Deputy Superintendent Jose Escobano presented a multi-pronged "family empowerment" strategy the district said is intended to boost communication with families and connect them to supports.

Escobano recounted last year's home-visit work, saying the district completed 119 home visits and trained 51 teachers to conduct visits designed to co-create plans with families. "The purpose is to empower families to co create plans and support them," he said, and added that the district has shifted away from punitive attendance approaches toward working with families to identify barriers.

Staff described an enrollment and balloting software rollout tied to the CTE policy: the district will time outreach to the application window, demonstrate the software at a Putnam High School fair and offer technology support and family liaisons to help parents complete balloting selections. Escobano said the software will allow parents to see application status, edit selections and receive automated text and email notice for missing documents.

Escobano also outlined plans for parent academies and adult-education cohorts, including an English-language cohort for migrant families starting Jan. 8, and said the district is developing a suite of online resources. He described a translation-hardware pilot funded through recent state legislation that will provide in-school audio and automatic translation so principals and staff can speak and families will hear messages in their native languages.

The presentation acknowledged community partners and philanthropy: Escobano said the nonprofit Cradles to Crayons donated about 10,000 backpacks and that the district received thousands of clothing packs, socks and winter coats to distribute. He also said the family expo draws more than 1,000 participants and that the district uses surveys to improve outreach.

Committee members asked for clarification about parent-advisory-council recruitment, parent concern triage (call intake then a link to a parent-concern form), and whether parent-academy sessions include childcare; staff said practices vary by workshop and some academies have offered childcare when practicable.

Escobano said staff will post the presentation materials on the district website under family and community engagement and continue to refine contact-and-triage procedures.