Budget Study Session

The SCCOE, for the 24-25 fiscal year had projected revenues of nearly $370 million. Of that, just under $250 million can only be used for restricted purposes, and just over $120 million can be used in less restricted ways. This graph shows the ways that $120 million is divided. It is important to note that this year, 43.62% (or $52.3 million) is local property tax that must be sent to the state as required by state law.

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The Wednesday, May 28, 2025, Santa Clara County Board of Education (SCCBOE) meeting will start at 5:00pm. This is a special meeting/study session and the only subject matter will be the SCCOE Budget. Contemporaneous public comments may only be made in person in the San Jose Room of the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE). Community members can follow SCCBOE meetings at home by clinking on this link and scrolling down to the Watch Live heading. If you cannot attend in person, and have a comment or question that you would like the SCCBOE to consider in its study session, please email all of us prior to the board meeting at SCCBOEMembers@sccoe.org. The entire agenda and supporting documentation for this week's meeting can be found here.

As stated above, the only subject matter is the SCCOE's Budget. This is a discussion item and the presentations for the study session can be found under agenda item 3A. Assistant Superintendent of Business Services, Stephanie Gomez, and Director of Internal Business Services, Lauren Nguyen, will present on the SCCOE's budget and its development. Leilani Aguinaldo of School Services of California will give the SCCOE the context of how the SCCOE's budget fits In the current economic climate, the May Revise, and other COE budgets. I recommend reading both presentations (and attending our study session) to get a better understanding of the SCCOE's fiscal situation. A County Office of Education's (COE) budget is nothing like a local school district's budget. A COE provides a support system infrastructure for local districts and serve as a liaison for the state. The only mandated school/student services the SCCOE operates is its court school. The SCCOE electively (not mandated to all COEs) runs Head Start, Migrant Education, Walden West Outdoor Education, Special Education, Alternative Education Community School, and Opportunity Youth Academy. These elective student services are only operated by the SCCOE because it receives grant funding or is paid by local districts (depending on the program) to run the programs. Without the funding, the SCCOE does not have the budget to operate these programs. There are many other mandated and elective services of a several different categories the SCCOE provides. You can read more about them in the presentations using the link provided above. What is most important to understand is that there are only four (4) different funding sources for COEs: the Local Control Funding Formula (the state), Fees for Services (paid for by local districts), grants (either from other governmental entities or private sources), or from contracts. COEs have no ability to levy taxes, so can't go out for parcel taxes or bond measures, like their local school district counterparts.

The SCCOE has many different budgetary challenges in front of them:

• Uncertainty of the fiscal health of California and what their budget allocation for the SCCOE will be

• Questionable commitment of the Federal Government to federally funded programs (like Head Start, Migrant Education, and Titles I, II, III, and IV)

• Declining enrollment countywide and Average Daily Attendance decreases in county run programs

• Inflation (utilities, fuel, employee retirement and benefits)

• Low birth rates

• Sunsetting and reduction of various grants

• COVID funds have expired

• General fund encroachment from SCCOE elective programs (non-mandated)

  
  

Please note, these are just the highlights of presentations for the 5/28/25 study session. You can inform yourself by reading the presentations at the link provided above. As always, feel free to email me with any questions or comments.