LCAP and Budget Vote This Week: What You Need to Know

GO WCC | June 23, 2025

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Big Decisions Ahead in WCCUSD

On June 25 the board will vote on both the 2025-26 Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) and the district budget, two items that will shape next year’s priorities for students, staff, and schools. Here’s what happened at the last meeting, what’s in the proposed plans, where gaps remain, and how you can make your voice heard before decisions are finalized. 

New Superintendent: Cheryl Cotton Appointed

The WCCUSD Board has named Cheryl Cotton as the district’s new Superintendent. Ms. Cotton, officially announced at the June 4 board meeting. 

Ms. Cotton, currently California’s Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction, brings deep local roots and experience. She grew up in West Contra Costa, attended local schools, served as principal at Valley View and Madera elementary schools, and worked as WCCUSD’s Director of Human Resources. (Read more at Richmondside).  

Welcome home, Ms. Cotton!  We look forward to working together for our students’ success.  

2025-26 LCAP and Budget Drafts 

What happened?

On June 4, the WCCUSD School Board held public hearings for the 2025-26 Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) (Year 2 of the current 3-year cycle) and the district budget. These hearings allow public review and input before the final vote on June 25. By law, the LCAP must be adopted before the budget, and the budget must reflect the LCAP’s priorities. Learn more in our LCAP and Budget Cycle guides.

The 2025-26 LCAP builds on the goals and metrics introduced last year, shares updates on progress, and adds new investments based on data and community feedback. 

Key proposed additions for 2025-26 include: 

• Attendance: Staff training on tiered outreach, revised School Attendance Review Team (SART) manual, and centralized data system for tracking interventions and recognition.
• Black or African American Students: Targeted recruitment of Black educators; expansion of the literacy program from 7 to 10 schools; new community engagement and A-G requirements communication plans.
• College & Career Readiness: College/career site visits; PSAT access; 4-year student planning support.
• Dual Language Instruction: New DLI resource page; bilingual teacher recruitment; expanded curriculum tools (Amplify Lectura and Caminos). 
• English learners: Buddy/mentor system for newcomer students; targeted PD on supporting Long-Term English Learners; 
• Staffing: Additional staff at schools serving high-need students (ELs, foster youth, low-income); proposed class size reductions (note: this is proposed in the LCAP, but may not align with current budget plans).
• Stege Elementary: New goal added, as Stege was identified for state support as an “equity multiplier” school this year.  

See the full LCAP draft, Executive Summary, and presentation slides for more details.

The 2025-26 budget presentation followed (slides; full budget), highlighting ongoing structural deficits expected to persist for several years. The district anticipates fully spending down the “Fund 17” reserves.  Key contributing factors include: declining enrollment and attendance, the expiration of one-time COVID funds, and rising costs, particularly in Special Education.  

Why is this important?

The LCAP is the district’s key tool for planning and accountability. It guides how WCCUSD sets goals, funds programs, and tracks progress for improving student outcomes, especially for high-need groups. The LCAP must be shaped by meaningful engagement with educational partners, including families, students, teachers, staff, and community members. 

But the quality of this engagement and the alignment between the LCAP and the budget has real consequences. Last year the WCCUSD Board rejected the district’s LCAP due to insufficient community engagement and unclear evidence that public feedback had meaningfully shaped the plan. That decision made headlines and led to a renewed focus on transparency and collaboration. 

In contrast to last year, many community members praised the stronger collaboration, clearer presentation of data, and more authentic involvement of families. 

Lucas Menanix, DLCAPS Chair, shared: “Thank you for listening to us, and really evolving the process . . .  We’ve had a great increase in attendance and in our DLCAPS committee membership . . . [and]  improvement in the rigor of program evaluation, bringing us data, and making sure it’s clearly explained.” Read more about improved use of data in the LCAP presentation in our recent strategic use of data article.

Planning is only one piece, it must be funded 

While this year’s LCAP shows promising improvements in process and vision, many raised concerns that the proposed 2025-26 budget does not align with the LCAP priorities. 

The district’s budget presentation did not clearly show how the key LCAP strategies – like increased staffing, expanded supports for Black students and English learners, or class size reductions – would be funded. 

Francisco Ortiz, President of United Teachers of Richmond, emphasized this gap: “The LCAP reflects a shared vision for what students in our district deserve: schools that are inclusive, relationships that are healing, classrooms where every child is seen. But this vision cannot live in a silo. When we examine the proposed budget alongside this plan, the disconnect becomes clear. The LCAP speaks to transformation while the budget speaks to the status quo . . . if we truly believe in the commitments made in the LCAP, then our budget must reflect these values.”  

Trustee Enlanna echoed this concern: “This LCAP gives us a gleam of hope as parents …  I would like to see more alignment within our budget …  we don’t want our community to think we are talking two different languages.”

Additionally, GO Director of Policy and Data, Molly Moloney, pointed to another issue: the budget does not appear to incorporate major new state funding expected in the Governor’s May proposal, funds that could support literacy, TK expansion, and extended learning: “Leaving out millions in expected funding leads to making rushed, opaque spending decisions later, instead of strategic, student-centered plans now.”

Areas for continued improvement

While there was praise for this year’s engagement process, parent leaders and DLCAPS members also noted that more work is needed to improve clarity and accountability. They are requesting: 

• A better connection between program effectiveness and data; 
• An explanation on how programs have changed and how these changes will improve outcomes;
• Reduced jargon (“ed speak”) to make plans more accessible. 

The DLCAPS also evaluated the district’s response to advisory group recommendations, noting that while many recommendations were adopted, some responses were insufficient or not clearly responsive to the concerns raised. See their full evaluation in the DLCAPS slides.

Additionally, both Board President Reckler and Trustee Gonzalez-Hoy noted that expanding services for newcomer students, especially English learners, should be a top priority that is more clearly reflected in both the LCAP and budget. 

What’s at stake

Together, the LCAP and the budget determine how the district sets its goals and whether it follows through. When the plan and funding don’t align, the result is confusion, frustration, and missed opportunities, especially for the students who need the most support. 

This year’s LCAP shows progress, but the proposed budget raises important questions:

• Are we resourcing the priorities we say matter?

• Are families, educators, and students seeing their input reflected in real decisions? 
• Will the district make bold, student-centered investments or return to the status quo? 

As WCCUSD welcomes a new superintendent and enters the final board meetings of the school year, this moment is a test of whether we are truly ready to match our values with action and set the new superintendent, and our students, up for success.  

What can you do?

• Send your feedback about the LCAP proposal to district leaders at lcap@wccusd.net and board trustees (trustee emails here). Let them know what you support in the LCAP, what’s missing in the budget, why these decisions matter for your school, your family, or your community.  
• Attend the June 25 board meeting (6:30 pm, in-person at De Jean Middle School or on zoom) to share your thoughts in public comment.  The LCAP and Budget will be voted on that night, along with individual schools’ “School Plans for Student Achievement” (SPSA). 
• Learn more: Explore GO’s School Finance Resource Library or join our Family Leadership Program to deepen your understanding and advocacy.