Quail Run Parents Rally for Equity as Board Certifies Budget, Drops Absence Rule

More than 20 parents packed the San Ramon Valley Unified School District board meeting March 10 to demand leadership and resources for the district's largest — and most underfunded — elementary school, headlining an evening in which teachers and parents also squared off over online course policies eating into classroom enrollment. The board unanimously certified a positive second interim budget showing a sharply reduced deficit, but the specter of a $25 million hit from the governor's proposed Prop 98 withholding loomed over every fiscal conversation.

• Over 20 Quail Run parents demand assistant principal at district's largest, highest-need Title 1 elementary school, citing bottom-tier spending and leadership turnover

• Teachers and parents clash over non-district online courses that teachers say inflate grades and trigger layoffs in world language, theater and STEAM programs

• Board certifies positive budget with deficit spending cut from $35.8M to $14.8M, but $25M in state Prop 98 funding hangs in the balance

• Revised absence policy drops 10-day doctor note rule over teacher objections that it removes their strongest truancy deterrent

• CSEA president publicly rebukes board for silence on classified layoffs while expressing concern about certificated cuts

• Seven SRVUSD schools named 2026 California Distinguished Schools, more than all but one district statewide

"Recipe for Burnout": Quail Run Families Organize for an Assistant Principal

A coordinated wave of parents and community members urged the board to restore an assistant principal position at Quail Run Elementary, framing the fight as the district's most visible equity test.

The basics: Quail Run is San Ramon Valley Unified School District's (SRVUSD) largest elementary campus with roughly 744 students and the highest share of low-income families at 17.5%. It is a Title 1 school. Yet speakers presented data showing Quail Run ranks in the bottom third of district elementary schools in per-student spending. The school has gone more than a year without an assistant principal, its current principal is departing — meaning three different principals in four years — and ELA scores have been declining.

Why it matters: The compounding instability — leadership turnover, no administrative backup, and below-average funding at the district's most vulnerable campus — creates exactly the kind of equity gap that Title 1 funding is supposed to prevent.

Where things stand: May, a Quail Run parent, walked the board through enrollment and spending data.

"Quail Run has the highest elementary enrollment in the district, 744...Yet when we look at the numbers, Quail Run ranks in the bottom third in spending per student. That gap matters because resource gaps do not stay small. They compound over time," she said.

Shauna, a Quail Run first-grade parent, cited federal Title 1 requirements for equitable resources and warned that launching a new principal without an assistant principal is "a recipe for burnout."

Gabi Lazar, a Quail Run PTA room parent coordinator who volunteers five to 10 hours weekly on campus, described an understaffed front office where students sit for extended periods due to lack of administrative capacity, IEP conferences are delayed, and safety protocols during emergencies are stretched thin.

Eva, who identified as a sibling of a Quail Run student, offered interim solutions: a shared assistant principal, a dean of students, or a district-level administrator assigned part-time to the campus. She warned that without leadership support, families may transfer — further reducing ADA funding in a self-reinforcing cycle.

Decisions: The board took no formal action. Superintendent CJ Cammack acknowledged the community's concerns and committed to continuing dialogue.

What's next: The organized turnout — more than 20 parents attended — signals this issue will likely return on a future agenda. Quail Run families are seeking a direct meeting with district leadership on the school's resource allocation.

Grade Inflation, Layoffs, and a Parent's Plea: The Non-District Course Showdown

A simmering policy dispute over non-district online courses erupted into one of the meeting's most heated exchanges, with teachers presenting data on grade inflation and program erosion while a parent emotionally defended the flexibility those courses provide.

The basics: The district's personalized learning initiative (PLI) policy, which allows students to take courses from non-district online providers for credit, has expired. While the board has not yet adopted a replacement, the practice continues — and teachers say it is hollowing out their programs.

Why it matters: When students take world language, science, or other sequential courses online, enrollment drops in district classrooms. Lower enrollment triggers teacher layoffs. San Ramon Valley Education Association (SRVEA) President Laura Finco drew the line directly:

"Our district recently lost one of our theater art teachers due to low enrollment in our VAPOR programs, along with other STEAM and world language educators who received layoff notices this past week."

Where things stand: Ashley Hoover, an Spanish teacher at Doherty Valley High School, told the board that students who complete Spanish 3 online over the summer routinely arrive unprepared for honors coursework. She noted that 50 world language teachers emailed the board on Feb. 27 and received no response from any trustee.

Jack Sarkany, a teacher at Cal High, presented data showing students who take online, non district chemistry courses receive only A grades — and then have significantly higher drop and fail rates in subsequent AP Chemistry courses. He argued the district's grade reform goals are incompatible with accepting non-district online courses that award inflated marks.

The other side: One parent emotionally defended preserving the option. She argued that non-district courses help students with scheduling conflicts, advanced learners seeking additional coursework, and students dealing with mental health challenges who need flexible pacing. The parent urged the district to focus on quality control rather than eliminating the option entirely.

John, a Cal High parent, made a related plea: save the Korean 3 program, which is on the chopping block. He cited student demand, multi-year commitments families have made, and the need for trust that the district will sustain programs it starts.

Divya Chandra Sekaran, a parent, spoke against proposed world language, art and theater cuts, arguing that diverse course offerings attract families and that language learning creates generational cultural awareness.

Decisions: No formal action was taken. Superintendent CJ Cammack called it "a very complicated and nuanced topic [that] requires a lot of thoughtful consideration" and committed to engaging the board, labor partners, students and community.

What's next: The expired PLI policy and its effects on enrollment-driven staffing will likely be agendized for formal board discussion at a future meeting, with the superintendent signaling a multi-stakeholder process.

Budget Passes, but a $25M State Threat Looms

The board unanimously certified a positive second interim budget showing dramatic deficit reduction — but a single state-level decision could undo much of the progress.

Why it matters: The governor's proposed $5.9 billion Prop 98 withholding would cost SRVUSD roughly $25 million in ongoing funding. Without that money, the district's 4% reserve remains far below its own 7% target of $32.9 million.

Where things stand: Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Daniel Hillman reported combined revenues of $470 million against $485 million in expenditures, yielding a $14.8 million combined deficit — down sharply from $35.8 million, thanks to the board-approved budget reduction plan.

"On the unrestricted side of our budget, we are almost balanced. We are just over $400,000 more in expenditures than in revenues. That is a market improvement to where we were 12 months ago, where we were deficit spending at a much higher rate.," he said.

He noted that "declining enrollment has a corrosive effect to budgets."

Key changes since first interim include $7 million in zero-emission bus grant revenue from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District for electric buses, $700,000 in partial-year rental revenue from the newly acquired 3130 Crow Canyon property, and updated COLA projections of 2.41% for 2026-27. Early retirement incentive program (SERP) savings begin appearing in 2026-27, and multi-year projections show deficit spending declining — though reserves remain well below target.

Board Trustee Shelley Clark asked about the governor's proposed Prop 98 withholding. Superintendent Cammock explained:

"If it followed the normal allocation model, we expect that would be roughly $25 million of ongoing funding for a district like ours. That is why we are advocating so hard to remind and convince state-level officials to not withhold money from Prop 98."

Decisions: The board voted 5-0 to certify the budget as positive (For: Ordway, Clark, Bratt, vanZee, Hurd; Against: none; Absent: none).

What's next: Multiple trustees announced plans for state-level advocacy, including CSPA Legislative Action Week and a new Bay Area large-district coalition pressing for Prop 98 restoration.

Absence Policy Revised Over Teacher Pushback

The board unanimously approved revised attendance policy language removing the mandatory requirement for a doctor's note after 10 excused absences, over pointed objections from two educators who said it strips them of their only real truancy deterrent.

The basics: The item was a cure-and-correct re-hearing of BP/AR 5113 after the prior meeting inadvertently took public comment after the board had already voted — a Brown Act procedural issue. The new language aligns with California School Boards Association guidance and neighboring district practices.

Why it matters: Teachers warn the change removes their frontline tool against chronic absenteeism, particularly among seniors. Administration argues it provides flexibility while retaining discretion to require notes when students show chronic patterns.

The other side: Ben Mendoza, Math Teacher and Attendance TSA at Monte Vista High School, argued the 10-day rule is the only meaningful corrective tool for seniors.

"During the senior cut day in November, Monte Vista lost over $20,000 in ADA, nearly the cost of a full class section. There will be another one on Monday," he said.

Danielle Alm, a teacher at Monte Vista High School, cited chronic absenteeism research showing a 10% absence rate predicts academic failure and raised mandated reporter concerns about losing a safeguard when children miss school repeatedly without documentation.

Superintendent CJ Cammack pushed back:

"I don't see the new language that is proposed by CSBA taking away our ability to ask for a physician's note. I think it actually retains our ability to do that and provides us some flexibility in that process."

He cited a case where a student in a treatment facility was marked unexcused because the family didn't provide a note — the kind of situation the revised policy is designed to address. District staff detailed training already provided to attendance secretaries, registrars and administrators on the new framework.

Trustee Shelley Clark emphasized the need for clear staff training. Trustee Jesse vanZee agreed the change provides needed flexibility.

Decisions: Approved 5-0 (For: Ordway, Clark, Bratt, vanZee, Hurd; Against: none; Absent: none).

CSEA President Calls Out Board on Classified Layoff Silence

Tami Castelluccio, President of California School Employees Association (CSEA), read aloud an email she sent to the board expressing what she called "deep disappointment" over the board's differential response to employee layoffs.

Why it matters: The public rebuke signals deteriorating classified employee morale and pressures the board to demonstrate equitable concern across all 120-plus classified job classifications — from custodians to instructional aides — in future budget decisions.

Where things stand: Castelluccio pointedly noted that the board asked no questions about classified layoffs while expressing "significant concern" about certificated ones.

"When the board reacts strongly to certificated layoffs but remains silent on classified layoffs, the message received by every other employee group is clear," she said.

She also corrected the record on the early retirement incentive, stating all three bargaining units requested it and that "at no time during negotiations was there any discussion or agreement that these savings would be returned to the bargaining units." She pushed back on an SRVEA member's characterization that CSEA and others were "selfish" for using block grant money for furlough days.

Board President Susanna Ordway responded that all staff are "very, very invaluable" to the board. Trustee Laura Bratt later acknowledged the impact of her prior no vote on classified layoffs.

Middle School Teacher Warns Optional Six-Period Day Hurts Students

Kelly Ryan, a 14-year science and intervention teacher at Windemere Ranch Middle School, challenged the board on the optional six-period day in middle school, arguing it undermines academic support and school community.

Why it matters: If the policy correlates with declining test scores and attendance, as Ryan suggested, revisiting it could be a lever for addressing negative academic trends.

Ryan explained that students opting out of the seventh period lose access to scheduled intervention blocks, miss elective exploration crucial for development, and become less connected through clubs, sports and after-school activities. She distinguished her concerns from elite athletes on PE independent study, focusing on students who simply choose to leave early.

Minor Items

• 2027-28 and 2028-29 instructional calendars approved unanimously (5-0), negotiated with all three bargaining units and management.

• Joint Powers Financing Authority consent calendar approved during a brief recess to convene the authority's business.

• Seven SRVUSD schools named 2026 California Distinguished Schools: Charlotte Wood, Diablo Vista, Iron Horse, Los Cerros, Pine Valley and Stone Valley middle schools, plus San Ramon Valley High School. Clark noted the district ranks in the top 2% nationally, and 15 of 18 Contra Costa County students advancing to the state Science and Engineering Fair are from SRVUSD.

• Student Board Member Thelma delivered a report during the meeting.

• Iron Horse Middle School science teacher Sarah Lake backed the district's planned facility bond, describing chronic water intrusion through HVAC units and a colleague forced to move classrooms multiple times in one day due to leaks. Cammack noted the board already approved new HVAC units and a roof for Iron Horse but acknowledged "that's not the full scope of work that we have to do."