The Governing Board of the Benicia Unified School District approved the budget for the 2018-19 school year at the final school board meeting of the 2017-18 year on Wednesday.

Chief Business Official Tim Rahill noted there were no changes to the budget from the May 31 meeting when a public hearing was held. Rahill said the district would be operating at a small one-time surplus of $88,000, which includes the costs of employee negotiations from the tentative agreements with the classified employees union and confidential/management group, which were unanimously ratified at Wednesday’s meeting.

Trustee Peter Morgan asked if costs associated with the Benicia Teachers Association were included in the budget, considering negotiations were ongoing and the tentative agreement was voted down. Rahill said he contacted both auditors and school services.

“They mentioned that because we are still part of the process with our teachers union that it would be appropriate to keep the costs included in the budget which they currently are,” he said. “All costs of the ratified agreements with the classified union and management/confidential are in there as well as what the last offer was.”

“We’re still in negotiations,” he added. “Obviously, that can change based on what actually happens. We still have time between now and the fall before we close our books.”

Rahill said the district would call auditors again if negotiations would dictate a change to the budget.

Based upon the report as well as information from Gov. Jerry Brown’s May Revise Budget, Rahill said the budget would provide for the state’s 3 Percent Reserve for Economic Uncertainties as well as BUSD’s Board Policy Reserve, which accounts for an additional 4 percent. Thus, he said, the district is able to provide a positive certification for the budget.

“It shows that the district is able to meet its fiscal commitments in the current year and the two outer years,” he said.

Currently, Rahill said, the state budget is being voted upon at the state legislature and the district would know by the end of the week what ends up being approved.

“It appears the final budget might include some shifting of the revenues out of the one-time funds and possibly into the LCFF (Local Control Funding Formula),” he said.

Rahill said he would attend a budget workshop in mid-July and report back with any changes.

The trustees voted 4-0— Celeste Monnette was absent— to adopt the budget.

In other matters, the board unanimously voted to approve the Local Control Accountability Plan, new psychology and Advanced Placement Psychology textbooks, and Superintendent Dr. Charles Young’s contract through 2021.

The board will next meet on Thursday, Aug. 16.

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