At the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District’s State of the Schools event Friday, Chief Business Official Elysia Lewis reported that the district is in a much stronger financial position than it was a few years ago.

With intentional spending and planning, the district has begun eliminating its structural deficit without cutting any programs or staff positions.

“It wasn’t an accident getting us here,” Lewis said during the presentation. “It’s been the result of intentional financial planning, careful spending by all staff, everyone getting on board, and a commitment to protecting our educational programs while still adhering to a deficit reduction plan.”

The high school is located at 2975 Mission Drive.

As a community-funded district, about 84% of its revenue comes directly from local property taxes. The property tax revenues expanded by 6.8% in the past year, continuing the growth from the previous cycle.

Lewis said 73% of the district’s budget covers employee salaries and benefits. Its total operational spending last year was under budget because of campus-wide moderated spending, she said.

She also explained that some state funding can’t be redirected and that the school is careful about not making permanent spending commitments based on temporary revenue. For example, the recent $1 million state award for the district’s Career Technical Education programs cannot be redirected toward maintenance. 

“We talk to the teachers and we say … (spend) what you need, but don’t spend just because it’s there,” Lewis said. “Every dollar that we spend and don’t save is $1 that we need to rectify at the end of the year, and it is $1 that takes off the table for negotiations and facilities needs and deferred maintenance.”

School officials also highlighted student achievements at the State of the Schools event. 

Principal Tori Martinez said 72.4% of the students met California college and career standards, which is above the 55% state average. She attributed that to half of the student body participating in the dual-enrollment program with Allan Hancock College.

About 70% of students participated in at least one sport last year. Among the 239 fall student athletes, 42% of them earned a 4.0 GPA or higher, and 81.5% achieved a 3.0 or higher. Additionally, in the most recent Advanced Placement testing cycle, 87% of students who took exams scored a passing score of three or higher.

“We truly believe that being the only public high school in the valley means making sure that we are role models for all future generations and that we represent the valley with pride, integrity and respect,” student body president Lila Cassidy said. “We are your future nurses, teachers, tradespeople, first responders, entrepreneurs, business owners, agriculture leaders and civic leaders.”