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SMMUSD Board of Education — 2026-09-09
The board accepted the district’s 2025-26 unaudited actual financial report, closing the year with a $6 million surplus against a projected $3.7 million deficit — a roughly $9 million swing driven largely by one-time wildfire-related state reimbursements and lower-than-projected expenditures.
Key Votes and Decisions
2025-26 Unaudited Actual Financial Report — Accepted
The board voted to accept the 2025-26 unaudited actuals, the district’s formal year-end financial accounting as of June 30. The motion passed 4-0, with Board President Alicia Mignano temporarily away from the dais. Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Gerardo Cruz presented the report, noting the district ended the year approximately $9 million ahead of its estimated actuals — a gap he attributed to two main factors:
- Revenue higher than projected by $6 million. About $3 million of that increase came from state backfill of property tax revenue tied to the January 2025 Palisades and Franklin fires. Cruz noted an additional $1.3 million in restricted wildfire-related reimbursement — from the State Senate Education Committee, covering students who enrolled during the fires — was not reflected in the unrestricted general fund figures shown. In total, Cruz said, the district received approximately $4 million in wildfire-related reimbursements across both fund types. He described all such revenue as one-time and non-recurring.
- Expenditures were lower than projected by $3.6 million. Cruz highlighted that salary and benefit spending came in only $344,000 under projection — a marked improvement over prior years, when that figure ran into the millions. Operational savings of $2.4 million in legal, consultant, conference, and other operating costs accounted for the bulk of the remaining difference. Cruz also flagged a permanent revenue gain: New West Charter School, to which the district had previously been required to transfer roughly $290,000 annually, is now authorized under the Los Angeles Unified School District rather than operating as an independent charter. As a result, that outflow is eliminated going forward. The district’s remaining charter payment obligations amount to approximately $10,000 per year. On reserves, Cruz said the district holds approximately $30 million — about 29% of general fund expenditures — against a School Services of California recommendation of 33% for basic aid districts. The district continues to carry projected deficit spending in the current and next two fiscal years. Board Member Jennifer Smith asked whether the district could more clearly delineate one-time revenues and their connection to general fund relief in future budget presentations, to avoid building recurring programs around funds that will not return. Cruz agreed and committed to drawing a “more direct linear line” showing how restricted categorical funds alleviate general fund spending on a one-time basis.
Discussion Items
VAPA District Advisory Committee Annual Report
A representative of the Visual and Performing Arts District Advisory Committee presented the committee’s 2025-26 annual report, covering program highlights across the district. Among items cited in the report: the reimagined Stairway to the Stars event, rebranded as the SMMUSD Arts and Music Festival and expanded to include visual arts; the Samohi Marching Band’s bronze medal and High Music Award — the first since 1987 — at the SoCal BOA Field Show Championships; Samohi Theater’s four first-place awards at the DTASC Shakespeare Festival, followed by an invitation to perform at A Noise Within Theater in Pasadena; and the Samohi Jazz ensemble’s invitation to perform at the first Santa Monica International Jazz Festival.
Board members expressed appreciation. Lieberman said she hoped the district’s new chief communications officer — introduced separately at this meeting — would help share the scope of the arts programs more broadly with the community. Smith noted that alumni of the district’s programs have gone on to perform on Broadway. The committee’s proposed charges for 2026-27 include reviewing whether existing charges need updating and ensuring any revised action plan is incorporated into the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP).
Board Policy and Administrative Regulation Updates — Ceremonies and Observances Referred Back
District staff — identified in the transcript only by first name and the title “Dr. Schultz” — presented a final batch of board policy and administrative regulation updates, described as the last of 59 policies reviewed over the past year. Items covered included updates to policies on awards and achievements (Golden State Seal Merit Diploma, State Seal of Biliteracy, State Seal of Civic Engagement), graduation ceremonies (allowing religious or cultural regalia with 14-day advance notice to site administrators), school-sponsored trips (now permitting district funds to cover field trip costs), and animals at schools (updates on service animals, including a new section on miniature horses). No vote was taken; under the district’s process, the policies were presented for discussion and are set to return for board action at a future meeting.
Discussion centered on the Ceremonies and Observances administrative regulation. Smith raised concerns that the regulation mixes classroom-based instructional observances with adult recognition events — such as Classified Employee Week — without distinguishing between them. Lieberman added that the regulation’s language stating commemorative exercises “shall be integrated into the regular educational program as required by law” was potentially misleading, since staff confirmed that most listed observances are encouraged rather than legally required under the Education Code. Staff agreed to revise the regulation to separate adult-focused recognitions from instructional observances and to reword the “required by law” language. Board members indicated they would review an updated draft via the Friday memo before the item returns for a vote.
Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent Antonio Shelton reported ongoing HVAC system problems at Santa Monica High School and at least one other school (a second school name was partially inaudible in the transcript). Shelton said district staff have begun a comprehensive audit of affected systems and have installed temporary cooling units. The district has engaged Siemens and a second HVAC vendor to assess conditions and develop both immediate and long-term solutions. Shelton said written responses to questions previously posed by Samohi teachers would be shared soon.
Shelton also introduced Thomas Piland as the district’s new chief communications officer. Piland — who holds a master’s in public administration from Cal State Northridge and a bachelor of journalism from the University of Texas at Austin — most recently served as U.S. marketing director for a global financial consulting firm, according to Shelton’s introduction.
Consent Calendar Highlights
Two items were pulled from the consent calendar and postponed without explanation from the dais: Item, described as a reading difficulties risk screener adoption, and Item 5-end. Both are expected to return at a future meeting.
What Happens Next
- HVAC systems: District will continue working with Siemens and a second vendor; written responses to Samohi teacher questions are forthcoming.
- Unaudited actuals: The district’s audit firm will begin fieldwork in coming weeks; a final audited report is expected in December or January.
- Budget transparency: Cruz committed to presenting clearer connections between restricted categorical funds and general fund relief in future budget reports.
- Ceremonies and Observances AR: Staff will circulate a revised draft through the Friday memo for board feedback; item expected to return for a vote at the next meeting.
- VAPA DAC charges: The committee has not yet met for the 2026-27 year; charges review and LCAP alignment are planned topics.
