District overview
Banning Unified School District
Funding structure, how it compares to peers, and where major projects stand.
Expanding student programs while watching recurring deficits
Banning’s five-member trustee-area board sets policy and the budget. Superintendent Terrence Davis leads operations. California state/local funding and targeted grants support the academic program, expanded learning and student services.
A manageable forecast still needs monitoring
The county projects unrestricted deficits of $0.8 million, $1.3 million and $2.0 million across 2026–29, but positive balances and reserve compliance. The state 3% and board 4.5% reserve requirements are floors, not actual cash available to spend.
Attendance and math are central challenges
The county’s 2025 review reports 27% chronic absence and mathematics 106.1 points below standard. Projected 2026–27 ADA is 3,978, nearly flat; ADA measures attendance for funding, not enrollment.
More routes to engagement
Think Together expands from the high school to Nicolet Middle School. Coombs launched barber/beauty training, and summer-school pilots combine academics, social-emotional learning and hands-on STEAM activities.
Students repeatedly shape the agenda
Students raised bathroom conditions, dismissal safety, hygiene supplies and food-day fundraising. Bathroom followups report improvement; the latest food-day dispute remained unresolved in the October meeting.
The record contains progress as well as problems: the county approved the budget; schools reported attendance, school-climate and academic gains. Testimony about a concern is not independent proof of misconduct.
Where the district stands
Major projects
Secondary after-school expansion
Nicolet services approved for 2026–27Think Together builds on the Banning High pilot with middle-school tutoring, career/college engagement and activities.
- Staff reports 50 high-school participants.
- Contracts approved for expansion to Nicolet.
Funding
Expanded Learning Opportunities Program and ASES resources; exact Think Together contract amount not established in the collected recording.
Measure O facilities priorities
Management services approved; project priorities still forthcomingThe board approved facilities/construction management services in October. Staff said project budgets, job orders and a priority list would follow; a complete capital plan remains forthcoming.
- Board approved facilities/construction management services; project priorities and budgets still to follow.
Funding
Measure O bond funds; individual project budgets still forthcoming.
Recent news
View the news feed →Resources
Practical guides to school phone policies, district budgets, and administrator hiring.
Explore resources →Native chronological review of all 36 collected source records, including all readable transcripts, agendas and the county approval letter. Five duplicate extracted agenda texts were verified by SHA 256; no API editorial review was used.
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