Poway Unified reports midyear LCAP progress; chronic absenteeism falls, gaps remain

The Poway Unified School District presented its Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) midyear update to the board on Feb. 26, outlining spending, implementation status and outcomes tied to the district’s three LCAP goals.

Executive Director Julie Goldberg summarized required components of the midyear report and said roughly $30.9 million had been expended or encumbered at midyear, with an additional $1.9 million in progress. Goldberg said the district’s unduplicated pupil count—students who are English learners, in foster care, or eligible for free/reduced‑price meals—is approximately 6,300, generating about $15 million in LCFF supplemental funding used to expand services intended to improve outcomes for those students.

Goldberg said Goal 1 (safe, inclusive, supportive learning environments) showed appropriate or partial progress on all 11 tracked metrics, citing a reduction in chronic absenteeism from 14.9% to 10.1% and a lower suspension rate (1.5% to 1.2%). For Goal 2 (student achievement and learning opportunities) Goldberg reported that 82% of metrics show appropriate or partial progress, while English‑learner progress and some growth metrics remain areas for targeted acceleration. Goal 3 (family and parent engagement) showed positive trends in parent perceptions, including an increase in parents feeling welcome at school (85% to 91%).

Goldberg noted the midyear report uses district‑wide aggregate data for monitoring and that some survey instruments differ from the annual LCAP disaggregation typically used, which may affect comparability. Board members asked questions but no vote was taken; the LCAP midyear update was provided as an information item required by state law.

Next steps include continuing to monitor LCAP implementation, refining improvement strategies where needed, and preparing for the 2027–2030 LCAP planning cycle in collaboration with educational partners.