Brentwood Union Budget Holds Reserve as One-Time State Money Swells

Brentwood Union School District's budget picture is improving on paper and worsening underneath. The Board of Education's Aug. 12, 2026, review of the 45-day budget revise showed the district's restricted balance more than doubling on one-time state grants, while ongoing state underfunding and falling enrollment keep pressure on future years. Trustees also heard new attendance targets and a summer program report, and unanimously approved a slate of routine items.

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• Restricted ending balance jumps to $15.9M from $6M on one-time state grants; unrestricted reserve holds at 6.74%
• State underfunding and enrollment decline cost the district an estimated $7M+ and about $2M, respectively
• Chronic absenteeism target set at 12% for next year as attendance finished at 94.75%
• Enrollment stands at 10,073, down 339 from last year's end, though 66 students enrolled since the last meeting
• Summer programs served hundreds, including 220+ students with IEPs and a 160-student math academy

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One-Time Cash Surges, Structural Gap Persists

The basics: The 45-day revise updates a district's adopted budget after the state finalizes its own. Brentwood Union adopted its budget June 17; Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the state budget June 29.

Why it matters: One-time money is flowing in, but it cannot cover recurring costs like salaries. That leaves the district exposed to "funding cliffs" when grants expire.

Where things stand: The state budget brings a 2.87% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) and a 1.44% ongoing increase to the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) base. LCFF is California's main school funding formula. Staff expect the LCFF increase to offset roughly $300,000 a year in new paid pregnancy disability leave costs.

The bigger dollars are one-time. The district expects an estimated $8.873M Discretionary Block Grant, calculated at $915 per unit of average daily attendance (ADA) and pending confirmation from the California Department of Education. It also expects $578,000 more in Learning Recovery Emergency Block Grant funds. Together, those push the restricted ending balance from $6M to $15.9M.

The unrestricted reserve, the district's flexible cushion, did not budge. "Nothing has changed based on what the governor signed into law," said a district finance staff member. The reserve sits at 6.74% this year, 7.57% in year two and 6.36% in year three. Those projections exclude the 2.3% salary increase from June.

The other side: The presenter cautioned against treating one-time grants as a foundation. "We can't build future budgets on that assumption," the staff member said.

The structural drags are significant. The state's ongoing Prop 98 funding, the voter-approved minimum guarantee for K-14 schools, falls almost $4 billion short, according to the presentation. Locally, that means "$7 million or more that would be ongoing revenue for our district," the staff member said. A 165-student enrollment decline adds to the gap: "It reduces our revenue by about $2 million because our enrollment has dropped." The district has already made reductions of $2.3M and about $500,000.

A trustee said the numbers show the impact of state underfunding but credited the district's choices: "We've been able to retain the intervention programs and the teachers that go with that."

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: The item was informational, and the board took no vote. Students in intervention programs and their teachers keep their programs for now. Employees should note that the 2.3% raise is not yet reflected in multiyear projections, a gap that will matter as reserves tighten in year three.

What's next: Unaudited actuals come to the board Sept. 9. The first interim budget report is due Dec. 10.

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Every Absent Day Has a Price Tag

Why it matters: In California, state funding follows attendance and enrollment, so absences and departures translate directly into lost revenue.

Where things stand: Attendance finished at 94.75%, short of the 95.5% goal. The district has joined a countywide attendance campaign. Its work will focus on removing barriers to attendance, a feedback loop with the School Attendance Review Board (SARB), and site climate committees.

"We want to reduce our chronic absenteeism by 1.4% each year," said a district staff member presenting the item. The targets are 12% next year and 10% in two years.

Board President Scott Dudek asked whether outreach should tell families that the district doesn't get paid for each day a student misses. The presenter said the message is already out: "We do have the flyers that say it's $75 a day." Community feedback on that approach has been mixed, she said.

The enrollment math: The district enrolled 10,412 students at the end of last year and 10,073 now, including preschool. "That's a big difference of 339 kids," the presenter said. There are bright spots. The district added 66 students since the last meeting, including 15 in TK and 18 in kindergarten. Grades 6 and 7 are growing, and Brentwood Elementary filled a full new TK class.

Timing matters. Funding is based on October enrollment, which was 10,163 last year. The district earns no money for students who enroll after October break.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: No vote was taken. Families will see attendance outreach, including flyers tying absences to lost dollars. School sites will carry new climate committee work. Every student retained before the October count protects revenue that the budget presentation showed is already under strain.

What's next: The October enrollment count will set this year's funding baseline.

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Summer Programs Draw Strong Numbers

Why it matters: The programs serve students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and unduplicated students, meaning low-income students, English learners and foster youth. Several reported waitlists.

Where things stand: Two summer program managers presented three programs:

• Extended School Year at Loma Vista served students with IEPs from preschool through eighth grade. "We had over 220 students this year and 40 teachers and over 80 classified staff members," said one program manager.
• Right at School provided extended learning for more than 200 TK-5 students.
• Summer Math Academy at Isaac Montañez Elementary enrolled 160 students in grades 2-5. The academy used 10-to-1 ratios, a Jo Boaler curriculum and transportation from Liberty Union, with a focus on attendance recovery. "We served 2,721 meals to our Summer Academy students this summer," said a second program manager.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: The item was informational. Staff thanked custodians, food services, nurses and district departments. Trustees and Board President Dudek praised the work.

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Minor Items

• Measure B: Bond-funded summer work finished, including Bristow Middle School gym HVAC replacement, with students using the gym by day five. Flooring was completed at Brentwood, Guerin, Bristow and Pioneer, and pilot playground turf went in at Ron Nunn Elementary. The work was managed by Sean Stroman of Cumming Group under the $158M bond voters passed in 2016.
• Resolution 26-25: Approved without opposition. It allows listed credentialed teachers to teach electives and local assignments outside their primary credential in 2026-27 while staying compliant with the Education Code.
• Routine approvals: Consent items 8.0-8.15 and the 2027-28 goals and Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) timeline each passed. For: 5, Against: 0, Absent: 0.
• Closed session: The board reported a 5-0 vote to reinstate a student.
• Superintendent's report: Superintendent Dana Eaton thanked donors, including the Young Professionals Network, local clergy and the Rotary Club of Brentwood. She also noted the return of the school resource officer.

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Looking Ahead

The textbook sufficiency hearing, opened Aug. 12, closes at the next meeting. Three updated board policies that reflect changes in law return for action on the consent agenda. Unaudited actuals are due Sept. 9.