The reality of public schools is that funding is limited. Between federal and state funding, local taxes, as well as fundraisers, we need to make every dollar count for our students. Many on the board continually speak about how important it is to use budget wisely, however their words to not match their actions.
The School Board receives a Monthly Account Summary from the district for approval at board meetings. We took a look at current and past budgets to see how the board has spent our Rocklin taxpayer dollars over the last few years.
Table of Contents
Money for Lawyers - Not Students
Our conservative board majority has a years-long history of picking fights with the state. From masks to vaccines to the Gender Notification Policy, the board is constantly challenging settled law. It’s clear from public participation and comments that these fringe political and religious views are the minority, but the board is pushing them through for their political and religious backers rather than working for the Rocklin community.
We were initially worried about the amount of money spent on lawyers researching and arguing for these illegal policies. It was immediately apparent our worries were correct as the 2024 budget for legal services ballooned from the originally projected $482,000 in July 2023 up to $714,612 as of March 2024, with several months still left in the school year.
We found that in the time since the current board majority was elected the district is spending five times more a year on legal services than it had in the past. That kind of money could pay for a lot of additional teachers.
Legal Services Budget
The table below displays data from official district budget documents gathered via Public Records Requests. You can
download the original PDFs by clicking here.
This table lists actual taxpayer dollars spent categorized under 5810 Legal Services.
The numbers are clear: the current board majority is using district money to enforce their political and religious beliefs on all students in Rocklin schools. At this point our kids are being robbed of hundreds of thousands of dollars every year in funding by this board majority. As the chart clearly shows, it wasn’t this way before these four were elected to the board.
The board approves these budgets every month. The current board majority has overseen this reckless increase in spending away from our kids since they were elected. Is this really where taxpayer money should be spent? Is this what’s best for the students of Rocklin?
At the May 1st, 2024 board meeting, the board announced it had directed the district to search for pro bono legal services. At previous meetings they assured us the Legal Services spending was no problem, until district parents used a public records request to get the actual dollar spent. Are these the actions of a board that values transparency?
Science Curriculum Adoption Failure
When the district brought a 100% teacher approved science curriculum to the board for adoption in 2023, the board majority voted it down. Per RTPA representatives, this failure to adopt by the board was six figures worth of district money lost, as well as the time spent both by teachers and parents reviewing the curriculum. In 2024, more district money was spent to re-pilot an additional curriculum that was not the first choice of teachers; thankfully it was adopted by the board and our kids will no longer have science books older than they are. You can read more about it here.
Where Could This Money Go?
We’ve established that the board majority has wasted millions of Rocklin taxpayers dollars up to this point, with more being wasted every day. What could this money be better spent on?
Additional Teachers
As you can see from the table below, Rocklin USD pays our teachers less than the state average. We could be hiring more teachers, reducing class sizes and improving outcomes for our students.
| Category | District Amount | State Average for Districts in the Same Category |
|---|---|---|
| Beginning Teacher Salary | $44,647 | $55,550 |
| Mid-Range Teacher Salary | $78,876 | $84,645 |
| Highest Teacher Salary | $106,761 | $111,284 |
| Average Principal Salary (Elementary) | $144,604 | $139,860 |
| Average Principal Salary (Middle) | $147,317 | $146,440 |
| Average Principal Salary (High) | $169,473 | $158,447 |
| Superintendent Salary | $286,805 | $278,268 |
According to Zillow the monthly median rent for a 1 bedroom in Rocklin is over $1,800. If we take twelve months rent from the salary of a Beginning Teacher, we’re left with $23,047.
Is this how the board majority values our teachers?
School Facilities Improvements
School buildings were last reviewed in July 2023. While all of our elementary schools had an Overall Site Score of Good, 7 of 12 elementary schools received a poor rating for interiors - more than half. Only one school received a rating of Good. Some notes from various schools:
- Water-stained ceiling tiles
- Cracked floor tiles
- Peeling wallpaper
- Damaged flooring in library
- Torn carpet
We can do better for the elementary students in Rocklin.
Rainy Day Savings
Over the last few years the district has had savings to fall back on for emergencies. In February 2024 we had major storms that impacted Rocklin, causing serious damage across the city and at our school sites. Per the district, repairs for just these storms cost the district over $100,000.
The district will not be able to absorb these emergency costs if money is wasted on the personal agendas of the board majority.