District reports midyear LCAP gains: attendance, suspensions and some academic indicators improving

Director of Equity and Federal Programs Chrissy McLean and colleagues presented Pajaro Valley Unified’s midyear Local Control and Accountability Plan update, an annual state‑mandated check on the district’s three‑year strategic plan.

The presentation highlighted areas of progress and ongoing work: attendance improved to 92.5% midyear (up from a baseline around 90.06%); districtwide suspension rates declined and were reported at just over 2% as of December 2025; math performance on the California School Dashboard moved from red to orange; and foster‑youth suspension rates fell substantially from baseline. Staff credited investments in restorative practices (53 administrators trained, 28 schools with whole‑staff PD), instructional initiatives (including LETRS literacy cohorts), and targeted interventions.

Staff also reported larger reclassification numbers for multilingual learners (noting notable increases at middle and elementary levels) and early results from an alternative diploma pathway for students with significant support needs (11 students graduated who otherwise would not have had that option).

Trustees asked how goals are set, and staff explained that several measures align to California’s growth model and dashboard metrics; some board members pressed for more aggressive targets in parts of the plan, while staff noted certain state-determined metrics limit how quickly colors move on the dashboard. The district invited public feedback via an attached QR code and outlined an ongoing stakeholder engagement schedule for LCAP updates.

Trustees applauded staff for measurable midyear gains and asked for digestible public-facing visual summaries of key metrics to share with families and the community.