The Beverly Hills Unified School District’s board of education approved its 2017-2018 budget on June 27 by a 3-2 vote.

The budget accounts for an approximately $3.6 million deficit – approximately $64.2 million in revenue against $67.8 million in expenditures – and layoffs of 6.6 full time equivalent positions.

Board of education members Noah Margo, Howard Goldstein and Lisa Korbatov voted in favor of the budget. Mel Spitz and Isabel Hacker were the dissenting votes.

Spitz, the board president, had been an outspoken proponent of balancing the budget and ending the district’s recent history of deficit spending. A March 7 resolution that called for 23.7 full time equivalent layoffs was later superseded by a resolution reducing that figure to the adopted 6.6.

Spitz said in a phone interview the day after the meeting that questions about the funding the district will receive from the city of Beverly Hills for the Joint Powers Agreement – which allows for city use of district facilities – and how that will factor into future budgetary projections was the primary reason he voted against the budget. The Beverly Hills City Council is scheduled to discuss extending the current agreement, which provides the district with a base amount of $9.7 million, by six months at a June 29 meeting, as well as additional steps to take. The current agreement expires on June 30.

The district is asking for $13.5 million in a new agreement, according to a district news release.

“The additional funding is necessary to cover the increased costs of operating and maintaining BHUSD’s fields and facilities, as well as to recoup losses incurred during the terms of the previous joint powers agreement with the city,” according to the district’s news release.

A statement by Telly Tse, of the Beverly Hills Education Association, continued his call for more transparency as the district makes personnel decisions citing budgetary constraints.

“As we move closer to the beginning of the 2017-18 school year, I am hopeful that the communication between the district and staff will be improved from last year so that the problems we faced in the last twelve months do not repeat themselves,” he said.