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CVUSD board approves qualified budget, hires forensic accountant amid community protests over layoffs
Summary
The Coachella Valley Unified School District board voted to approve a qualified second interim budget and unanimously contracted a forensic accounting firm, while dozens of teachers, parents and union leaders urged the board to reverse layoffs and questioned administrative spending.
The Coachella Valley Unified School District board on Thursday voted to adopt a qualified second interim financial report for 2025–26 and approved a contract with Bailey LLP to provide forensic accounting services, moves board members said are part of a broader fiscal stabilization plan.
The chief business official told the board that declining average daily attendance and reduced COLA projections have strained revenues and that a one-time revenue enhancement reflected in the current year’s figures will not recur. "Our funding is generated from those that attend," the presenter said, explaining how attendance and enrollment shortfalls reduce LCFF and supplemental funding.
Before the budget vote dozens of community members urged the board to prioritize classroom staff. "Layoffs are not just abstract numbers on a budget spreadsheet — they are teachers and staff who work with students every day," said Josephine Ortiz, an English teacher at Coachella Valley High School who said she was recently laid off. Ortiz also criticized district administrative pay and consulting expenses, saying those decisions undercut classroom staffing.
Classified-union representative Veronica Duenas pressed the board on several consent items and questioned invoices for summer-school EXLP purchases she described as inconsistent with agenda descriptions. "We're asking for transparency," she said, noting apparent mismatches between agenda language and invoice details for proposed purchases.
Trustees said they were acting within a stabilization plan approved earlier and that the certified staffing decisions follow state timelines. Superintendent Dr. Esparza told the board that many employees who received layoff notices are later rehired based on final enrollment and seniority, and that the district provides trustees weekly reports and numerous supporting documents.
The board approved the second interim with a recorded majority; one trustee cast a "No" vote. The vote authorized the district to file the second interim with a "qualified" certification and to proceed with next steps, including a third interim report in May and continued implementation of the fiscal stabilization plan.
On a separate but related motion, the board voted unanimously to contract Bailey LLP for forensic accounting consulting. Trustees said the engagement is intended to provide an independent review to help restore community confidence.
The superintendent and staff said the district will continue outreach to improve attendance and enrollment and that further budget adjustments will be presented ahead of the May revise. The board's next fiscal reporting is scheduled for May, when updated ADA certification and governor's budget changes are expected to be incorporated.
