Newman‑Crows Landing presents LCAP mid‑year results; attendance, suspensions improve

Newman‑Crows Landing Unified School District staff presented the district's Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) mid‑year report at the June 9 board meeting, summarizing academic and equity indicators that will guide spending and programming for the coming years.

The presentation, given to President Cabral, Superintendent Pruitt and the school board by Mrs. Vargas, reported a 72.7% passing rate on Advanced Placement exams and notable declines in disciplinary measures: districtwide suspension rates fell from 3.7% to 0.6%, and alternative education suspension rates dropped from 10.8% to 1.3%. Chronic absenteeism decreased from 14.7% to 9.9% and the district reported a 92.5% overall attendance rate, below the district target of above 95%.

Those measures matter because the LCAP directs how the district uses weighted funding from the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF). "The state gives us eight priority areas to look at," Vargas said as she outlined how stakeholder input and data combine into action and allocation pages that tie specific strategies to dollars. Vargas also noted that 13% of long‑term English learners were reclassified this year — a new baseline indicator — and that adult education served 78 participants this year.

Vargas highlighted subgroup disparities: "Some of our subgroups — our African American students, homeless students, students with disabilities — continue to show higher chronic absenteeism rates," and recommended continued targeted supports. She identified African American students at 33.3% chronic absenteeism, homeless students at 40%, and students with disabilities at 24.8% in the metrics she presented.

Board members asked clarifying questions about AP exam participation and subgroup counts. A board member asked whether every AP student takes the exam; Vargas said high school staff push for exam participation but that the decision is ultimately made by students and parents. She also said demographic and subgroup percentages are available in the LCAP demographic pages included with the report.

Vargas closed by noting the LCAP is a three‑year plan and this presentation is an evaluation of the first year of that cycle: "As you do your read today, if you have any questions for next week's board meeting or anything, let me know." The board is scheduled to consider the LCAP for approval at its next regular meeting.

The presentation tied directly to district budget planning and the next steps emphasized continuing social‑emotional supports, improving attendance interventions, and focusing on math, science and English Language Development (ELD) strategies for priority student groups.