Millbrae district reports modest academic gains, outlines LCAP revisions and new professional development

Catherine Wasliff, director of educational services for the Millbrae Elementary School District, on the board’s June meeting presented year‑one results and revisions to the district’s three‑year Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), reporting modest gains in student outcomes and plans to expand professional development for teachers.

Wasliff told the board the district’s dashboard shows 64–65.4% of students met or exceeded the standard in English language arts, an increase of about 2.8 percentage points. She said 62.6% of third‑through‑eighth graders met or exceeded standards in the 2023–24 school year, up about 1.5 points overall, and reported a decline in chronic absenteeism to 9.9%, down 1.8 points. For multilingual learners Wasliff reported a larger gain: 65.5% making progress on English‑learner measures, an increase of about 11.4 points from the prior year.

Why it matters: the LCAP is the district’s plan for directing state and local funds toward identified priorities. Wasliff described four district goals — structured literacy, academic achievement, student engagement and multilingual learner supports — and outlined specific revisions to actions and spending intended to produce measurable improvement.

Key revisions and next steps - Universal Design for Learning (UDL): Wasliff said the district will start a formal UDL professional‑development rollout on Aug. 12 with ongoing site support, trainer‑of‑trainers work and site walk‑throughs so UDL practices become embedded at tier 1. - Fidelity checks and screening: the district will use tier‑1 fidelity checklists at school sites before moving students to tier‑2/3 interventions and will adopt DIBELS as a reading screener to replace the prior FAST measure. - Multilingual learners: Wasliff said the district will increase support for sites to examine ELPAC domain growth, redesignation/reclassification rates, expand newcomer resources and provide targeted paraeducator training to better serve newcomers.

Wasliff framed the LCAP as “our collective promise to build a more equitable, engaging, and effective school district that’s grounded in community voice and student need,” and emphasized that the document is intended to drive day‑to‑day work, not only meet compliance requirements.

Board questions and clarifications Trustees asked for details about UDL and tiered interventions. Wasliff explained UDL is a framework for designing instruction to increase access (presentation/representation), engagement, and student action/expression; she said UDL is not a curriculum adoption but a framework that embeds differentiated instruction. On tiers, Wasliff defined the difference largely by intensity, ratio and duration (tier‑1: whole‑class approaches; tier‑2: small groups 2–3 times per week; tier‑3: more intensive individual instruction).

Budget context and indicators Wasliff and her colleagues provided a budget overview connected to the LCAP: projected revenue by fund source was presented at about $33.2 million, with LCFF accounting for roughly $24–25 million and other federal, state and local funds making up the remainder. Wasliff noted LCAP expenditures represent roughly 10% of the district’s general fund in the presentation she gave the board.

Local indicators Wasliff summarized the five local indicators the district must report to the state (basic services; implementation of state standards; parent engagement; school climate; course access). She said there were no reported instances of students without access to curriculum or materials and that the district scored mostly 3–4 on its self‑reflection scale (5 = full implementation). She also pointed to Panorama survey results showing sense of belonging and engagement as lower‑favorability areas that will inform parent and student engagement work.

What Wasn’t decided tonight The board received the report and engaged in Q&A; adoption of the LCAP and the district’s 2025–26 budget are scheduled for the June 17 meeting, according to staff. No formal board adoption of the LCAP occurred at this session.

Ending Wasliff closed by listing opportunities for growth — deepen differentiated instruction through UDL, expand fidelity checks across sites, increase designated ELD implementation and strengthen family engagement through multilingual outreach and targeted workshops — and noted those items will guide LCAP revisions in year two.