A one-school rural district with large reserves and income from overseeing a big charter
Marcum-Illinois Union Elementary School District runs one TK-8 school and a preschool in East Nicolaus, in Sutter County. California pays most of its costs per student through the Local Control Funding Formula. The district also authorizes South Sutter Charter School, a much larger independent-study charter, and charges it an oversight fee. Five trustees elected at large by district voters set the budget and policy and hire Superintendent/Principal Maggie Irby.
Formula funding
The 2026-27 plan expects $3.67 million in revenue, including $2.55 million from the state formula.
Charter oversight money
The district charged South Sutter Charter $318,836 for oversight in 2024-25, the legal maximum of 1%. The audit said the district lacked records to back it up.
Large reserves
The district projects a fund balance of about $3.16 million, far above the state minimum, and filed a required explanation of excess reserves.
Elected board
Three of five seats are on the November 3, 2026 ballot.
The district's own audit opinion and both interim budget reports were positive; the oversight-fee finding is about missing records, not about money being spent wrongly.
Where the district stands
TK-8 students (February 2026)verified
194 students
Plus 14 full-time preschoolers.
Projected 2026-27 revenueverified
3,665,826 USD
Planned spending is $3,629,002.
Projected fund balance, end of 2025-26verified
3,163,090 USD
The state minimum reserve is 5% of spending.
Charter oversight fee charged, 2024-25verified
318,836 USD
Up from $293,730 in 2023-24 and $236,516 in 2022-23.
Planned spending per student, 2026-27context
18,706 USD
Context: $3,629,002 divided by 194 TK-8 students; preschool is funded separately, so this overstates the K-8 figure slightly.
Major projects
Math curriculum pilot
in progress
Teachers are trying Eureka Math 2 and Classroom Mathematics CA in 2026-27 before choosing one.
Next: [object Object]
Math reviews with nearby districts reported
Pilot of two programs approved
Funding
Not stated
November 2026 trustee election
scheduled
Three seats held by Emily Daddow, Elise Nelson and Keith Turner are up.
Next: [object Object]
Board resolution confirms election of three members
Funding
District election costs
Bus driver staffing
in progress
With only one bus driver, the district cut back field trips and paid to train a new driver, who began behind-the-wheel training in September 2026.
Next: [object Object]
Training for a new driver approved
Behind-the-wheel training under way
Funding
District general fund (estimated training cost)
Local elections & school board members
Elections & votes
Board electionScheduled
Marcum-Illinois Union ESD trustee election, three at-large seats
Marcum-Illinois Union ESD
Three at-large seats on the Board of Trustees are up on November 3, 2026, those of Emily Daddow, Elise Nelson and Keith Turner. The board confirmed the election by resolution on May 11, 2026. A county candidate list reported in search results named Adam Michel, Elise Nelson and Emily Mintz Daddow; we could not open the county site to confirm it.
All posted Board of Trustees agendas, board materials and approved minutes from November 2025 to October 2026, read in full, plus the 2026-27 LCAP, SARC, calendar, strategic plan and EPA report.
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