Monrovia Unified board adopts fiscal stabilization plan to close budget gap; vote carries 5–0

The Monrovia Unified School District Board of Education voted to adopt a fiscal stabilization plan intended to eliminate a projected budget shortfall by reducing staffing and reorganizing grade and program structures.

Superintendent Dr Hart Rus told the board the district has lost about 20% of its enrollment over the past decade and that attendance-driven funding (ADA) and expiring "hold-harmless" protections mean the district must reduce roughly $3.8 million in year one. The staff recommendation combined several measures: retain sixth grade in elementary schools, consolidate some middle-school grades, reduce general-education staffing where enrollment allows, and consolidate the district’s elementary Spanish dual-immersion program to a single site as part of a broader right-sizing scenario.

The presentation showed a modeled staffing scenario that staff said would release staff positions (the presentation cited a net release of about 27 teachers and two administrators in the first-year scenario once rehiring and credential matches were considered) and additional second-year reductions if necessary to reach the full target. Staff emphasized that special-education staffing would be held to required levels and that the plan assumes work with unions and advisory committees to manage transitions.

Board members asked for detailed, district-specific data before full implementation: Monroe’s maximum occupancy and current capacity, DI student proficiency comparisons with English-only peers, updated boundary analyses (the board asked staff to engage a demographer), and explicit transportation plans for vulnerable students. Staff said some figures could be produced immediately; they reiterated that advisory committees and legal steps (including an equity analysis and the Assembly Bill 1912 process for school closure decisions) would be used before any school closure or reassignment took effect.

After discussion, a motion to adopt the fiscal stabilization recommendations was called; Miss Basera (clerk) read the roll and the chair announced the motion carried with the clerk declaring "motion carries 5." The meeting adjourned at 9:32 p.m.

The board’s action authorizes staff to proceed with the advisory committee work, data collection, boundary analysis and implementation planning described in the presentation; those committees will return recommendations to the board in public meetings before any closures or reassignments are finalized.