The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District's budget for the upcoming school year is rounding into shape, and the Board of Education will review the latest revenue and expenditure estimates during its June 11 meeting in Santa Monica.
Board members last month were presented with a budget that included a $1.07-million surplus in the SMMUSD unrestricted general fund, a major improvement on the projected $7.4-million deficit it faced in early May. The change was due in large part to an influx of funds reflected in Gov. Jerry Brown's revised state budget.
A public hearing on the district budget is planned for June 24. Final adoption is expected on June 29.
Textbooks dominate consent agenda
The school board will consider nearly $1.5 million in textbooks, legal fees, waste disposal and other purchase orders and an additional $613,000 in facility improvements at its upcoming meeting.
The consent calendar includes about $320,000 to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for geometry and algebra II textbooks, about $205,000 to Cengage Learning for pre-calculus textbooks and about $23,000 to Scholastic for summer school math texts.
Also up for board approval is $300,000 to Pillsbury for legal counsel and $146,981 to Recology Los Angeles for waste disposal at Edison Language Academy, the latter expense expected to be funded through Measure BB.
Contract renewals
The board is expected to approve the renewal of a contract between the district and School Services of California, Inc., which assists SMMUSD with school finance, legislation, school budgeting and general fiscal issues.
The one-year, $3,540 agreement would begin July 1 and continue through June 30, 2016, according to a district report.
The school board is also expected to extend the district's contract with Blackboard Connect, which assists SMMUSD with parent voice and email communications. The system is utilized by district office personnel as well as school sites.
The contract is for $3.25 per student and also includes a one-time fee of $4,500 for the implementation of a mobile app and a $1,000 annual support fee.
Accountability planning
As the district shoulders more and more responsibility in handling state funds, it is tasked with maintaining a Local Control and Accountability Plan.
Staff are scheduled to present the 2015-16 plan, which is supposed to outline goals and progress strategies as well as "actions, services, and expenditures to be used to support students district-wide," according to an SMMUSD report.
Contact Jeff Goodman at 310-573-8351, jeff@www.smdp.com or on Twitter.
