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District issues positive first-interim certification but flags 6,200 missing household forms that could affect funding
Summary
The district certified a positive first interim budget update but staff warned of a roughly 1% enrollment decline and about 6,200 fewer completed household forms for LCFF rebenching; staff said they are working with the California Department of Education to resolve potential funding impacts.
San Bernardino City Unified’s business services team presented the district’s first interim financial report at the Dec. 8 meeting and certified a positive position for the period covering July 1 through Oct. 31, 2025, while flagging several longer-term fiscal uncertainties.
Associate Superintendent Terry Kick and fiscal staff briefed the board on the state fiscal outlook and district assumptions. They said the district’s ending general fund balance increased slightly in first-interim projections and that restricted revenues reflected carryover and some one-time discretionary allocations. "Our first interim report…we are in a positive certification," Terry Kick said.
Officials also noted enrollment and revenue risks. The district reported an approximate 1% decrease in enrollment versus the prior year and told the board it has about 6,200 fewer submitted household forms this rebenching year than four years earlier, which could affect the unduplicated pupil percentage used in LCFF calculations. Staff said roughly 63% of families are captured through direct-certification programs, but a formal rebench requires collecting household forms and the district is working with the California Department of Education to seek guidance or remediation.
Terry Kick reviewed assumptions about COLA, CalPERS, and projected state budget pressures for 2026–27 and beyond and said district staff would continue aligning expenditures with projected revenues as the governor’s January budget is released. The board asked clarifying questions about the missing forms and staff said they would pursue state-level options to be held harmless if possible.
What happens next: The district will submit first-interim documentation to the county, continue outreach and rebenching work with the CDE, and update the board when the governor’s January budget is released and when the LCFF rebenching status is clarified.
Why it matters: LCFF unduplicated pupil percentage (and enrollment) drive a substantial portion of K–12 revenue in California. A rebenching shortfall can reduce recurring state funding if not corrected or held harmless, so the district’s follow-up with CDE is financially consequential.
