Pinkston said he hopes the district also implements safeguards and accountability measures to ensure it stays within its budget and avoids future financial crises.
“It needs to be able to do what it needs to do without harming our students and the quality of education they deserve,” he said. Pinkston added that he is particularly concerned about protecting marginalized students, including students with disabilities.
The newly approved plan also includes reductions in several areas, including books and supplies, an average daily attendance initiative aimed at improving attendance, and program development.
District officials said monthly meetings will be held to monitor implementation of the plan and ensure the district remains on track.
“State receivership serves no one’s interests,” said Trustee Michael Menjamin. “It would place an especially heavy burden on our most vulnerable and most marginalized students, who can least afford further instability in their educational experience. For this reason, this agreement before us today represents a meaningful and necessary step forward.”
Earlier this week, Sacramento City Unified and the Sacramento City Teachers Association also reached a revised four-year agreement expected to provide about $97 million in financial relief for the district.
Most of the savings will come from changing how the district funds retiree health benefits.
The district currently spends about $21 million to $23 million annually on retiree health benefits. Under the new agreement, the district expects to save about $67 million in retiree health insurance costs over the next three years while preserving retiree health benefits.
“We are committed to protecting public education in our community from the chopping block of state receivership; this agreement is an opportunity for us to protect the gains we’ve made for students in our district while taking significant steps to help the district avoid insolvency,” said Nikki Davis Milevsky, president of the Sacramento City Teachers Association, in a statement.