Dear Lafayette Parents and Caregivers,
I hope this message finds you and your family well.
I am writing today to share an update on the Lafayette School District’s budget planning process for the 2025-2026 school year. As we prepare for the future, we continue to face a significant challenge that many school districts across California are experiencing: the costs of goods and services are rising faster than the increases in state revenue we receive. As a result, our District continues to spend more each year than we take in.
As responsible stewards of our community’s investment in our schools, we have committed to making an additional $2 million in reductions to our overall spending for the 2025-26 school year. I want to emphasize that nearly all of these reductions will come from areas outside of our school sites, as we are firmly committed to protecting our high-quality student programs.
Using one-time funds is one strategy we plan to use to avoid cuts to staff in the coming year. While this is not a best practice, using one-time savings will allow us to maintain critical programs for at least another year.
Last week, we held a virtual town hall to provide an update on the status of our budget planning and to share more about the careful work being done to achieve these reductions. If you were unable to attend, I encourage you to visit our LAFSD Budget Webpage where you will find a recording of the Town Hall, and the presentation slides can be found here.
I also want to take a moment to extend my deep gratitude to the members of our District Budget Advisory Committee and our Parent Organizations, as well as to the many staff members, parents, and community members who contributed thoughtful ideas and feedback. Your engagement has been critical in helping us navigate these difficult decisions with the goal of minimizing the impact on student programs and maintaining the excellence that defines Lafayette schools.
We are committed to keeping you informed as we move forward, and to continuing to invite your voices into this important work. Thank you, as always, for your partnership and support.
Warmly,
Brent Stephens