How Eureka City Schools is funded, governed, and where its money is going.
How is the district funded, and why is money tight?
State-formula funded, and currently spending more than it takes in
Like most California districts, Eureka City Schools gets most of its money through the state's Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), which pays a set dollar amount per student attending (technically per Average Daily Attendance, or ADA) based on grade level, plus extra funding for low-income, English-learner, and foster youth students. Because the formula is enrollment-driven, a shrinking student population directly shrinks district revenue -- and Eureka's enrollment has been declining for several years. At the same time, one-time COVID-era federal funds that padded budgets since 2020 have run out, and costs like special education, health benefits, and contractual raises keep rising. The district has certified two consecutive interim budget reports (December 2025 and March 2026) as having a structural deficit, meaning ongoing expenses currently exceed ongoing revenue, and responded in March 2026 by cutting 18 full-time-equivalent staff positions.
Formula funding follows students
2025-26 LCFF base rates ranged from $10,256 per ADA in grades K-3 to $12,423 per ADA in grades 9-12, before added funding for high-need students.
Enrollment is falling
Districtwide enrollment was projected at 3,372 students for 2025-26, dropping to a projected 3,259 by 2027-28 -- and every student who leaves takes formula funding with them.
One-time federal funds are gone
COVID-era emergency block grant funding that helped balance recent budgets has expired, removing a cushion the district relied on.
Reserves are still legally healthy
Despite the deficit, the district's available reserves were projected at 5.00% of spending for 2025-26 through 2027-28 -- above the state's 3% minimum standard for a district this size.
A structural deficit and 18 staff cuts do not mean the district is being mismanaged: its bond spending has been independently audited with clean, unmodified opinions every year, and its reserves are projected to stay above the state-required minimum for at least three years. The deficit reflects a statewide pattern -- formula funding tied to falling enrollment, plus the end of pandemic aid -- more than a Eureka-specific problem.
Where the district stands
LCFF revenue (2025-26, projected)verified
$48,916,375 USD
Down $446,103 (-0.90%) from 2024-25, driven mainly by declining enrollment.
Enrollment (2025-26, projected)verified
3,372 students
Projected to fall to 3,259 by 2027-28 under current trends.
Available reservesverified
5 % of spending
Above the state's 3% minimum reserve standard for a district this size, in the current year and both subsequent years.
Staff positions cut, March 2026verified
18 FTE
5.0 FTE certificated layoff plus 13.00625 FTE classified position eliminations, tied to the district's structural deficit.
LCFF base rate per student, grades 9-12context
$12,423 USD per ADA
A single line from the LCFF base-rate table; not district total per-pupil spending, which also includes supplemental/concentration funding and other state, federal, and local revenue.
Major projects
Grant Elementary Pre-K/TK classroom addition
In progress, reported ahead of schedule
An 8-classroom Pre-Kindergarten/Transitional Kindergarten addition at Grant Elementary, a project in the works since 2021 to relieve a campus staff describe as already at full capacity.
Next: Completion of 8 new classrooms and expanded parent drop-off/parking, expected by June 2027 or sooner.
Board awarded low bid to Adams Commercial General Contracting
Ground broken on the project
Reported ahead of schedule; possible completion before June 2027
Funding
State grant (project originated 2021), almost entirely state-funded
Eureka High Albee Stadium / Bud Cloney gymnasium project
Nearing completion
A multi-year construction project at Eureka High School rebuilding Albee Stadium and the Bud Cloney gymnasium, tracked through more than 20 board-approved change orders over the review period.
Next: Overall project completion, including athletic fields and track, anticipated fall 2026.
Change order No. 12 approved (one of over a dozen change orders tracked through the year)
New gymnasium's Notice of Completion approved
Synthetic turf installation underway at Albee Stadium
Funding
General obligation bond measures (Measure S / Measure T) and grant support
Jacobs property option agreement
Pending outside approval
A proposed option agreement on the Jacobs property, a potential future district site, awaiting an outside approval before the district can exercise a two-year option period.
Next: If the State Board approves, execution of the agreement begins a two-year option period on the property.
Board update: option agreement scheduled for State Board consideration July 30, 2026
Funding
Not yet detailed in board materials
Local elections & school board members
Elections & votes
Board electionScheduled
Eureka City Schools Board of Education general election, Trustee Areas 1, 3, and 5
Eureka, CA (Humboldt County)
Three of the board's five trustee-area seats -- Area 1, Area 3, and Area 5 -- have terms ending in 2026 and are up for election at the November 3, 2026 statewide general election. Area 5 is currently held by a provisional appointee (Jess Pettitt, seated April 2026) filling the balance of a term vacated by resignation; district reporting indicates the board hopes the successful candidate will run for the seat in November 2026.
This overview and the accompanying feed are built from the district's own Granicus-hosted board meeting agendas, agenda packets, and approved minutes for board meetings from September 2025 through August 2026, collected and reviewed document-by-document. Two scanned minutes documents were processed with local OCR; all other documents had machine-readable text.
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