[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6292940,"mediaKeyId","2524482-47599229f38e9b0cd11a698795a08ec0","parentId",2524482,"title","Benicia High debate team, coaches honored; coaches ask district to embed program","audioSeconds",481,"startMs",255000,"endMs",736000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2524482-47599229f38e9b0cd11a698795a08ec0&start=255&end=736","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2524482-47599229f38e9b0cd11a698795a08ec0/thumbnail_255000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6292940/California/Benicia-High-debate-team-coaches-honored-coaches-ask-district-to-embed-program","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6292940-19a59dc22d9278402a90f51c5a7be4e7/orig.mp4?Expires=1771164713&Signature=LxwddItUFPpeLx9pR01uSK7n~ihMqzl3dAlsF3gCFk2rR7GpLh-iWprwYXqGU9i9~3qACWr5eGSoez8kdU4my4RLlmPVuYgfu-3VyENOIhWEbX-SzNBh772Tlt7sH96aaQSytrLz-ACkDm6zSKKRb5s8et8FWeQtbMvu7WffdsBy2at21kdXldGkFru~U1M7jz4V2rLGUpMIZ9UPJyYVaWMJHPOQuePcISL0aTwpkY703Mu-4Fila8eRUydgYlrTlzkuBnct~vnTdbCJ5zSmGE95KUZMStqDUOzucDYiNmv5ZfnG~seIKyq~H0i9XmSHyjhJtnkbb8J66LA-2AU-6A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-03-07T00:43:11Z","article","The Benicia Unified School District Board of Trustees honored Benicia High School's award-winning speech-and-debate team and its coaches and heard coaches and students ask the board to find sustainable funding and staffing for the program.

Principal Brianna Klein Schmidt introduced the debaters and coaches. Coach Michelle Gaines described the program's growth from a class to a competitive team and credited a local network and a Diablo Valley College connection with helping students compete beyond the region. \"I started the debate team 7 years ago ... it was inspired by a class,\" Gaines said, describing students who have earned college scholarships and national recognition.

Coach Tim Knox, who said he works in Sacramento and has continued to coach, and student speakers Cozette Calderon and Daniel Delgado addressed trustees. Calderon, a senior and team captain, reflected on debate's role in building confidence and relationships: \"I've learned that my self worth is way more than a stupid plastic trophy I could ever win,\" she said. Student Daniel Delgado highlighted the sport's emphasis on civility in parliamentary debate.

Coaches requested that the district value the program by embedding it formally — for example, budgeting stipends, supporting a middle-school stipend, or embedding the program into staffing so it will continue when long-time volunteers retire. Gaines said the program now includes a new middle-school team coached by an alum and that the program is headed to nationals.

Board members and the superintendent thanked the coaches and students and congratulated the team. No formal action was taken.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","BUSD Board Meeting 3/6/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The board recognized Benicia High's award-winning debate team and coaches; coaches asked the district to formalize resources so the program continues beyond volunteer leadership and to consider stipends and middle-school support.","taxTitle","Benicia Unified, School Districts, California","taxId",60739,"location","California","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6292945,"Kyle Hyland Foundation seeks partnership with Benicia Unified to expand teen mental-health services",1035,5922000,6957000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2524482-47599229f38e9b0cd11a698795a08ec0&start=5922&end=6957","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2524482-47599229f38e9b0cd11a698795a08ec0/thumbnail_5922000.jpg","/articles/6292945/California/Kyle-Hyland-Foundation-seeks-partnership-with-Benicia-Unified-to-expand-teen-mental-health-services","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6292945-9e2345ad24d1869d0e029c29402977f6/orig.mp4?Expires=1771164713&Signature=D8fKZIeDg9GTUP0qgXVNj63wdViT6AzHpSY51ZdbsjFj7f8uNWX-2bqzSQQRLTCZMFisgcW5IzEgk1Q4Y-d-RqyGyXJMdezoDr6TMtZBe4MimNvJzZ-0iDb7AlpDgha2F2VSNKDczHRXHDDiLsalifHE6HrHYy2-IYSU1-LnE8konbauVu6usEIW9sAAWWvUYG5F9FB23rdABWv5joOBQtHX15BqZZj0HHd6Iq~lwOA64Q-QdGCDpdfWk6HSc4a0Rlttc-CNCexsYFT7JOmz8w3h8bR10R5fCmqy3~-vMUTSJ8Sbq-f1DnpYCBRkbNjoH8Awk4PAHp7G2A3ITufPwQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Kyle Hyland Foundation presented a plan to partner with Benicia Unified to expand teen mental-health and wellness services and asked the board to consider a memorandum of understanding to begin operations in district wellness centers.

Barbara Gervasi, president and executive director of the Kyle Hyland Foundation, told the board the foundation received a $5,000,000 state allocation in the 2021–22 budget and that the City of Benicia serves as the foundation's fiscal agent. She said the foundation budgeted approximately $1.7 million for programs, $2.6 million for a new teen wellness facility and $680,000 for city consulting fees, and that the foundation had requested an extension to spend funds through August 2028.

Gervasi described current programming at the Highland Teen Center across the street from Benicia High School, including drop-in peer space, art and music rooms, educational workshops with partners such as Solano County Mental Health and free therapy for Benicia youth ages 12–19. \"We offer free therapy on the weekends,\" she said, noting that the foundation also rents space in the high school's wellness center for after-school therapy.

The foundation proposed a multi-part partnership with the district: provide licensed therapists and peer mentors in the high-school and middle-school wellness centers; fund alcohol-and-other-drug counseling if needed; support an after-school club-supervision model at the middle school with peer mentors; and run a vocational and transitional-age-youth program during access periods at Benicia High. Gervasi said some programs could be covered under the state grant and requested flexibility on parental-consent rules for wellness-center services, noting that other outside groups have been permitted to work in school wellness centers without written parental opt-in.

Board members praised the foundation's work and asked staff to explore a potential agreement. Trustee comments included offers to visit the center and appreciation for the foundation's youth services. The superintendent and staff noted that any formal partnership would require a written memorandum of understanding and coordination on district policies and reporting metrics.

No formal action was taken; board members asked staff to return with options and next steps.","The Kyle Hyland Foundation described multi‑year state funding and proposed partnerships to bring counseling, peer mentoring and vocational supports into Benicia Unified schools, and asked the district to consider a memorandum of understanding and parental-consent exceptions for wellness-center work.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6292950,"Benicia Unified approves second interim report; board debates facility fees and transportation costs",0,4486000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2524482-47599229f38e9b0cd11a698795a08ec0&start=4486&end=4486","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2524482-47599229f38e9b0cd11a698795a08ec0/thumbnail_4486000.jpg","/articles/6292950/California/Benicia-Unified-approves-second-interim-report-board-debates-facility-fees-and-transportation-costs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6292950-b6043d1f01268e3d77c57081ec0a984f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771164713&Signature=n4s4OhabHmPRorSmanCwOFDgrW1Ffcp73pZzH13h2rR2xU3PaxVgimr7norwEhnpRkZRgr49smn7GWl-5njgCvTA5laNfHuK9vRZLJMCUCCAc-e2VlBLo03hO2GnFYO6bYQiSStGRlqae87ErfeMjv8uxFbKpGLLa5dHxsZpuPKFaRYU94ROuO8BX0XPsWT1Tty8CaDsY0f8mFVMTg2GF6JHElUCUXkTZzTVy0GiuPvnx8LYXfJwGvlrzkG2OFeMGJdblPZtGV9jclIZ2hDbqiEWLxHew9EE6UaFOMNgdUAqmJPUCxCdMVy~U9BejXSJD2GAF54N6tF3nfIEIcw1-w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Benicia Unified School District Board of Trustees certified its 2024–25 second interim financial report as \"positive\" and debated a new facility-fee schedule and transportation costs during a March board meeting.

The district's chief business officer presented the second interim report, saying the district continued to project lower enrollment and reduced average daily attendance. The report showed projected district enrollment declining to about 4,294 and a funded ADA assumption near 95.15 percent; the district's projected ending general-fund balance for 2024–25 was roughly 11.05 percent. The report noted ongoing deficit spending that staff have reduced from a prior projection of roughly $3 million to about $2.4 million by adjusting vacancies and one-time expenditures.

Board members and members of the public pressed staff on the district's spending priorities. Public commenter Lisa Dolorafis, who said she has worked in the district for 36 years, criticized administrative spending relative to classroom staffing: \"Budget being spent on administration has grown more significantly than that of the teachers,\" she said, and described charts showing administrative pay rising faster than teacher pay over the past six years.

Superintendent Damon Wright explained the rationale for a newly proposed facility-fee schedule that the board approved as part of the consent calendar. He said older rates — for example, field rentals previously charged at $40 per day and $70 per day with lights — had not changed in many years and were now well below comparable neighboring districts. Wright said the district examined fees charged by Vallejo, Napa and Fairfield and moved rates toward market levels while adding transparency for specific line items such as tennis-court striping and parking-lot rental.

Wright said the larger apparent increases stemmed from adding explicit charges that previously were absorbed or handled case-by-case. He outlined required on-site staffing costs for many after-hours rentals: custodial services and, in many cases, a campus supervisor to help with crowd control and safety. \"When you rent a facility ... we rented the facility and we have a flag football game. That user group is required to rent a hire a custodian because a custodian is responsible for unlocking facility, cleaning the facility, locking the facility, maintaining it, and making sure that they're available should an emergency happen,\" Wright said. He added that campus supervision was proposed at $50 an hour and custodial coverage at $50 an hour, and that lighting charges would be based on a quoted rate rather than a flat $50-per-hour number to allow flexibility.

Trustees and community members raised concerns about affordability for local youth sports groups and nonprofits. One trustee asked that the district consider explicit priority or reduced rates for Benicia organizations, parent-teacher groups and longtime user groups. Wright said the district will continue the conversation and noted plans to bring data about lighting and operating costs and to convene a community scheduling process before any final policy beyond the adopted fee schedule.

Transportation and special-education costs were another focus. According to district staff, the district contracted transportation for specialized routes and reported about $323,929 in transportation expenditures for the 2023–24 reported year tied to roughly 24 special-education students. The district currently contracts with First Student to provide minivan transport for some students. Staff said the district is exploring options — including leasing vans and using trained classified staff or paraeducators to operate routes — to reduce costs, but that any move must account for training, fingerprinting, insurance and maintenance.

Wright and staff described the state policy that can partially offset local transportation costs: for districts that meet reporting thresholds the state may reimburse up to 60 percent of allowable transportation expenditures. Staff said the district did not receive the full 60 percent for all years and that reimbursement depends on prior-year reported expenditures and state budget actions.

Board members asked staff to return with a more detailed cost analysis. Trustees asked for a line-by-line presentation and a plan for how the district could prioritize Benicia-based users and nonprofit partners. Wright said staff would return with additional data and that bids for 2025–26 transportation will be issued as required by state law.

On votes, the board approved the consent calendar (which included the facility-fee schedule) and later approved the second interim financial report. For the second interim, a trustee moved and another seconded the motion; the motion carried.","The Benicia Unified School District board certified a “positive” second interim financial report and discussed sharp increases to facility rental fees, rising special-education transportation costs and next steps for scheduling and community use of district fields.","actionData","errors"]

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Benicia High debate team, coaches honored; coaches ask district to embed program

Kyle Hyland Foundation seeks partnership with Benicia Unified to expand teen mental-health services

Benicia Unified approves second interim report; board debates facility fees and transportation costs