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Board approves first interim budget certification and multiple Measure W contracts, warns salary settlement will widen deficit
Summary
Trustees approved the district's first interim financial report and a series of Measure W architecture and lease‑leaseback agreements for school construction projects; staff warned that an outstanding salary settlement will materially increase projected deficits at second interim.
The Sequoia Union High School District board approved the 2025–26 first interim financial report on Dec. 10, receiving an updated revenue outlook that included higher property‑tax projections and carryover funds while noting that a recently negotiated salary settlement (estimated $6.3 million for the current year) is not yet included in the report and will be incorporated at second interim.
Assistant Superintendent Christine Gong and finance staff presented the first interim, showing total projected revenue increases of roughly $10 million since adoption (driven largely by property taxes) and an ending fund balance of about $49.2 million before the salary settlement. Staff cautioned that including the $6.3 million cost of the 2025–26 compensation agreement would widen the projected operating deficit for the year from about $6.1 million to roughly $12 million and would reduce reserve levels below board policy targets in out years unless addressed.
The board then considered a slate of Measure W facilities actions: architectural services for temporary classrooms at Woodside and Carlmont high schools, landscape architecture for Woodside’s baseball field, and multiple lease‑leaseback resolutions to advance new classroom and field projects at Carlmont, Monroe‑Atherton, Sequoia and Woodside. Each facilities resolution and the signatory designations passed on roll‑call votes, generally recorded as 5–0.
Trustees and staff noted that property‑tax growth and charter in‑lieu transfers are key drivers of general fund projections, and that charter enrollment variances continue to materially affect district finances. Trustees requested a more disaggregated view of site‑level costs and staffing ratios so the board can consider multiple options to address the structural deficit beyond program closures.
Next steps: finance staff will present the audited 2024–25 results and a more detailed demographer’s report in January and formalize the full impact of the salary settlement in the second interim report scheduled for March; facilities contracts will proceed as approved.
