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Trustees press FNS director on vacant finance roles and whether internal staff could have limited deficit
Summary
Board members discussed vacant finance coordinator/supervisory positions in Food & Nutrition Services (vacant since January 2026), possible past reorganizational recommendations by investigators, and whether keeping those roles might have reduced a multi-million-dollar deficit.
Trustees spent substantial time pressing Food & Nutrition Services Director Jackie Cruz and CFO Rosario Pena on staffing and structural changes that the department says contributed to its fiscal shortfall.
Cruz told the board she has lacked a dedicated finance coordinator or supervisor since January 2026 and described earlier personnel moves following an investigation. "There are two positions that we're recommending to remove from our department..." Cruz said, and later confirmed the investigators who recommended the changes as Dr. Alma Rubio and Dr. Ronni Renfro.
Board Member Carlos Elizondo asked whether retaining those positions might have reduced the department’s reported shortfall. Cruz agreed it could have helped: when asked if keeping the prior staff would have minimized a roughly $5 million impact, she replied "yes." Cruz also told trustees the department is carrying staffing and overtime costs: "we are overstaffed and we're carrying probably close to $2.5 million, but we cannot right size."
Trustees and administration discussed filling a finance-coordinator role in the coming year, with CFO Rosario Pena saying the dietician vacancy would be prioritized first and the finance coordinator posted once other critical hires are in place. Trustees urged quarterly monitoring and clearer reporting so the Board can track corrective actions and rebuild fund balance.
