Note: The available transcript covers agenda items 12c onward. Earlier items from the meeting are not reflected in this edition. All six votes taken during the captured portion passed by voice vote without opposition; individual member votes were not recorded.

Bond Spending Plan Takes Shape as Oversight Vacancies Persist

The Pacifica School Board moved through a brisk agenda March 11, adopting heritage resolutions, renewing fiscal oversight committees, and approving a state-required transportation plan — but the meeting's most consequential moment came at the end, when Superintendent Dr. Carisa Bowman signaled that the bond spending plan voters approved in May 2024 has yet to be developed, with a school field and workforce housing among the priorities on deck.

• Bond spending plan still undeveloped nearly a year after voters passed Measures O and G; superintendent outlines next steps including IBL school field and workforce housing

• Oversight committee vacancies raise governance concerns as business, senior citizen, and taxpayer seats remain unfilled on the Bond Oversight Committee heading into annual report season

• Parcel Tax Oversight Committee renewed with zero new applicants, signaling community engagement challenges across multiple school sites

• 2026 Transportation Plan approved, securing state funding for SamTrans passes serving homeless, disabled, and low-income students

• Three heritage resolutions adopted recognizing Women's History Month, Irish American Heritage Month, and Cesar Chavez Day, all tied to Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) equity commitments

Bond Plan Unwritten as Board Eyes Major Capital Decisions

Why it matters: Pacifica voters approved bond Measures O and G in May 2024, but the district has yet to develop a spending plan — meaning decisions about millions in capital dollars are still ahead, with competing community priorities already surfacing.

Where things stand: During the board recap, Superintendent Dr. Carisa Bowman laid out the sequencing: a priority list must be completed first, then the actual bond plan built around it.

"The first step would be to complete the priority list, and then we need to meet and actually develop the plan for that bond measure, because it hasn't been developed," said Bowman.

Vice President Laverne Villalobos pressed on a specific request from IBL school parents who want a field built.

"I just want to follow up with how are we going to discuss the IBL proposition from parents who want a field?" she asked.

Bowman confirmed the field is a top priority and noted that workforce housing would also be part of the bond plan conversation.

Bowman also previewed upcoming board reports: annual updates from both the Bond Oversight Committee and the Parcel Tax Oversight Committee, a Wellness Committee briefing, and a progress report from the Funding Action Task Force, which is working to equalize average daily attendance funding across San Mateo County.

A trustee asked about data on how many property owners have opted out of bond and parcel tax payments over time — a question that went unanswered at the meeting but could surface in future discussions.

What's next: The bond priority list and spending plan development are expected to come before the board in coming months. Annual reports from both oversight committees are targeted for the April board meeting.

Oversight Committees Reappointed, but Empty Seats Cloud Fiscal Accountability

Why it matters: With annual reports due to the board in April, both the Bond Oversight Committee and Parcel Tax Oversight Committee face persistent vacancies that could undermine public confidence in how voter-approved funds are being spent.

Where things stand: District Financial Consultant Dusty Nevatt reported that the Bond Oversight Committee — covering the combined Measures O and G passed in May 2024 — received four applications but still lacks representatives in the required business, senior citizen, and taxpayer seats. Ortega school also has no representative. One Cabrillo representative is entering a third and final consecutive term under the bylaws, and a reassignment was made to fill the IBL seat. The bond committee meeting is tentatively scheduled for March 23.

The Parcel Tax Oversight Committee fared worse: no new applicants came forward at all.

"The only responses that we did actually get was that they were just interested in continuing. So we had no new applicants for the Parcel Tax Oversight Committee," Nevatt reported.

Cabrillo, Sunset Ridge, and Valimar school seats remain unconfirmed.

A trustee asked whether board members can serve on the oversight committees; Nevatt confirmed that Board VP Laverne Villalobos was assigned to one at the December organizational meeting.

Decisions: Both motions to appoint and renew committee members passed by voice vote without opposition.

What's next: Annual reports from both committees are expected at the April board meeting. The bond committee's next meeting is tentatively set for March 23.

Transportation Plan Secures State Funding for Vulnerable Students

The basics: Education Code sections 39800.1 and 41800 require districts to adopt a transportation plan to qualify for state funding apportionments.

Why it matters: Without the plan, Pacifica School District would lose state dollars that support transit access for its most vulnerable students — those experiencing homelessness, students with disabilities whose IEPs include transportation, and unduplicated students (English learners, students meeting National School Lunch Program income requirements, and foster youth).

Where things stand: Interim Deputy Superintendent Martha Ladd presented the 2026 plan, explaining that the district participates in the SamTrans Youth Unlimited program.

Decisions: The plan was approved by voice vote without questions or opposition.

Minor Items

• Three heritage resolutions adopted unanimously: Resolution 2026-0311C (Women's History Month), Resolution 2026-0311D (Irish American Heritage Month), and Resolution 2026-0311E (Cesar Chavez Day). Dr. Carla Chavez Torres, who presented all three, tied each to the district's LCAP commitments to educational equity and culturally responsive practices, citing figures from Susan B. Anthony to Dolores Huerta.

• Torres recognized on departure: Bowman thanked Torres for her contributions to the district: "I wanted to thank you for all of your hard work and your dedication, and we're sorry to see you go."