certificated personnel changes on this week’s consent calendar.
*The board is set to approve a number of expenses over $50,000 as part of its consent calendar, largely related to infrastructure and upgrades for the new district office in San Ramon. That includes $340,604 for a Rubrik Vault Network Backup System, $156,200 for new carpeting, $111,429 for badge reader migration, $113,243 for Cisco networking gear, $61,590 for network cabling parts, and $60,000 for construction management services from June through September.
