District trains parents on LCAP, School Site Council roles, assessment calendar and community schools

District staff led an Oct. 8 training for parent leaders on the Local Control and Accountability Plan and School Site Council duties, described the district assessment calendar and new screeners, and outlined volunteer and community‑school initiatives.

Dr. Jolie Kane, a district staff member who presented the LCAP overview, said the LCAP "is a tool for school districts ... to set goals to improve student outcomes, plan actions, and leverage our resources to meet them." She described how the LCAP (district level) and the School Plan for Student Achievement or SPSA (site level) must align and use the same goals and data.

The session focused on the role and composition of School Site Councils (SSC). Presenters told attendees that an SSC is an advisory body that "develop[s], evaluate[s], and update[s] the school plan for student achievement," oversees Title I funds, recommends the SPSA to the governing board and develops the school safety plan. Presenters said an SSC must have an even split between staff and parents/community members, with a minimum membership of 10 (meaning at least five parent/community members under the even‑split rule). The principal is required to be an SSC member but does not control SSC decisions.

Presenters outlined the SPSA/LCAP planning cycle: analyze data, set goals, assign timelines and personnel, recommend to the board in May, implement, monitor with new data through the year and repeat. They emphasized that SSCs have decision‑making authority over Title I funds and an advisory role over district LCAP funds.

On assessments, staff reviewed the district calendar and the main instruments parents should expect: I‑Ready diagnostics in reading and math; district benchmark/unit assessments; English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) interim and summative assessments for English learners; Smarter Balanced (CAASPP) tests in third through eighth grade; the California Science Test for fifth and eighth graders; and other required measures. Staff said the district will pilot a new early reader screener called Multitudes in K–2 (teacher training is underway and the presenter said the rollout is expected in January). Trimester data windows were described as the recurring moments when SSCs should review progress (trimester 1 baseline, trimester 2 midyear checks, trimester 3 summative windows) so schools can decide midyear adjustments.

Liliana, a meeting participant who described work on a parent engagement tool, said the district will pilot a digital “passport” to log parent participation: "it's gonna be like, digital passport on a budget ... for each meeting that a parent attends ... there's gonna be a QR code at each meeting where they can scan it and check‑in." The passport is intended to record meeting attendance and volunteer hours and to allow the district to acknowledge engaged families; organizers discussed small incentives such as a student “golden ticket” redeemable at school stores.

Staff also reviewed volunteer logistics (a recent volunteer fair drew about 65 parents who registered for TB tests), library and reading volunteer opportunities, and steps for parents to complete required health screening or background checks so they can supervise field trips.

On community schools, Emily Lay, the district coordinator referenced during the meeting, and other staff described plans to convene a community‑schools committee at every site that will include parents, staff and students. These site committees will review local needs identified in recent community surveys (timing for survey results was described as forthcoming, with staff estimating parents would see summaries in October–November) and recommend how to use community‑schools budgets for food pantries, counseling, family supports and other services. Staff said site‑level community‑schools committees will meet several times a year to set and track a small set of goals tied to local needs.

Presenters reminded attendees about upcoming district board meeting dates and spotlight presentations and encouraged parents to attend. The meeting also included procedural guidance for running SSCs (posting agendas 72 hours in advance under the district’s open‑meetings rules referred to in the session as the "Green Act"), recordkeeping (agendas and minutes), and how parents and staff elect SSC members: parents elect parents, staff elect staff.

The presentation concluded with an invitation to share slides and recordings; staff said recordings and materials will be posted on the district website and the district YouTube channel, and the presenter said community liaisons and principals already have the slides for distribution.

Votes/Actions: No motions or formal votes were recorded during the session; the meeting served as training and information sharing.

Speakers and notable attributions in the meeting are reflected in the speaker list below and in the provenance segments tied to the presentation.