Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Cloverdale Unified board approves October update to 2024–25 budget after county review
Summary
After conditional review by the Sonoma County Office of Education, the Cloverdale Unified School District board approved an October update to the 2024–25 budget that reflects lower LCFF revenue, higher special‑education costs and a reserve shortfall that staff said will require future cuts to meet the 3% minimum.
The Cloverdale Unified School District Board of Trustees voted to approve an October update to the 2024–25 budget after staff presented revisions requested by the Sonoma County Office of Education.
The update, presented by Krista (budget officer), shows a roughly $104,700 decrease in Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) revenue and other adjustments that together produced a net $561,674 increase in restricted‑fund activity. Krista told the board, “the unrestricted was decreased by a $104,700, and that was due to a slight decrease in the unduplicated count.”
Board members spent more than an hour on the item asking for line‑by‑line clarity and pressing staff on special‑education costs. Krista reported that contributions for special education rose by $358,310 — about $310,000 of that tied to nonpublic school placements and the remainder to related SCOE special‑education costs — and that the district’s reserve fell to 2.04%, short of the 3% state minimum by $233,475.
Trustees framed the discussion around both compliance and long‑term fiscal strategy. Trustee (unnamed) raised concerns that failing to save for future projects weakens the district’s position; Trustee 10 said, “I feel like not meeting the board policy, not saving for the future is a shell game,” and pressed staff for clearer presentation. Staff responded that the county asked for an accurate picture of estimated actuals first and that subsequent steps will identify where cuts or adjustments could be made to reach policy reserves.
District staff explained some of the larger line‑item moves: transportation revenue rose by about $73,598 due to additional state funding; fair‑market valuation adjustments added roughly $57,415 to local revenue; and changes to certificated and classified salary projections accounted for several hundred thousand dollars in updated expenditures. Krista also noted the routine restricted maintenance contribution was set at $175,000 for the year and that fund balances showed $924,136 in Fund 14 and $374,377.49 in Fund 17 as of the presentation.
After staff answered questions and agreed to provide clearer displays for trustees and the public, Trustee Candelaria Orr moved to approve the October budget update and Trustee Lopez White seconded. The board approved the update by voice vote with no opposition recorded.
What’s next: staff said the county will reissue its formal letter when it verifies the corrections, and the board will return to the next steps — including identifying cuts and site‑level budget reviews — to address the reserve shortfall. No specific program reductions were approved at the meeting.
