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Source: Thomas Galvez/Flickr
The West Contra Costa Unified School District may be on the verge of handing over control of its budget and day-to-day operations to the county after the school board rejected the district’s plan for local control of the district Wednesday night, reducing the district’s chances of passing a 2024-2025 budget by July 1 as required by state law.
Without passing a Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) — a document that sets out district goals for improving student achievement and how to achieve them — the board cannot vote on the proposed budget, said Kim Moses, West Contra Costa Unified School District’s (WCCUSD) assistant superintendent of business services. The two are connected. The LCAP is part of the budget, and it gives the district a roadmap for how to allocate funds for its $484 million budget. The district risks losing local control over funding decisions. Board members who voted against said it doesn’t reflect community priorities and isn’t transparent.
This is a rare situation. Districts regularly pass budgets in late June to close out the fiscal year and begin a new one.
School district and Contra Costa County school officials have warned that if they don’t pass a budget and LCAP by July 1, they will hand over financial control to the county office. The district still has until midnight Sunday to take action to avoid a takeover, but district officials estimate that won’t happen.
The district also appears likely to have difficulty getting county budget approval. The state's Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT), which focuses on helping school districts resolve and prevent financial problems, found in a recent analysis that districts were overspending and concluded that districts were unable or unwilling to make cuts. I did it.
In a statement to EdSource, Moses wrote that he was “deeply disappointed” that the board did not pass the LCAP. The responsibility for adopting the LCAP and the 2024-25 school year budget falls in the hands of county officials. Moses said that until they impose a new plan and budget, the district will will do We resume operations with last year's budget.
“We are confident that the county will review our situation with a student-centered lens and take the necessary steps to support our students,” the statement said. “In the meantime, we will be able to continue processing payroll without interruption and maintain all costs associated with the district’s normal operating expenses, including utilities, essential materials and supplies, and other operational necessities.”
But Javeta Cleveland, a school management consultant in West Contra Costa, said some schools aren't getting the money they need because the district is operating on last year's budget, and the district can't set new goals and move forward.
“It’s a really serious thing to do without a budget. You can’t run a district without a budget,” Cleveland said at the meeting. “A district can’t meet or set priorities without a budget.”
Cleveland asked the board to reconsider approving the LCAP and to approve it on the condition that the Contra Costa County Board of Education make revisions after receiving feedback from parents. But that never happened.
budget shortage
District officials are projecting a budget deficit of $31.8 million over the next three school years, with a projected deficit of about $11.5 million for the upcoming school year. The plan was to use reserve funds to cover the deficit over the next three school years.
To address budget shortfalls, the board has had to eliminate more than 200 positions since last year, the most recent cuts being voted on in March. But at the same time, the district was dealing with three complaints, including one claiming the district was not complying with the law because teacher vacancies were not being filled and classes were being filled with long-term or day-long substitutes. That was true, district officials acknowledged.
“While last night’s board decision further complicates an already difficult financial situation, community members should know that WCCUSD schools will continue to operate and employees will continue to be paid as we move through the LCAP approval process,” said Marcus Walton, director of communications for the county office. “At this point, it is the role of the Contra Costa County Office of Education to support WCCUSD staff in addressing the board’s concerns and executing the budget as quickly as possible.”
FCMAT conducted a financial health risk analysis for West Contra Costa in March and found the district was overspending.
The FCMAT analysis concluded that the district has a “high” chance of solving its budget deficit, but noted that some of the charter schools chartered by the district are also struggling financially and that the district has limited general fund cash flow for the current year and next. It highlighted areas where the district considers high risk, including lack of foresight and the board's failure to approve a plan to reduce or eliminate spending overruns.
FCMAT CEO Michael Fine was unavailable for comment.
vote
Chairwoman Jamela Smith-Folds was the only board member to vote in favor of LCAP. Although she wants more transparency, she said it's important to maintain local control over LCAP and the budget.
“I would be remiss if I didn’t say there were things we had to do differently, but I think everyone recognizes that,” Smith-Folds said. “Now that we’ve acknowledged that, the next step is to demonstrate change and consistency.”
Commissioners Leslie Reckler and Mister Phillips voted no on LCAP. Phillips said this is because he believes the documents do not reflect what the community has been asking for.
“I have consistently advocated for a balanced and focused budget since joining the Board of Education in 2016,” Phillips said in an email. “The proposed budget was neither. I voted to bring the local county superintendent to the table. I hope she will work with us to create a balanced and focused budget that prioritizes the district’s strategic plan.”
Lechler said over the past two years, he has continued to ask staff to show him how the program and LCAP are performing, how feedback from the community is being reflected and how money is being spent.
“It’s frustrating having to spend an entire weekend trying to figure out the changes in LCAP. This should be self-evident.” Lechler said during the meeting. “This document seems less transparent than ever. I don't know how else to get your attention, and I won't be held hostage. For this reason, I'm voting 'no'.”
Commissioner Otheree Christian abstained, saying the LCAP needed more transparency, but did not elaborate or respond to a request for comment on why he decided not to vote.
According to his social media posts, board member Demetrio Gonzalez Hoy was absent due to personal family issues. He said the vote, including his absence, was a failure for the board.
In a recent meeting with the Local Control Accountability Planning Committee, or DLCAP, which is made up of parents and members of community organizations, board members shared their frustrations, saying they weren’t being heard and that they needed more information about the program, Superintendent Chris Hurst said. Gonzalez Hoy said he agreed with the board’s sentiment that more transparency is needed and that community leaders should be heard about spending priorities.
“So what we need to do is make sure that this doesn’t happen in the future and that the DLCAP board takes their responsibilities seriously,” Gonzalez Hoy’s post said. “Unfortunately, instead of standing up for this and ensuring that this happens, I think some on our board want certain adults who lead our district to fail and that’s what led to the vote last night.”
At Wednesday night's meeting, many community members asked the board to halt staffing cuts and reject the LCAP and budget proposals, saying both proposals fail to meet the needs of students and violate the rights of low-income students, English language learners and students of color. Some speakers questioned whether LCAP followed the law.
The local team that put together the LCAP said the planning document complies with the law, as did county school officials who reviewed the document, according to Moses. The county can give the LCAP its final stamp of approval after the board passes it, and can approve the document with conditions if changes are needed, she added.
“I know, no document of any size is perfect on the first draft.” Moses said during the meeting. “I'm not sure if there's anything we need to look at, but if there is, let me just say again that this is a living document. If there's something that needs more attention, we'll pay attention to that.”
Moses said she agrees with advocates. The district needs to do a better job of serving students. She and the district are doing their best to increase communication with the community and explain how the strategies in the 203-page document will help students.
As of Thursday evening, no emergency meetings have been scheduled. The next board meeting is scheduled for July 17.