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Milpitas Unified presenter outlines attendance gains, funding reprieve and staffing gaps in State of the District
Summary
The Milpitas Unified presenter said enrollment is about 10,147 with average daily attendance at 98.12%, reported more than $1 million in federal Title funds were unfrozen, and flagged vacancies in special education paraprofessionals and two principal openings with interim placements.
The Milpitas Unified presenter opened the State of the District by saying attendance is the district's motto this year and that regular attendance is the "first step to school success." The presenter reported the district has "about 10,147 learners" and an average daily attendance of 98.12%, a slight decline from last year's 98.45%.
The presenter told the board the district faced a summer-long concern that more than $1,000,000 in federal Title II, III and IV funding might not arrive. "Fortunately, the funding was unfrozen and came through to the state in early August," the presenter said, adding that the money supports summer school and the English Learner Newcomers Academy.
On staffing, the presenter said vacancies remain among special-education paraprofessionals and behavior intervention staff, a challenge shared across the county and state. District human resources leaders are exploring hiring strategies to compete with contracting agencies that currently supply many paraprofessionals and behavior intervention technicians.
The presenter named two principal vacancies at Burnett and at the site the transcript records as "Senate," and said Brandy McMillan (interim at Burnett) and Gina Satan (interim at Senate) were stepping in. Christian Lacour and Kevin Jenkins were identified as taking two days a week from classrooms to support assistant-principal duties. A recruiting firm is vetting candidates and the presenter said the district expects to recommend finalists to the board at its next meeting but "we're not gonna settle" if top candidates are not found.
Why it matters: Enrollment and funding drive classroom programs and staffing; the unfrozen federal funds preserve short-term interventions while persistent vacancies pose operational challenges that the district says it is actively addressing.
Next steps: The presenter said the district will bring principal recommendations to the next board meeting and that HR is pursuing competitive hiring options for special-education roles.
