Board hears plan to recover roughly $8 million after ADA undercount tied to student-records migration

District staff told the board that a review uncovered a sizable undercount in average daily attendance (ADA) linked to how extended school‑year (ESY) data were coded after a migration to the Synergy student information system. Staff estimated a net underreporting of about $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2023–24 and reported they are working with Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) and the district auditor to attempt to reopen and reclaim eligible funding.

"The net underreporting of ADA was about $8,000,000," said the district representative leading the finance briefing, noting the discovery was made after ID Bailey consultant Andrew Moon, a Synergy expert, noticed an unusual dip in the 2023–24 ADA and dug deeper. The district also credited new director of fiscal services Edith Echaverria for asking follow‑up questions that helped identify the cause.

Trustee Nguyen pressed staff on accountability and whether this occurred under prior leadership, repeatedly noting the scale of the impact: "That's $8,000,000. That's a lot of money." Staff and trustees discussed system configuration issues during a COVID-era hold‑harmless period and said the district will implement additional cross‑departmental safeguards (IT, fiscal, ed services) to prevent recurrence. The board approved the consultant contract and related actions by voice vote 4–0 with Trustee Guzman absent.

Staff said recapture efforts will follow LACOE procedures and the district's audit process; they emphasized that recovery is not guaranteed and depends on county acceptance of corrected filings.