IUSD midyear LCAP: overall gains but sharper declines for foster youth and lingering LTEL concerns

Tammy, the district27s LCAP lead, presented a midyear Local Control and Accountability Plan update showing mixed results across student groups and action items. Districtwide attendance and several college- and career-readiness measures rose, and AP pass rates increased from 84% to 90%; but foster youth and a subset of long-term English learners (LTELs) showed declines that staff called "volatile" because of small subgroup sizes.

The report summarized point-in-time metrics from the California Dashboard and other sources and tied them to LCAP action items and expenditures. Tammy said chronic absenteeism moved from orange to green for the district overall but noted foster youth chronic absenteeism rose and remains a serious concern: "When you have small groups and we have less than 60 foster youth in the district... one or two students are going to have a very significant impact," she said. She gave a concrete count for foster youth ("I think it was 11 students") and for LTELs ("about a 128" last year), and described targeted, tiered supports and site-level allocations intended to address those students27 needs.

Why it matters: the LCAP is the district27s plan linking state funding to measurable outcomes. Board members pressed staff for school-level "street data" that would make it easier for teachers and counselors to tailor interventions. Tammy described steps already in progress: a district mental-health specialist working with families, teacher-mentor programs for English learner instruction, and planned follow-up materials for a study session and public hearing.

Tammy highlighted both celebrations and challenges. On the plus side, the district reported improved survey participation and climate measures at several grade spans, exit of all previously identified ATSI schools, increased CT E pathway completion, and higher AP passing rates. On the concern side, CAASPP ELA proficiency declined for several groups, foster youth indicators worsened in multiple metrics (attendance, ELA, suspensions), and LTELs were newly visible on the dashboard and flagged for targeted intervention.

Board members asked procedural and program questions: how chronic absenteeism is defined (Tammy: "more than 10% of instructional days"), how homeless students are identified (data confirmation, teacher reports, agency partners), and how LTEL supports are delivered (teacher mentors guiding ELD instruction; more detail to be provided by the LDP team). Tammy said some action items have low current expenditures because they are no-cost practice changes or materials not yet purchased, and that summer-school and other 2025 expenditures will appear later in the budget tracking.

Next steps: staff will present more detailed LCAP materials at a board study session and a public hearing with line-item expenditure and implementation updates. Tammy said the district will continue to prioritize site-level, individualized supports for small but high-need student groups and monitor whether current interventions translate into improved dashboard outcomes.