Temecula USD presents LCAP and budget outlook showing multi-year deficit, urges early reductions
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Summary
District staff presented the 2025–26 Local Control Accountability Plan and a draft adopted budget showing structural deficits in later years; the chief business officer urged gradual reductions to preserve reserves and recommended staff return with options.
Temecula Valley Unified School District staff presented the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) and 2025–26 budget overview at the June 10 meeting, warning of multi-year budget shortfalls driven by projected state revenue declines.
Chief Business Officer Lisa Lash and staff described the district’s revenue assumptions following the May state budget revision, which trimmed California tax-revenue projections and introduced uncertainty for future cost-of-living adjustments (COLA). The district’s multiyear projection showed a structural deficit that, under current assumptions, would draw reserves down sharply across 2026–28. Lash recommended a “moderate descent” approach — phased reductions beginning in 2025–26 (e.g., $3 million per year) rather than abrupt cuts later — to avoid a deeper cliff of abrupt program cuts.
Trustees held a public hearing on the budget and LCAP; staff said the LCAP continues to focus on services for unduplicated pupils and proposed new learning-recovery actions, including Exact Path diagnostics at the high school level, math co-teaching, and UC Scout. The board accepted the public hearing and directed staff to return June 24 for final adoption after state budget actions are known. Staff will also provide additional detail on positions and one-time funding assumptions discussed during the presentation.
