At the November regular governing board meeting, Roosevelt superintendent Dr. Dani Portillo delivered an update regarding the interim goals for Superintendent Guardrail #3.
This guardrail mandates that the district's budget be dedicated to achieving student outcome-focused goals and establishes requirements for tracking and reporting per-pupil costs for major investments in curriculum, professional development, and capital.
The update examined the overall cost per student and school, as well as the specific department and instructional spending.
FY26 Spending Overview
6,928 students enrolled
753 FTE student-facing staff
$52.2M total spending
$4.02M per school
$7,541 per student
Staffing and Spending Overview
Overall, 172 FTE accounted for $9.9 million in FY25. Five key service areas collectively account for significant operational investment:
Teaching & Learning: 11 FTEs with a total cost of $1.07M and $566 per student.
Exceptional Student Services: 36 FTEs at $3.45M and $437 per student.
Transportation: 51 FTEs costing $2.04M and $490 per student.
Child Nutrition Services: 69 FTEs totaling $2.03M and $495 per student.
Success Academy: 5 Contracted positions totaling $1.32M, averaging $264,080 per Contracted position and $50,784 per student.
Instructional Spending
As of the meeting, approximately $2 million had been spent on instruction costs, at a rate of $305 per student. Our instructional investments focus on three key areas:
Professional Development is the largest category at $1.2M.
Instructional Aids account for $639K, supporting classroom resources and learning tools.
Textbooks & E-Books represent the smallest share at $207k
Student Count and Per Student Spending Key Metrics
Lower enrollment schools drive higher per-student costs, highlighting opportunities for resource optimization and staffing alignment.
Avg. FTE Cost (Teacher Only): $81,942
Avg. Cost per Student: $7,541
Highest per-student cost: Julian ($11,112) – small enrollment, higher staffing cost
Lowest per-student cost: Sunland ($4,105) – economies of scale