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Farmersville principals report rising CTE gains, WASC review and expanded adult-education offerings
Summary
Principals and the student board president updated the Farmersville Unified School District board on Deep Creek Academy’s shift to direct instruction, adult school growth and Farmersville High’s WASC previsit and CTE gains; district officials reported higher graduation projections and new certification programs for adult learners.
Emmanuel Lopez, Associated Student Body president at Farmersville High School, told the board about spring events and upcoming student activities, including sports, an FFA awards banquet and the senior assembly.
The board then heard a combined update from Arturo Villareal, principal of Farmersville Adult School and Deep Creek Academy (DCA), and Jesus Gonzales, principal of Farmersville High School. Villareal said DCA shifted away from fully-online instruction and now provides “direct instruction” in math and English during the first two class periods, followed by in-person remediation. “The infusion of direct instruction has increased student proficiency across the board,” Villareal said, and he reported a roughly 90% attendance rate at DCA with a district goal of 95%.
Villareal outlined adult-school programming that runs Tuesday through Thursday evenings, including high school diploma classes, ESL and CTE offerings. He said the adult school enrolled about 60 people with “maybe 40 something attending” and estimated 11 potential adult-school graduates this year. Villareal described a forklift-certification partnership with West Hills Community College (a 16-hour weekend course) and a CPR/first-aid contract with the American Red Cross, and said the district typically funds the forklift sessions from state carryover money.
Gonzales described academic progress at Farmersville High and previewed the WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) accreditation site visit. He told the board that recent data showed gains in ELA and math and increased CTE pathway completers, and said WASC’s preliminary feedback during the previsit was positive. “The recommendation is gonna be a very strong recommendation,” Gonzales said, adding that official results were expected in the coming weeks.
Both principals described partnerships and community outreach: Villareal noted consortium ties with College of the Sequoias and West Hills, and Gonzales highlighted school-site council work to increase parent involvement. Board members thanked principals for attendance at recent open-house events and for school-site improvements.
Looking ahead, principals discussed continued emphasis on teacher coaching, data-driven instruction, outreach to improve parent involvement in decision-making, and a “big, hairy, audacious goal” to pursue California Distinguished School recognition for the high school.
