District presents midyear LCAP: small gains in ELA, concern over chronic absenteeism and special-education costs
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Summary
District staff presented a midyear Local Control and Accountability Plan update showing modest gains in English language arts and EL progress, declining suspension rates, and a chronic-absenteeism concern; the LCAP includes targeted funding lines for attendance outreach, mental-health supports and enrichment programs.
San Jacinto School District staff presented the midyear LCAP (Local Control and Accountability Plan) update March 3, reporting incremental academic gains alongside continuing challenges in attendance and special-education costs.
The district reported English language arts increased by six percentage points to 37.8% of students meeting or exceeding standards and math increased by 6.2 points with 28.3% meeting or exceeding standards on the dashboard. The English learner progress indicator rose 6.7 points to 49.6% making progress, the presenter said. "We are taking notes as we're going along," the presenter told the board while describing planned alignment of district benchmark assessments to state CAST assessments.
Staff said suspension rates have trended down and are now at 2.3%, the lowest of the five-year window presented. Chronic absenteeism had spiked in prior years (as high as 32.2%) but staff noted signs of decline and an ongoing outreach initiative focused on families with 5–9 absences. The district reported school-level attendance figures (examples: Ocean View Hills 95.59%, Sunset 92.34%) and a district average around 92.62%.
The LCAP ties specific actions to funding lines: attendance outreach consultants ($620,000), mental-health/social-work support ($390,500), multi-tiered systems of support ($951,000) and before/after-school pathways and enrichment (~$7.6 million). Staff said many title and categorical funds support professional development and program continuity.
Board members asked procedural questions about opt-out processes for assessments; staff confirmed parents submit opt-out forms to their child’s school and teachers are notified. The presenter noted the district is conducting empathy interviews to understand reasons families miss school, including concerns about immigration enforcement.
Staff said the LCAP will undergo additional community outreach (‘‘LCAP roadshow’’) with surveys (English and Spanish) going to stakeholders ahead of public hearings in June when the LCAP will be considered for adoption.
What’s next: staff will continue site-level LCAP events, release the survey in English and Spanish, and return to the board for LCAP public hearings and adoption in June.