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Middletown Unified outlines public input process as district targets $485,000 in budget reductions
Summary
Superintendent Crane briefed the board on a month‑long schedule of staff and community input sessions, a board study session and a Feb. 12 target for a deficit elimination plan to reach a minimum $485,000 reduction while preserving student services where possible.
Superintendent Crane told the board the district must identify a deficit elimination plan and described a public process that includes staff and community information/input sessions the week after the meeting, a board study session, and a planned final deficit elimination plan for the Feb. 12 board meeting. He said the district's projected reserve would fall from about 11.93% this year to 6.38% next year and to 3.14% in 2026–27 if reductions are not made and identified $485,000 as the near‑term reduction target.
"This is going to be, unfortunately, a painful process," Crane said, characterizing the work as necessary and noting the district would present specific reduction options with numbers attached at the workshops. He emphasized a commitment to greater transparency than the prior year and said the district would solicit input while staying within Brown Act constraints for trustee participation.
Board members and community speakers asked how input would be recorded and how trustees could observe while complying with the Brown Act; staff said Janelle will take notes at community sessions and that trustees may attend as observers (two or fewer may actively participate without creating a serial meeting). Crane said the administration will bring a slide deck with numbers and options to the workshops and encouraged wide participation.
