Travis Unified presents LCAP priorities; district flags performance gaps for students with disabilities

Tiffany Benson, Educational Services, opened the district's Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) public hearing and outlined priorities for the coming three-year cycle. The LCAP, which ties to state funding rules, is both a retrospective and planning document; Benson said the district is closing one three-year plan and drafting the next.

Benson emphasized four priority areas required by the state: academic achievement, social-emotional wellness and supports, family involvement and engagement, and basic services. She highlighted that the state now requires explicit goals for long-term English Learners and that any metric classified as "very low" on the California Dashboard must have a specific action plan.

Benson noted the district sees a recurring performance gap among students with disabilities across multiple academic metrics and said targeted actions will focus on ELA outcomes and disproportionality in suspension. She described steps the district is taking: using data and specialists to identify needs, providing teacher coaching, continuing partnerships with UC Davis and SCOE for specialized teacher training, expanding tutoring and in-day intervention, and maintaining a focus on transportation as a support for attendance. She said, "the lcap is part of our state funding function so it is a three-year plan and we're at the very end of a three-year plan before we open up our new cycle."

On attendance and chronic absenteeism, Benson reported improvement from a prior year rate of 17.1% to a year-to-date figure of 15% and said the district will take targeted actions for schools and grade spans not showing similar progress. She also pointed to strong graduation rates, which she said remain above the state average for all student groups.

Benson closed by describing planned actions tied to metrics: curriculum and instructional materials, expanded intervention (during and after school), additional cameras and safety measures as part of basic services, and training for administrators and staff to be scheduled before the next school year. Several board members asked follow-up questions about how the consultant's safety recommendations will be prioritized and whether they will tie to the district's facility master plan; Benson confirmed the consultant has reviewed the master plan and will coordinate a prioritized list for board consideration.