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Parents and teachers push back as board weighs preschool seat cuts; trustees ask for clearer finances
Summary
Parents, teachers and SETA officials urged the Sacramento City Unified board not to cut early‑childhood seats, arguing programs are high‑quality and vital; trustees voted down a preschool reduction resolution and directed staff to return March 5 with updated site financials and alternatives.
Dozens of parents, early‑childhood teachers and SETA officials told the Sacramento City Unified School District board on Feb. 19 that planned cuts to preschool and children's center programming would harm families and risk federally funded grants.
Speakers described strong enrollment, tuition revenue and non‑classroom services that support low‑income families. Cassandra Tillman, a teacher at Leonardo da Vinci (LDV) Children's Center, told trustees the site has served families for more than 30 years and that fees generate “approximately $450,000 a year.”
Parents said the centers provide social‑emotional supports and affordable, reliable childcare that allow parents to work. Charice Perez, a parent at American Legion Early Learning Center, said eliminating centers would “affect low‑income families” who rely on the programs to keep jobs and stability.
SETA deputy director Karen Griffith warned the board that federal Head Start funds—roughly $7 million annually to the district for toddler and preschool services—are contingent on meeting program performance standards and maintaining organizational structures. Griffith said, “This is not an opinion, this is federal law,” and cautioned that reductions that undermine required supports could jeopardize funding.
Staff presented a range of options to right‑size the district’s early learning programs, including converting some 12‑month sites to 10‑month calendars, combining low‑enrollment sites and adjusting fees. Assistant superintendents said one site, LDV, shows a small projected deficit on a 12‑month basis (revenue of about $586,000 vs. costs of about $668,000, a roughly $82,000 gap), and district staff said modest fee or schedule changes could materially reduce that shortfall.
Trustees debated a staff resolution to reduce preschool positions to reach the fiscal targets. Several board members said they were reluctant to approve the resolution without fuller detail on savings, which funding sources would be affected (restricted vs. unrestricted) and the programmatic consequences. Member Singh said she would not vote to cut early learning slots without the fiscal impacts quantified.
When the board voted on the preschool reduction resolution, the motion failed. Several trustees said staff must return with more detailed reconciliations and alternatives so the board and community can weigh tradeoffs before any final notices are issued.
What’s next: Staff will produce site‑level financial models and options for March 5, including possible calendar changes, fee adjustments and community partnerships that could preserve seats or reduce deficits without jeopardizing Head Start funding.
