School district has lost millions due to transfers
Since the 2015-16 school year, the Vallejo City Unified School District has lost more than $36 million due to students transferring out of the district, according to a March 16 report from the Solano County civil grand jury.
The grand jury is recommending the district begin to limit student transfers, establish a community task force to evaluate the situation, have VCUSD Superintendent Adam Clark conduct a curriculum audit to determine how to improve student’s academic performance, and use transfer data in the budgeting process for staffing and school facilities.
The grand jury said that 3,237 students transferred out of the district, with just 84 transferring in during the same time period, costing the district $36 million.
“The 2019-2020 Solano County Civil Grand Jury has concerns about the revenues lost and the impact of that loss on current students and staff, as well as the community perception of VCUSD,” the report states. “The District has a long history of struggles, both financial and academic. Community perceptions and opinions of VCUSD may improve if it finds a way to stem these financial losses and implement cutting-edge curriculum taught by highly-qualified staff in well-maintained, state-of-the-art facilities.”
Reached for comment about the report, Clark said it is “accurate and I do not have conflicts with what was stated.”
“There was a narrative by a small group of District adversaries that VCUSD was irresponsible with the budget, resulting in
the huge deficit,” he added. “This report proves how false that narrative was that they spread. Napa and Benicia would be in the same unfortunate situation if they lost the students who should be attending schools in Vallejo.”
The grand jury stated that it believed student transfers weren’t the only
reason for the district losing revenue.
“Not included in these calculations are income lost due to student absences, transfers to charter schools and residents who choose to send their children to private schools,” they said.
Clark and the VCUSD Board of Education are required to supply a response to the grand jury’s findings.