Board responds to Civil Grand Jury report citing $52.8M in bond spending without oversight

What happened

The Board of Trustees adopted a formal response to the Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury report "Known Problems, Unfinished Solutions," agreeing that the district spent approximately $52.8 million in bond funds from 2021-22 through 2024-25 while its Citizens' Bond Oversight Committee (CBOC) was not functioning, and acknowledging serious governance, transparency, and structural budget deficit risks. The Board committed to a dozen new Standard Operating Procedures, a retrospective CBOC review of the bond spending, and long-term financial and facilities planning by set 2026-2027 deadlines.

Why it matters to families

This is a documented material governance and fiscal-oversight failure acknowledged by the Board itself: tens of millions in voter-approved bond funds were spent without the legally required citizen oversight body functioning for years, and the district acknowledges a serious risk of financial insolvency absent further corrective action.

The evidence

Board response document states: 'The district spent $52.8 million in bond funds during the 2021-22 through the 2024-25 school years without required citizen oversight... The Civil Grand Jury identifies total expenditures of $52,857,094 during the relevant period' and 'the district faces a serious risk of financial insolvency unless it develops and implements a realistic plan to eliminate its annual budget deficits' (Board response: AGREE to Finding 5a).

The source