Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lynwood Unified warns of falling attendance, projects deep enrollment drop; staff flags budget pressures
Summary
Superintendent and district budget staff told the Lynwood Unified board that revenues are falling while costs for special education, retirement contributions and new liability insurance rise; ADA dropped from about 90–91% to near 87% and projections show district enrollment declining toward roughly 8,000 students by 2032–33.
The Lynwood Unified School District on Feb. 13 told the school board it faces persistent budget pressure as student attendance and revenue fall and retirement and special-education costs rise.
District presenters said one-time COVID relief funds that temporarily bolstered budgets have expired, average daily attendance — the locally measured basis for some funding — has slipped from about 90–91% earlier this year to roughly 87% in the most recent month, and statewide revenue projections are uncertain.
"Our revenues are dropping, and at the same time, our expenditures are increasing," a district presenter said during the budget overview, citing higher costs for special education, STRS and PERS retirement contributions and a new AB 218-related liability insurance purchase. The presenter added the district will consider staffing adjustments but emphasized a commitment to class-size reduction and core instructional programs.
Dr. Janssen, who led the budget update, said long-term enrollment trends are the biggest driver of future reductions. He noted the district once served more than 15,000 students (circa 2010) and projects serving just over 8,000 students by 2032–33 based on birth-rate trends and current projections.
Board members asked for continued monitoring and for staff to present options that preserve instruction while aligning staffing to attendance. The presentation included slides showing rising costs for employee step-and-column raises, insurance and construction-related inflation pressures tied to recent regional fires.
No formal reductions were adopted at the meeting; staff said the update was intended to inform the board and community and to begin planning discussions on structural adjustments.
The board will receive follow-up budget materials and may consider staffing or program changes in coming meetings as staff refines scenarios and potential savings.
