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Parents and union press El Rancho board on safety, communication and interventions as LCAP is adopted
Summary
Parents, the district advisory committees and the teachers’ union urged clearer communication, more safety planning and measurable follow‑ups; trustees approved LCAP edits that add interventionist roles for secondary small‑group support.
Parents, advisory committees and union representatives used the June 24 El Rancho Unified board meeting to press the district for clearer communication, more proactive safety measures and tangible follow‑up to advisory recommendations as the board adopted the 2025–26 LCAP.
At the meeting the District Advisory Committee and District English Learner Advisory Committee (DAC/DELAC) summarized meetings held in October, January, March, April and May and asked the board to act on recommendations focused on English learners and socioeconomically disadvantaged students. "We aim to support student achievement, increase transparency, and ensure parents are actively engaged in the planning and decision‑making process," a DAC representative told the board.
Trustees asked for concrete follow‑ups. Trusty Mahia requested clarification about the statement that "K–12 classrooms need upgrading," asking whether that meant furniture, flooring or windows; board members asked staff to provide an updated needs assessment and to post the superintendent’s written responses to DAC questions as required by Education Code. Several trustees urged turning recommendations into two or three measurable goals the committees can report on next year.
Union leadership echoed parent concerns. "We should be meeting regularly when it comes to safety issues," Leia Karion, president of the Arancho Federation of Teachers, said, asking for safety meetings for the 2025–26 school year and noting recent district incidents the union had discussed with cabinet. Karion also asked whether a closed‑session settlement would be public after approval; Dr. Viegas said legal counsel would follow up.
Staff presented the California school dashboard local indicators and acknowledged areas for improvement: staff cited declines in student connectedness as grade levels increase and urged use of CHKS (California Healthy Kids Survey) and other data to guide strategies. District figures referenced in the meeting included roughly 47.04% of students meeting or exceeding the English language arts standard, 35.54% in math, 22.36% in CAST science assessments, and 15.5% of English learners reclassified as fluent English proficient in 2023–24.
Board members stressed that student perceptions must guide safety planning. Trusty Contras and others recommended surveying students directly and pursuing preventative measures rather than solely reactive responses to incidents. The board asked staff to develop communication approaches that include phone calls when appropriate in addition to texts and automated alerts.
The LCAP the board adopted includes a clearer description of interventionist roles: staff said interventionists will be certificated teachers assigned to provide small‑group support in ELA and math at the secondary level, sometimes by pulling small groups or by providing in‑class push‑in support identified through interim screening data. Trustees described the work as a multi‑year rollout with evaluation tied to data collection.
What’s next: Trustees asked staff to provide a timeline for implementing DAC recommendations, to post written responses to advisory questions, and to present measurable LCAP goals and follow‑up reports in future board updates.
