Desert Sands Unified projects narrowing revenue despite healthy reserves; board hears second interim budget

At its March 4 meeting, the Desert Sands Unified School District received a detailed second interim budget presentation outlining a sustained enrollment decline and the budgetary consequences of expiring one-time dollars.

The district—s business services presenter said LCFF (Local Control Funding Formula) and attendance patterns drive most revenue and that the district has seen a multi-year drop in students that has depressed total funding even as per-student rates rose. The presentation showed a forecasted 2025—6 operating deficit under current assumptions if no further revenue or structural changes occur.

Jordan Aquino, who led the budget briefing, told the board the district—s revenues are dominated by LCFF and that a proposed 2.43% statewide cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) would increase per-student revenue but not fully offset declines tied to lower enrollment. Aquino said the district—s enrollment trend is equivalent, over successive two-year spans, to losing roughly an elementary school—s worth of students and that the district—s next-year projection assumes a 1.1%…