Board adopts 2026–27 budget, elects community board members and approves multiple contracts and labor items

The Birmingham Community Charter High District board adopted its 2026–27 budget by roll call and approved a set of contracts and personnel agreements at the meeting.

Staff summarized state budget developments, noting the Assembly and Senate proposals and that negotiators were still reconciling details. Staff said the recently discussed legislative agreement withholds $3.9 billion from the calculation of how much schools are owed and that the district was awaiting trailer bill language to see full impacts on local allocations. Staff told the board they expect to incorporate final state numbers at the July meeting.

On district finances, staff reported that the 25–26 actuals showed 89% of estimated revenues received and 85% of expected expenditures spent; they said they were "currently estimating ending at a negative 500,000 to our reserves for the current school year." Board members discussed enrollment assumptions (3,200 for planning, with some capacity for overage) and noted projected use of $4.9 million in multi-year grants next year.

The board approved a set of consent and action items: the school-year calendar for 2026–27 (with one date correction), the school plan for student achievement and Title I and LCAP items, and a series of contracts and license extensions. Notable approvals included an after-school services contract listed at $351,970 and a security-camera replacement project, funded with the School Violence Prevention Program grant, with a total project cost cited at $414,000. The board also approved expanding the district's accelerated/independent-study license to serve up to 100 students; staff explained supervising teachers will monitor student work while vendors provide subject-area instruction, and some supervising teachers will also serve as credentialed subject teachers as the program scales.

Labor and personnel items approved by roll call included a Teamsters letter regarding the 26–27 collective bargaining agreement (with reopener language) and a motion to align administrative HR director agreements to the teacher settlement. Board members who were district employees recused themselves where required; several roll-call votes were recorded and the items carried.

A procedural motion to consider electing community board members was moved by Marks and seconded by Robert Alexander; the motion to add the item to the agenda passed and the board proceeded to reselect four community board members for two-year terms. Board members discussed outreach and asked that the minutes explicitly reflect efforts to solicit candidates to forestall future criticism.

The meeting recessed into closed session to discuss conference and labor negotiators.