Questions swirl about origins of West Contra Costa Unified’s $40 million deficit

Residents of one San Francisco Bay Area school district are struggling to understand how a budget deficit nearly quadrupled in a matter of months — and are questioning why the district board and public weren’t alerted sooner about the magnitude of the problem.

Last June, West Contra Costa Unified, which includes Richmond and surrounding communities, was grappling with how to deal with a projected $10 million budget deficit. But just a few months later, board members were shocked to discover that the budget deficit had soared to nearly $40 million.