I-Team: How CVUSD leaders will make $44 million in budget cuts to prevent deficit and state takeover

The Coachella Valley Unified School District is facing a budget shortage requiring $44 million in financial cuts in the next fiscal year alone.

That message came from a continuing Riverside County Office of Education financial audit delivered to the district's school board last Thursday.

This is a preview of Thursday evening's full story on KESQ News Channel 3 at 6:00 p.m.

The county notified the district leaders that major cuts are required to get the budget back on track or risk a state intervention, the Superintendent's firing, and a loss of local control with the school board being relegated to advisors to a state administrator.

I-Team Investigator Jeff Stahl met with the district's superintendent Dr. Francis Esparza to find out what the cuts might look like and how they'll impact East Valley students.

"It's going to be cuts throughout the entire district, and it will start in the district office," Esparza said adding, "And so making sure that we right-size the district so that every single student has that support that they need in their classroom is my number one job. Okay?" 

READ MORE KESQ NEWS CHANNEL 3 RECENT COVERAGE OF CVUSD BUDGET CONCERNS

Jeff Stahl got the first sit-down interview with the Superintendent since the district's troubling financial position was publicly revealed.

See our latest full I-Team investigation Broken Budget. It airs tonight on News Channel 3 all new at six.