Trustees review Perris Union High LCAP update, hear budget priorities and next steps

PERRIS, Calif. — At a June 2 special meeting, Perris Union High School District trustees heard an annual update on the district’s Local Control and Accountability Plan from Lindsay Chavez, who the board introduced as the meeting’s presenter. Chavez summarized the LCAP’s purpose, funding sources and planned adjustments for the 2025–26 school year and invited trustees to help oversee implementation.

"The LCAP is not just a compliance document," Chavez told the board, urging trustees to "hold me accountable" and to use the packet materials and an infographic she provided to follow the district’s progress. She described the LCAP as a three-year strategic plan that must show how supplemental and concentration funds increase or improve services for high-needs students.

Chavez outlined five headline goals that will guide spending and actions through the current LCAP cycle: academic achievement; college and career readiness; student well-being; family and community engagement; and an equity multiplier that applies to two schools identified as needing extra supports. She said the equity multiplier funding this year supported counseling, social work and mental-health services at the two targeted sites.

On funding, Chavez reported the district’s budget for 2024–25 as roughly $158 million in total resources and said about $34 million was directed as supplemental or concentration funds targeted to high-needs students. She described how state categorical grants (Title I–IV, arts/music grants, CTE funding and other awards) are braided with LCFF funds and stressed that many grants have strict allowable uses and reporting requirements.

Trustees and staff spent substantial time discussing measurement and program design. Trustees asked how success will be measured beyond state tests; Chavez said the district will track multiple indicators, including A–G course completion, D/F rates, course completion and other locally developed measures to complement state assessments. Staff also described pilot efforts to expand the IGETC (Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum) pathway at sites offering dual enrollment.

Board members pressed on classroom-level support and teacher engagement. Chavez and other administrators said the district will continue professional development for math teachers, expand coaching, and use "best-first instruction" and universal design for learning to reach struggling students. Trustees also explored targeted interventions — Scholar Saturdays, before/after-school tutoring, and stipends for teachers providing extra instruction — and were told sites can use allocated funds to pay teachers for recovery or tutoring work.

Chavez noted two student groups that require differentiated assistance under the California system of support: long-term English learners (LTELs) and McKinney-Vento (homeless) students. She said data show an overlap between LTELs and students with individualized education programs and that the district will prioritize LTEL participation in CTE and AP/dual-enrollment offerings.

The presentation also covered safety and operations: Chavez said the district funds school resource officers (SROs) and that SRO costs are expected to increase next year; trustees discussed a recent change in city support that had previously covered half of an SRO cost, and staff said they have requested clarification from the city. Chavez emphasized the need to braid multiple funding sources to pay for facilities and safety-related needs while remaining compliant with education code and grant restrictions.

Trustees raised enrollment and attendance recovery as both an academic and fiscal priority. District staff described a "laser-focused" approach to restore students who left the district and to improve chronic absenteeism, saying targeted recovery should improve both academic outcomes and state revenue tied to attendance.

Chavez closed by asking trustees to continue year-round engagement as staff refine actions and prepare for the next LCAP cycle. She said actions — but not the five headline goals — can be amended mid-cycle if evidence shows a program is ineffective and trustees approve any budget shifts.

The board scheduled a public hearing and a return meeting for June 18, when trustees will consider final LCAP approval and submission to the county office of education. The special meeting adjourned after a motion to end the session passed with a recorded 4–0 vote and one absence.

What’s next: trustees will review a condensed presentation during the public hearing, expect follow-up material from staff on proposed mid-cycle adjustments, and have a formal vote on LCAP approval on June 18.