As the 2016 year comes to a close, it’s difficult not to reflect on the extraordinary year that ABC Unified School District has experienced. Change is simply a fact of life in public education. Winston Churchill reminded us that “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” The following is a recap of three of the highlights of our year of change.
California’s New Accountability System- On Sept. 8, 2016, the California State Board of Education approved a new accountability and continuous improvement system for all public schools. The new system includes the eight state priorities that define quality education from a broader perspective than a single test score. A new State accountability evaluation rubric will be used to analyze state and local performance standards. The rubric will assist districts in identifying strengths and weaknesses. The new accountability system provides multiple measures of student performance and provides a more complete picture of students’ educational experience.
Throughout the first semester, we held three Superintendent’s Parent-Community Forums throughout the District to inform the communities we serve of the new accountability system that will be in effect in 2017. I’d like to thank the hundreds of parents and community members for coming to the Superintendent’s Forum held during October-November at Carmenita MS, Fedde MS and Ross MS to learn about the new State Accountability System. I appreciated hearing the questions and comments from a variety of perspectives. A copy of the presentation from the Superintendent’s Forum is available on our District’s website.
Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) and Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) – We are in the process of updating our comprehensive LCAP, a planning tool that will be implemented over the next three years (2017-19). The LCAP must address the State’s eight priorities. The Board of Education has grouped the eight priorities into three major areas: a) Conditions for learning; b) Pupil outcomes; and c) Engagement.
We have held one extensive LCAP Parent Advisory Committee Meeting in November and will continue our meetings with parents and keystakeholders throughout 2017. The schools will continue to realign their school plans with the LCAP goals. The LCAP is a tool that must be revised each year with the engagement of key stakeholders including parents, students, teachers, unions, community members, English learners, and foster parents. The LCFF, a new funding formula for all public schools in California, must be aligned to the goals of the LCAP. A copy of the complete LCAP is available on our district’s website.
Board Ad Hoc Advisory Committee on Facilities – A comprehensive Board Ad Hoc Advisory Committee on Facilities convened this year representing parents, employees, and community members. The Committee is chaired by Brad Beach. They reviewed the long range planning tool called the Facilities Master Plan that was used in improving and upgrading the schools facility needs. The Facilities Master Plan developed in 2014 is used in defining the continuous needs of the District.
In the fall, members of the Ad Hoc Advisory Committee on Facilities were divided into teams to visit all the school sites and assess the needs with school level committees. This work will continue after we reconvene in the new year. We encourage the community to be informed and to access the information regarding the Board Ad Hoc Advisory Committee on Facilities located at the District website: www. abcusd.k12.ca.us.
We look forward to a great new year in ABCUSD. We welcome the community to join us as we move forward in 2017 by attending the community forums, parent and community events. You may also follow me on Twitter: @abcsupt to learn more about our schools and accomplishments on a daily basis. We have a bimonthly e-newsletter call the District Digest that is also available on our website.
We wish you all a safe, joyous holiday season and a wonderful new year!