Tehachapi Unified certifies unaudited 2024–25 actuals and approves appropriation limits; board flags $5M projected deficit

The Tehachapi Unified School District board certified its unaudited actuals for fiscal year 2024–25 and approved several routine resolutions at its Sept. 9 meeting, while district staff warned of a projected multi‑million dollar deficit for 2025–26 if no corrective steps are taken.

Mister Antasari presented the unaudited actuals for the period 07/01/2024–06/30/2025, reporting total revenues of $64,300,232 and expenditures of $69,237,957, creating a deficit spend of roughly $4,938,000 for the year. He told trustees that unrestricted reserves stood at $17,000,000 (including a board-required 9% reserve of $6,200,000) but projected the unrestricted fund balance could decline to approximately $12,000,000 next year under current assumptions: "So we do have some... the following year, that 17,000,000 looks like it'll go down to 12,000,000 unless we, you know, do something," he said.

Antasari summarized revenue and expenditure variances: the district received about $47,872,000 in Local Control Funding Formula revenue (slightly below earlier estimates), approximately $12,000,000 in restricted revenues (state and federal grants), and identified a one‑time retiree benefits adjustment that increased benefit costs for the year. He emphasized attendance and enrollment as drivers of revenue and noted a district goal of 95% attendance to mitigate revenue loss from declining enrollment.

After the presentation the board voted to certify the unaudited actuals. Vice President Kelly moved to approve certification of unaudited actuals for the 2024–25 fiscal year; Trustee Christiansen seconded. The motion passed by roll call vote, 7–0.

Votes at a glance (motions and roll calls taken at the Sept. 9 meeting):

- Certification of unaudited actuals for 2024–25: Motion by Vice President Kelly; seconded by Trustee Christiansen. Outcome: approved, roll call 7–0.

- Resolution No. 01 SEP 25 (establishing 2025–26 adjusted appropriations limitation under Proposition 4, the Gann Amendment): Motion by Vice President Kelly; seconded by Trustee Sweeney. Outcome: approved, roll call 7–0.

- Resolution No. 02 SEP 25 (acknowledging Week of the School Administrator, October 2025): Motion by Trustee Christiansen; seconded by Trustee Cooper. Outcome: approved, roll call 7–0.

- Resolution No. 03 SEP 25 (certifying sufficiency of instructional materials for 2025–26 after a public hearing): Motion by Trustee Cooper; seconded by Vice President Kelly. Outcome: approved, roll call 7–0.

Board members and staff framed the financial presentation as a call to action rather than an immediate crisis. Antasari stressed that the district had been managing block grants and ESSER funds in a way to prioritize student services and that some restricted funding had been exhausted, shifting pressure to unrestricted funds. He projected a fiscal outlook assuming a 2.3% COLA for 2025–26 and estimated a possible 1% year‑over‑year enrollment decline.

Next steps: Trustees approved the certifications and resolutions presented. District staff and the superintendent signaled continued work on position control, collective bargaining and budget adjustments to address the projected deficit in the coming year.

Sources: Presentation and roll call votes recorded in the Sept. 9, 2025 Tehachapi Unified School District meeting transcript.