"Faced with a three-year deficit of $127 million, the district's Board of Education had to make what Board President Guadalupe Enllana described in a statement as an incredibly difficult decision during a meeting Wednesday. In addition to emptying a reserves fund and borrowing from a retiree health fund, district electeds agreed to reduce staffing, merge two middle schools, and end the kindergarten through eighth grade model, according to a Fiscal Solvency Plan trustees adopted Wednesday."
"An initial $60.4 million in reductions are expected to occur in fiscal year 2026-27. Nearly $23 million will come from reserve and retiree benefit funds, $5.1 million from reducing materials, supplies, services and contracts, $15.1 million in reduced staffing through attrition and $17.3 million from department restructuring. Another $27.2 million in cuts are planned for fiscal year 2027-28, again from borrowing from the retiree health fund in addition to reductions in some contracts, school and special education programming, central department, and technology."
"Our responsibility is to stabilize the district's finances while continuing to support students and staff. Taking action now allows us to maintain local control and make these decisions with community voices at the table, Enllana said."
West Contra Costa Unified faces a three-year deficit of $127 million and adopted a Fiscal Solvency Plan including reserve depletion, borrowing from the retiree health fund, staffing reductions, school mergers, and ending the K-8 model. An initial $60.4 million in reductions is expected in fiscal year 2026-27, comprising nearly $23 million from reserve and retiree benefit funds, $5.1 million from materials and contracts, $15.1 million from staffing attrition, and $17.3 million from department restructuring. Another $27.2 million in cuts is planned for 2027-28, including further retiree health fund borrowing and reductions to contracts, school and special education programming, central departments, and technology. Betty Reid Soskin Middle School will merge into Pinole Middle School, and students at K-8 campuses will be moved to middle school campuses.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]