President Jamela Smith-Folds (upper right), Trustees Otheree Christian (bottom left) and Leslie Reckler (bottom right) and Superintendent Dr. Chris Hurst (bottom center) during the West Contra Costa Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting on Wed., June 26, 2024. Video screenshot.

“The school district has shown, repeatedly, that it is unwilling or unable to balance and focus its budget.” – Area 3 Trustee Mister Phillips

“We’re in a budget crisis. I’m no longer rubber-stamping things that should be investigated.” Area 5 Trustee Leslie Reckler

Staff will work “collaboratively” with district, community leaders and “alongside Contra Costa County Office of Education” – Assoc. Superintendent Dr. Kim Moses

By Allen D. Payton

In response to the Thursday article from EdSource.org republished by the Herald on Friday, regarding the takeover of the West Contra Costa Unified School District budget by the county Office of Education, due to the failure to pass their Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) budget, WCCUSD board members and staff shared their thoughts, concerns and plans.

As previously reported, WCCUSD may be on the verge of turning over control of its budget and day-to-day running of the district to the county after the school board rejected the district’s Local Control Accountability Plan on Wednesday night, limiting the chance of passing a 2024-25 district budget by July 1, as required by state law.

Without passing an LCAP — a document that sets district goals to improve student outcomes and how to achieve them — the board cannot vote on the proposed budget, said Dr. Kim Moses, associate superintendent of business services at West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD). The two are linked; the LCAP is a portion of the budget and gives the district a road map on how to allocate funding for its $484 million budget. The district risks losing local control over funding decisions. Trustees voting no said it didn’t reflect priorities of the community and was not transparent.

The vote on the LCAP failed 1-2-1 with Board President and Area 1 Trustee Jamela Smith-Folds voting in favor, Area 3 Trustee Mister Phillips and Area 5 Trustee Leslie Reckler voting against, and Area 2 Trustee Otheree Christian voting to abstain. Board Clerk and Area 4 Trustee Demetrio Gonzalez Hoy was absent.

An email was sent Friday afternoon, June 28, 2024, to all five WCCUSD board members and Superintendent Dr. Chris Hurst. But Hurst is out of the office until July 12, so the question was then sent to Associate Superintendent of Business Services, Dr. Kim Moses. He later forwarded the email to Raechelle Forrest, Director of Communications for the District. They were asked what the board and district will do by this Sunday to avoid the takeover. Calls were also made to each board member.

“I’m waiting to hear from the board president. Because the president is the only one who can call a meeting, said Christian.

Phillips responded, “First, the county Office of Education will not take over the school district. The county office will create a budget for the school district with the school district’s input. Second, I think that is best for the school district. The school district has shown, repeatedly, that it is unwilling or unable to balance and focus its budget.”

“Now, we have a chance at a balanced and focused budget that prioritizes the school district’s strategic plan,” he continued. “That is what we need, and I do not mind working with the county office to get it.”

“As far as I am concerned, the county office is part of local control,” Phillips added.

When asked if a special board meeting would be called, Reckler said, “I don’t have any knowledge of a board meeting, as of now.” But she believes a special board meeting doesn’t require the president to call one and can be called by two members.

“It’s not something I’m going to do,” she added.

Asked about not approving the LCAP Reckler said, “It’s certainly not ideal. I wish we could have done it ourselves. But I needed to send a strong message.”

“It’s been a long-standing concern of mine, the transparency about the LCAP,” she continued. “There are different parts of the budget including the LCAP designated for English-language learners, although districts have wide latitude in how they spend those funds. I’ve been deeply concerned over information we get back on how the programs are working.”

“We’re in a budget crisis” Reckler stated. “I’m no longer rubber-stamping things that should be investigated in this crisis. Is it ideal? No. Am I proud of it? Not really. I’m very thoughtful in my decisions and I needed to put my foot down.”

She later shared, “I looked up the ability to call a meeting. Ed Code 54956 says that the president or a majority of the board can call for a meeting. So, for the WCCUSD, it would be three members.”

On Thursday she posted a statement about the matter her official Facebook page. But first, Reckler wrote, “Last night’s meeting was a memorable one and probably a first.

The LCAP portion of 2024-2025 budget failed to pass. Because the LCAP failed to pass, the 2024-25 site plans and the 2024-2025 budget could not be considered. I voted No, and it is important for you to know why. I have a fiduciary and accountability responsibility, and in these extremely lean fiscal times, I will not vote in the affirmative on a $64.8 million dollar plan that is not transparent to me and to the general public.

Voting NO on the LCAP was not something that I took lightly at all. But after years of asking for changes in how information is presented to me, I am no longer rubber stamping this work.

Thank you to the LCAP committee (past and present) for years of raising issues with the process and the final result.

The Contra Costa County Office of Education will advise further on what will happen next with the budget. I will keep you posted on upcoming information as I receive it.”

Here is the video from the June 12th meeting LCAP public hearing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UzHxtXawu4 3-hour, 5-minute mark. There are also several comments about the LCAP in public comment at the 28 minute mark.

Here is the Board’s agenda from the June 12th LCAP public hearing meeting.

https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/…/ViewMeeting.aspx…

When the video is posted for the June 26th meeting, I will post that as well.

My comment on the LCAP from June 26, 2024 meeting is below.

(I may have made some changes on the fly while speaking.)”

Reckler Statement on LCAP Vote

“For the past two years and now this year, making it three years, I find myself making the same comments about the LCAP. That is, the presentations concentrate heavily on state required compliance metrics and do not succinctly show how the programs in the LCAP performed, how money was spent, and how the community’s feedback was incorporated into the plan.

To me, there are three parts to this:

Money, program success and community engagement reflected In the plan.

First, money.

How much money did you get this year and how much money did you get last year and what is the difference? How much carryover do you have and why? Then, where did you miss on big dollars – either wildly overspending or underspending and why?

Second, how did your programs perform?

What programs did you hit, what programs did you miss and what programs don’t you know the answer to and why, and for the programs that you don’t know. What can you guestimate? For all of these metrics, what’s the reasoning that there were successes or misses.

Then, what are you changing in the LCAP and why along with the corresponding dollars.

Finally, community engagement. What feedback did the LCAP committee give you and how did you incorporate it? I think there are only five LCAP members. We used to have a robust, messy, beautifully engaged LCAP committee of probably 30 members and we were feeling heard.

While I value deeply the work of staff, and I do recognize the pressures that you are under, I am frustrated that I have to spend an entire weekend trying to figure out the changes in the LCAP. It should be self-evident.

This new, three-year LCAP seems to have collapsed so many categories into big buckets that it will make it hard to track any success metrics over the next three years. To me, this document seems less transparent than ever before.

I don’t know how else to get your attention, and I will not be held hostage. For all of these reasons, I’ll be voting No.”

District Will Work “Collaboratively” With District, Community Leaders and “Alongside CCC Office of Education

Associate Superintendent Moses, the District’s Chief Business Officer, responded with the following:

“The West Contra Costa Unified School District is dedicated to working collaboratively with district and community leaders to address the expressed concerns related to the 2024-25 LCAP adoption.  District leaders are working alongside the Contra Costa County Office of Education to ensure that the concerns related to the LCAP plan are addressed as quickly as possible.  Unfortunately, this will not occur before the July 1 deadline for adoption.

“West Contra Costa Unified School District is not subject to losing local control of our budgetary functions as a result of the recent inaction by the Board.  We must now revert to the last board-adopted budget which is the 2023-24 third interim budget, adopted on May 29, 2024.  However, without an adopted LCAP plan, we must exclude the LCAP Supplemental/Concentration funding from our current budget.

“If an LCAP plan and budget are not adopted by August 15th, the Contra Costa County Office of Education may impose a budget for our district’s use.  In the interim, WCCUSD will be able to continue processing payroll without interruptions and we will be able to maintain all expenses related to the general operating costs within the district, such as utilities, required materials and supplies, and other operational necessities. Throughout this process, the WCCUSD business services team is dedicated to managing this budget transition while continuing a high level of service for our students, staff, and schools.”

For failure to pass LCAP budget; District must operate under last year’s budget; board must act by Sunday to avert take over.

By Monica Velez, EdSource.org (republished with permission)

First Published June 27, 2024 – The West Contra Costa Unified School District may be on the verge of turning over control of its budget and day-to-day running of the district to the county after the school board rejected the district’s Local Control Accountability Plan on Wednesday night, limiting the chance of passing a 2024-25 district budget by July 1, as required by state law.

Without passing a Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) — a document that sets district goals to improve student outcomes and how to achieve them — the board cannot vote on the proposed budget, said Dr. Kim Moses, associate superintendent of business services at West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD). The two are linked; the LCAP is a portion of the budget and gives the district a road map on how to allocate funding for its $484 million budget. The district risks losing local control over funding decisions. Trustees voting no said it didn’t reflect priorities of the community and was not transparent.

It’s a rare situation. Districts routinely pass budgets at the end of June to close the fiscal year and start a new one.

The vote on the LCAP failed 1-2-1 with President and Area 1 Trustee Jamela Smith-Folds voting in favor, Area 3 Trustee Mister Phillips and Area 5 Trustee Leslie Reckler voting against, and Area 2 Trustee Otheree Christian voting to abstain. Board Clerk and Area 4 Trustee Demetrio Gonzalez Hoy was absent.

District and Contra Costa County Office of Education officials warn that a failure to pass a budget and LCAP by July 1 will cede financial control to the county office. The district can still act by midnight Sunday to avert a takeover, but district officials are assuming that will not happen.

The district also would face difficulties getting the county’s approval of the budget. The state Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT), which focuses on helping districts solve and prevent fiscal challenges, found in a recent analysis that the district had overspent, and concluded that the school board had been unable or unwilling to make cuts.

In a statement to EdSource, Moses wrote she was “deeply disappointed” that the board didn’t pass the LCAP. The responsibility to adopt the LCAP and 2024-25 school year budget will be in the hands of county officials. Until they impose the new plan and budget, Moses said, the district will revert to operating under last year’s budget.

“We are confident that the county will review our circumstance with a student-focused lens and do what is necessary to support our students,” the statement said. “In the interim, we will be able to continue processing payroll without interruptions, and we will be able to maintain all expenses related to the general operating costs within the district, such as utilities, required materials and supplies, and other operational necessities.”

But because the district is functioning on last year’s budget, some schools won’t receive the funds they need, and the district can’t move forward with new goals set, said Javetta Cleveland, a school business consultant for West Contra Costa.

“This is really serious to go forward without a budget — the district cannot operate without a budget,” Cleveland said during the meeting. “The district can’t meet or establish priorities without a budget.”

Cleveland asked the board to reconsider approving the LCAP and have the Contra Costa County Office of Education approve the LCAP with conditions that would allow revisions after receiving feedback from parents. But that didn’t happen.

Budget shortfalls

District officials are projecting a $31.8 million budget deficit over the next three school years, with about $11.5 million in shortfalls projected for the upcoming school year. The plan was to use reserve funds over three school years to make up the shortfall.

To address budget shortfalls, the board has also had to eliminate more than 200 positions since last year. The most recent cuts were voted on in March. But at the same time, the district was dealing with three complaints, including allegations that the district is out of compliance with the law because teacher vacancies have not been filled and classes are being covered by long-term or day-to-day substitutes, which district officials acknowledged was true.

“While the result of last night’s board meeting complicates an already challenging financial situation, members of the community should know that WCCUSD schools will continue to operate, and employees will continue to be paid as we work through the LCAP approval process,” said Marcus Walton, communications director for county office. “At this point, it is the role of the Contra Costa County Office of Education to support WCCUSD staff to address the board’s concerns and implement a budget as soon as possible.”

FCMAT conducted a fiscal health risk analysis on West Contra Costa in March and found the district is overspending.

While the FCMAT analysis concluded the district has a “high” chance of solving the budget deficit, it highlighted areas it considers high-risk, including some charter schools authorized by the district also being in financial distress; the district’s failure to forecast its general fund cash flow for the current and subsequent year, and the board’s inability to approve a plan to reduce or eliminate overspending.

FCMAT’s chief executive officer, Michael Fine, was not available for comment.

The vote

President Jamela Smith-Folds was the only trustee to vote yes on the LCAP. She said she wants to see more transparency but that it’s important to keep local control over the LCAP and budget.

“I would be remiss if I didn’t say that there are things we need to do differently, but I think everyone is acknowledging that,” Smith-Folds said. “Now the next step after you acknowledge that is to show change and consistency.”

Trustees Leslie Reckler and Mister Phillips voted down the LCAP. Phillips said it was because he doesn’t believe that what the community asked for is reflected in the document.

“I have consistently advocated for a balanced and focused budget since joining the school board in 2016,” Phillips said in an email. “The proposed budget was neither. With my vote, I invited our local county superintendent to the table. I hope that she will work with us to create a balanced and focused budget that prioritizes the school district’s strategic plan.”

Reckler said that for the last two years, she had continued to ask staff to show how programs and the LCAP performed, how community feedback is being incorporated, and how money is being spent.

“I’m frustrated I have to spend an entire weekend trying to figure out the changes in the LCAP. It should be self-evident,” Reckler said during the meeting. “This document seems to be less transparent than ever before. I don’t know how else to get your attention, and I won’t be held hostage. For these reasons, I am voting ‘no.’”

Trustee Otheree Christian abstained, saying that there needs to be more transparency in the LCAP but did not elaborate further or respond to requests for comments on why he chose not to vote.

Board member Demetrio Gonzalez Hoy was absent because of personal family reasons, according to his social media post. He called the vote a failure of the board, including his absence.

In a recent meeting with the District Local Control Accountability Plan Committee (DLCAP), made up of parents and members of community organizations, committee members shared their frustrations, saying they didn’t feel heard and needed more information about programs, Superintendent Chris Hurst said. Gonzalez Hoy said he agreed with the committee that there needs to be more transparency and in regards to spending priorities, community leaders need to be heard.

“With that said, what we should have done is ensure that this does not happen in the future and that the DLCAP committee is taken seriously in their charge,” Gonzalez Hoy’s post said. “Unfortunately, instead of advocating for that and ensuring this occurs, I believe that some on our board want certain adults leading our district to fail and that’s really what led to a vote last night.”

During Wednesday night’s meeting, many community members asked the board to stop making staffing cuts and to reject the LCAP and budget proposals, saying that both proposals didn’t meet student needs, and disenfranchised low-income, English learners, and students of color. Some speakers questioned if the LCAP complied with the law.

The district team that put together the LCAP said the planning document complies with the law, according to Moses, as do the officials at the county office of education that reviewed the document. The county gives the final stamp of approval after the board passes the LCAP, and if something needs to be fixed, they can approve the document with conditions, she added.

“I do know, with any large document, nothing is perfect in the first draft,” Moses said during the meeting. “I’m not sure if there is something we need to take a look at, but if so, I’ll restate this is a living document; if we do find that there is an area that needs more attention, we’ll give attention to that area.”

Moses said she agrees with the advocates — the district needs to serve students better. She and the district are committed to strengthening communication with the community and explaining how the strategies in the 203-page document are helping students.

As of Thursday evening, an emergency meeting has not been scheduled. The next board meeting is scheduled on July 17.

Monica Velez covers West Contra Costa Unified school district, student well-being and math.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.