SFUSD moves FY15–16 budget and LCAP to second reading after staff presentation and commissioner questioning

The San Francisco Unified School District board on first reading reviewed the district’s recommended fiscal 2015–16 budget and the Local Control and Accountability Plan and scheduled both for second reading and adoption on June 23.

Deputy Superintendent Myung Lee introduced a short presentation and said staff will provide additional details and responses to commissioner questions ahead of the Committee of the Whole meeting next Tuesday. “We prepared a short presentation for tonight…our intention primarily is to save most of the substantive conversation for next Tuesday’s Committee of the Whole,” Myung Lee said.

Elena Fresquez, speaking on behalf of Laura Fair at Public Counsel, urged greater transparency in how concentrated and supplemental funds are allocated and recommended disaggregating metrics by subgroup, strengthening goals for foster youth and providing trauma‑informed training for staff. “We think it's very important that the community can understand how these funds are being allocated,” Fresquez said.

Commissioners pressed staff on several technical and accounting questions. One commissioner pointed to a Title I schedule that lists total allocations of $12,878,139 versus a projected entitlement of $11,200,000 and asked how the chart could show percentages that appear to add up to more than 100 percent. Staff explained the board is seeing the projected entitlement for next year and that the red deficit (about $1.6 million) reflects previously funded items that would exceed the projected Title I entitlement if they were continued at the same levels.

Deputy Superintendent Lee and finance staff described that two principal drivers are a one‑time Common Core grant that is ending (about $6.7 million in previously restricted funds that would need to be absorbed by the unrestricted general fund) and a reduction in Title I of roughly $1.7 million. Lee said the district will recharacterize about $1.7 million of prior Title I expenditures to the unrestricted general fund rather than transferring general fund money into Title I.

Several commissioners asked staff to present clearer line‑by‑line explanations in the budget book so the public can see “where the money is coming from and where it is going.” Staff said the PEAF spending plan (just over $4 million) and an amended spending plan will be posted and that revised narratives and exhibits will be provided before the second reading.

On process, board leadership confirmed the second reading and adoption of the LCAP and budget on June 23 and noted the governor was expected to sign the state budget before July 1; staff will update the district budget if the state budget changes. The board did not adopt the budget tonight; the motion before the board moved the documents forward for the required second reading.

The Committee of the Whole will consider the budget and LCAP in depth next week; commissioners were invited to submit additional questions in advance so staff can prepare detailed responses.

The board received the presentation and directed staff to provide the requested comparative data, amended PEAF materials and clearer Title I line items ahead of the June 23 action.