Another parent and I attended the final LCAP (Local Control Accountability Plan) forum hosted by MHUSD earlier tonight at Sobrato. The purpose of this forum was to provide an update to the community on the progress of the LCAP survey which eventually leads to the final budget planning for 2024-2025. The mentioned survey reflects participants’ feedback on the district’s four strategic planning initiatives. Approximately 250 parents have participated in this survey thus far, representing a fraction (3%) of the district’s population (~ 8,000 students). The report presented during the forum offered a snapshot of feedback received thus far.
However, the district will not release the final comprehensive budget plan for the 2024-2025 academic year (impacting all 8,000 students) to the public until the June 2024 board meeting. The only way to obtain this budget plan is by attending the first public board meeting in June (potentially June 4 session).
During the forum, there was no mention of the budget cuts or Dr. Garcia’s update on impacted programs. Additionally, there was no discussion of an impact analysis for the proposed budget cuts, nor any opportunity to explore alternative solutions, such as reviewing compensation adjustments for high earners within the district.
When I approached Dr. Jimenez (whose base compensation in 2023 is $260,371) to inquire about why the Covid one-time fund was used for ongoing expenditures and whether the district had prepared an exit plan for when this fund expires, she explained that she had only been with the district since August 2023. She indicated that the responsibility for preparing such a plan falls on the Director of Fiscal Services (Lisa Lee, whose compensation could range from $120k to $180k in 2023) and the Chief Business Officer/Assistant Superintendent (Penny Timboe, whose base compensation is $260,371 in 2023).
When I posed the same question to Dr. Garcia (whose base compensation is $297,357 in 2023), she mentioned that the plan had been approved by the board prior to her tenure. However, she neither confirmed nor denied having the authority to make changes to the plan over the past three years to prevent school level budget cuts impacting our students directly. In response to the request for accountability regarding the one-time fund, John Horner, one of the board trustees, stated, “We needed help to transition many students back into the classroom.” I asked if they had considered devising a temporary transition plan that acknowledged the finite nature of this fund. In response, he stated, “The hope was that the fund would continue.” He rejected the notion that the Covid fund spending was mismanaged or poorly planned.
As concerned parents, let’s continue advocating for openness, accountability, and the best interests of our students. Our collective voice matters, and we appreciate your engagement.
Background Information: In California, public schools receive funding through the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), which can be divided into two main categories: the Base funding (serving TK-12 students) and the Supplemental Funding (which includes all students and specific subsets like English learners, low-income students, and homeless youth, constituting approximately 40% of the student population in MHUSD). The LCAP (Local Control Accountability Plan) is the district’s strategy for allocating state-provided funds. It outlines four goals established by the district and approved by the board. These goals are measured using specific metrics, and corresponding actions allocate funds to programs that align with these objectives.
The Four LCAP Goals:
1- Advance College, Career, and Civic Readiness
2- Family and Community Engagement
3- Enhance Student Engagement, Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), and School Climate (SEL refers to Social-Emotional Learning, which focuses on developing students’ emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills.)
4- Support for Special Education
Priorities from the State: These goals are in response to the eight priorities set by the State:
1- Basic Education
2- Implementation of State Standards
3- Parental Involvement and Family Engagement
4- Student Achievement
5- Student Engagement
6- School Climate
7- Course Access
8- Pupil Outcomes
However, the district has discretion in how it addresses and interprets these priorities. For instance, Priority 3—Parental Involvement and Family Engagement—led MHUSD to establish the Family and Community Engagement Center (FACE) and expansion of its programs. This center employs family engagement liaisons for each school in the district to promote family engagement and involvement. FACE also includes a wellness center that serves a subset of the student population (approximately >10% of total MHUSD population - although I am unable to confidently verify this) with special needs related to wellness and special education which is not impacted by this budget cuts. Notably, none of FACE center programs, employees and liaisons appear to have been impacted by the proposed budget cuts. Whether the initial budget for FACE launch and operation came from the Covid fund also remains unclear.