Following the Coronado Unified School District board of trustees approving a lease-purchase financing agreement, Deputy Superintendent Donnie Salamanca told the board at the Sept. 11 district meeting CUSD is on schedule to become a locally funded “Basic Aid” district on or before the 2027-28 fiscal year.
Salamanca said CUSD has reserve amounts through 2027 that maintain a positive fund balance adhering to the state’s 3% reserve requirement.
That assurance came in response to a San Diego County Office of Education directive requiring Coronado Unified to meet reserve requirements earlier this year.
Salamanca said he is confident the district has identified sufficient budget solutions to ensure a 3% reserve in the next three years of the district’s budget window.
According to Salamanca, the improved outlook is due in large part to the lease-purchase financing, which Salamanca said is a loan, approved by the board in August.
As a result, Salamanca assured the board that the district is still on track to become a locally funded “Basic Aid” district on or before the 2027-28 fiscal year. A basic aid school district is funded through property taxes.
2024-25 Finances
Salamanca’s report on Sept. 11 pulled from CUSD’s finances as of June.
At that time, the district projected a shortfall.
According to Salamanca, CUSD ended the 2024-2025 fiscal year with $14.4 million in available reserves, $3.2 million higher than projected.
Salamanca said funds of the $3.11 million lease-purchase financing approved at the start of the current school year were received by the district on Sept. 11.
“That provides direct general fund relief with the goal of ensuring that we have adequate reserves leading up and going well into basic aid,” said Salamanca.
Salamanca plans to present the board with an audit report of the finances in January.
Special Education
Last year the district provided special education to 436 school-aged children with disabilities, ages 3 to 22, via specialized instruction and support.
Niamh Foley, CUSD director of student services, said specific learning disability was the number one disabling category identified in individualized education programs followed by other health impairments like ADHD, asthma or diabetes. Autism and speech language impairment were other leading disabling categories.
One dozen job positions support the district’s special education department, including instructional assistants who make up a majority of those staff.
According to Foley, $10.5 million, approximately 20% of the district’s budget expenditures, go to certificated and classified salaries, staff benefits and other services in the department like transportation costs for special education students.
In other matters:
- Superintendent Karl Mueller announced all classified and certificated staff will be participating in a 1-hour suicide prevention training led by Dr. Margaret Sedor. Mueller’s report says this training aligns with the district’s Portrait of a Graduate (POG) System Portrait and CUSD’s commitment to fostering a culture that prioritizes well-being.
- Board President Alexia Palacios-Peters announced a special board meeting scheduled for Friday, Sept. 26 at 8:30 a.m.
- Salamanca announced a Budget Study Committee meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 4 p.m. with a webinar option available at: https://coronadousd.zoom.us/j/82771679147.
The next regular board meeting is set for 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 16 at the district office.
