SRVUSD forms grant committee and accepts second interim budget as reserves near exhaustion

The San Ramon Valley Unified School District board on March 19 authorized a superintendent-level grant committee to pursue outside revenue sources and accepted its second interim budget report — moves officials say are intended to blunt an escalating structural shortfall.

Board members voted unanimously to form the committee after board member Susanna Ordway described a two‑year plan to build a district-wide grants toolkit and centralize applications so sites and teachers don’t “reinvent the wheel.” The committee will be advisory to the superintendent and capped at two board members to avoid Brown Act constraints.

Why it matters: Chief Business Officer Danny Hillman told the board the second interim shows only modest revenue changes since December but continues a pattern of deficit spending. The district has embedded the board’s previously approved $24 million in ongoing reductions into the multi‑year projection; under current assumptions the unrestricted portion of the ending fund balance is roughly $1 million and many one‑time carryovers will be exhausted by 2025–26.

Board members and union leaders described the pressure on staffing and programs. Laura Finino, SERVIA president, said the district must balance fiscal reality with protecting student mental‑health services and reasonable class sizes. CSEA president Tammy Castaluchio emphasized the union’s willingness to collaborate but warned of the human impact of reductions.

“We’ll continue to work with our labor partners,” Superintendent CJ Kamik said. “But the county has directed a roughly $24 million reduction to our operational expenses for the adopted budget this June.”

What the numbers show: Hillman walked trustees through revenue and expenditure line items and the district’s multi‑year projection. Enrollment is projected to decline, which lowers state revenue because funding uses a three‑year average ADA formula; Hillman noted a projected drop of roughly 750 students for 2025–26 in the latest assumptions. He also flagged uncertainty around state COLA levels and federal program funding as downside risks.

Board action and next steps: Trustees accepted the second interim report and certified the budget status consistent with staff recommendations. They also approved budget assumptions for 2025–26 (enrollment, ADA, COLA, PERS/STIRS rates) that staff will use to build the tentative 2025–26 budget to present in June. The district will continue regular updates leading to the governor’s May Revision and the June adoption timeline.

Other related actions: At the same meeting the board approved the creation of the grant committee (5–0), voted to appoint Hong Yuen as the newly combined director of Student Services and Educational Equity (appointment reported from closed session), and denied a year‑long professional‑development leave request for a ceramics teacher over timing and fiscal concerns.

The district’s finance team will return with refined budget options and may recommend further adjustments if local or state assumptions shift.