Superintendent outlines fiscal stabilization plan, attendance focus and pilot programs

The Perris Union High School District superintendent used the July 16 meeting to preview the district’s priorities for the 2025–26 school year, emphasizing fiscal stabilization, attendance-driven strategies and program pilots aimed at expanding college-transfer opportunities for graduates.

The superintendent said the district is pursuing a ‘‘laser-focused’’ approach on priorities, including an effort labeled a fiscal stabilization plan to address deficit spending from the prior year. The superintendent told the board the district had projected a significant deficit for 2024–25 and said the projected shortfall will be substantially reduced thanks to actions including administrative realignment and not filling some positions. The superintendent characterized the reductions as targeted and said the district is monitoring department-level spending closely.

Attendance was highlighted as a central lever for improving the district’s finances; the superintendent said efforts to raise Average Daily Attendance and targeted supports for at-risk students are part of the strategy. Trustees were told the district will monitor implementation continuously, with midyear assessments to adjust plans rather than waiting until year-end.

Programming updates included a pilot at Heritage High School designed to offer courses that satisfy general-education requirements for four‑year universities, with the intent to expand partnerships beyond the pilot site to institutions such as Riverside City College and California State University, San Bernardino. The superintendent also described a new hybrid Inland Online Academy that combines online coursework with extracurricular participation at students’ home schools; the program had roughly 30 enrollments at the time of the meeting, including five students from outside the district.

On accountability, the superintendent said cabinet and the newly appointed Assistant Superintendent of Business Services will help identify priorities and align dollars to programs that demonstrate evidence of effectiveness, rather than purchasing programs without documented impact. The superintendent closed by inviting the board to a leadership retreat scheduled July 21–22 to align on the district vision for 2025–26.

The board received the update without substantive public challenge during the meeting; subsequent agenda business moved forward with routine votes on consent and procurement items.