1.5M in CVUSD Donations Unused for Years, Raising Serious Questions

For years, $1.5 million in donations intended to support students in the Coachella Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) sat unused—funds that could have gone toward literacy programs, arts, music, and athletics. Now, with CVUSD facing a $54 million deficit and potential staff layoffs, serious questions are being asked about what really happened to that money.

The money came from Goldenvoice, the promoter behind Coachella and Stagecoach. In 2018, Goldenvoice entered into an agreement with CVUSD to lease district-owned land during festival months. The agreement included an annual $200,000 payment directly to the district and a separate $385,000 donation to the Coachella Valley Education Foundation, which was intended for student programs.

However, public records reveal that the foundation was not compliant with state and federal tax laws, meaning it was not legally allowed to accept donations. Instead of being used for students, the money was parked as a budget line item, sitting untouched for years.

Emails from Goldenvoice in 2019 show the company questioned how the funds were being used, asking for an expenditure breakdown. But the money remained unspent, raising suspicions about whether it was simply accumulating interest—or worse, being used for other purposes before being replenished when Goldenvoice started asking questions.

Board members Joey Acuña, Jesus Gonzalez, and Sylvia Paz sat on both the school board and the foundation board, meaning they were aware of the situation. Yet, no action was taken to transfer the funds to a compliant foundation until 2022, when the foundation was finally reinstated on a probationary basis.

By April 2023, CVUSD was supposed to transfer the $1.54 million in donations to the foundation, but financial records show the money was still sitting in the district’s budget as of September 2023. The numbers have changed since then, but no clear explanation has been given as to where the money went or why it took so long to transfer it.

With CVUSD now discussing layoffs amid financial struggles, the lingering question remains: Why did this happen, and where did the money go?

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