In alignment with Education Code, before the Governing Board of a school district considers the adoption of the LCAP, the Superintendent or designee must respond in writing to comments received from the LCAP Parent Advisory Committee (LCAP PAC) members and the District English Learner Parent Advisory Committee (DELAC) members. The following are responses to questions and comments from both of these committees. Please refer to the following key as necessary:
Q = Question
A = Answer
C = Comment
R = Response
Q:
1- Community engagement continues to rank high, so is the engagement we’ve provided adequate, or do they wish to see more? Are we meeting the bar or are we under the bar?
2- Goal 1-What is Williams Act compliance?
3- Goal 2-What is the timeframe for COVID money?
4- Goal 3-The mentoring program, curious about that, and why we are calling out one specific program?
5- I’m looking at Action 3.10, music education. Is this general maintenance, replacing musical instruments? My son is at PVS, and I haven’t heard them talk about a music offering at all. Is there a district-wide push for it?
6- Goal 5-What is the Aspiring Leaders Program?
7- What type of commitment are you asking of them?
8- Out of curiosity, you said the Aspiring Leaders Program right now is for certificated, will there be a future look at classified later down the road?
9- Goals 6 and 7 pertaining to the equity multiplier - The 6.1% of the entire school population, what does that percentage mean?
10- Looking at the LCAP, DELAC, and CAC, using search within the documents with specific keywords. I searched NHS and something that popped up was, this past year there was an African American studies pilot, and I’m looking to see this as a requirement for graduation. What ethnic studies are given at other schools?
11- Going back to Goal 2 regarding the dyslexia screener. How is that addressed with funding?
A:
1- We ask in different formats how the community engagement may be. We gauge and see it through the number of participants that participate. Sometimes we have a lot, and sometimes we would like to see more. Surveys are one method of engagement, student voices is another method, and a cup of coffee with the principals is another form of engagement. Whether or not that is working, principals should be engaging their site participants on whether or not their methods are working.
2- There was a lawsuit against the state of California, which requires school districts to provide every child with textbooks, bathrooms are clean, and facilities are well maintained. This is something that we do with or without the LCAP and with or without the lawsuit.
3- It is different years for different buckets. The final year is 2028, but a lot of them have until this year.
4- There are multiple funding sources, and there was a callout to do more intentional outreach for female students and offer more programs and supports.
5- We have some strong music programs in the district. Prop 28 funds are to address what you’re talking about at our other campuses that may not have some of those. If that’s something that the community is interested in, that’s how we can leverage those funds.
6- For about 7 years now, Trustees have invested in a program that helps identify teachers who are interested in becoming administrators. This is a 2-year program. They go through a selection process. They take a cohort through SCOE, Admin Credential Program, we pay 80% of the cost of that, then the next year there’s a leadership series after that they go through with the district, so they can understand Natomas.
7- The expectation, once credentialed, is we have an administrative opening, it is a 3-year commitment for the program. If they do not stay, we recoup the funds.
8- They would first need to go into the Diverse Future Teachers Program, they first have to teach for 5 years before they can become an administrator. You can’t go straight to an administrative credential without teaching for 5 years. And we do reach out to our classified staff about the Diverse Future Teachers Program. Our Instructional Assistants are very much encouraged to become teachers.
9- That is where are they at on the income level.
10- Ethnic studies, the AP African American studies, the college board that does the AP courses, that is a pilot for them, we are in the second year. We were one of the early schools to be able to implement it. IHS, NHS, and LGA, do have year-long ethnic studies courses being offered right now. This is going to be a graduating requirement for the incoming freshmen class. This meets state requirements. The graduating class of 2030n would have had to have taken a Ethnic Studies class.
11- iReady with students has a screener as part of that diagnostic. A tool that we use with students. A screener is not a diagnostic. This student may have issues, but the test doesn’t diagnose you. There needs to be a deeper dive to look at what needs they have.
C: I appreciate that everyone is asked to complete the survey.
R: Thank you for your feedback.
C: I like the idea of ethnic studies being a future graduation requirement, because our district is so diversified.
R: Thank you for your feedback.
C: There needs to be more education around the available social-emotional supports.
R: Thank you for your feedback.
