At the June 5, 2015, meeting, and each year since, the Community Priorities Coalition presented the Sacramento City board with alternatives ways to invest in our children.
Funding of California’s k-12 public education system is changing fundamentally. Some schools will get much more money to educate kids as described in the above video. The centerpiece of the change is the Local Control Funding Formula, designed to send additional funds to districts where “the need and the challenge is greatest.” The law requires that parents, students, teachers, and other community members be involved in the process of deciding how new funds are spent.
Ed Source has an excellent guide to these changes.
Sacramento City Unified’s plan for Local Control Funding is on their web site.
LCAP Timeline and Process- here.
SCUSD outlines its LCAP development process, Community Planning Process, timeline, and lists potential community partners to engage with in LCFF implementation. A new budget has been submitted and should be on the web site this PM.
SCUSD outlines its LCAP development process, Community Planning Process, timeline, and lists potential community partners to engage with in LCFF implementation. A new budget has been submitted and should be on the web site this PM.
Here is our submission for the 2017/ 2018 school year.
May 4, 2017
To: Jay Hansen, President
Jessie Ryan, 1st Vice President Darrell Woo. 2nd Vice President Christina Pritchett. Member Ellen Cochrane, Member
Mai Vang, Member Michael Minnick, Member
Natalie Ross. Member
Jose Banda, Superintendent
Dear Board of Trustees and
Superintendent:
The Sacramento City Community Priority Coalition (CPC) is pleased to submit to the Sacramento City
Unified School District its 20 l 7-18 Budget
as another budget scenario
to consider.
The CPC coalition member organizations and
groups consist of Black Parallel School Board, Building
Healthy Communities. Hmong Innovating Politics, La
Familia Counseling
Center. Making Cents Work, PRO Youth and Families , Sacramento Area Congregations Together, Democracy and Education Institute, and Public Advocates Inc.
Based on the
input of our respective communities. the CPC recommends
three major priorities for
both the LCAP and the LCFF that we conclude will better serve the students
of our communities. Those priorities include:
•
Class size adjustments/reductions in select high need schools
- beginning with grade 4-6
and gradually progressing to higher grades after three years of LCAP implementation.
•
Culturally competent professional development to enhance school climate and ensure the use of effective and restorative discipline policies in all schools for all students.
•
After school
and/or other early intervention
supports/programsdesigned to improve and further classroom performance.
The district
needs to attract quality teachers that reflect the diversity of the
students and continue class-size reduction, address inequities regarding
our low-income and high needs students, increase graduation rates, improve professional development, and
continue to improve community outreach and
involvement year around. Monies allocated through the
Local Control Funding process are required by law to be spent on increased or improved services and actions that are principally directed to meet the needs of
specific target populations: low income, English Language Learners, foster children, special
education.
In addition , to increased funding for class size reduction beyond grades K-3: specific funds should be allocated to meet the needs of
the designated targeted populations. For example, English
Language Learners need additional instructional assistance and increased
efforts to involve their parents
in their education
programs. including bilingual counselors , teachers, social workers and other staff. Funds
should be allocated to establish designated additional programs for ELL
students in those schools with large numbers of English Language Learners. These programs might include
the use of additional certificated personnel, and/or
classified staff.
We recommend that the budget adopted
by Sac City Unified School District clearl y and specifically designate where funds
will be spent to meet these target populations. At
present, we are unable to track funds from the district budget to serving
these target students. We strongly recommend that this
change. The district should specifically and clearly indicate the amounts of funds planned for specific services
and actions that are increases or improvements principally directed to meet the
needs of each target group, and which funds have been planned
used for spending on combinations of these
groups, and which funds have been used for
all students districtwide,
in addition to funds
allocated by school site, which the district currently identifies . This level of transparency is necessary
for parents , students and the community to be involved
in a meaningful way in the LCAP
development process and other district and school site decision making processes.
Our Budget proposal
reflects our communi ty'
s priorities and we
request that you consider our Budget along with the District's staff Budget in making
a very important decision on providing the highest qualit y of education for all children.
Lastly, we request the
Board to schedule more
time in between your first reading of the LCAP draft and draft budget
and the adoption of the LCAP and budget. Currentl y, these board meeting
dates are June 1 and June 15--less than two
weeks to review and comment
between the first reading board
meeting and the time by which
a second draft would have to be
published to meet Bro\,\,ll Act notice requirements. We appreciate that last year the Board granted our request to set a later meeting in June for the adoption of
the LCAP and budget
and request that
it do the same this year,
and
in the future.
SCUSD did not incorporate the suggestions of the Community Priority Coalition to focus on class size reduction, changes in discipline, and faculty in service for the last 3 years. Instead, they propose to use the extra funds to finance the programs they already support. In this the SCUSD board relies on the district staff. That is, they plan to continue what they have been doing and to call it community participation.
The budget hearing for the school board is Thursday, June 15, at the Serna Center.
The budget hearing for the school board is Thursday, June 15, at the Serna Center.
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