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Hundreds of students and parents press board on schedules, cuts and equity as CBO warns of multi‑year shortfall
Summary
Students from multiple campuses, especially Pajaro Valley High, urged the board to preserve schedules, CTE and staff amid layoffs. The district’s second interim budget presentation flagged declining enrollment, falling LCFF revenue and structural deficits that require ongoing reductions and community input.
Dozens of students and parents used the board’s public comment period March 26 to press trustees on course schedules, staffing reductions and equity across high schools — issues that district Chief Business Officer Jenny Im said underlie a deteriorating fiscal outlook.
Students from Pajaro Valley High, Renaissance and other sites described fatigue from long school days, loss of electives and worries about principal changes. Parents and staff urged the board to preserve CTE positions and urged clearer communication about layoff notices. Student trustee Daniel Esqueda and multiple student speakers called for sustained avenues for youth civic engagement and said students want a greater say in scheduling decisions.
Separately, CBO Jenny Im presented the district’s second interim budget, reporting a roughly 18% enrollment decline since 2013–14 (about 3,378 students) and a substantial drop in realized LCFF revenue after attendance adjustments and updated state COLA projections. Im said the district still meets the state’s 3% minimum reserve for now but faces structural deficits in 2026–27 without further reductions; the board later approved the second interim certification with a positive finding. Im outlined committees to create a sustainable budget and said ongoing federal and state funding uncertainty — including changes to some USDA and federal grant programs — add near‑term risk.
Trustees and union representatives discussed cuts approved in prior meetings and asked for more analysis on staffing models, automation opportunities in central office and contingency plans for FEMA reimbursements and rising insurance and utility costs.
What happens next: District leaders said they will convene a sustainable budget committee and a district/school reorganization committee to develop proposals for 2025–26 and that they will return with more detailed budget scenarios and community engagement before June’s proposed budget.
