The Mountain View-Los Altos (MVLA) High School District and Los Altos School District (LASD) reported positive financial results for the 2025-2026 fiscal year during their respective Sept. 14 board meetings, highlighting fund balances, spending and the challenges of managing future operating costs.
The reports provide a preliminary look at the districts’ revenues and expenditures during the fiscal year that ended June 30. Both boards unanimously approved the unaudited actuals, which will undergo external audits later this year.
MVLA fund balance increases
MVLA’s fund balance increased by approximately $422,000, according to Fiscal Services Director Elvis Lopez. The district’s total fund balance, including restricted and unrestricted funds, was approximately $1.2 million to $1.3 million.
Lopez said the increase reflected several factors, including unspent funds carried into the new fiscal year.
The presentation also addressed donation accounts that had previously been held within Associated Student Body accounts at school sites. Those accounts, which included donations for programs such as choir, athletics and AVID classes, were transferred to the district because they were not student club funds.
According to the district, the transfer contributed to an unusually large increase in restricted fund balances. MVLA plans to account for year-to-date revenues in future years to reduce the impact of the transfer on annual financial figures.
The district also reported spending on field upgrades and other capital projects, while some classroom audiovisual modernization was funded through bond proceeds. Approximately $197,000 in instructional materials funding was carried forward because textbook deliveries occurred after the fiscal year ended.
Looking ahead, the year-end results will establish the beginning balances for the 2026-2027 budget. The district plans to update revenue projections, staffing costs and health insurance estimates at its first interim budget presentation in December.
LASD highlights reserves and operating costs
At LASD, officials reported $92.4 million in revenue and $86.9 million in expenditures, including transfers out. The district’s net change in fund balance was $5.4 million, while its unassigned fund balance stood at $26.5 million.
However, not all of LASD’s savings are expected to continue in future years. Contributing factors included unfilled vacancies, lower substitute costs, reduced contracted services and delayed purchases.
Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Erik Walukiewicz also highlighted the use of restricted funds before required deadlines, including $897,000 in educator effectiveness funding spent during the fiscal year.
Staffing and operating costs were another focus. LASD reported that staffing declined from 467 full-time-equivalent positions in 2022-2023 to 412 in 2025-2026, while enrollment remained relatively stable. The district also added employees to support transitional kindergarten, family engagement and other programs.
Reserves also give the district a financial cushion when expenses come due before property tax revenue arrives, according to Walukiewicz, who said a 1% reserve is approximately $869,000. Future concerns include rising health insurance premiums, inflation and the ongoing cost of programs such as transitional kindergarten and universal meals.
“We are a community-funded district and we do not receive any additional funds for TK,” Walukiewicz said. “We do get a little money back for the universal meals and special education, but it’s not fully funded. So that comes out of our general fund.”
The year-end figures will now inform the districts’ upcoming budget decisions, including revenue projections, staffing costs and other operating expenses.
