Antioch Schools Approve $6.6M in Preliminary Cuts as $7.9M Gap Emerges

Antioch Unified's Governing Board learned Oct. 28, 2026, that $7.9M in savings planned for this school year never materialized. Trustees responded by approving a revised fiscal recovery plan and a first round of $6.6M in reductions for 2027-28. The same night, the board formally opened contract talks with its teachers and classified unions, which say the cuts should stay out of classrooms.

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• $6.6M in preliminary 2027-28 cuts approved, including $3.2M from certificated staff, toward a $21.58M target
• $7.9M of 2026-27 savings went unrealized, forcing a county-required rewrite of the recovery plan
• Bargaining opens with teachers and classified staff as unions warn cuts must spare students
• Parents and teachers press on special education, fire alarms and math instruction
• Developer fees rise to state maximum: $5.38 per square foot residential, about $3M a year
• $31.5M guaranteed price locked for new Fremont Elementary buildings

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Budget Hole Deepens as Cuts Begin

Why it matters: Antioch Unified is working under county oversight to restore its reserves. Missing $7.9M in savings this year raises the stakes for next year's cuts, and staff acknowledged classrooms will feel them.

Where things stand: Assistant Superintendent of Business Services and Operations Rosa Losa reported that of $18.2M in planned 2026-27 savings, the district achieved $10.28M. The $7.9M shortfall will be corrected at first interim, the state-required midyear budget update.

For 2027-28, staff identified $6,662,870 in preliminary reductions: $1.1M in management, $2.2M in classified non-management and $3.2M in certificated non-management. That is the first slice of a $21.58M target. Losa stressed the list is still evolving. "This is not the final list," she said.

Board Member Antonio Hernandez pressed on credibility given the missed targets. "How reliable, I guess, are these savings estimates at this point?" he asked.

Board Member Mary Rocha asked whether cuts would be permanent. "Does that mean it's permanently taken away and we won't be able to replace it in the future?" she asked. Losa replied that special education is protected and that classrooms will be affected through declining enrollment. "Declining enrollment is real and we need to staff classrooms based on the number of students that we have," she said.

Superintendent Jose Banda was direct about the stakes. "We know that it's going to impact our students," he said.

The other side: Board Member Olga Cobos-Smith said she would consider every option, telling colleagues, "For me, nothing is off the table." She also asked staff for written analyses of how each cut would affect students. Earlier in the evening, Antioch Education Association President Bob Carson argued that past restructuring protected administrators at educators' expense. "The people farthest from our students were kept, and those closest to our students were let go," Carson said. "Keep the cuts away from our students."

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: On Hernandez's motion, the board approved the Fiscal Recovery and Financial Stability Plan revised Oct. 28, 2026, by voice vote. It then adopted Resolution 2026-27-40, approving the preliminary reduction amounts and directing staff to keep identifying savings. Cobos-Smith moved the resolution and Rocha seconded; it passed by voice vote with no tally announced. Certificated staff carry the largest share at $3.2M, and the plan charts the district's path back to a 3% reserve. Specific positions still require separate board action. Robert Shumwell, the district's county-assigned fiscal advisor, attended the discussion.

What's next: Staff will return Nov. 18 with detailed lists. "We plan to come back on November 18th with more detailed lists for board consideration and approval," Losa said. The plan is due to the county by Nov. 30.

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Contract Talks Open Under a Budget Cloud

The basics: "Sunshining" is the public presentation of each side's opening proposals before bargaining begins.

Where things stand: At Hernandez's motion, the board suspended its rules so union members in the audience could see items 12B through 12E heard early. Trustees then accepted four initial proposals by separate voice votes.

The district's proposal to the Antioch Education Association covers Articles 12, 15 and 18, addressing salary, class size and leaves. AEA's proposal targets Articles 11, 12 and 16, plus maternity leave legislation and the 2028-29 calendar.

With California School Employees Association Chapter 85, the district proposes changes to Articles 12, 13 and 15. CSEA proposes changes to Articles 8 and 28 and a new Article 32 on technology and artificial intelligence.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Talks on pay, hours, class size and safety now run in parallel with the cuts. Carson's criticism of past reductions previews the union's posture. CSEA Classified President Brian Atkinson, head custodian at Bidwell, said he would save most comments for a later day and looked forward to negotiations.

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Parents, Teachers Press on Safety and Special Ed

Why it matters: Three speakers connected budget strain to students with disabilities, building safety and core instruction.

Where things stand: Parent Danielle Watson asked which fire alarm systems are working and urged leaders to speak with parents directly — "not through a game of telephone," she said. She argued that "transparency must include student safety."

Teacher Amanda Freitas said paraeducator support ends Oct. 29 after three weeks and criticized the follow-up to an administrator's observation. "This is not collaboration," she said. She also raised Child Find, the federal duty to identify and evaluate students who may have disabilities, objecting to requirements for multiple Student Study Team meetings before an evaluation. "It should not take 2 years of interventions for a kindergartner to receive appropriate support and services," Freitas said.

Fremont Elementary second-grade teacher Ambra Dagan said the new math curriculum spends four days on addition facts using many strategies. Citing researcher Matthew Burns and a Monterey County study, she argued fluency is foundational. "What are we doing to address the math fact problem in our district?" she asked.

What's next: Hernandez asked that math resource information be shared through the weekly board update. Student board members separately raised Algebra 1 and 2 support. Trustees also asked to agendize special education transition data.

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Developer Fees Rise to State Maximum

Where things stand: SchoolWorks President Ken Reynolds said allowable rates rose 4% since 2024. The study justified $7.57 per square foot for residential construction, above the state cap. The average new home is 1,981 square feet and generates just over 0.4 students. "We're projecting about $3 million a year," Reynolds said.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: No one spoke at the public hearing. The board then adopted Resolution 2026-27-36 by voice vote, levying Level 1 fees of $5.38 per square foot residential and $0.87 commercial. Rocha asked whether apartments were covered, and staff said they pay the residential rate. The one-time fees fund school facilities, but revenue depends on how much gets built.

What's next: Fees take effect after 60 days, on Dec. 27. Board President Jag Lathan flagged a Laurel Street development labeled as Brentwood schools, and staff will check boundaries.

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Fremont Elementary Price Locked at $31.5M

The board adopted Resolution 2026-27-37 by voice vote without debate, setting a guaranteed maximum price of $31,509,542 with BHM Construction LLC. The project includes new administration, multipurpose room and TK-K buildings. Director of Facilities Miguel Cruz said BHM earned the highest best-value score under the lease-leaseback process, a delivery method in which the builder leases the site and leases the finished facility back to the district. The price includes allowances for comments still expected from the Division of the State Architect, which has not yet signed off.

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• Salary study under fire: Cobos-Smith challenged a $186,000 School Services contract, including $335 per hour for extra work; staff said it is on hold, and trustees agreed to agendize it.
• Deer Valley football: Banda said possible sanctions over alleged violations would apply only to football; "It's specific to the football team," he said.
• Superintendent report: Banda announced El Niño planning, flat enrollment and rising attendance; student trustees reported higher Deer Valley graduation rates.
• Consent agenda passed after Cobos-Smith questioned demography study frequency and how PBIS training will be sustained at six schools.
• Routine actions: Board approved textbook sufficiency, state facilities signers, two credential resolutions and stipulated expulsions 919 and 921; no Williams complaints reported.

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The board meets next on Nov. 18, when detailed budget reductions return, and again on Dec. 16, 2026. Trustees also asked for future items on community schools and AI policy. The meeting adjourned in honor of Dolores Huerta.