Board reviews LCAP and the proposed 2026–27 budget; multi‑year budget picture shows deficits and constrained reserves

The Apple Valley Unified School District board on June 4 heard district staff present the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) and a detailed proposed operating budget for 2026–27, then opened and closed public hearings on both documents.

Mariana Torres, director of Equity and Access, presented DLAC data and English learner outcomes. She reported the district serves 1,484 students designated as English learners and noted 921 students have been reclassified; reclassified students outperformed peers on CAASPP by roughly 52 points in English language arts, signaling strong reclassification and support systems. Torres described district investments in ELD specialists and a trainer-of-trainers model funded by $56,000 in SOS funds for Guided Language Acquisition Design (GLAD) training.

Chief business official Matthew Schulenberg reviewed the proposed 2026–27 operating budget. He said the district’s estimated actuals for 2025–26 reflect about a $7.9 million combined deficit spend and an ending general‑fund balance of roughly $23 million; projected revenue for 2026–27 is about $269 million. Staff are budgeting to meet the statutory 3% reserve requirement but not the board’s 5% target at adoption. Key assumptions include a statutory COLA (reported staff figure 2.87%), tentative state augmentations, and anticipated but not-yet-certain discretionary block grants. Multi‑year projections show enrollment (ADA) trending down slightly, which will pressure future revenue.

Trustees asked for clarifications on several points: comparisons between unaudited actuals and proposed budgets, the mechanics of supplemental and concentration funding (LCFF), the role of learning recovery emergency block grant funding (short-term, with required spend timelines), and how district staff will implement interventions to address chronic absenteeism (home visits by nurses, liaison models, and community connections).

During the meeting the board took several formal actions tied to budget and operations: it adopted Resolution 2526-22 to authorize a fee-justification study (Key Analytics) and, after public hearing, voted to adopt that resolution; it approved a tentative agreement with the Apple Valley Unified Teachers Association dated May 15, 2026; and it adopted Resolution 2526-23 to set spending determinations for Education Protection Account funds. All votes were taken by roll call and were approved by trustees present.

The public hearing portions of both the LCAP and the operating budget were opened and closed at the meeting; staff said the LCAP must return for final adoption on June 11. The budget remains subject to revision as the state finalizes its budget and as the district finalizes unaudited actuals for the year.

Next steps: staff will return with any requested line‑item clarifications (per trustee requests) and a final LCAP package and budget adoption item for the June 11 meeting.