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Pacifica presents midyear LCAP, special-education and school-climate reports; staff cite progress and areas for improvement
Summary
The district's midyear LCAP update and special-education and school-climate reports show steady early-literacy progress and declines in contracted special-education spending ($778,000), while student engagement and middle-school discipline remain key concerns to be addressed in the 2026–27 plan.
Pacifica School District staff reviewed midyear progress on the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), special-education programming, and school climate during the Feb. 11 board meeting.
Dr. Carla Chavez Torres presented the LCAP midyear report, reporting 2,532 students districtwide, a district attendance average of 95.51%, improvements in multilingual-learner reclassification rates, and an engagement metric described as 22% favorable for student engagement (noted as a low percentile nationally). Staff said the full slide deck and a 22-page technical report were available in the board packet for details.
Martha Ladd delivered the special-education update and noted changes intended to reduce contracted spending by $778,000 (a 15% reduction overall), including a 41% reduction in contracted paraeducator use offset by increased district-hired paras, a 15% decrease in speech and language contracted services, and other staffing shifts. Ladd said the district serves roughly 410 students with special-education eligibility (about 15% of enrollment), slightly above state and county averages. She emphasized that decreases were made while meeting maintenance-of-effort tests to avoid financial penalties.
On school climate, staff reported low suspension rates overall but concentrated incidents in middle school; the district is using PBIS, COST teams, and vape-cessation intervention classes as alternatives to suspension. Ladd outlined plans for an MTSS handbook, PBIS walkthroughs, and family engagement activities to improve student connectedness and reduce repeated disciplinary incidents.
Why it matters: The LCAP and related reports shape budgeting and priorities for 2026–27; changes in special-education contracting and the balance between contracted and district staff affect service delivery and costs, while low student engagement indicators may influence programmatic investments next year.
Next steps: Board members asked for more success stories and for additional data breakdowns on disproportionality and repeat disciplinary incidents; staff committed to follow-up reporting and to include more granular outcomes in future updates.
Sources: LCAP midyear presentation by Dr. Carla Chavez Torres and special education/school climate report by Martha Ladd during the Feb. 11 board meeting.
