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Antioch Unified staff outline $3 million target to balance 2025–26 budget, say extensive certificated layoffs not expected
Summary
District staff told trustees a January LCFF and multi‑year budget overview shows revenue variables and a roughly $3.0 million target in ongoing reductions for 2025–26. Staff proposed using attrition, vacancy management and restricted funds to limit classroom impacts and said certificated layoffs are unlikely at this time.
Antioch Unified district staff on Tuesday briefed the Board of Trustees on a January update to the 2024–25 second interim and the multiyear budget outlook, saying the district is targeting about $3,000,000 in ongoing reductions for the 2025–26 year.
The presentation walked trustees through the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), how the state’s cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA) is applied to base grants, and the difference between actual average daily attendance (ADA) and funded ADA. The presenter said those variables — COLA, unduplicated pupil percentage and ADA — combine to make district revenue volatile from year to year.
"This is like a concerted effort of information that has been put together by all of cabinet as well as, director, Carrie Wells and Mia Cancio," the presenter said, describing the update as a high‑level, not exhaustive, budget review. The presenter added that although LCFF projections show some revenue growth in 2025–26, rising recurring expenditures mean the district still needs ongoing reductions.
Trustees asked how the $3 million target translates to policy choices. The presenter said the district will prioritize minimizing classroom impacts and rely on strategies such as reassigning professional development to restricted or one‑time funds, tightening generous secondary staffing allocations and limiting travel and contracts. "We will refine, and we will really look at the sections that we're allocating to secondary," the presenter said.
On the potential for layoffs, a district human‑resources representative told the board the district does not currently anticipate certificated layoffs because enrollment has increased. "We do not believe at this point in time that we will have any certificated layoffs," the staff member said, while noting that the board may later see resolutions to remove particular vacant or unneeded positions from the budget. Staff also noted education‑code notification timelines would govern any formal layoff process.
Trustees also pressed staff on attendance and ADA recovery. A trustee asked whether higher attendance investments would help revenue; staff replied that ADA improvements increase annual LCFF entitlement and said the district is running targeted outreach and independent‑study options to support families. The presenter illustrated the sensitivity of ADA: "If that same student only comes to school 90% of the time, we're only getting $9,961" versus a higher funded amount when attendance is full.
The presenter gave an example to help trustees visualize scale: a 1% salary increase across all employees would cost the district roughly $2,000,000. "If all of our employees get a raise, 1 percent is $2,000,000," the presenter said, underscoring tradeoffs between compensation adjustments and deficit reductions.
Next steps: staff said they will continue refining the second‑interim numbers and plan to present a more detailed update at the March 19 board meeting, when the second‑interim report will be on the agenda. Staff emphasized they are not recommending the elimination of major programs and intend to use attrition and targeted realignment where possible.
The board did not take formal budget action at the meeting; staff flagged that any resolution to remove positions from the budget would return to the board for approval and that impacted employees would receive notifications consistent with education‑code timelines.
