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Superintendent: enrollment steady, attendance up at PACE and Union, discipline referrals down after safety measures
Summary
Superintendent Lavender reported enrollment of 3,987 students districtwide (Vista 1,949; Union 1,925; Pace 84), improvements in daily attendance and declines in tobacco- and drug-related referrals after implementing weapon-detection and bathroom screening systems.
Superintendent Lavender told the governing board that districtwide enrollment now totals 3,987 students: Vista 1,949, Union 1,925 and Pace 84, a net decline of three students from the same time last year.
Lavender highlighted attendance gains at PACE (from 70% to 88%) and Union (from 78% to 89%), and said the district has seen declines in disciplinary referrals: tobacco/drug referrals fell from 124 last year to 58 this year, and drug referrals fell from 83 to 26. He attributed some of the improvements to newly implemented safety measures, including weapon-detection systems and bathroom screening technology, which the superintendent said have been used at school entry points, football games and the homecoming dance.
The superintendent also said the district conducted random drug testing of athletes (23 tested; results pending) and convened a task force on Sept. 24 aimed at increasing postsecondary and trade-school enrollment. Lavender emphasized career-and-technical-education (CTE) outcomes, noting a 96% graduation rate among students who complete two years of CTE programs.
On the calendar and scheduling front, Lavender said the district will form a committee in January to study early-release timing and feeder-district alignment; he asked trustees to approve the two-week fall break calendar so families could make advance plans.
"We're building the plane while we're flying the plane," Lavender said, describing adjustments to professional learning communities and curriculum work the district is implementing this year.
Board members thanked staff for the work and asked for a future study session on budget composition and student funding formulas; administration agreed to provide a fuller briefing leading up to budget planning.
