Mill Valley superintendent recommends $6 million in cuts, proposes cutting unfunded TK to protect K–8 programs

Superintendent Elizabeth Kaufman recommended a $6 million reduction to the Mill Valley School District’s 2025–26 budget in an online community presentation, saying the district faces an “unprecedented structural deficit” and that she will present the recommendation to the board on Jan. 16.

Kaufman said the district’s books closed the previous fiscal year with an almost $6 million shortfall and that subsequent accounting and position-control work increased the shortfall to about $7.3 million. She said the $6 million recommendation is intended to bring the district closer to balance and that the district would seek to cover the remaining roughly $1.3 million through other means.

The recommendation prioritizes preserving small class sizes, certificated teachers and instructional assistants. Kaufman said those priorities guided the proposals to minimize classroom impacts where possible while reducing costs in other areas. "The children who come to us in Mill Valley are very well prepared to be in school," Kaufman said. "The very best value we can put in front of your children is an outstanding educator." She added the district is attempting to cut "as far away from the classroom as we can."

Why it matters: Mill Valley is a community-funded (basic-aid) district that draws about 25…