Board Splits 3-2 on $20M Pool Design Over $6M Budget Gap

The Cabrillo Unified School Board pushed through a packed agenda Wednesday night, unanimously adopting the district's budget, accountability plan, and a new meal vendor — then fractured over a $19.8 million aquatic facility at Half Moon Bay High School that exceeds the Measure K master plan by $6.2 million. The evening ended with all five members voting to put the educational parcel tax renewal before voters in November, even as the vice president warned the board was "not projecting competence" in how it prepared the measure.

• Board approves $19.8M pool-and-teaching-pool design 3-2, with two members voting no over missing written community funding commitments for a $6.2M budget overage

• Parcel tax renewal heads to the Nov. 3 ballot after unanimous vote, but Vice President Cerneka slams 200-person survey and lack of community committee

• Teacher calls on district leadership to talk directly with staff, warning that misinformation-based complaints signal a communication breakdown

• New meal vendor Ordo Inc. approved at $4.20 per lunch, as the district bets better food will close a $300,000 annual gap

• 2026-27 LCAP and district budget adopted unanimously, with new IXL assessment platform coming for TK-12

A Pool Worth Fighting Over: $6.2M Gap Divides the Board

The longest and most contentious debate of the night centered on whether to approve a $2,079,652 design fee for a new aquatic complex at Half Moon Bay High School — a project with a total construction value of $19,806,207, or $6,166,067 more than the $13.6 million allocated in the Measure K facilities master plan.

Why it matters: This is the community's best shot in a generation at a proper aquatic facility. The design includes a 14-lane main pool — 10 competition-depth lanes, three teaching-depth lanes, and one transition lane — plus a separate three-lane teaching pool. But the price tag forces a choice: front-load the investment and hope donors materialize, or slow down and risk losing momentum entirely.

Where things stand: Superintendent Dr. Ramon Miramontes urged the board to move forward, framing it as a calculated bet on a community with a track record of giving.

"I'm gonna ask the board to front-load the $6 million," he said. "If we just do one pool, no teaching pool, I would not recommend that at all."

Two public commenters reinforced the case. Kirk Riemer, representing Friends of Half Moon Bay Parks and Rec, pointed to the community-funded event center as a model:

"When I was a trustee, we only contributed 3 million to that project, but the total was like 15 million."

Jesse Schick made an emotional case rooted in equity:

"Approximately 60% of people of Black or Hispanic heritage have no or limited ability to swim. That's really dangerous."

The other side: Vice President Peter Cerneka was the sharpest critic. He said the board was making a major financial commitment without the safeguards he considered essential — namely, written pledges from community partners, the county, or major donors.

"I'm comfortable fronting some of the money if there are written commitments in place, if we get commitments from people saying we share this goal," Cerneka said.

He also pushed for exploring whether the site's service road footprint could accommodate a 16-lane pool:

"I want to make sure that I can look people in the community in the eye and say I did my best and I exhausted every effort to maximize the size of the pool."

Board Member Breanna Lafontaine also voted no, citing the lack of a concrete plan for closing the gap.

"This is $6 million. Where if we put $6 million to some other things, it'd be easy to say, this classroom's using for this," she said.

Decisions: The motion passed 3-2 (For: Cortes, Alexander, Daniel; Against: Cerneka, Lafontaine; Absent: none).

The architect, Drew, told the board a three-to-five-month delay to August or September could work, but a 12-to-14-month pause would be problematic for the project timeline.

What's next: The design phase is now underway. The board has no written community funding commitments to offset the $6.2 million gap. Cerneka returned to the issue during closing remarks:

"We just made a move to invest $6 million on the hope that the community is going to respond and pick this up. And I hope they will. I'm even optimistic they will. But that's beside the point. We should not have made that decision."

Parcel Tax Headed to November Ballot — but the Process Drew Fire

A Unanimous Vote Masks Deep Frustration

The board unanimously adopted Resolution 09-2026, placing the educational parcel tax renewal on the Nov. 3, 2026, ballot. But the 5-0 vote obscured sharp disagreement about how the district got there.

The basics: The existing parcel tax funds teacher and staff salaries and cannot be used for administrator pay. The new ballot language, developed with consultant Dale Scott and Associates and informed by a survey, does not name individual schools — a choice survey data showed tested better. The renewal includes expanded categories such as "career training and college readiness programs" and could generate roughly $500,000 in additional revenue.

Why it matters: If the measure fails, the district would eventually lose a critical revenue stream underpinning competitive teacher compensation — a scenario no board member wanted to risk, which is why even the harshest critic voted yes.

Where things stand: Vice President Peter Cerneka unloaded on the process. He called the 200-person survey too small to be meaningful and noted no community committee had been convened — unlike the 2019 Measure I effort.

"I respectfully disagree. It's 200 people. It doesn't tell us anything. And we're going to base this decision off of that. And I just think it's not the right way to operate," Cerneka said.

He warned the board was "not projecting competence" and noted the prior parcel tax may have passed only because of strike-related urgency.

Board Member Breanna Lafontaine recalled serving on the 2019 parcel tax committee and agreed that deeper community engagement could have secured higher revenue.

Superintendent Dr. Ramon Miramontes acknowledged he was unaware of the previous committee model.

"Let's remind ourselves that if there was a good process that we've done before, when we have any consultant that comes up here, let's remind us to see how we might be able to utilize that process that includes the community so that we have buy-in from our constituents," he said.

Decisions: Approved 5-0 by roll call.

What's next: Voters will decide the parcel tax renewal on Nov. 3, 2026. The board has signaled it wants a community engagement plan built around the measure before the campaign begins.

Teacher Urges Communication Fix as Board Adopts LCAP

New Assessment Tools Coming, but Staff Want More Face Time

The board unanimously adopted the 2026-27 Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) following a June 11 public hearing, but the most memorable moment came from the public comment period.

Why it matters: The LCAP directs supplemental state funding toward the district's most vulnerable populations — English learners, low-income students, foster youth, and students with special needs. Next year, the district will also adopt IXL for TK-12 formative math and ELA assessments, filling a longstanding gap that has forced LCAP planning to rely on year-old state test results.

Where things stand: Julie Ron, a teacher and union negotiating team member, urged district leadership to increase proactive, face-to-face communication with school staff. She argued that misinformation-based complaints to the board are symptoms of deeper problems:

"When that situation is happening frequently, it's an indication that something's breaking down in communication."

Ron cited positive examples — collaborative bell-schedule development and Chief Academic Officer Israel Castillo's visit to a science collaboration meeting — and framed teachers as ready partners:

"You have teachers and site leaders who really want to collaborate with you. Let's collaborate and achieve what we want for our community."

Board Member Breanna Lafontaine pressed staff on mid-year accountability:

"Is there a mid-year point? Like, hey, this is how we're doing on these goals. Are we on track?"

Superintendent Dr. Ramon Miramontes committed to building district benchmark assessments using IXL and writing prompts, aiming for at least two assessment windows next year — fall and February.

Vice President Peter Cerneka requested a comprehensive assessment inventory and asked how the LCAP maintains smaller class sizes. Miramontes explained that LCAP funding supports extra teachers for small-group instruction and preserves lower K-3 class sizes. President Lizet Cortes suggested adding a permanent LCAP study session to the annual board calendar.

Decisions: Approved 5-0.

What's next: The San Mateo County Office of Education will review the district's LCAP goals to ensure they specifically target English learners, low-income students, foster youth, and students with special needs. A new three-year LCAP template from the state is expected in the next cycle.

New Meal Vendor Approved as District Eyes Participation Boost

The board unanimously approved a vended meal agreement with Ordo Inc., selected through a competitive RFP process, at $4.20 per lunch and $2.20 per breakfast.

Why it matters: The district currently absorbs approximately $300,000 in net food-service costs — the gap between what it pays for meals and what the state reimburses. Staff are betting that higher-quality food will increase average daily participation, thereby driving up state reimbursement revenue. Special dietary meals are included at the same price.

Food Service Coordinator Stephanie Modena explained that bell schedules affect participation rates. At Hatch, where students play before eating, participation is stronger; at other sites, students eat first and rush out. Extra meals are donated to Coastside Hope.

Board Member Breanna Lafontaine raised the per-meal cost-to-reimbursement gap. The district's farm-to-school grant-funded salad bar program at elementary sites, which Superintendent Dr. Ramon Miramontes confirmed expanded to all elementary schools before Easter, will not be affected by the Ordo agreement.

Decisions: Approved 5-0.

Minor Items

• Pool demolition design at Half Moon Bay High School approved at $41,141 (5-0), launching the first phase of Measure K aquatics work.

• Building G classroom design approved at $2,330,577 (5-0) for a two-story, 22,000-square-foot building housing general education, special education, CTE, and administrative offices at Half Moon Bay High. Vice President Cerneka requested weeks of advance notice on major design decisions so he can seek community input. Board Member Lafontaine asked that staff input be documented and shared with the board throughout the design process.

• 2026-27 district budget adopted unanimously as required by state law. President Cortes praised Chief Business Officer Jennifer Marsh for her growth and dedication.

• Los Listos Learning Program staff recognized for five years of inclusive early education. The California State Preschool Program now serves 45 children, with eight IEP students in morning inclusion classrooms following a 20/80 model where special education services are delivered inside the classroom. Site Supervisor Graciela Krabbenschmidt reported all qualifying families were enrolled this year, with space — not funding — as the main barrier to expansion.

• Consent agenda approved 5-0 by roll call after one item (5E) was pulled for clarification regarding a truancy-related position. Item 3D was removed from the agenda prior to approval.