Glendale Elementary board approves revised annual financial report; presenter flags $4 million special-education shortfall

The Glendale Elementary School District Governing Board on Oct. 2 approved a revised annual financial report for fiscal 2025 after a presentation by district finance staff that detailed a shortfall in state special-education funding and pressures from declining student enrollment.

Mike Barragan, who presented the report for district staff, told the board that "the annual financial report ... [is] due to the Department of Education on an annual basis by October 15." He said the district estimates it receives about $11,600,000 from the state's special-education calculation while spending about $15,700,000, leaving roughly a $4,000,000 gap that the district covers from general maintenance and operation funds.

The shortfall matters because, Barragan said, federal and other allocations do not fully close the gap. He said the district receives about $3,200,000 in federal allocations for…