Perris Union High superintendent highlights budget turnaround, attendance gains and program expansion in State of the District

PERRIS, Calif. Superintendent Jose Luis Aras said the Perris Union High School District reversed a projected deficit to finish the 2023-24 school year with a $6 million surplus and outlined plans to manage a new projected shortfall in 2025-26 while expanding career, early-college and online learning opportunities.

"We ended the 24-25 school year with $6,000,000 in the black," Aras said, crediting disciplined planning, slower spending and a focus on protecting classroom instruction. He said the district faces a projected $10,000,000 gap for 2025-26 that, because of last year's surplus, effectively requires addressing a smaller shortfall.

Aras told staff, students and community partners gathered at the district State of the District event that the district is guided by five pillars teaching and learning; systems of support; management and fiscal responsibility; community engagement; and leadership and organizational unity which frame budget and program decisions.

Why it matters: The district's near-term finances shape staffing, programs and services. Aras presented a mix of cost-management and revenue strategies designed to preserve classroom services while addressing structural budget pressures.

Key budget steps and projections Aras described a supplemental employee retirement plan (SERP) expected to generate roughly $1.6 million in each of the next five years as part of the district's revenue plan and said the district is convening stakeholders staff, parents, students and union partners to consider long-term trade-offs. He emphasized that planning aims to protect instruction and essential student services.

Attendance, safety and student supports Aras said district attendance rose from 88.5% in 2022-23 to 90.65% in 2024-25, a 2.15 percentage-point improvement, and set a goal of reaching 94% this year through targeted, whole-child strategies. On safety, he reported a 35% reduction in fights districtwide from the first semester of last year to the first semester of 2025-26, with Perris High School seeing an 83.3% drop and Paloma Valley a 60% drop. Aras credited campus supervisors, teachers and local law enforcement for the gains and listed 28 safety actions the district completed last year, including active-shooter training and expanded lockdown drills.

Programs and partnerships Aras highlighted growth in career technical education (CTE) and described new pathways: engineering and computer science at Paloma Valley High, construction and manufacturing at Heritage High, and a medical patient-care pathway at the California Military Institute. He thanked Mount San Jacinto and college leadership for support of early-college (CalGETC) work and said Heritage High is piloting a full early-college pathway with 26 ninth-graders taking a college course.

Online and cultural programs The superintendent described the redesign of Scholar Plus into the Inland Online Academy, which he said launched with 64 students, grew to 150 by semester's end and currently serves about 210 students. He also noted culturally focused programs such as Mariachi at Pinakari Middle and Perris High as important for student engagement and belonging.

Equity and staffing Aras committed to people-first language for students with disabilities, expansion of inclusive practices, stronger supports for English learners and the restoration of bilingual paraeducator positions that he said the district had not used for roughly 15 '0 years. He announced the district reached agreements on compensation and health and welfare with four union associations and thanked staff and association presidents for collaboration.

What comes next Aras said the superintendent's budget advisory committee and district stakeholders will continue work on long-term plans to address the projected 2025-26 shortfall and preserve classroom priorities. Following the address, invited guests were directed to a VIP reception and a Mariachi performance closed the program.

Sources and attribution: Quotes and figures in this article are from Jose Luis Aras, superintendent, as delivered at the Perris Union High School District State of the District event.