Okay, the time is 701 p.m.

It is April 30th, 2026, and this is the 32nd Board of Representatives Fiscal Committee budget deliberations meeting for the 2026-2027 budget year.

We'll take a note of who's in attendance from the committee at the moment, myself, co-chair Eric Morrison, co-chair Andrew Zachary, Representative Tom Bouchard, Representative Kira Dorsey, Representative Parker Johnson, Representative Noel Lepine, and also from the board, I see with us Representative Matt Boudreau, Representative Nicole Beckham, Representative Scott Stone.

Okay.

All right.

Our first proposed cut this evening.

Budget book page 341.

Active Medical and Life Office of Benefits and Insurance.

Item 1,08301 520120.

Proposed cut of 673,360, which represents the savings.

So this represents that difference.

Do you have anything to add or have I covered it pretty well?

No, that's correct.

Okay.

All right.

So I'd like to entertain a motion from a member of the committee to take uh to to uh approve this cut.

So moved, seconded, and seconded.

Thank you.

Any discussion on this item.

Okay.

Seeing none.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Any opposed.

Any abstentions.

Okay.

That carries unanimously 600.

Okay.

Uh next one.

Uh, operating budget page 181, parks and recontracted services 100 2134, 540601.

Proposed cut of $50,000, cutting $161 down to $111.

Uh I'll entertain a motion to approve this cut.

So moved.

Seconded.

Seconded.

Discussion, Coach Zachary.

Yes, I spoke to Brian Murray at the parks and rec.

Uh, and he pointed out that this was carry over.

He had estimated a number that was carried over from previous budget and was not needed.

It's the extra expense to manage, uh pay for the downtown special services district to manage park.

Uh the estimate was too high in his opinion, and we could get away with $50,000 reduction.

And that is what we I proposed here.

And he was happy with that number.

Any comments?

Any further discussion on the cut?

I'll note that we're joined by committee member representative Shante Graham.

Okay, seeing no hands, we'll try this by voice vote.

All those in favor of the cut of $50,000 to parks and rec contracted services, please say aye.

Any opposed?

Any abstentions?

Okay, that passes 700.

Could I ask a quick question?

Would uh department, what number is that, please?

Uh 1000-2134.

2134.

540601.

Got it.

Thank you.

Sure.

Okay, that is those are the only two cuts that were present that were offered to us uh prior to tonight.

Are there any additional cuts that members of the fiscal committee would care to entertain this evening?

No, an additional cut.

Okay.

Okay, seeing none.

Um on May 7th, there may be an additional cut uh to the Board of Education budget.

Uh the Board of Finance um included in their cut of the Board of Ed, $2 million based on an estimate that there'd be 150 million coming from State and CS.

We now know that that number is 170.

So we will have the final uh uh amount and we'll consider cutting that on May 7th.

Uh in addition, uh there's an additional item that the state passed a new state 100 million dollar allocation to municipalities.

The estimate is 1.2 million for Stanford Board of Board of Finance.

We'll include this in the revenue side and net it out in the mill rate.

Any comments or questions on that?

Okay.

Uh I'll recognize um committee member representative Le Pine for his comments on the Board of Education.

Thank you, Coach Morrison.

Um I uh I just wanted to share some comments related to the Board of Ed budget, fully acknowledging that um our body does not have uh line item oversight.

Uh and as you just noted, there might be some further refinements to the cut uh put forth by the Board of Finance and approved by us.

But um, having heard from our school district leader and her presentation to us and listening to members of the community, both educators and students who spoke up at the public hearing, I just wanted to share some some thoughts as we will not uh will have already made our uh decisions prior to the the Board of Ed doing their work on the line item cuts to meet the uh the um revised budget number.

Uh I want to start by recognizing the Board of Ed's difficult task and preparing the budget, and I greatly respect the work that went into the superintendent's proposal.

Um I do believe that it is fair and reasonable to identify somewhere between nine and twelve million dollars of savings to pursue, and those cuts can be made responsibly if done right.

My purpose is to offer a focused perspective to guide restoration priorities and identify reasonable offsets so that essential student services are preserved.

Uh, first, I believe that a sound budget process should have guiding principles.

Uh, and so here would be mine as I look for areas to trim.

One, protect direct student services, especially targeted tier two and intensive tier three supports while strengthening universal tier one instruction, prioritize cuts to non-essential material supplies and administrative overhead rather than frontline positions, and preserve and expand nonprofit partnerships that bring private funding and community capacity into our schools.

And I don't think those are uh out of alignment with how our leadership views it uh the at the district level.

So, accordingly, I would urge the board to give the highest priority to restoring these items that were on a prior list of suggested cuts.

Uh MTSS staffing and services of both high schools and middle schools, domus middle school family advocates, paraeducators who support in-class interventions and inclusion, additional high school ban funding and the high school athletic director position that supports program coordination, safety, and compliance.

And I don't present these asks in isolation uh to offset those restorations.

There are some areas that I've identified that require review and possible reduction.

I will leave it to the experts to to make those final decisions.

So here would be my um my areas of curiosity.

Uh first one around executive administration staffing.

Uh currently, I believe there are three associate superintendent positions.

I think two of those have been on leave.

Uh consolidation could allow elimination of up to two associate superintendent roles, one administrative support position, which would be a meaningful savings of um several hundred thousand dollars.

Uh, hopefully, um, that we can we can identify without direct harm to instruction.

Uh, there are a lot of line items around supplies when all aggregated together, total well over two million dollars.

Um, I don't want to make any assumptions around how those are arrived at, although you know, in big complex budgets year over year, often um there's a year-over-year increase assumption uh versus a need-based assumption.

So I I would think uh a common sense removal of maybe 10% of those expenses or $200,000, and then reallocate the available dollars based on need versus road budget budgeting and reordering.

Um third area I would take a look at or request clarity on would be the uh English learner programs.

We we know and we've heard that that uh that uh population that we support so well in this district, and I want to continue to do that.

I know we all do, but um, with a with the reduction in students, there seems to be a dramatic rise in uh supplies for that.

There might be a good reason behind it.

I I've not heard the explanation, and I would like to understand that better.

And then related to this, the welcome center.

I think uh has an opportunity to be right-sized and considered for partnership with a community nonprofit, such as an organization like Building One Community that's presented to this board and provides direct services to that population to preserve services while lowering district operating costs and should go well beyond the elimination of a single position uh and potentially relook at the delivery of that whole program.

Uh and then finally, uh again, an area to to probe into the the Board of Ed's finance office, a department that in every organization uh is certainly being looked at for areas of efficiency with new technologies, shows a significant increase in in non-certified administrative costs and institutional supplies.

Um looking for an understanding, maybe it's a reallocation somewhere that's being missed of the 40% growth and potential opportunities for efficiency, seems like it would be justified.

So I just want to close by saying I have two kids that graduated from Stanford Public Schools, one who's still in the system.

I myself am a graduate of SPS.

I like our leaders, I want our district to succeed at the highest levels possible.

But I don't believe that's in conflict with our obligation to find responsible savings where possible.

Our budget can and should protect our students, should be transparent and be supported by data.

And uh we stand ready to support uh in any way we can the Board of Education's effort to refine these proposals and identify practical, practical equitable solutions.

Thank you.

Thank you, Representative Le Pine.

Uh no, we are uh joined by a committee member email, Representative Emil Goldberg.

Also joined by Representatives Ryan Hughes, Terry Adams, Karen Camparelli, and Matt Diddle.

Uh before we close up, are there any additional items that any members of the fiscal committee would like to bring forward?

Uh where we have.

Uh I just saw him pump up.

And I didn't just care.

No, there he is.

Sorry, we are joined by Representative Delacruz.

Thank you.

Representative Delacruz, did you want to have the floor?

I just left the prior meeting.

Uh, what has transpired?

Uh, which point am I able to make the statement?

Go ahead, Representative.

You have the floor.

Uh thank you, uh, Chair Morrison.

Uh based on various discussions I have had uh with other members, other colleagues.

I am prepared to withdraw my earlier proposal to cut the funding for the Eastide Library uh preliminary design with the understanding that we will memorialize our endorsement of the board of finance recommendation that uh no funds be spent until the legal issues are resolved.

And also I acknowledge the email from the administration a couple of years ago that no monies will be spent until the legal issues are resolved with the attorney general.

So with that understanding, which I believe I have, uh I will be prepared to withdraw uh my motion to cut.

Is there anything you care to add to that, uh, Chair Morrison?

Thank you, Representative.

Uh I I agree with your sentiment and it is my understanding that uh the city will not be uh spending any money until all the legal issues are resolved.

Uh I am absolutely in favor of passing um uh the the 250,000 um towards the library at this point, uh, because this money, this federal earmark of 3 million has been out there for two years already.

Uh, I don't want to do anything that would further potentially risk uh it being uh withdrawn from us.

Uh we need to make the indication that we intend to move forward, uh, but nothing will be spent until uh such time as legal concerns have been resolved.

So I agree with you, and I'll be supporting.

I I will not be supporting any kind of cut to this line as well.

Yes, with our understanding, I join you on that.

And we will somehow memorialize that these are the conditions supporting both the Board of Finance and the administration on that email.

And thank you.

Uh with that I yield.

If there are any questions, I'll be happy to try to answer them.

Thank you, Representative.

I see a hand.

Did you want to think?

Yes, clarifying question for Representative Johnson, please.

Thanks.

Uh perfect question for you, Noah.

Just to make sure I understood your uh comments to the Board of Edward in support of the already made Board of Finance cuts, or you're going to propose additional.

No, the cuts that are there.

Got it if there weren't any, but the ones that are there, and then just how to make sure that they're got um they're seen through in the in the way that best supports the district schools.

Perfect.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Representative.

I'll recognize Representative Goldberg, please.

Yes, I want to apologize for joining late.

I was held in the chess meeting, um, the chess committee meeting until it ended because they needed me to keep their quorum.

I missed um what Representative LePine was speaking on.

Um could you just recap that for me quickly?

And uh I assume that would that's an uh an appropriate question for me to ask given my duties uh on the chess committee.

Sure, Representative Goldberg, I'm happy to to send my comments to you and should the general gist was just uh as as you well know that uh although we don't have line item uh say over the um over the Board of Education budget, uh was just to share perspective on areas of um uh uh potential responsible reductions as well as those areas that we would want to preserve.

Okay, thank you.

Yeah, if you wouldn't mind sharing it, that'd be very helpful.

Um if you if you have it available to shoot to me now, I'll I'll try and skim it while we're uh so I can get fully caught up without a yield.

Thank you.

Thank you, Representative Goldberg.

Uh we are joined by Representative Gross, who has the floor.

Go ahead, sir.

Uh thank you.

Yeah, I just wanted um to ask Rep Dela Cruz um to clarify his comments on the East Side Library.

I I just wanted did you get a sort of guarantee or or something from something that was sent out or something from the administration?

I'm just I'm not that that's news to me.

So I don't I don't know if you you'd be able to speak to that, Virgil.

May I respond?

Yes, go ahead, sir.

Oh, yeah.

There is an email, and I'm going from memory that Bridget Fox sent when this issue came before the prior board, indicating that the administration would not spend any money on till the legal questions were resolved with the attorney general.

Which they statues require for him to opine.

Uh so I was referring to that email.

Uh I can you know provide the date um some of that uh communication, but it is on the record.

There you Mr.

Chair to Virgil, that's um you say that was an email that was a guaranteed last year.

I believe it was either last year or two years ago.

Uh in the interest of time, may I find out the exact date?

And then I will raise my hand again.

All right, as uh to both representatives, as as this this as these details are not necessarily pertinent to a motion to cut that is not being made.

Um I yield.

No, no, that's okay.

You don't yield.

I would suggest that when the um when this memorandum that Representative La Cruz is referring to is uh uh able to be distributed that it be done that that be done.

Uh I can also add that that I've spoken with the Office of Corporate Counsel, and their uh general sentiment was without quoting anyone directly, was why would we design why would you pay for a design of a building we don't know if we can build?

And furthermore, why would we build a building that would be uh uh that wouldn't be legally permissible and risk having the federal grant taken back from us?

So uh no, no, uh my full understanding is that no money will be spent until all legal issues have been clear, legal hurdles have been cleared.

And to you, Mr.

Chair is is this new information?

This is clarifications that have been uh knowing that this cut was potentially coming.

This is from homework done by several folks over the last few days to make sure we have this information tonight.

Okay, well, as um, you know, one of the two district reps for where this library would go.

I would appreciate being looped in on this communication.

Thank you.

You got it.

We'll be done.

Uh also know we're jumped joined by uh representatives Pollock and McKewin.

And Representative Gardner and Representative Weirs.

Okay, is there anything else anyone would like to Representative Walston?

You have the floor.

Oh, you're trying to be let in.

One moment.

I have actually asked uh Representative Police and Representative Walston to transfer over from attendees, and it doesn't seem to be going through.

I don't know if they would you're in okay.

Okay, because he's still stuck in attendees.

They're in now.

Okay, wonderful.

Thank you.

Joined by representatives Police and Walston.

One last call.

Are there any other items that members of the fiscal committee would like to bring forward?

Okay, seeing none.

Uh a couple of housekeeping items.

If there are any cuts that come up last minute that are urgent that we were not aware of as of this point, uh, please alert myself and co-chair Zachary right away so that each one of us on the fiscal committee and the board entire has time to do their homework.

Uh then there are no surprises, if at all possible when we do our final vote one week from night, one week from tonight on May 7th.

Anything else you want to answer?

Oh, I think we're good.

Okay.

Uh that appears to conclude our business this evening.

So I will entertain a motion to adjourn.

Move.

Second.

Seconded.

Okay.

Thank you for all your hard work.

Thank you for our attendees.

Thank you to our attendees for joining us this evening, and hope you have a good night.

Thank you.

Good night.

Good night, everyone.

Thank you.

Representative is here too.

There's my noted them, and I also noted you adjourned at 7 22 p.m.

for the record on the recording.

Have a great night.

Good night, all.