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Trustees approve final 2025–26 budget amendment; one trustee warns it’s only a short-term patch
Summary
The board approved a final budget amendment for fiscal year 2025–26 with a 2% cushion in line items; one trustee voted against the amendment and said the change does not address an underlying structural deficit.
Trustees voted 5–1 to approve a final amendment to the 2025–26 budget after district finance staff explained the amendment includes approximately a 2% cushion in each line item to prevent category overspending and state action.
Finance staff said the amendment is not the district’s forecasted actuals but a conservative final budget that provides margin to avoid state letters or sanctions for overspending in specific categories. "We build about 2% cushion in every account just to cover anything that might surprise us," the presenter said.
During the roll call on the motion, one trustee explained the vote against the amendment: "Adopting this budget as is is a short-term operational patch that fails to address the underlying structural deficit. Because our primary fiduciary duty is to enact structural multi-year solutions before unmitigated reserves trigger state intervention, I cast a vote of nay." No formal amendment to the motion was recorded; the motion passed by voice vote 5–1.
The board also approved related routine fund-balance commitments and other consent items later in the meeting.
