Board certifies unhoused‑pupil counts linked to Magnolia charter construction application

The Irvine Unified School District board adopted a resolution certifying the number of unhoused pupils linked to a Magnolia Science Academy charter application for new construction funding under the Charter School Facilities Program.

Jesse Baron, the district's coordinator of facilities planning, explained the staff report and said the district provided its eligibility determination to the Office of Public School Construction (OPSC) after Magnolia submitted a preliminary apportionment request. Baron told trustees that OPSC’s formulas are complex and rely on baseline eligibility established in 1998; he summarized the district’s available new‑construction eligibility as 80 K–8 grants available and 0 grants available for grades 9–12 (as calculated for the district), and said staff will defer detailed student‑by‑student eligibility questions to district eligibility consultants if necessary.

Alfredo Rubalcaba, CEO/superintendent of Magnolia Public Schools, addressed the board during public comment and asked for the board's support and partnership, noting a founding parent group in Irvine and interest in Prop. 39 space. Trustees asked staff to explain how OPSC calculates unhoused counts and whether the district is statutorily required to respond; staff said the district has a 90‑day obligation to provide an acknowledgement and explained the enrollment and baseline rules that feed the OPSC calculations.

The board moved and adopted the resolution certifying the unhoused‑pupil determination. Trustees did not take separate action on a Magnolia charter application itself; the vote was a procedural certification required under the state process.