Board Approves Year-End Financials as One-Time Safety Net Runs Dry

The Cabrillo Unified School Board closed the books on a fiscal year that landed close to projections — but the cushion is thinner now. With the one-time Fund 40 transfer that propped up the budget effectively spent down to $80,000, board members signaled that the district's structural deficit spending must be confronted before reserves erode further. In a busy Sept. 10 meeting, the board also selected a contractor for its multi-phase high school rebuild and contracted two outside agencies to fill special education vacancies it could not staff internally.

• Year-end financials approved with $5.88M in combined reserves, but Fund 40 — the one-time fiscal lifeline — is now exhausted
• Rodan Builders selected to lead Half Moon Bay High School rebuild through a $60K preconstruction contract
• Two outside agencies contracted to fill special education vacancies approaching legal caseload caps
• $290,600 approved for electric bus charging infrastructure, partially funded by state grant
• Board endorses resolution supporting Proposition 3, which would make permanent income tax rates funding schools
• October 22 study session announced on elementary school fields and facilities master plan

Why it matters: Cabrillo Unified is a community-funded district, meaning local property taxes — not state per-pupil funding — drive the budget. With the one-time $3.5M Fund 40 transfer that softened prior shortfalls now nearly depleted, the board must find structural savings or risk burning through its remaining $5.88M in combined reserves.