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Board hears 2026–27 budget preview, holds public hearings and approves several motions including trustee stipend increase
Summary
District staff presented the 2026–27 budget preview and LCAP public hearing; the board received public questions on transparency and special‑education numbers, then approved a series of action items including an expulsion, a Juneteenth resolution, a trustee stipend increase, a flooring contract, and multiple instructional materials adoptions.
District fiscal staff presented a preview of the 2026–27 budget and related state proposals and the board then conducted public hearings on the LCAP and the proposed budget before taking several votes.
Budget preview: Kevin Franklin told trustees the district must adopt its budget by July 1 and presented multiyear projections and assumptions required under AB 1200. He said New Haven Unified is in a period of declining enrollment — projecting about 9,884 students next year — and that the May revise from the governor proposed a 2.87% COLA plus potential additional funding (including a proposed 1.4% to fund paid pregnancy disability leave and a proposed ~40% boost in special education funding) but the district conservatively included only the statutory COLA and the learning‑recovery block grant pending state allocation guidance.
Public hearing and questions: Lydia Edom asked for clearer public transparency on board compensation line items and queried a $150,000 interfund transfer, the kindergarten class‑size maximum, and an $11 million variance in the special‑education contribution and whether services or students had been impacted.
Board action items and votes: The board approved a series of motions in the late agenda:
• Expulsion: The board voted to expel Student No. 1 on the recommendation before it (roll‑call vote).
• Resolution 066256 (Juneteenth 2026): The board adopted the resolution recognizing Juneteenth 2026 (motion passed without recorded opposition).
• Trustee stipends: The board voted to adjust trustee stipends up to the new state maximum (the motion passed; recorded trustee discussion showed both strong support and strong opposition during debate).
• Contracts and instructional materials: The board approved an awarded contract for flooring work at Itlion Verkus Middle School and adopted multiple high‑school instructional materials (Health/Marine Science, American Government materials, TCI History Alive World Connections).
• Consent agenda: Consent items 14(a)–14(aa) were approved by roll call.
Trustees debated the stipend change extensively during discussion. Trustee Tracy Kumar described the proposed increase as “a 140% increase in our stipend,” objected to raising compensation during a period of tight budgets and declining enrollment, and asked for a roll‑call vote; Trustee Gonzales argued for raising stipends to reduce barriers to service. The motion passed and the board moved on to other consent and action items.
Next steps: Staff will bring the LCAP back on June 16 for adoption and produce a revised 45‑day budget after the governor signs the state budget and county guidance is available.
Vote details and supporting documents were part of the meeting packet; the board did not provide additional amendments to the budget at this hearing.
