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Desert Sands Unified presents midyear LCAP report; district cites third-grade reading gains and attendance initiatives
Summary
District staff reported midyear progress on the Local Control and Accountability Plan, highlighting a 23% improvement in third-grade reading accuracy, expanded AVID and CTE results, and ongoing attendance and foster-youth support work.
Desert Sands Unified School District presented a midyear update on its Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) on Feb. 18, outlining progress, expenditures and planned actions for the remainder of the school year.
Gabby Yamas, the district’s LCAP coordinator, told the board the report shows areas of measurable progress and ongoing actions. “There’s a lot to celebrate,” Yamas said as she introduced the midyear findings and the district’s approach to community engagement.
The report highlighted these midyear items:
- A 23% growth in reading accuracy for third-grade students where new foundational planners were implemented. - Average participation of 2,641 respondents in district community surveys this year, and growing use of the district data warehouse (about 4,000 dashboard views per month and 2,000 unique users in the last 90 days). - Expansion of AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) programs, with Hoover Elementary added and La Quinta High School designated a demo school; AVID training was extended to special education staff. - Continued CTE (career technical education) outcomes, including cosmetology students taking and passing licensing exams. - Student assistance program counselors served about 207 students since August 2024, offering immediate resources (gift cards, backpacks, supplies) and connecting families to community supports.
Yamas walked trustees through budget-to-date notes for each of the LCAP goals, calling out instances where allocated funds were not yet spent and where internal staffing led to no external expenses. She said some allocations will be spent later in the year and that an invoice for the Desert Sands Leadership Academy (DSLA) had not yet been received.
Trustees asked follow-up questions about timelines, professional development for counselors and carryover rules for categorical funds. Yamas and other staff said much of the counselors’ professional development is conducted internally and through ongoing partnerships; staff agreed to provide trustees more detail on counselor training content.
The board did not take formal action on the LCAP report at this meeting; the presentation functioned as a midyear informational update and budget-expenditure review.
