Looking Toward the Future: San José Unified’s Employee Housing Initiative
TopAdvisory Committees & Groups
San José Unified’s advisory committees and groups offer opportunities for parents, teachers, students, and community members to make a significant impact on the district and our schools. We value input from all of our stakeholders on key issues and initiatives, and we encourage you to get involved.
Learn more about these opportunities below, and .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) if you’re interested in participating.
Meeting Times & Locations
Advisory committee meetings are generally held on Monday evenings at 6:00PM at the District Office, 855 Lenzen Ave., San José, CA 95126. Please check the District Calendar for updated times and locations.
Meetings are open to the public.
Parcel Tax
Measure Y was approved by more than 67% of voters in the General Election of November 8, 2016. It assesses a $72 per parcel annual tax on properties within San José Unified School District, beginning in 2017-18 and effective through 2024-25 (8 years).
The parcel tax is projected to raise $5 million in annual local funding to support San José Unified’s efforts to:
- Maintain and improve core academic programming in reading, writing, math, the arts and science;
- Improve programs to prepare students for college and 21st century careers; and
- Attract and retain high performing teachers and educational staff.
Click here to read the full text of Measure Y
Click here to view a presentation to the Board of Education from January 26, 2017
Our story
San José Unified is an innovative urban school district that is reinventing the education system by bringing together teachers and staff with parents and students, inspiring each to discover their own greatness.
Serving over 30,000 students from transitional kindergarten through high school in 41 schools from Downtown San José in the north to the Almaden Valley in the south, San José Unified is Silicon Valley’s largest and most diverse school system.
To see our boundaries and find a school, visit our School Locator.
Our vision
Preparing today’s students to be the thinkers, leaders, and creators of tomorrow.
Our mission
Uniting as one community, we elevate opportunities for all.
Our plan
Read our road map for 2017-2020.
Want to learn more? Visit one of our schools. Join a school site council or parent-teacher association. Attend a board meeting or volunteer for a community advisory group. You are always welcome!
District Information
San José Unified is an innovative urban school district that prepares today’s students to be the thinkers, leaders, and creators of tomorrow. We are reinventing the education system by bringing together teachers and staff with parents and students, inspiring each to discover their own greatness.
Serving over 30,000 students from transitional kindergarten through high school in 41 schools from Downtown San José to the Almaden Valley, San José Unified is Silicon Valley’s largest and most diverse school system.
To see our boundaries and find a school, visit our School Locator.
Board of Education
The San José Unified Board of Education traditionally meets on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month in the Board Room at the District Office, 855 Lenzen Ave., San José, CA 95126. Regular Meetings begin at 6:00pm, except as noted or when a Closed Session is scheduled.
The Board will enter Closed Session at 5:00pm to consider items that are not subject to the requirements of the Ralph M. Brown Act – primarily discipline, personnel, and other legal matters. Closed Sessions are not open to the general public. The Superintendent will report all actions taken by the Board in Closed Session during the Regular Meeting.
Please note that dates, times, and locations of Board meetings are subject to change. Any changes will be noticed in a timely fashion. You should always check the district calendar for the most current information.
Click here to submit any questions regarding Board agendas, minutes, and meetings.
Policies & Regulations
San José Unified is governed by policies and regulations established by the Board of Education and the California Education Code. Some of these policies can be found below.
To review our complete policies and regulations, please visit this online portal and enter the following public username and password.
Username: public
Password: sanjose
Click here to access the main index and use the search tool in the right sidebar to find policies by keyword(s).
Wendi Mahaney-Gurahoo
Board Member
Trustee Area #5: (See map)
Term Expires: December 2024
Phone: (408) 535-6078
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Biography:
Wendi Mahaney-Gurahoo has dedicated her nearly 30-year career to helping children succeed in school and thrive in life. She has a B.A. in Child Development from California State University, Chico and an M.S. in Management, Organizational Leadership, and Change from Colorado Technical University. Wendi began her career as a special education preschool teacher and is currently the Interim Chief of Early Learning at FIRST 5 Santa Clara County. She believes that high-quality education is the pathway to success for our children and our communities. Wendi and her husband, Jason, are rooted in the Almaden community and enjoy walking the Los Alamitos Creek Trail. Wendi has a son currently enrolled in a San José Unified high school, an older son who graduated from San José Unified schools, and a daughter-in-law who teaches in San José Unified. In addition, Wendi is involved in a variety of education-related leadership positions, including: Chairperson of the City of San José Library and Education Commission, Local Early Education Planning Council of Santa Clara County, Parents Helping Parents Advisory Board, and the Warmhoven Institute for Inclusion Advisory Board.
Schools Represented:
- Allen at Steinbeck
- Graystone Elementary
- Los Alamitos Elementary
- Simonds Elementary
- Williams Elementary
- Bret Harte Middle School
- Castillero Middle School
- Leland High School
Committee Involvement:
- SJU Council of PTAs, Representative
- Budget Advisory Committee, Representative
- Bond Oversight Committee – Measure H, Representative
2021 Construction Bidders List
Board Members
The Board of Education is comprised of five members elected by trustee area and one student board member appointed each year by the Board of Education. Trustees for odd-numbered areas are chosen by voters during presidential elections. Trustees for even-numbered areas are voted on during gubernatorial elections.
Board Members
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Strategic Plan 2017-2020
Through more than 30 community meetings and a series of online surveys and focus groups over the 2016-2017 school year, San José Unified collected input from students, staff, families, and community members to shape an updated Strategic Plan to guide our work over the next three years. The Board of Education adopted the following key objectives and metrics on June 22, 2017.
If you’re familiar with our previous strategic plan, Opportunity21, you’ll find these objectives familiar. That’s because we heard loud and clear from our community that we’re headed in the right direction. We’ve used this update to focus on key benchmarks and indicators of success.
If you have any questions or comments, please send them our way.
At San José Unified, we are preparing today’s students to be the thinkers, leaders, and creators of tomorrow with…
- A rigorous curriculum that inspires all students to discover their own greatness
- Our students excel – All schools and student groups will score in the two highest performance levels on the California School Dashboard for English language arts, mathematics, English Learner progress, graduation rate, and college and career readiness.
- An innovative workforce that knows the lessons we learn are just as important as the lessons we teach
- We hire the best – All new employees will pass rigorous screening assessments.
- We succeed in a competitive talent market – All roles will be filled on the first day of school.
- We are a strong team – At least 95% of staff meeting performance standards will be retained.
- A unified community that elevates opportunities for all
- Our students feel safe – At least 80% of students will feel supported and have positive school connections.
- Our families feel engaged – At least 80% of families will feel involved in their student’s education.
- Enhanced resources that make the extraordinary ordinary
- Our students spend more time learning – All schools and student groups, as measured both locally and by the state, will score in the two highest performance levels on the California School Dashboard for suspension rate and student attendance.
- We allocate resources based on need – 100% of supplemental funds will directly support our highest-need students.
- An efficient system that asks and answers the questions, “Why?” and “What if?”
- We cover the basics – All schools and the district will meet standards as measured by the California School Dashboard for basic services, implementation of academic standards, parent engagement, and feedback through a local climate survey.
- We budget responsibly – Annual expenses will be within 15% of projections, or we will be able to explain why.
- We follow through – Initiatives will redefine what is possible and achieve stated goals.
Measure F Financial & Performance Reports
Measure F Annual Financial Audit Reports
Measure F Annual Performance Audit Reports
Measure C Financial & Performance Reports
Measure C Financial Audit Reports
Measure C Performance Audit Reports
Local Control
What is LCAP?
The Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) is a three-year plan that describes the goals, actions, services, and expenditures to support positive student outcomes that address state and local priorities. The LCAP provides an opportunity for San José Unified to share its stories of how, what, and why programs and services are selected to meet local needs.
San José Unified’s LCAP is designed to meet the needs of all students, in particular our English learners, low-income students, foster youth, and students with disabilities. The plan demonstrates San José Unified’s increased and improved services for traditionally underserved students.
How is the LCAP organized?
The components of the LCAP are: (1) LCFF budget overview for parents, (2) annual update with instructions, (3) plan summary, (4) stakeholder engagement, (5) goals and actions, (6) increased or improved services for foster youth, English learners, and low-income students, (7) expenditure tables, and (8) instructions.
Key Links
San José Unified’s complete LCAP documents, in the format provided by the California Department of Education, can be found at:
https://sjusd.box.com/v/LCAP-documents
If you have any questions or comments, please send them our way.
Budget
School districts receive state, federal, and local funding to educate all students within their attendance areas. Spending of these funds is largely governed by state and federal law and contracts with employee groups. Within these guidelines, thousands of decisions must be made every year about how funds can best be used to provide the highest quality education to all students.
Budget decisions at San José Unified are made based on policies set by the Board of Education. Board members are community trustees, elected by voters in five Trustee Areas to represent their interests. The board reviews long-range and annual plans, including budgets, presented by the Superintendent and district staff. These plans and budgets are a roadmap for spending priorities in the coming year.
The budget review process begins in March and includes extensive opportunities for community input, including board meetings, public hearings, and advisory groups. The final budget for the coming school year is adopted in June.
- Where do we get our funding?
Public schools in California have four major sources of funding:
- Tax Revenue & State Funds – This combination of local property taxes and state support provides about 62% of our General Fund revenue.
- State Mandates – The state government provides about 35% of our revenue for Class Size Reduction, Mandated Cost Reimbursements, Transportation services, and various targeted state grants. (Note: The state lottery is included in this amount. However, the lottery provides less than 2% of all General Fund revenue.)
- Federal Government – The federal government provides about 8% of funding, primarily for Special Education.
- Local Revenue – About 5% of our revenue comes from grants and/or donations from foundations, businesses, and individuals, as well as school fundraising activities. (Note: Revenue from the 2016 Measure Y parcel tax will be included in this amount.)
The Ed-Data web site has more detailed information on San Jose Unified’s funding and financial results. Visit ed-data.k12.ca.us and follow the prompts to review this information.
- How are funding levels determined?
Each district in the state has a different combination of federal, state, and local funding sources. The amount is based on:
- Average Daily Attendance (ADA) – The average number of students in attendance during the designated school year.
- The Revenue Limit – As determined by annual state legislation using a calculation based on a 1972 figure, adjusted for inflation, the revenue limit varies from district to district.
- Categorical Funding – These funds are provided based on the number of qualifying students (for instance, over 30% of San José Unified students qualify for free or reduced-price meals and other programs designed to serve low-income students) or to support specific district programs (federal magnet programs, bilingual education, etc.). Use of these funds is restricted to the specific purpose, program, or students they are designed to serve. The district receives and accounts for about 150 separate federal, state, and local categorical funding sources.
- How is the district budget organized?
There are two types of funds in district and school budgets:
- General Fund – General purpose funds represent about 65% of district funding and are apportioned to each district based on ADA and the Revenue Limit. These funds may be used at the district’s discretion to meet the educational needs of students. The majority of funds support employee salaries and benefits.
- Restricted Funds – State, federal, and local funds represent about 35% of district funding. The majority of these funds are spent at the school site and are aligned with site plans for student achievement.
- How can I have input on the budget?
The San José Unified Budget Advisory Committee (BAC) advises the Superintendent regarding budget development for each fiscal year. The Superintendent weighs the advice of the committee, along with the priorities of the district’s Strategic Plan, in preparing a final budget for recommendation to the Board of Education in June.
Meetings of the Budget Advisory Committee are open to the public and take place at the District Office, 855 Lenzen Avenue, generally on a Monday at 6:00pm. Please visit the District Calendar for an updated schedule of BAC meetings.
If you’d like to apply to serve on the Budget Advisory Committee, please .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or call (408) 535-6444.
Other advisory committees and groups influence district priorities and budget decisions. Click here to learn more.
One vital avenue for community input in school budgets is the School Site Council (SSC), which makes decisions about non-mandated spending. Please contact your principal for information about the SSC at your student’s school.- Who reviews the district’s financial records?
External auditors annually perform a thorough audit of the district’s financial statements to ensure that they accurately reflect the district’s true financial position.
Click here to view the most recent auditor reports.
Additionally, internal auditors conduct ongoing reviews of processes and procedures to ensure efficiency as well as safeguarding of assets.
Any member of the public may contact the Safety Line at (866) 344-8355 (TELL) to report suspected improper activities.