Report 2019-108 Recommendations

To help ensure that county office superintendents can prevent school districts under their oversight from becoming insolvent, the Legislature should consider amending state law to require school district boards to obtain approval from their county office superintendents before considering actions that would result in expenditures that exceed 200 percent of their required reserve amount. County office superintendents should disapprove any district action that they determine would cause school districts to do either of the following:
-Project insolvency within the current fiscal year or two subsequent fiscal years.
-Rely on reserves or other one-time resources, such as one-time funds from the State, to remain solvent within the current fiscal year or two subsequent fiscal years.

To help ensure that school district boards are accountable for the costs they approve, the Legislature should consider amending state law to require those boards to certify the district's ability to meet the costs disclosed in each collective bargaining agreement.

To address its current financial problems, Sacramento Unified should do the following:

By March 2020, adopt a detailed plan to resolve its fiscal crisis. The plan should estimate savings under multiple scenarios and include an analysis that quantifies the impact of reductions the district can make to ongoing expenditures. Specifically, Sacramento Unified should consider the impact of possible salary adjustments for employees in different bargaining units and include the impact those salary adjustments would have on postemployment benefits, such as pensions. It should also use the most recently available data to estimate net savings from modifying the health care benefits it provides to employees, as well as the impact those modifications would have on the total compensation of the employees. Finally, it should calculate the impact of possible changes to district and employee contributions to fund future retiree health benefits. The district should use the plan it develops as the basis for its discussions of potential solutions with its teachers union.

To address its current financial problems, Sacramento Unified should do the following:

Revise its multiyear projections and update them at least quarterly until it has taken action that would cause it to no longer project insolvency. It should disclose these projections to the board.

To address its current financial problems, Sacramento Unified should do the following:

The district should adopt and disclose publicly a multiyear projection methodology. This methodology should disclose the assumptions and rationale used to estimate changes in salaries, benefits, contributions, and LCFF revenue—including changes in enrollment and the source and reliability of the data used to make these projections.

To address its current financial problems, Sacramento Unified should do the following:

Before it imposes an agreement on its teachers union or accepts state assistance, the district should publicly disclose the likely effects that such actions will have on the district's students, faculty, and the community, and its plans to address these effects.

To prevent a similar fiscal crisis in the future, Sacramento Unified should do the following by July 2020:

Have the board adopt a budget methodology, including guidance on the use of one-time funds, the use and maintenance of district reserves, and the maintenance of a balanced budget. The methodology should use the Government Finance Officers Association's best practices as a guide and should address at least the following areas:

Including administrators from different divisions of Sacramento Unified into the budget development process to help ensure the accuracy of projections.

Establishing criteria and measures for success in the budget process, such as whether budget decisions were made with adequate input and deliberation and whether the budget was balanced without using reserves or one-time revenues for ongoing expenditures.

Developing and adhering to a multiyear funding budget plan, with the goal of realigning resources where necessary to fund ongoing expenses with ongoing revenue.

Conducting an analysis of variances in budgeted and actual revenues and expenditures at each interim reporting period. Sacramento Unified should then use this information to inform its estimates for the upcoming fiscal year's budget.

To prevent a similar fiscal crisis in the future, Sacramento Unified should do the following by July 2020:

Develop a long-term funding plan to address its retiree health benefits liability. The plan should include appropriate action necessary to ensure the district will be able to meet its obligations to its employees and retirees.

To prevent a similar fiscal crisis in the future, Sacramento Unified should do the following by July 2020:

Adopt a policy that guides staff on steps they should take to ensure that special education expenditures are cost-effective. The policy should include consideration of options for offering services, including those provided by district staff or by contracted providers.

To prevent a similar fiscal crisis in the future, Sacramento Unified should do the following by July 2020:

Annually apply for available state funding for its extraordinary special education costs.

To prevent a similar fiscal crisis in the future, Sacramento Unified should do the following by July 2020:

Develop and adopt a succession plan that ensures that it has staff who have the training and knowledge necessary to assume critical roles in the case of turnover.

To prevent a similar fiscal crisis in the future, Sacramento Unified should do the following by July 2020:

Develop effective employee orientation programs, including mentorship, to allow incoming leaders to better adapt to the organization's structure and culture.

To ensure that Sacramento Unified takes the steps necessary to address its fiscal crisis, the county office superintendent should do the following:

Direct Sacramento Unified to submit a corrective action plan by March 2020 that consolidates the district's plans to resolve its fiscal crisis.

To ensure that Sacramento Unified takes the steps necessary to address its fiscal crisis, the county office superintendent should do the following:

Ensure that Sacramento Unified addresses the issues identified in this report, including its executive management turnover and lack of policies guiding its budget process.

To ensure that Sacramento Unified takes the steps necessary to address its fiscal crisis, the county office superintendent should do the following:

Ensure that Sacramento Unified implements all of the recommendations detailed below.