"fiscally conservative budgeting" or spending less on students and their support than needed for Academic Gap decreases? This district spends darn near the minimum percentage on Cost of Education Expended for Classroom Compensation. "CEA" min is 60% and they spend 60.04%.
They are one of the lowest in the County, and they are also one of the lowest employers of direct Student Services Staff (by head count per student).
More support staff, directly helping poor families get to class? (naw, too hard to hire)

More teaching staff at the poorest campus. To cut class size to 12, and Really Help the Learning of this campus where 2022-23 state testing shows Graduating Class Learning "met Standard" for 15.2% in MATH, and 27.9% in ENGLISH (naw, too hard to hire teachers - and clear out repurposed permanent classrooms / well That Would Be Just Impossible, right?)

So - across the organization (1-time) pay hikes, no deep thinking required (especially since all at the District Office get this one time bonus / for ???). Are DO staff leaving faster than teacher/direct student support staff? (we don't have to Think About that, IT'S TOO HARD!)

And in the end, Trustee Blakey can put in her concluding comments, again agreeing with the Superintendent and agreeing that spending money, one-time, on all current employees will SomeHow, Magically(?), help hire in the future.(?)

Peace, Love and take Care of your Poor

Actually - working from the very poorly posted Consent Agenda Item from Sep 7, "Approval of application for Exemption" VI. K it's worse than I thought! Hidden down under the wording, several levels of attachments is: this district spends UNDER the minimum percentage on Cost of Education Expended for Classroom Compensation.

"Application for Exemption from the Required Expenditures for Classroom Teachers’ Salaries". They spent - 56.05% / underspent 3.95% / "deficiency Amount. $3,563,530.11 "

The justification figures / "X_ Payment of classroom teacher salaries that are in excess of those paid by other comparable school districts" is going to make it 'hard to believe' that their teachers are under compensated OR at a disadvantage to "other comparable school districts". There is a pretty detailed Total teacher 'offered' compensation table set attached!

The MATH (I think, 1st pass) MVWSD actual paid compensation is lower / 'cause the experience (8 yr) is 2 years lower than the Santa Clara County average of 10. And, I argue - Not Enough Teachers for the Castro / Mistral to halve class size and actually make a five-year difference in their Academic Achievement GAPS.