Trustees approve 5% board stipend bump, adopt LCAP and 2026–27 district budget

At the meeting the board approved a 5% monthly increase to trustee stipends, from $288.42 to $302.84, effective July 1, 2026. Trustees discussed the modest size of the increase and framed it as a retention and recruitment tool for a diverse set of candidates; one trustee noted the raise amounts to about $14 per month per trustee and an estimated $840 a year for the five-member board. Superintendent Kulwicki said the board had not received a raise in three years and that employee groups had received approximately a 9.1% increase over that time, and that board policy limits any single step to 5%.

On accountability, Assistant Superintendent Pam Scott presented the district's self-assessment of the California School Dashboard local indicators for 2025–26, reporting that the district 'meets' the local standards for the priorities measured locally (conditions of learning, standards implementation, parent engagement, school climate, and access to a broad course of study). She clarified these local indicators are distinct from the state indicators (the color-coded state dashboard data released each December).

On fiscal matters the board moved, seconded, and approved the district's Local Control Accountability Plan for 2026–27 and adopted the proposed fiscal year 2026–27 budget for all active district funds; both motions carried without recorded opposition. Trustees noted the approvals are routine but important steps to meet state reporting and to open the district's budget for implementation next fiscal year.

What happens next: the stipend increase takes effect July 1, 2026; the adopted LCAP and budget will be posted as public records per district practice.