Our District · Budget Slider
The ~$1.50M gap.
Five real levers. No easy answers.
Reed Union's adopted FY26-27 budget carries a structural gap of approximately $1.50M — narrowed from $1.83M in FY25-26 but still requiring action. Reserves are projected to fall below the 27% policy floor by FY28-29 if trends hold. A board member's job is to understand these trade-offs and make them transparently, in public. Try the levers yourself.
~$1.50M
Annual Gap
FY 26-27 (adopted)
36.5%
Reserve Level
FY25-26 actual
27%
Policy Floor
Board Policy 3105.1
FY28-29
Floor Breach
If no structural change
Why does this matter? State law requires school districts to certify they can meet their financial obligations for the next three years. If RUSD can't, the county superintendent can intervene — overriding the board. The Budget Advisory Task Force is developing a 3-year plan. The community should understand what they're weighing.
Understand the Budget
HOW DOES A SCHOOL DISTRICT BALANCE ITS BUDGET?
Reed Union's adopted FY26-27 budget carries a structural gap of approximately $1.50M — narrowed from the $1.83M gap in FY25-26, but still requiring action. If left unaddressed, reserves will fall below the 27% policy floor by FY28-29. These are the five real levers the board can pull. Try them yourself.
RUSD ended FY25-26 with reserves at 36.5% — above the 27% policy floor. The board can draw from reserves again in FY26-27, but each year of drawdown erodes the cushion. By FY28-29, projections show reserves at 24.3% — below the 27% floor — if no structural changes are made.
Source: FY 2026-27 Annual Budget for Adoption (June 2026)
Local school parcel taxes require 2/3 voter approval. RUSD's most recent parcel tax measure passed in 2016. A new measure could raise $1–2M annually at roughly $300–500/parcel/year. Lead time: ~18 months to place on ballot and collect first revenues.
Source: CA Education Code §5096.2; Marin County voter data
The RUSD Foundation raises approximately $1.75M annually to support arts, library, and tech enrichment programs that cost roughly $2.93M total. The ~$1.18M gap comes from the general fund — reducing it means scaling back programs families value most.
Source: RUSD Foundation reports; FY25-26 budget actuals
Capital maintenance projects can be deferred to future bond cycles. RUSD completed an updated facilities master plan in 2024. Deferral provides short-term budget relief but compounds future costs — deferred maintenance typically costs 3–5× more when eventually addressed.
Source: RUSD Facilities Master Plan 2024; FY26-27 Capital Budget
Staffing is the largest budget category. RUSD can manage reductions through natural attrition (retirements, voluntary departures) without layoffs — typically saving $80–150K per open position not backfilled. Current enrollment trends and student-teacher ratios constrain how far this lever can go.
Source: RUSD FY26-27 Budget for Adoption; staffing actuals
Sources: FY 2026-27 Annual Budget for Adoption (June 2026); FY 2025-26 First Interim Report (December 2025); Multi-Year Financial Projection; Board Policy 3105.1. Lever amounts are illustrative — real budget decisions involve greater complexity and community input.
Context
What's happening at the district right now
What happened in FY25-26
The board drew $1.83M from reserves — the most flexible option — and convened a Budget Advisory Task Force. Reserves ended the year at 36.5%, above the 27% floor but declining.
Where we are now (FY26-27)
The FY26-27 budget was adopted in June 2026 with reserves projected to reach 31.3% by year-end. The multi-year projection shows reserves hitting 24.3% by FY28-29 — 2.7 points below the floor.
What Lina would do
Publish the Budget Advisory Task Force findings publicly, hold a community input session before any structural vote, and adopt a multi-year plan — not another single-year reserve draw-down.
Sources: FY 2026-27 Annual Budget for Adoption (June 2026); FY 2025-26 First Interim Report (December 2025); Multi-Year Financial Projection; Board Policy 3105.1. Gap and lever amounts are illustrative — real budget decisions involve greater complexity and community input.