San Bernardino USD outlines $190 million in LCAP investments and previews 2026–27 budget

District staff presented the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) priorities and a preliminary 2026–27 budget preview to the board on June 2, laying out major program investments and the fiscal assumptions that will shape next year’s spending.

Kimber Sergeant, presenting the LCAP, said the district’s supplemental and concentration funds total roughly $190 million and support three primary goals: academic achievement (more than $148 million), safe and attractive learning environments (about $36 million) and family and community engagement (about $5.4 million). She described an $11.1 million equity multiplier that puts site‑level resources into schools identified by the state for high socioeconomic need and high student mobility and a learning recovery/ emergency block (LRERBG) allocation of roughly $18 million used for targeted interventions such as resident guest teachers, in‑day tutoring for focus schools, and enhanced kindergarten literacy support.

Sergeant said the district’s unduplicated pupil percentage is 88.79% and that the LCAP is entering year three of a three‑year cycle; many actions in 2026–27 are maintenance and continuation of multi‑year strategies. She described differentiated assistance for student groups who have been red/orange on the California Dashboard and highlighted a targeted plan and metrics for African‑American student outcomes under a focused goal.

Terry Comnic of business services gave the preliminary budget overview, walking through the governor’s May revise (including a 2.87% LCFF COLA and a proposed 1.44% LCFF base adjustment, for a combined ~4.31% effect in modeling) and noting proposed increases to special education per‑pupil funding (identified per the May revise). Comnic said the district built conservative multi‑year projections for average daily attendance and declining enrollment, expects a beginning 2026–27 fund balance of roughly $44.5 million, and outlined cost‑reduction strategies including attrition, review of non‑core services, use of restricted funds, transportation‑efficiency analysis, and an FCMAT position‑control review.

Board members asked for more detail and for specific page references within the LCAP binder that show which school sites receive particular actions; staff agreed to circulate those page numbers in a Friday update. Comnic said several statewide items remained uncertain in the May revise (including how a proposed $3.9 billion would be allocated within Prop 98) and that the district is discussing potential hold‑harmless options with Sacramento staff around eligibility calculations that could change next year’s available revenue.

Why it matters: This LCAP and budget framing sets the district’s near‑term program priorities and spending for high‑need student groups, and the board will adopt financials and the LCAP in upcoming meetings. Staff emphasized both continuing investments and the need to identify efficiencies to sustain programs in later years.

Next steps: the board was given the preliminary budget for consideration and staff said the budget and LCAP will be considered for adoption at future calendarized hearings (the preliminary budget is slated to be considered on June 16, 2026).