Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Alisal Union presents 2026-27 LCAP goals and preliminary budget; staff flags $21M special-education deficit
Summary
Deputy Superintendent Dr. Clara Fernandez and fiscal staff presented the LCAP annual review and preliminary 2026-27 budget, reporting supplemental concentration funding of $34,689,923, a special-education deficit of $21 million, projected revenues of $150.9M and expenditures of $191.2M, and multi-year enrollment declines; trustees were told May Revision figures were not yet included.
The Alisal Union School District board heard a combined Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) annual review and the district's preliminary 2026-27 budget during the evening meeting.
Deputy Superintendent Dr. Clara Fernandez and Director of Leadership Development Mary Beal summarized LCAP engagement and priorities, saying the district gathered input from "more than 2,100 students, 380 staff members, and 650 parents" to guide five proposed goals for 2026-27: strong student achievement and tier-one MTSS; success for English learners; hiring and retaining high-quality personnel; safe and clean schools; and early-learning literacy supports.
Dr. Fernandez highlighted demographic and need indicators the district used to set priorities: "93.1% of our students are socioeconomically disadvantaged, almost 62% are English learners, close to 15% are McKinney-Vento students and 10% receive special education," she said, and described targeted actions to expand integrated and designated ELD, maintain MTSS personnel and community school coordinators, and continue professional learning for teachers.
In a linked fiscal presentation, Director of Fiscal Services Elaine Mendoza and Associate Superintendent Raisa Bassi presented preliminary financial projections for 2026-27: projected general-fund revenue of $150.9 million and expenditures of $191.2 million, yielding an estimated ending fund balance of $52 million and a planned reserve target of 10%. Staff reported a 2025-26 estimated actual balance of $92.3 million and described a $21 million special-education shortfall the district must address.
Trustees asked for details on a WestEd "Vital" partnership that supports professional learning and PLC protocols. Presenters referenced multiple figures in the presentation materials: an LCAP-line item shown as $446,624 plus an additional $355,000 allocation from the learning-recovery block grant (together about $801,624); presenters also referenced professional-development figures in other slides (one slide cited $1.7 million). Because the slide deck used different line items during the discussion, staff said they would provide the board with the full breakdown and with results from a baseline study (an "Orenda" study) that was completed and whose findings will be shared with trustees.
Mendoza said the budget numbers presented rely on the January governor's proposal and that the May Revision had not been incorporated; she told trustees that the district will include the May Revision data in the 45-day budget revision in July and noted the state budget adoption deadline of June 30. Board adoption of the budget and LCAP was scheduled for a subsequent meeting on June 24.
The presentation included multi-year enrollment projections (estimated enrollment 6,841 in the current projection, declining to 6,448 by 2028-29) and described assumptions for COLA, STRS/PERS contributions, lottery revenue and other local revenue streams. Staff emphasized the difference between fund balance and reserves and said declining fund balances require close monitoring to avoid future layoffs or program cuts.
Staff closed by inviting further feedback at the public LCAP hearing and by promising to share the consultant baseline report and the detailed financial line items referenced during trustee questions.
