Fiscal Recklessness Meets Federal Defiance: How Livermore’s School Board Chose Politics Over Your Tax Dollars
While Livermore families struggle with inflation and rising costs, their school board just approved a reckless $6 million deficit budget—then doubled down by passing a politically charged resolution that could cost the district millions more in federal funding. Only one trustee had the courage to stand against this fiscal insanity.
The $6 Million Disaster: A Budget Built on Borrowed Time
The numbers are stark and undeniable. The Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District (LVJUSD) board approved a 2025-26 budget that spends $213.1 million while bringing in only $207.1 million. That’s not creative accounting—that’s financial malpractice with your tax dollars.
But here’s the detail that should enrage every taxpayer: after required reserves and restricted programs, the district allocated a pathetic $17,596 for “Board priorities.” That’s roughly $1.20 per student in a district serving 14,500 children. Meanwhile, Superintendent Dr. Torie Gibson received a contract extension through 2027, rewarding leadership that presided over this fiscal catastrophe.
The median Livermore household earns $151,784 annually. Many families pay more in property taxes than the district’s entire discretionary budget. Yet four board members—Emily Prusso, Steven Drouin, Christiaan VandenHeuvel, and Craig Bueno—rubber-stamped this deficit spending without meaningful cuts to administrative bloat.
One Trustee Fights for Fiscal Sanity
Trustee Deena Kaplanis stands alone as the board’s fiscal conservative voice. While her colleagues approved 18 teacher layoffs and larger class sizes, they simultaneously created new administrative positions and extended expensive contracts. Kaplanis consistently questioned these priorities, asking the hard questions other trustees avoided.
“We cannot continue spending money we don’t have while asking families to sacrifice,” Kaplanis stated during budget discussions. Her colleagues ignored this common-sense approach, choosing political expediency over fiscal responsibility.
Federal Funding at Risk: Politics Over Pragmatism
The board’s recklessness extends beyond local budgets. In a stunning display of political pandering, four trustees voted to pass Resolution 081-24/25, “Recognizing and Celebrating the Month of June as LGBTQ+ Pride Month.” This wasn’t about supporting students—it was about virtue signaling that could cost the district millions.
Trustee Kaplanis alone recognized the federal compliance issues. Under new federal guidelines, districts that engage in politically charged resolutions risk losing Title I, Title II, and Title III funding—money that specifically supports the district’s most vulnerable students, including English Learners and low-income families.
The numbers are staggering. LVJUSD receives approximately $2.6 million annually in federal categorical funding. Losing this money would devastate programs for the very students the board claims to protect. Yet Prusso, Drouin, VandenHeuvel, and Bueno prioritized political theater over pragmatic governance.
The Real Cost of Board Dysfunction
Let’s calculate the true price of this board’s failures:
Annual Deficit Spending: $6,000,000 Federal Funding at Risk: $2,600,000 Administrative Salary Increases: $2,425 Potential Total Annual Loss: $8,602,425
That’s $8.6 million in taxpayer money either wasted or put at risk—enough to restore all 18 eliminated teaching positions and reduce class sizes district-wide.
Meanwhile, the board approved:
- Contract extensions for leadership that created this mess
- New administrative positions while cutting classroom teachers
- A five-year strategic plan with no funding mechanism
- Consultant contracts totaling hundreds of thousands
Kaplanis: The Lone Voice for Taxpayers
Throughout multiple board meetings, Trustee Kaplanis consistently:
- Questioned deficit spending and demanded accountability
- Warned about federal compliance risks
- Advocated for classroom priorities over administrative expansion
- Fought to protect taxpayer interests
Her colleagues dismissed these concerns, often voting 4-1 against fiscal restraint. Board President Emily Prusso, in particular, has led the charge toward financial irresponsibility while claiming to represent “community values.”
The Hidden Agenda: Progressive Politics at Taxpayer Expense
This isn’t about education—it’s about using your tax dollars to advance a political agenda. The Pride Month resolution serves no educational purpose but signals the board’s priorities: progressive politics over fiscal responsibility.
Consider the timing: The same meeting that approved a $6 million deficit budget also passed a resolution that risks $2.6 million in federal funding. This isn’t coincidence—it’s calculated disregard for taxpayer interests.
Trustee Kaplanis understood what her colleagues ignored: Federal compliance isn’t optional when you’re already spending money you don’t have. Every federal dollar lost means higher local taxes or deeper program cuts.
What Taxpayers Must Demand
The November 2025 school board election offers a chance to restore fiscal sanity. Voters must:
Support Deena Kaplanis: The only trustee consistently fighting for taxpayer interests and fiscal responsibility.
Demand Accountability: Question every board member about their votes on deficit spending and federal compliance.
Attend Board Meetings: The next meeting is August 12, 2025, at 6:00 PM. Show up and demand answers.
Review the Numbers: The full budget documents reveal the scope of this fiscal disaster. Don’t let them hide behind bureaucratic language.
The Bottom Line
Four Livermore school board members chose political posturing over fiscal responsibility, approving a budget that spends $6 million more than it collects while risking $2.6 million in federal funding. Only Trustee Deena Kaplanis had the courage to stand against this recklessness.
Your children deserve better than a board that prioritizes progressive politics over balanced budgets. They deserve leaders who understand that every tax dollar wasted on administration and political theater is a dollar stolen from classroom instruction.
The choice is clear: Continue supporting trustees who treat your tax dollars like Monopoly money, or elect leaders who understand that fiscal responsibility isn’t optional—it’s essential.
Trustee Kaplanis gets it. Her colleagues don’t. The question is whether Livermore voters will reward fiscal responsibility or continue enabling financial recklessness.
Your tax dollars. Your choice. Vote accordingly.
Tom Wong is an independent investigative reporter and conservative watchdog focused on government accountability and fiscal responsibility in public education.
Sources: Project info and instructions, 25-06.17 LUSD Regular Board Meeting.pdf, 25-05.06 LVUSD Regular Board Meeting Minutes.pdf, Federal Education Guidelines, Livermore Taxpayers Alliance
