District overview
Lakeside Joint School District
Funding structure, how it compares to peers, and where major projects stand.
Who decides for Lakeside?
Lakeside Joint is a one-school public district serving a rural Los Gatos area that crosses Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties. Its five-member Board of Trustees controls the district budget, staffing, curriculum, facilities, contracts, and superintendent/principal oversight.
District and school governance largely overlap
Because Lakeside operates one campus, central board actions directly set the school's staffing, schedule, programs, and facilities priorities.
A School Site Council shapes the LCAP
Board minutes say the council monitors the LCAP and provides parent, staff, and community input, but final fiscal and policy authority remains with the Board.
Small-district finances are sensitive to single costs
A change in special-education billing and one-time revenue materially altered the multiyear outlook and contributed to staffing reductions.
The archive is unusually detailed, but June 26 and July 29 special-meeting minutes are not posted, so the latest agenda-stage outcomes remain unconfirmed.
Where the district stands
13 meeting dates; includes agendas, minutes, packets, scans, spreadsheets, and presentations.
September 2025 superintendent report.
March 2026 report, up from $33,859 under the prior billing approach.
Approved May 13, 2026; projected to add $12,000–$13,000 annually.
Major projects
Fiscal and staffing reset
Reductions finalizedRising special-education costs and declining balances led the Board to eliminate or reduce certificated and classified positions while preserving the state-required reserve.
- First Interim shows deficit spending and declining balances
- Board approves preliminary teacher and aide reductions
- Board finalizes both reductions
Funding
General Fund
Second Interim remained solvent through the third projected year and above the 5% reserve requirement.
Artificial-intelligence policy
Draft under reviewThe Board is developing rules for staff and student AI use, with emphasis on privacy, teacher responsibility, age appropriateness, and academic integrity.
- Preliminary discussion of school AI use
- Board reviews a draft and defers action until fall
Funding
Not established
A potential special-education tool pilot was discussed, but no purchase or appropriation was approved.
Long-term facilities and water work
Planning and approvals underwayThe Board began a community-informed “Lakeside 2050” facilities plan while a separate potable-water project works through engineering and approvals.
- Board begins long-term facilities-plan discussion
- Well-project design identifies a lower-cost pressure-tank location
- Board reports potable water reaches campus but is not yet served through the school system
Funding
Potential bond and district capital resources
The archive does not establish a final facilities-plan budget or bond proposal.
Based on every agenda, posted minute, and linked meeting-material attachment in the district's official trailing-year Google Sheet and Drive archive, reviewed chronologically from September 2025 through July 2026.
Get alerts for Lakeside Joint School District
We read every agenda, packet, and set of minutes, and write up the decisions that affect families — each one linked to the document it came from.
View alerts for this district