Millions in budget cuts to West Contra Costa schools raise concerns for students, staff, families – The Mercury News
RICHMOND – Millions more in budget cuts are coming to the West Contra Costa Unified School District as officials continue to grapple with how to balance the budget and meet the needs of students, staff and the community.
Facing 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 at Wednesday’s meeting.
In addition to draining the reserve fund and borrowing from the retiree health fund, county officials agreed to cut staff, consolidate two middle schools, and eliminate the kindergarten through eighth-grade model, according to the Fiscal Solvency Plan trustees adopted Wednesday.
“Our job 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 the voices of the community at the table,” said Enllana.
The first reduction of $60.4 billion is expected to occur in the 2026-27 fiscal year. About $23 million will come from defined benefit and retirement funds, $5.1 million from reductions in materials, facilities, services and contracts, $15.1 million from layoffs and $17.3 million from department restructuring.
Another $27.2 million in cuts is planned for the 2027-28 fiscal year, and comes from borrowing from the retiree health fund in addition to cuts to other contracts, school and special education programs, capital, and technology.
Betty Reid Soskin Middle School students will be moved to Pinole Middle School as the campuses are consolidated, and middle school students currently at the K-8 campus will be moved to the middle school campus.
“The implications of all of these ideas are real and personal for our students, our staff and our families,” said Katherine Acosta-Verprauskus, dean of teaching and learning. “However, it is our responsibility to move through this time with care, keeping the district’s financial stability a priority while doing everything we can to support strong education, meaningful programs and the well-being of the students we serve.”
While the vote was unanimous, trustee Jamela Smith-Folds criticized most of her colleagues for approving new contracts with the district’s two labor groups, the United Teachers of Richmond and Teamsters Local 856, the union that represents janitors, cafeteria workers and others.
The union won an 8% pay raise over two years and additional benefits after a collective strike in December.
Smith-Folds voted for the Teamsters contract but joined Trustee Leslie Reckler in opposing the deal with the United Teachers of Richmond. At Wednesday’s meeting, Smith-Folds said board members knew yes votes on the contracts would lead to layoffs, consolidations and other cuts.
No other plans have been introduced to block those budget solutions, he said, arguing that politics, not leadership, has put the district in its current state.
“The first thing you need to do is to stop playing in front of the public as if there is another budget plan on the table to pay for the promises that most of you made,” said Smith-Folds. “We have to take opportunities out of chaos now. There is no choice.”
The president of the United Teachers of Richmond, Francisco Ortiz, warned trustees that major instability could hit the district if road repair efforts lose existing workers or popular programs. District finances, for the most part, are driven by enrollment, and students tend to come to school when there are enriching extracurriculars and trusted adults on campus, he said.
Echoing Ortiz’s argument, students lined up during Wednesday’s assembly to explain how important people like librarians and programs like band are to their development.
Richmond High School student and marching band member Bella Mariscal said her ability to speak for music programs is directly related to her experience playing an instrument on stage.
“Without music, I wouldn’t have found my self-confidence, my community or myself,” said Mariscal. “When we take music out of primary school, we don’t just cut the program, we take the opportunity, we silence the talent, we close the doors before the children even know it’s there.”
With the grant for the music program about to expire, the district suggested that campuses use the additional $4 million from Proposition 28, a state tax that funds the arts in schools, to help close the gap. That would mean that school administrators would have strong decisions about what programs to offer.
Making tough decisions is nothing new for the West Contra Costa Unified School District.
Officials have faced multimillion-dollar deficits for decades, it was the first district in the state to declare bankruptcy and was bailed out with a $28.5 million loan from the state in 1991.
The loan was repaid in 2012, but the district continued to cut the budget to remain financially stable and maintain local control. The previous solvency plan, which came under pressure from the Contra Costa County Office of Education, called for $32.7 million in cuts between the 2024-25 and 2026-27 school years.
Declining enrollment rates and rising labor and operating costs have led to revenue catching up with costs, district office workers say. There are 24,792 students enrolled in this district, compared to 28,247 247 before the pandemic.
Campus administrators and staff have long warned that the district will not be able to get out of its budget crisis. The unions urged the leadership to review the implementation of the contract, a request the trustees plan to follow. They agreed at Wednesday’s meeting that the contract review committee be temporarily reinstated, two members of which will be appointed by the president of the board.
Reviving Measure T, the 2016 parcel tax that charges homeowners 7.2 cents per square foot of building space, is also on the table. Depending on the results of the survey, the district may consider asking voters to increase the parcel tax, which currently generates about $9.8 million annually.
The revenue promised in the state budget for things like special education, professional development, learning recovery and public schools could also help prevent future hits from becoming a reality.
Whatever decisions await the district, staff and community members broadly agreed that better transparency about district finances and clear communication and collaboration in decision-making will be important.
“I don’t know all the ins and outs of how to solve the financial challenges we have,” said Betty Reid Soskin Middle School Principal Jason Lau. “I hope that whatever happens, our community, the community that has been talking about what is of great importance to them, is well taken care of.”
