College Park Parents Confront Board Over 12 Years of 'Broken Promises' on Athletic Facilities

The Mt. Diablo Unified School District board certified year-end financials showing a $36 million deficit — $8 million better than projected — then heard impassioned demands from College Park High School parents who say a 2014 resolution promising visitor bleachers and a press box has gone unfulfilled for more than a decade. The meeting also surfaced alarming safety data: 127 suspensions, 13 students threatening self-harm, and 31 staff injuries in just 23 school days.

• Parents demand action on College Park athletic facilities after 12-year-old board resolution goes unfulfilled and community-built press box is demolished

• 127 suspensions and 13 student mental health crises reported in the first 23 days of school, with 31 staff injuries including bites from students

• Board certifies $36M general fund deficit, an improvement over $44M projection, but fund balance projected to drop from $133M to $64M by 2028-29

• Trustee Lawrence defends social-emotional learning and sharply condemns Moms for Liberty for promoting book bans and LGBTQ student segregation

• Key fiscal risks flagged: $3.9 billion state IOU, federal special education uncertainty, new 14-week paid pregnancy leave costs, and unsettled labor contracts

Twelve Years and Counting: College Park Parents Force District's Hand

Three parents came to the podium with a shared message: the district has broken a 12-year-old promise, and they want answers.

Why it matters: In 2014, the board passed Resolution 141501 — funded through Measure C bond proceeds — that explicitly included visitor bleacher systems and a future press box at College Park High School. None of it was built. When parents finally constructed a press box themselves, the district tore it down.

Where things stand: Jocko Rodriguez, a public commenter, put the timeline bluntly: "September 9, 2026. Twelve years later, we still sit here with no visitor bleachers or a future press box." He told the board a California Public Records Act request has been filed and challenged the district's claim that it only learned of the parent-built structure on Aug. 4, asserting the district knew months earlier.

Carolyn Babcock, a public commenter, broadened the stakes beyond football, noting the facilities serve flag soccer, lacrosse, track, cheer, band, and visiting teams. She directed her frustration at the superintendent: "Dr. Clark, you publicly said that you would sit down with us and have a conversation. But as of today, we still have nothing official."

Jane Ball Schenlo, a public commenter, framed the controversy as a trust crisis: "When parents spend years asking for something, finally come together to provide it, and then see it removed without meaningful collaboration, what message does that send? It sends a message that their voices don't matter."

The other side: During his report later in the meeting, Superintendent Dr. Adam Clark pushed back on the narrative that the district had stonewalled parents. He said he discovered the unauthorized press box on Aug. 4 and knew immediately it had to come down — any construction on school property must be approved through the Division of the State Architect. But the start of school two days later on Aug. 6 forced a delay.

Clark also disputed claims he had refused to meet with the community: "Thank you so much for this email. I've been in Mount Diablo for six years, and you are the first person from College Park who has ever mentioned sitting down to discuss a problem or solution with me. The first time." He noted a $2 million turf replacement and other construction are already underway at the school.

What's next: Clark committed to placing the College Park press box and bleachers issue on the Sept. 23 board agenda as a formal discussion item — moving a dispute that has lived in public comment for years into the realm of official board deliberation.

Alarming Early-Year Safety Data: 127 Suspensions, 13 Mental Health Crises

The basics: Union representative Linda Ortega opened the topic during the communications period, reading a statement about teachers being buried in documentation when they seek help with disruptive students. "At some point, somebody has to step in and provide help. Asking for more paperwork is not providing support. It's just delaying help," she said. She asked the board what happens when staff members are injured by students and whether site safety plans are being updated as required.

Why it matters: Superintendent Dr. Adam Clark responded with a detailed data dump that laid bare the scale of behavioral and safety incidents in the district's first 23 school days: 46 total reported incidents, including 15 student health emergencies or injuries, 13 students threatening self-harm — each requiring county A3 (Anyone, Anytime, Any Place) crisis response — and staff injuries including bites. Through the company nurse, 31 staff injuries were reported since July 1, including six classified staff and three teachers injured by students.

Clark also reported 127 suspensions for serious offenses including fighting, sexual assault, and drug distribution.

"The other concerning thing is 13 students separate from the 15 have threatened self-harm through a mental health crisis. And this is all over the district," Clark said.

Where things stand: Clark defended the documentation burden as legally required — "That's called the law. That is the law. Like, we're a public school" — while acknowledging the frustration teachers feel. On discipline philosophy, he was candid about the limits of punitive measures: "Suspending kids — guess what? It doesn't work. If just suspending the kid took care of it, then why would we have multiple suspensions?" He affirmed that students who commit violent or serious acts are removed, but emphasized that restorative practices must accompany discipline.

Board Trustee Keisha Nzewi raised a related concern about the district's "door-to-door" responsibility for student safety, asking what parents should do when students are threatened on public transit between home and school. Clark acknowledged the district's legal obligations extend to that commute.

What's next: Trustee Brian Lawrence, who raised the staff safety question at a prior meeting, signaled this will remain a priority for the board. No formal action was taken, but the data establishes a baseline the board and community can track as the school year progresses.

District Closes Year $8M Better Than Expected, but Multi-Year Picture Narrows

The basics: Chief Business Officer Adrian Vargas and Executive Director of Fiscal Services Brenda Barbera walked the board through the 2025-26 unaudited actuals — the district's year-end financial snapshot before the official audit.

Why it matters: The general fund generated $505.1 million in total revenue ($377.2 million unrestricted, $127.8 million restricted) against $541 million in total expenditures. Salaries and benefits accounted for 81% of spending. The combined deficit of approximately $36 million improved meaningfully from the $44 million projected at budget adoption — an $8 million swing driven largely by unspent Medi-Cal and health/safety restricted funds.

Where things stand: The unrestricted deficit landed at $24 million, roughly tracking the $25.9 million projection. The restricted side performed significantly better, with a $12 million deficit compared to the $28 million estimate. Special education contributions exceeded projections by $2.3 million, and athletics drew $500,000–$600,000 more than budgeted.

Vargas summarized the unrestricted results: "We were projecting a 22-and-a-half-million-dollar deficit in unrestricted side of the general fund and we ended up 1.45 million with more of a deficit. So we were in the ballpark."

Trustee Thomas McDougall zeroed in on the combined picture: "So if we're looking at the 12 million from the restricted fund and then the 23 — we are at 36 million deficit, which is an improvement from what you estimate. You were estimating 44 million."

Trustee Brian Lawrence cautioned against reading deficit spending as inherently alarming: "When you have $168 million balance, that's money that can be spent on our students, that's money that can be spent on our teachers, our staff. If you have $168 million balance and you're not deficit spending, I think that would actually be more cause for alarm."

Trustee Keisha Nzewi added important context, recalling that much of the deficit was planned: "I recall this was planned, much of it was planned a couple years with our labor agreements from a couple of years ago. We had spent so well with our restricted funding throughout the pandemic funds. So we built up a really big fund balance. But then we were able to support increases across the district in salaries."

Fiscal Risks Ahead

Vargas flagged several risks that could pressure the district's multi-year outlook, which projects the combined fund balance declining from $132.8 million to $63.5 million by 2028-29:

• $3.9 billion state IOU dependent on tax revenue performance, likely not resolved until the May revise. "The 3.9 billion state IOU — I mean, that's all based off state revenues and if they do well, then we'll get it back. So that's a big driver," Vargas said.

• Federal special education funding uncertainty amid shifting federal policy

• 14-week paid pregnancy leave taking effect after Jan. 1, with unknown cost implications

• Rising insurance and pension costs through CalPERS and CalSTRS

• Unsettled third-year labor negotiations with the potential to accelerate spending

McDougall pressed on the state IOU timeline: "When is the earliest date we get a feel for how well the state's doing — that they'll pay that? Is it going to be March or is it going to be June?"

Superintendent Dr. Adam Clark praised Vargas for the accuracy of the projections: "Adrian, I'm just amazed how close you are on so many lines on the adopted budget to where it ended."

Decisions: The board voted 5-0 to certify the unaudited actuals (For: Mason, Mayo, Nzewi, Lawrence, McDougall; Against: none). The board also adopted Resolution 26-27-09, the Gann Limit appropriation calculation, 5-0 — a pro forma state requirement under the California Education Code that no longer constrains expenditures.

Lawrence Takes the Floor to Defend SEL and Rebuke Moms for Liberty

During board member reports, Trustee Brian Lawrence used his time to deliver an extended defense of the social-emotional learning curriculum the board approved two meetings earlier — and a pointed rebuke of the national organization Moms for Liberty.

Why it matters: Lawrence noted that Trustee Thomas McDougall had previously shared concerns about the SEL curriculum sourced from Reddit and Moms for Liberty. Lawrence stated his strong support for SEL and trust in teachers to deliver it responsibly, emphasizing the importance of students learning to accept peers from all backgrounds.

"We are simply saying that all of those students are welcome here, and that is what is behind the social, emotional learning," Lawrence said, specifically referencing students with two moms or two dads.

He then went further, cataloging what he called Moms for Liberty's record: a chapter member's suggestion to segregate LGBTQ students, rapid book banning after winning a school board seat in South Carolina, and a "bounty system" for reporting teachers.

"When it comes to Moms for Liberty, pretty much if they're going to be for something, I'm probably going to be against it. And I will say that very clearly," Lawrence said.

The remarks signal the board's firm institutional posture on SEL and LGBTQ inclusion — a notable stance given the political battles over these curricula in school districts nationwide.

Minor Items

• Consent agenda approved 5-0, with item 13.10 previously pulled at the superintendent's request for a future meeting.

• Resolution 26-27-08 amendment approved 5-0, setting a Sept. 23 public hearing date for a PG&E utility easement at 2326 Bisso Lane.

• Board policy updates approved 5-0, revising nondiscrimination in employment (BP/AR 4030), lactation accommodation (BP 4033), and employee notification exhibits to align with current state law.

• Closed session actions: Board voted 5-0 to approve an employee resignation per a separation agreement and 5-0 to approve a separate settlement agreement.

• August 26 meeting minutes approved 5-0.

• Laura DeSantis, an Eagle Peak Montessori School parent, thanked the board for supporting the school's 25th anniversary celebration.

• Dorothy Weizenbach, Community Advisory Committee member, announced the CAC's second meeting and a new newsletter being distributed to parents.