District updates strategic plan and LCAP midyear spending; Sequoia Healthcare District funds counselors

Assistant Superintendent Luna and district staff presented a strategic‑plan update and the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) midyear spending report to the Belmont‑Redwood Shores School District board, describing where districtwide investments are focused and how site allocations are being used through the school year.

Luna summarized three strategic priorities: supporting well‑rounded learners (including expanded arts and STEM), fostering belonging and inclusion, and strengthening parent and community engagement. She said Prop 28 arts funding and local monies enabled the district to hire three new instrumental music teachers and expand weekly music instruction to primary classrooms, citing strong parent and teacher response to the hires.

Luna also described partnerships that fund counselors and wellness programs. She said Sequoia Healthcare District provides approximately $750,000 a year to support counselor positions, SEL curriculum (including Wayfinder and Second Step), staff wellness efforts and related programs. Luna told trustees that Oracle and other private donors have also contributed targeted funds to professional development and a STEM coach.

On the LCAP midyear report, district staff (presenting as Pamela) gave site‑level spending snapshots for the supplemental and concentration grant allocations that are targeted to unduplicated pupils. Staff reported that the district’s supplemental concentration grant projection had risen from roughly $951,000 at approval to slightly more than $1 million, and that principals have been spending or encumbering site funds since July. Pamela presented per‑site examples:

- Central: about $55,000 budgeted, roughly $56,000 expended/encumbered to date. - Nesbitt: about $209,000 budgeted, about $116,000 expended/encumbered to date. - Ralston: about $89,000 budgeted, about $50,000 spent to date. - Redwood Shores: about $76,000 budgeted, about $18,000 spent so far; staff said the new principal has been reviewing inherited commitments. - Sandpiper: about $102,000 budgeted, about $63,000 spent/encumbered to date.

Pamela said sites may revise plans through their site councils, and cautioned that sites must obligate and receive goods or services before fiscal year closeout deadlines to complete expenditures. The midyear report will be followed by a fuller update in May that reconciles planned vs. actual expenditures.

On performance metrics, staff explained a nuance in English‑learner reclassification data: a decline in the percentage of students reported as “making progress” stemmed in part from redesignation practices and how the state counts students who maintain a level 4 ELPAC score. District staff said that reclassification and ELPAC counting rules made comparisons with prior years non‑straightforward and that they are working with county and regional partners on consistent practice.

Luna closed by reiterating the strategic plan’s integration of academics, SEL and community partnerships, and asked trustees to expect regular updates. Staff signaled that site councils and principals will continue to refine site spending plans for 2025‑26 based on updated allocations from the chief business officer.

The board did not take action on the items at the midyear briefing; staff said the next formal LCAP review will come in May for board consideration.