FCMAT Emails Show District Deceived Community

The Sacramento Bee posted a story today reporting on emails from FCMAT to Superintendent Aguilar and Ryan.

You can read the story by clicking here.

In addition, for those who are further interested, we are including the actual emails cited in the story, which include several items not included in the Sacramento Bee story.

First, is the March 7, 2019 email from FCMAT to Superintendent Jorge Aguilar and School Board President Jessie Ryan which you can view by clicking here.

Second, is the email chain from the same day with Mr. Aguilar’s response, and FCMAT’s follow-up response, which you can view by clicking here.

Third is the email chain from the same day with Ms. Ryan’s response and FCMAT’s follow-up response, which you can view by clicking here.

Later that same night–March 7–the Sacramento City School Board voted to significantly cut Child Development, and to layoff 170 certificated and 200 classified staff.

Fourth is the March 19th letter from SCOE Superintendent Dave Gordon questioning the District’s enrollment numbers, which you can view by clicking here.

Fifth is the April 1 email from Jorge Aguilar confirming the District’s mistake on undercounting 730 students, which you can view by clicking here. This email, in particular, shows that the District knew it was not on the verge of insolvency. It did not publicly disclose this error until its Third Interim Budget on May 16, 2019–six weeks after Mr. Aguilar wrote this email.

At least one board member has confirmed that she was not provided copies of the FCMAT emails, the letter from David Gordon, or Mr. Aguilar’s April 1 confirmation email.

The mistake was not made public until the mid-May 2019, where it was included, but not called out, in the middle of the District’s Third Interim Budget.