Monday, December 15, 2025

The Reed Union School District board elected new leadership for the coming year, certified that the district can meet its financial obligations, and approved a rapid switch in school-meal providers to Revolution Foods after the prior vendor stepped away. The board also continued mapping out the timeline for a possible facilities bond.

Officer Elections

In its annual reorganization, the board elected officers for the 2026–27 term, choosing Shelby as board president and Liz as vice president, each by unanimous vote. Members then discussed committee and task-force assignments across the district's priority areas, including academic excellence, social-emotional learning, and AI and technology.

First Interim Financial Report

Business official Dr. Kim presented the first interim financial report and recommended the board file a "positive" certification — meaning the district expects to meet its financial commitments in the current and next two fiscal years. The board approved it. Dr. Kim explained several revenue adjustments since budget adoption, including a previously missed special-education reimbursement for home-to-school transportation and an updated 4.2% interest yield on funds held in the Marin County treasury. Total expenditures rose about $186,000, from $33.14 million to roughly $33.3 million. Salaries and benefits remain the largest cost: certificated salaries at 41%, combined benefits at 26%, and classified salaries at 16%. A roughly $110,000 increase in certificated salaries was attributed mainly to five new hires landing higher on the salary schedule than the budgeted midpoint. An increase in the books-and-supplies budget reflected a Proposition 28 exemption the district secured, allowing it to retain prior-year arts funding rather than return it to the state. Dr. Kim noted the district ended the prior year with about a $130,000 surplus and outlined upcoming milestones, including the 2024–25 audit in January and the second interim report in March.

Food Service Switch to Revolution Foods

The board approved a "piggyback" agreement with Revolution Foods to take over school meals, after the prior vendor needed to step away. A piggyback contract lets the district adopt rates and terms from a competitively bid contract already awarded by another district, which staff said was necessary given the short notice. The previous service's last day was set for the final school day in December, with Revolution Foods beginning January 6. The memorandum of understanding runs six months through the end of the fiscal year, at rates below the federal reimbursable rates under the National School Lunch Program. Staff said they would evaluate the new vendor primarily on student participation — noting lunch had stabilized around 40% while breakfast had been declining — along with food-quality feedback collected via kiosks at each site, delivery and temperature compliance, allergen lists, and reliable invoicing. Staff cautioned that Revolution Foods, which serves 22 districts, may offer a larger menu but less flexibility to customize on the fly, and described the arrangement as a quick pivot whose long-term fit would be reassessed in the new year.

Bond Planning and Other Business

The board continued discussing a potential facilities bond, with members stressing the need to clearly communicate to the community what the money would fund — pointing to portable classrooms roped off at Bel Air as an example of the need. On timing, members agreed a November ballot would require accelerating their work, ruling out earlier dates, and discussed pairing voter education about how bonds work with the fact that two existing 30-year bonds expire in 2028 and 2031. They directed staff toward initial architectural and communications work and agreed to consult legal counsel on the parameters. The item was informational, with no vote taken.

Coming out of closed session, the board reported a unanimous 5-0 vote to reject a claim in a matter identified as Doe v. RUSD. Earlier, the board removed two board-policy items from the agenda; a related discussion touched on how a proposed policy would handle requests to opt out of instruction on religious grounds. Staff also presented an update on the district's advisory and social-emotional learning program, which pairs every student with a dedicated advisor and uses structured lessons to build empathy, belonging, and connection.