Parents press board over activity-account changes as trustees shift funds from classes to houses

Public comment and a long board discussion focused on recent changes to student activity accounts, the district’s shift from class‑based accounts to house‑based accounts, and how that change will affect prom and senior graduation funding.

Amy Binder, a parent who filed a public comment form, told trustees she had asked for a meeting with the superintendent and urged clearer communication about how activity funds would be handled for seniors. "I hope to have that sometime soon...so we know what it looks like for our kids," Binder said.

Administrators explained that the district moved many legacy enterprise and class accounts into house accounts to balance class-size differences and allow funds to roll forward. The presenter said the change was intended to reduce situations where small classes accumulated large leftover balances and to give houses more stable fundraising and planning authority. Typical prom costs were described as roughly $3,000; administrators estimated some graduating classes had a few thousand dollars in accounts while others were nearly empty.

Trustees discussed operational details: houses would send delegates to plan prom so the workload no longer falls on a few juniors; house concession-stand revenue will feed house accounts; and if a house has no seniors, it would not be expected to contribute to that year’s graduation. The board and administration acknowledged timing and communication problems and agreed they could have shared more information earlier.

After discussion, trustees approved motions on consent and later on specific funding uses (such as distributing remaining YBell grant funds for literacy stipends), and directed staff to improve outreach to parents and students about how activity accounts will be managed going forward.