Oakrove trustees hear LCAP and budget outlook as union leader warns cuts could threaten raises

The Oakrove School District board received a detailed presentation on the district's Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) and budget assumptions on June 12 as staff and trustees discussed declining metrics and a projected multi-year budget gap.

Assistant Superintendent Anna presented year two of a three-year LCAP, reviewing five goals: student proficiency, accelerating English learner progress, inclusive supports for students with disabilities, family and community engagement, and safe, supportive classroom environments. She highlighted specific metric changes from the attached draft: elementary access to visual and performing arts rose (presenter cited a rise to 100%), the long-term English learner (LTEL) rate fell to 11% (noted as positive), and some state dashboard and assessment indicators showed declines year over year. Anna said many state metrics are lagging and that the LCAP will be updated again before formal adoption on June 26 and subsequent county review.

Board members pressed for granular data and requested breakdowns for targeted programs. One trustee asked for a cost breakdown and enrollment counts tied to action 2.8 (a program serving Black students and ethnic-studies supports). Anna said the Black program is primarily for seventh- and eighth-grade students at the three middle schools and includes a local author/educator as a monthly facilitator; she agreed to provide a detailed expenditure and participation breakdown on request.

The budget outlook presented by Associate Superintendent/Chief Business Officer Mark Evans framed district finances in the context of statewide budget uncertainty. Evans told trustees that a proposal to reduce Prop 98 funding by $1.3 billion at the state level would translate to roughly $2 million for Oakrove (his calculation presented to the board). He also said the legislature's one-time allocation had been reduced compared with earlier proposals, leaving the district with a smaller potential one-time infusion than initially hoped; the district does expect approximately $500,000 from a learning recovery emergency block grant and significant TK add-on revenue but is conservatively projecting revenues.

Evans presented a multi-year projection that showed structural deficit spending and an estimated $18 million deficit in the current year per the estimated actuals. He said the county will require a fiscal solvency plan and that the district will present a high-level plan at the June 26 meeting and a more detailed reduction plan for first interim. The budget slides also show projected enrollment declines and a shrinking unduplicated pupil percentage (free/reduced-price, EL, homeless), which will reduce supplemental LCFF funding over time.

At the end of the public-comment period, Chuck Bot, president of the CSEA chapter, told the board he was "surprised by the district's initial compensation proposal" and urged early transparency on cuts. He said he worries that repeated multi-year deficit projections that do not materialize can erode credibility, but added he recognizes the seriousness of the current numbers and asked for a clear plan: "We need to start to see where those cuts are going to be... employees deserve to see the district's plan," he said. Bot also noted that in some cases contract labor was costing the district more than in-house staffing and said that bargaining must be informed by long-term fiscal planning.

What happens next: Staff will bring final LCAP and budget adoption items to the board on June 26 and will prepare a fiscal solvency plan for the county review. Trustees requested more disaggregated data on LCAP metrics and program spending prior to adoption.

Selected figures and program notes from presentation: - LCAP total expenditures table cited near $122 million in total expenditures (about $11 million non-personnel; about $111 million personnel). (Assistant Superintendent Anna) - Delayed/lagging state assessment metrics noted; local increases in arts access and student feelings of safety were highlighted as areas of progress. - Budget-level risks: a possible $1.3 billion Prop 98 recognition change could reduce Oakrove revenues by roughly $2 million; legislature's lower one-time allocation may cut expected one-time funds to roughly $500,000 for the district; projected enrollment declines will lower LCFF in future years. (Associate Superintendent Evans)

Quotes from the meeting: - "We need to start to see where those cuts are going to be," said Chuck Bot, CSEA chapter president, urging clarity ahead of negotiations. - "A $1.3 billion change (at the state level) for Oakrove would translate into about $2 million," said Associate Superintendent Evans when describing the scale of a proposed Prop 98 reduction.

The board asked staff to return with more granular data on metric declines, participation and cost breakdowns for targeted programs, and caseload and outcome tracking for mental-health services.