Coachella Valley Unified School District is weighing how to cut at least $20 million from its budget over the next three years, with proposed reductions varying in scope and potentially affecting student services, particularly mental health programs.
District staff was presented with three fiscal stabilization proposals on Jan. 15, outlining ways to rein in deficit spending and ensure required reserves, though trustees stressed that the scenarios are a starting point rather than final decisions as they consider potential changes to student services — including the future of the district’s school-based wellness centers.
“We are not confined to those options just as they are,” Trustee Valerie García said.
The new round of proposed cuts follows a turbulent financial period for CVUSD. Despite more than $57 million in staffing and program reductions approved last year, the district fell short of projected savings and revenues — leaving a structural deficit that now requires an additional $20 million in ongoing reductions.
The shortfall stemmed in part from staffing reductions yielding far less savings than projected because of union placement rules, required additions to special education staffing for compliance and delayed revenue that did not materialize during the 2024-25 school year, CVUSD previously said.
CVUSD presents three budget scenarios as a starting point
The most aggressive approach of the three fiscal stabilization proposals would generate about $31.3 million in savings over three years by eliminating certificated staff assigned to school wellness centers, ending a contract with the Riverside County Latino Commission, cutting $1 million annually from maintenance and operations, as well as reducing positions districtwide.
CVUSD has long partnered with the Latino Commission to provide school-based mental health and substance abuse services, including at least one licensed therapist at every school.
A second option, identified by administrators as a recommended starting point, would reduce spending by about $22.1 million over three years. That plan relies on similar staffing and operational reductions but preserves some services by using $4.5 million in one-time discretionary funds and scaling back — rather than eliminating — the contract with the Latino Commission.
The third option would produce roughly $17.6 million in savings, leaving the district short of its projected reduction target unless additional cuts are identified earlier.
Wellness centers emerge as vital student resource
While trustees reviewed the budget scenarios, some public comments returned to what the proposed cuts as presented could mean for students — especially amid fear and disruption tied to reports of immigration enforcement activity in Thermal earlier that day.
A few speakers urged the board to avoid eliminating the district’s wellness centers, describing them as critical supports for students expressing stress, anxiety and crisis during a period of heightened uncertainty for immigrant families.
Following the pandemic, CVUSD established wellness centers at every middle and high school to address growing student needs, and the school-based centers have since become a model and a core part of its student support services.
“It’s very important to me that you do so knowing what will be lost because this is not just a budget decision,” said Janelle McDaniel, who is the wellness teacher at Desert Mirage High School. “This is the removal of a safety net.”
Since the start of the school year, Desert Mirage High has conducted 25 risk assessments — initiated when a student expresses thoughts of self-harm, suicide or other behaviors that may pose a danger to themselves or others, McDaniel said. Six mental health holds have also been initiated, requiring emergency intervention to ensure student safety.
The school averages more than 200 visits to its wellness center each month, where students seek support for anxiety, grief and peer conflict, including fear that a family member could be deported, McDaniel said.
“These visits are not abstract numbers,” she said.
Student trustee Mia Meza of Coachella Valley High School urged trustees to weigh the district’s fiscal realities alongside the well-being of students.
“I know that the budget is a big part of our school district, but students do need these resources,” Meza said. “As someone who has used these health services, it’s really a safety net that we have.”
Trustee Joey Acuña Jr. warned against cutting mental health services amid community trauma, saying the wellness centers and its professionals should be treated as essential supports, like the state’s free meals program.
“If the kids are hungry, they’re not going to learn,” he said. “If the kids are in trauma, teachers aren’t going to be able to teach these kids.”
Other trustees, too, acknowledged the concerns and reiterated that the proposals are not final and that revisions remain on the table.
The board took no action at the meeting, but trustees are expected to approve a fiscal stabilization plan at their next regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday, Feb. 12.
Known as FCMAT, the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team — a state agency that oversees district finances to help prevent insolvency — is also expected to present a fiscal health risk analysis report identifying areas to strengthen the district’s internal controls, budget development and ongoing fiscal oversight for long-term financial stability.
Jennifer Cortez covers education in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at jennifer.cortez@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: CVUSD weighs how to cut $20M while protecting student services
Reporting by Jennifer Cortez, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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