State audit sought after Coachella Valley Unified School District faces $60 million shortfall and contracting concerns

Assemblymember Eduardo Gonzales asked the Joint Legislative Audit Committee on June 24 to order a state audit of the Coachella Valley Unified School District (CVUSD), saying the district faces a projected $60 million budget shortfall and long‑running governance failures that have harmed students and staff. Gonzales said the Eastern Coachella Valley community, which he described as predominantly Latino and disadvantaged, "has endured years of chronically failed mismanagement and systematic failures at the hands of the Coachella Valley Unified School District Board."

The request prompted testimony from CVUSD teachers' union leaders, a former district superintendent and the district's current superintendent. "We receive more funding per student than other districts in our area, yet our students are provided fewer services," said Carissa Carrera, president of the Coachella Valley Teachers Association, which represents about 900 educators. "Our students don't deserve just the clarity and corrective measures…