District proposes ‘Beyond the Bell’ restructuring for expanded‑learning programs; trustees raise concerns

Coachella Valley Unified staff presented a plan on June 12 to restructure the district’s after‑school and expanded‑learning programs under the label “Beyond the Bell,” proposing three new coordinator positions — enrichment coordinator, operations coordinator and an ELOP (Expanded Learning Opportunity Program) academic coordinator — to streamline program alignment and compliance.

Karina de la Pena, MTSS director, described the restructuring as intended to “enhance streamlined support, program alignment, and improvement of operational efficacy across the Beyond the Bell programs.” She said the academic coordinator would align after‑school instruction with the district’s instructional framework while the enrichment and operations coordinators would handle program design, partner coordination, data and compliance.

Staff said the district’s EXLP/ELOP portfolio includes multiple funding streams (ACES, 21st Century/20 First Century, ELOP) and the proposed coordinators would oversee activities that span before‑school, after‑school, intersession and summer programming. Presenters noted the district receives recurring grant funding for expanded learning and began 2025–26 with carryover funds; a staff member noted the district starts the fiscal year with about $14 million carried over in EXLP funds after a prior board decision moved some funds.

Board debate and concerns: Several trustees and board members questioned whether three coordinator positions are necessary and whether the roles would create overlapping authority. Trustee Valerie Garcia said the district previously operated with one coordinator and questioned the fiscal sense of adding three leads. She said, “I think in practice, it’s not going to work the way we think,” and urged that one coordinator might be sufficient.

Trustee Joey Acuna noted the program carries carryover funds and that some expenditures are allowed across multiple grant rules, but asked staff to be clear about the fiscal impact; staff told the board the ELOP funding carries requirements and that a portion of the carryover belongs to the district foundation and cannot be reallocated. Assistant Superintendent Socorro Sanchez and other presenters said the positions were designed to ensure compliance with auditing, attendance reporting and curriculum alignment.

Why this matters: After‑school programs are a major vehicle for supplemental instruction and enrichment in the district; the LCAP, ELOP and federal/state funding rules require careful alignment between instructional goals and grant compliance. Trustees warned that the new structure must clearly define who has decision authority over budgets, schedules and programming to avoid confusing site coordinators and partners.

Ending: Staff invited board members to send follow‑up questions to the superintendent and said they could revise the proposal in response to trustee feedback before returning with a more detailed staffing and fiscal plan.