13 Feb $30 Million in Cuts, Possible Parcel Tax Coming to AUSD

(Screenshot captured by Samantha Kennedy / The CC Pulse)

By Samantha Kennedy

The Antioch Unified School District has a budget problem. Or, as Contra Costa County Deputy Superintendent Daniela Parasidis calls it, a “now problem.” 

That’s because the district must make around $30 million in cuts for the current and 2026-27 school years in the coming weeks, after doubling its deficit following the signing of labor agreements with district teachers and staff. 

The district submitted a budget with a “positive” certification last year — which signals a school district will meet financial obligations in the current and following two years — but that was formally reduced to “qualified” status by the Contra Costa County Office of Education this month. The change means the county will now provide oversight of the district and offer other support to help it meet its financial responsibilities. 

It also triggers the state’s Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team to come in and perform an analysis identifying the district’s risk of insolvency.

“It’s important for the board and the community to understand that this process is based on a framework of progressive intervention,” Parasidis said at a special budget session of the Antioch school board on Wednesday. “The degree of oversight and support may change over time depending on the district’s actions and progress in addressing the identified fiscal concerns.”

Staff is expected to bring recommended cuts to the Feb. 18 school board meeting, where they’ll then need to be voted on by March 15. 

Mike Fine, CEO of FCMAT, said he did not see anything from the board on Wednesday that led him to believe oversight would increase.

But he added that cuts by the deadline would be necessary. 

“The bottom line is you cannot balance your budget with this size of a deficit without touching people, and we are a people business; we depend on people to serve people,” Fine said. “But that’s the reality.”

The change in certification also comes months after AUSD and unions representing teachers and other staff agreed to tentative agreements that included raises and better benefits. The agreements doubled the district’s deficit it was already facing. However, Fine said that board members were right not to blame employees for the deficit. 

The $30 million multiyear deficit is “only the starting point,” according to Mia Cancio, director of fiscal services. The district’s enrollment is still declining, costs in special education and other staff are rising, and she said there is uncertainty in state funding.

There are a few steps the district has already taken to reduce the deficit. 

In November, AUSD launched a campaign that aims for 95% average daily attendance. Six schools — the highest being Dozier-Libbey Medical High School  — had ADA rates that were higher than both the district’s and the state’s. 

And district officials are also exploring placing a parcel tax on the ballot this year that could be a source of flexible revenue to the district. Passing the potential parcel tax would require at least two-thirds of voters to approve. 

Though still in the early stages, the tax could be on the ballot as soon as November.