At its December meeting, the Los Banos Unified School Board approved a tentative agreement with California School Employee Association (CSEA) and a $29,940 contract to survey the public about a potential bond. The board also heard reports on facilities, potential new elementary school boundaries, community schools and the budget.
Board President Anthony Parreira led the quorum of board members Gene Lieb, Jessica Moran, Marlene Smith, and Dayna Valadao. Luis Castro, and Lori Gattuso were absent. At the beginning of the meeting Parreira was re-elected president and Gattuso as the vice-president.
According to Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Tammie Calzadilla’s written report, the CSEA agreement has a 1.5% salary increase. The 1.5% is retroactive to July 1 and will cost $526,000. Additionally, a $3,500 bonus will be made. The bonus will cost $1,705,607. The board adopted the agreement unanimously.
The $29,940 survey contract will go to True North Research to survey Los Banos on a potential bond, according to Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services Sypher Lee. True North will survey roughly 400 votes to “assess community priorities and [measure] voter support for proposed projects,” Lee wrote. Final results are expected in February 2026 and will “determine whether moving forward with a November 2026 bond measure is feasible,” Lee’s report said. The board approved unanimously.
Facilities and Special Projects Manager Sherry Munday reported that the Early Education Center, or TK Center, will be finished and ready to go when winter break ends on Jan 12.
Lieb asked when the signal light at B Street and Las Palmas will be installed. Munday said, “The signal light will not be delivered until early January. That was a very long lead time item and we’re getting it as soon as possible.” Munday said that there may need to be some temporary stop signs at the intersection when the school opens.
According to Director of Elementary Education Eric Sowersby’s report, the goal of changing the elementary school boundaries is to rebalance elementary populations, streamline bus routes, relieve Grasslands Elementary overcrowding, give Westside Elementary a walking boundary and remove Los Banos Elementary’s boundary as it moves towards a full dual language school. “The way the town has grown over the last five years and houses are being built, Grasslands has been completely impacted,” Sowersby said.
Sowersby presented two elementary school maps to the board. Both show Miano’s east of Mercey Springs boundary extending south of the current Rockport Drive. The new boundary is east on Overland, south on Place Road, then east at the northern boundary of the Verona subdivision.
Lorena Falasco School boundaries will expand south to houses north of Willmott Ave. The eastern border of Lorena Falasco remains at Stonewood Drive with minor changes. All of Westside Union’s territory goes to Henry Miller, while it receives what’s left of Los Banos Elementary’s boundaries.
The only change in the second map is Westside retaining everything southeast of the Cardoza Road and Ortigalita Road intersection. Of all these changes, Sowersby said, “This is only going to affect about one third of our district.” Sowersby plans to meet with LBTA and CSEA for their input and to have at least three community meetings. He plans to bring the final recommendation for board approval by February or March.
Existing students will be grandfathered in, but a big difference from previous changes is that new students will have to go to their new school. “It has always been the practice that we keep families together. [A] family will have the option if they want to bring the [current] student over to the new boundary school. [but they can’t bring the new student to the old school.]
“It will be my job along with others to make sure that we hold that line. Because that’s the only way we’re going to be able to rebalance our district,” Sowersby said.
Community Schools Director Heather Wheeler reported that community schools will be offering winter break camps in early January for 7th-to -12th graders. Camps will be available for plant science, welding, STEM, drones, agribusiness, and code creators.
These camps were created in partnership with Merced College and Nexplore. Plant science, welding and STEM will be taught by college professors. The camps are “free of charge.”
Wheeler also reported that the planned shuttles for the Halloween Fest were made “impossible” due to insurance backing out two-days before the event. “Unfortunately, that’s one of those live and learn moments,” Wheeler said. She said in the future they will use a charter company that already has liability insurance.
Melanie Marcella Director of Fiscal Services gave the first interim budget report to the board. The district is on track to bring in $169,489,363 unrestricted revenues and $55,495,863 restricted, with $155,869,782 unrestricted expenditures and $78,293,739 restricted, creating a $22,797,876 deficit on the budget.
Marcella explained that $47,932,620 was carried over from the previous year and, “that $22.7 million is us spending down the one-time grants that we have as carryover.”
At the beginning of the meeting, eight graduates of the adult school program received their diplomas.
