PD Editorial: Parents voices matter on school budgets

California school districts shouldn’t play hide and seek with their budgets.

Nearly 6 million children attend public schools in California, and school districts are among the largest employers in many communities. Their annual spending plans offer insights into school districts’ fiscal health, stewardship of public money and compliance with state requirements for rainy day reserves.

But budgets are more than collections of tables and spreadsheets — they’re also statements of academic and administrative values. They should be a product of collaboration between school districts, parents and other community members.

In California, school boards must adopt their annual budgets during a public meeting. But a bill advancing in the Legislature would rescind a long-standing requirement for widespread public notice prior to final action on budgets.

The current rules are straightforward:

School boards must give the public an opportunity to speak before adopting a budget.

The budget itself — including revenue, expenditures, a summary for the prior year and any recommendations from the county superintendent of schools — must be available for public review at least three days prior to the public hearing.

Finally, school districts must publish a notice of the hearing in a local newspaper at least three days before the budget is released for public review.

Assembly Bill 721 would water down the public notice requirement. Instead of publishing in a community newspaper, school districts could meet the public notice requirement by posting on their website.

While it’s no secret that circulation has declined, newspapers still reach 10 million California households — people who are most engaged in community matters. And not everyone has internet service, so poor families could be disenfranchised by an online only approach.

Moreover, school district websites have a niche audience. A notice posted there would go unseen by anyone unfamiliar with the public notice rules. Even then, they would have to check the site assiduously. A few people might land on the site by happenstance and find the notice, but not very many.

The likely result: Insiders such as bargaining groups, activists and contractors would know about budget hearings, but most people would only find out about the fact.

School districts say dropping the publication requirement would save money.

Maybe, but it wouldn’t save much money. A legislative analysis of AB 721 says the average budget notice costs $450. The analysis also estimates staff costs of $400 to prepare and place the notice, but that figure seems inflated as little more than the hearing date needs to change from year to year.

Assemblyman Avelino Valencia, D-Anaheim, the bill’s author, says “parents’ voices matter” and a “transparent, accessible, and include budget process supports better student outcomes, better fiscal outcomes, and more equitable school policies.” He’s right, but his bill would move California in the opposite direction.

AB 721 has cleared the Assembly and is set for a hearing Wednesday in the state Senate Education Committee. Members of the panel include state Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg. McGuire, a former school board member himself, should understand as much as any legislator the value of active public participation in public schools. We urge McGuire and the rest of the committee to keep the public involved. Vote no on AB 721.

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