Investing in Our Students, Building for the Future

At Morgan Hill Unified School District, investing in the success of our students has been our top priority. Over the last several years, we have been intentional about adding academic opportunities and supports while balancing fiscal responsibility.  This balance has allowed us to add value to our students’ educational experience while avoiding the fiscal distress of school closures or mass layoffs as seen throughout our county and up and down our state. To provide clarity, in fiscal year 2025-26, our district is primarily funded through the state's Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), which accounts for approximately $97.5M (78%) of the district's $125.6M in General Fund revenues, along with Other State Revenues $17.5M (14%), Other Local Revenues  $6.6M (5%), and Federal revenues $4M (3%). The State owes MHUSD an additional $1.3 million when they didn't fully fund Proposition 98 as the state constitution mandates.

At the end of each fiscal year for the past several years, we have carried ending fund balances (known as reserves) in excess of the state and MHUSD required reserve percentages of 3% and 10%, respectively. For historical purposes, our ending fund balances (reserves) from 2018-19 through 2025-26 are as follows:

● 2018-19: $25,812,241 (27.02%)
● 2019-20: $31,802,879 (33.72%)
● 2020-21: $35,880,307 (37.40%)
● 2021-22: $38,520,719 (36.64%)
● 2022-23: $40,050,488 (31.45%)
● 2023-24: $41,235,235 (29.21%)
● 2024-25: $42,411,320 (31.34%)
● 2025-26: $37,309,403 (26.69%) 

While we are proud of maintaining healthy reserves for economic uncertainty, it has not been at the expense of research-based, quality programs, opportunities, and supports we continue to provide our students, ensuring their future success. Afterall, they represent the future of Morgan Hill, our state and country.

These expanded student opportunities begin with our elementary schools. Our “Specials” in grades TK-5 include Art, Music, and Physical Education, providing our young learners with enriching visual and performing arts experiences. Also important, while students are rotating through their specials, our elementary teachers enjoy much-needed planning and collaboration time, built into their schedule– a first in our district!  

In middle school, students experience expanded electives such as Band and Robotics. For high school students, we added a 7th period for robust Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses, credit recovery, Advanced Placement, and Dual Enrollment partnerships with local colleges, allowing our students to earn college credit while in high school. 1000 students annually enroll in these courses through our local community college and San José State University. Our CTE pathways prepare students for college and career success. We boast a 90% participation rate among our high school students in programs such as: Engineering, Robotics, Health Science, Sports Medicine, Agricultural and Natural Resources, Welding, Floral Design, Culinary Arts, Computer Science, Construction and Woodworking, and more. High School teachers also received a second preparation period.

We have also added dedicated Wellness Staff at every school to ensure mental health and social-emotional supports are accessible for our students.  On the academic advising end, we have added counselors at the middle school and high school levels to support our students as they prepare for graduation and their future in college, the military, trade school, careers, or other paths.

We are proud to build strong, vibrant learning environments by investing in the success of our students. 

This article appeared in the September 25, 2026 Morgan Hill Times.