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Santa Barbara Unified board adopts $263.1 million budget amid warnings about reserves
Summary
On June 23 the Santa Barbara Unified School Board approved a $263.1 million 2026–27 budget by a 4–1 vote despite public and trustee warnings about shrinking reserves and rising administrative costs. The budget projects a $9.7 million deficit and relies heavily on LCFF property‑tax revenue.
The Santa Barbara Unified School District board on June 23 approved the district —udget for fiscal year 2026 2027, adopting a $263.1 million spending plan that projects $253.3 million in revenues and a $9.7 million deficit for the coming year.
Assistant Superintendent and Chief Business Official Conrad Tedeschi told trustees the proposed budget narrows the structural deficit "and we're closing that gap and closing it significantly," but still leaves the district operating in a deficit position. Tedeschi explained the numbers behind the plan, saying, "Our projected revenue for 2627 is $253,300,000" and outlining a multiyear projection built on assumptions about property‑tax growth, state aid and labor settlement costs.
Public commenters and trustees pressed for greater scrutiny of central office spending. Michelle White, a community member who reviewed district finance trends, warned of a liquidity risk and possible state intervention, saying, "If this continues, the county superintendent will be required to intervene." Todd Voigt, a finance committee member, urged the board to adopt stronger oversight and accept finance‑committee recommendations to improve transparency and fiscal stability.
Trustees asked for more detail about general & administrative costs and plans to close the budget gap, and staff said the finance committee would dig into line‑level changes and produce recommendations. Trustee Caffrey voted against the budget, citing the absence of a firm timeline to reach structural balance; the motion passed 4–1.
What the vote means: the district will submit the adopted budget and estimated actuals to the county office and continue work in the summer and fall to refine multiyear projections, pursue savings and align school plans, LCAP priorities and negotiated labor settlements with a goal of eliminating the deficit in future years.
Next steps: staff and the finance committee will prepare a detailed timeline and set of recommendations for the board, including potential programmatic changes, benchmarking against peer districts and additional public reporting on general administration and staffing impacts.
