It was standing-room only at Tuesday night’s San Luis Coastal Unified School District board meeting, as community members voiced their opposition to $5 million in budget cuts proposed for the 2026-27 school year.
"Behind every number is a student, a family, a future, and some cuts cost far more than they can imagine," one speaker said.
Music programs emerged as a primary concern, with proposed cuts to musical instrument budgets drawing sharp criticism from families.
"[I] urge you to postpone the approval of this budget in order to save our incredibly valuable student-facing music programs," another community member said.
Some speakers called for more equitable distribution of cuts across different programs, questioning why music programs appeared to bear a disproportionate burden compared to athletics.
"Find a way to spread cuts more equitably across programs. I would like to hear, for example, what percentage of Athletics' budget is $100k? It's 2/3rd of music," one person said.
Others raised concerns about impacts on staffing and English-learner programs.
"I've heard you now for two years say [it] matters and that you care about our English learners, but if you approve this budget that is being presented to you, then you are effectively preventing them and creating an arbitrary barrier," a speaker said.
The timing of the board meeting created a difficult choice for many families, as it was scheduled at the same time as school concerts, forcing parents to choose between attending their children's performances or advocating for the programs.
"I chose to miss my choir concert at the high school so I could be here and speak," one student said.
"I am missing my son's concert tonight because if this budget passes, there might be no PAC concert next year," a parent said.
After the seven-hour-long meeting, the board ultimately voted to approve the budget for the next school year. All but one trustee voted in favor of it.
"There is nothing about it I like, but I have the responsibility to bring our district into solid financial footing," said Superintendent Dr. Eric Prater.
He identified three main factors contributing to the budget deficit: loss of unitary tax revenue from Diablo Canyon Power Plant, unfunded transitional kindergarten (TK) programs, and the expiration of temporary COVID-19 funding.
Prater said he has hope for legislative progress in the spring that could help address the financial challenges, including potential reinstatement of unitary taxes from Diablo Canyon and state funding for TK programs.
