According to general fund budget adoptions for the fiscal year that began July 1, the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District will finish the year with more expenses than revenue, while Yorba Linda’s city government will end up with a modest surplus on June 30, 2026.
The school district expects a deficit of close to $43 million, based on total expenditures of some $399 million, while the city anticipates a surplus of $114,256, based on expenses of $49 million. And since the city adopts a two-year budget, another $34,362 surplus is expected in June 2027.
School officials project that the district deficit will drop for each of the next two fiscal years, to a bit more than $20.2 million by June 30, 2027, and to about $15.6 million by June 30, 2028.
Most revenue comes from state funding, but an estimated $10 million is from federal sources.
Another “budget stabilization plan” will be presented to school trustees before they adopt a budget for the next fiscal year. The plan is expected to include established timelines for ongoing budget planning and actions.
According to the plan, “Reductions presented may include tighter staffing at school sites, position reductions and non-personnel cost reductions. Under these assumptions, the board projects the need for $15.6 million in budget reductions in 2026-27 in order to maintain fiscal solvency.”
Enrollment on the district’s 34 campuses is expected to be 21,777, a drop of 175 students from last year. Administrators expect the number to dip to 21,608 next year and 21,438 the year after.
The district’s Orange County School of Computer Science charter at the Bernardo Yorba Middle School campus on Fairmont Boulevard estimates an enrollment of 747 sixth- through eighth-grade students. The budget is expected to show an $848,645 deficit, based on expenditures of about $10 million.
Most of the city’s income will come from property and sales taxes: some $27 million is expected in property taxes and $8.53 million in sales taxes this year and $28 million in property taxes and $8.75 million in sales taxes next year.
Interestingly, both the school district and the city are involved in a search for a top manager, with both the school superintendent and city manager positions expected to be filled before the end of September.
School superintendent Alex Cherniss resigned while he was on leave from his Placentia-Yorba Linda position for a similar post in the 3,100-student Beverly Hills Unified School District.
Mark Pulone is retiring as Yorba Linda’s city manager after 12 years in the position. The application deadline is July 14 for the city manager job.
Update: Opening date for students who will attend the Magnolia Science Academy charter school on the west campus of Esperanza High School is Aug. 26. Trustees approved an agreement for transitional kindergarten through second-grade students to occupy seven portable classrooms on the west Aztec campus.
Jim Drummond is a longtime Yorba Linda resident. He gives his opinion on local issues weekly. Send e-mail to jimdrummond@hotmail.com.