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Board opens public hearing on 2025–26 LCAP; parents raise concerns about class-size funding and AI-sourced citations
Summary
Del Mar Union School District staff presented the proposed 2025–26 Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), summarizing survey input and planned actions to support academics and social-emotional learning. A public commenter questioned use of supplemental funds for class-size costs and flagged an AI-sourced research citation.
District staff opened a public hearing on the proposed 2025–26 Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) and highlighted proposed actions drawn from staff, student and family input, along with metrics the district will use to measure effectiveness.
Vivian Firestone, senior staff responsible for state compliance, summarized the plan and survey results: nearly 850 spring survey responses (about 78% parents) prioritized maintaining small class sizes, preserving STEAM programming, and ongoing professional learning. For social-emotional goals, respondents ranked strong community relationships, counselor-staff collaboration and outdoor learning spaces as top priorities. Proposed LCAP actions included continued professional learning on Cultures of Thinking, essential elements of instruction, a new K–2 reading-risk screener, continued tiered supports, maintaining site counselors at every school, strengthening family liaisons and translated family handbooks for newcomers.
During public comment Neelam Arya — who said she had filed UCP (Uniform Complaint Procedure) complaints against the district — raised specific concerns about how the LCAP lists class-size reductions as an expenditure targeted to unduplicated pupils (English learners, low-income, foster youth). She asked whether the district was effectively paying for class-size twice and said she was concerned that one citation the district used to justify class-size investments appeared to be an AI-suggested study about business school class size, not elementary education. "I hope the board will ask why this is showing up here as an expenditure," Arya said. She also urged the district to ensure the curriculum and interventions used to teach reading are aligned for students with dyslexia or other reading needs.
Firestone told the board the draft LCAP will remain available for community review and that staff will solicit additional feedback from parents and staff via a short survey May 28–June 6 before returning a final plan for adoption on June 18, 2025. The board opened and then closed the hearing after receiving one public commenter. Adoption was scheduled for the June 18 meeting.
Ending: The board did not adopt the LCAP at this meeting; staff will collect further input and present a final LCAP for adoption on June 18.
