Employees Plead for Relief as Brentwood School Board Weighs $500K in Cuts

Eight district workers — teachers, custodians, aides and food service staff — filled the Feb. 11 Brentwood Union School District Governing Board meeting with emotional testimony about unaffordable health insurance and stagnant wages, just as the board began deliberating half a million dollars in budget reductions for next year and bracing for more pain ahead.

• All three employee unions unite to demand better pay and affordable health benefits during active negotiations

• $500,000 in proposed budget cuts for 2026-27 include eliminating the widely used IXL digital learning program; board pushes back

• Governor's budget threatens $8M shortfall for BUSD under Proposition 98 minimum funding

• IME school construction wraps up over $1M under budget, returning $354,865.94 to the Measure B bond fund

• Clean financial audits approved for both the district and its Measure B bond fund

• Student walkouts at three middle schools prompt board chair to address campus safety and parental expectations

• 130 students from eight schools celebrated at sold-out Black History Month Oratorical

The most powerful moments of the evening came not from the dais but from the podium, where eight speakers representing the Brentwood Teachers Association (BTA), California School Employees Association (CSEA) classified staff, and other district employees described in vivid, personal terms what it means to work for one of the lowest-funded districts in California.