Budget presentations and public hearings for 2025-2026 Plumas County Office of Education and Plumas Unified School District were the main agenda items of the boards’ regular meeting June 25. Both budgets were approved the next day, June 26, at a short special board meeting.
Budget overview
Interim Business Official Stephanie Shatto presented a powerpoint overview of the proposed budgets for both PUSD and PCOE. That took up the bulk of the meeting. Board Chair JoDee Johnson opened and closed the hearings for each budget after hearing no comments.
The proposed PUSD budget showed projected revenues of $34.4 million for the 2025-26 fiscal year, down from $39.8 million the prior year. Cash flow from recently received tax revenue is starting at $10.6 million as of June 30, said Shatto. These funds pay for salaries, books and supplies, services, and capital outlays.
| PUSD Revenues | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| LCFF | $25 m | $24.5 m | -2.1% |
| Federal | $3.9 m | $2.5 m | -36.6% |
| State | $6.6 m | $5.7 m | -13.6% |
| Local | $4 m | $1.5 m | -60.9% |
| Total | $39.7 m | $34.5 m | -13.5% |
The district has not met its required 4% reserve for the last two years. In 2024-25 it was negative $5,840,341. The projection for 2025-26 is expected to be negative $102,832, Shatto said.
Following their disclosures of projected revenue shortfalls of close to $24 million over the next three years, PUSD trustees approved asking for a state loan April 26. The action, taken with little fanfare, requested $20 million in an emergency California Assembly 121 trailer bill to the state’s 2025-2026 budget. Governor Gavin Newsom signed and approved June 27. The loan process was conducted by the California Department of Education and the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team. Plumas Unified is now officially under state receivership.
Shatto said that the district plans to delay using the loan money until November 2025, when PUSD will be have a shortfall of $746,736 according to the budget. Once the money is accessed the district will need to begin repaying with interest.
“We will only draw what we need, as we have the right to not take the full amount.” Shatto said.
The district is also required to repay an interfund loan of $5.3 million, which will require drawing on the loan before June 30, 2026, she said.
Source: Plumas Sun
