The Healdsburg school board will receive several reports and presentations at its next meeting on Oct. 20, including a report on transitional kindergarten, the social/emotional learning (SEL) report card and the Healdsburg Unified School District’s (HUSD) Title I and Title II programs.
Among other topics, the board will also consider approving the district’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) III Fund expenditure plan.
The meeting starts at 6 p.m. and will be held in person at Healdsburg City Hall at 401 Grove Street, and will be streamed live on the district’s Facebook page.
Transitional kindergarten
Healdsburg Elementary School staff will provide a brief presentation about the district’s transitional kindergarten (TK) program, which was established in 2011.
TK is an extra public school grade that began in 2012 and is designed to be a bridge between preschool and kindergarten. It started in 2010 after the California State Legislature approved the Kindergarten Readiness Act that same year.
Up until then, children who were 4 years old on Sept. 1 could enroll in regular kindergarten as long as they turned 5 by Dec. 2 of that year.
Beginning in 2012, kids had to be 5 by Sept. 1 to be able to enroll in regular kindergarten and so the TK program was established to serve those 4-year-olds who were previously eligible for kindergarten.
With the passage AB 130, California will expand TK to all 4-year-olds in a phased effort, so TK will include all 4-year-olds by the 2025-26 school year
Most TK programs focus on the very early building blocks of school, with kids learning how to interact with other students, learning how to share, learning how to play effectively and learning basic number and phonetic skills.
The HUSD generally has 11 to 20 TK students each year. This year, there are currently eight students.
According to the agenda item report, the district is working with Fitch Mountain Preschool and Corazón Healdsburg to reach out to families with children who are eligible for TK.
Healdsburg Elementary’s TK program is a full day program that includes writing, art and math activities, play time, recess and project based learning play time.
Social and emotional learning report
This report will highlight the work done districtwide in social/emotional learning and counseling and will preview the district’s SEL report card, which will be brought to the school board of trustees in November.
So far in the district, students have taken SEL screener tests and the youth truth survey is underway. Work has started on the SEL report card and counseling services for students is also underway.
Works in progress include finding authentic ways to create “more student voice outside of surveys,” creating streamlined data management and the formation of counseling groups.
Title I and Title II programs
The Title I program provides federal funds to schools with high percentages of children from low-income families. The Title I funds are specifically used for expanding opportunities for students who are socioeconomically disadvantaged.
In the HUSD, Title I funds are utilized at Healdsburg Elementary School and at Marce Becerra Academy as schoolwide programs — schoolwide programs are allowable when 40% of the students in the school are from low-income families.
According to the agenda item report, 60.7% of the district’s TK-5th grade students are considered socioeconomically disadvantaged students. About 60% of the district’s junior high students are socioeconomically disadvantaged and 51.2% of Healdsburg High School students are socioeconomically disadvantaged.
The Title I report for the Oct. 20 school board meeting will review Title I expenditures for the 2020-21 school year and the proposed Title I budget for the 2021-22 school year.
The district must spend no less than 1% of the annual Title I fund allocation on parent involvement activities and the district must offer to nonprofit schools to participate.
The estimated Title I allocation for the 2021-22 school year is $218,000.
The Title III program provides federal funds to schools to help English learners attain English proficiency and meet all other academic standards. The amount of funds provided is based on the number of English learners and immigrant students.
As of October 2021, the district has 274 English learners and 41 students have reached Reclassified Fluent English Proficient status, according to HUSD data.
The estimated Title III allocation for the 2021-22 school year is $30,000.
ESSER Funds
Also related to school budgets is the ESSER expenditure plan, which the school board will consider approving.
According to the agenda item report, “In response to COVID-19, the U.S. Congress passed the America Rescue Plan (ARP) Act, which we assigned into law on March 11, 2021. This federal stimulus funding is the third act of federal relief. The main funding source for local educational agencies (LEAs) in the ARP Act is the ESSER III Fund.”
School districts that receive ESSER funds are required to develop an expenditure plan. At minimum, the funds must address students’ academic and social/emotional and mental health needs.
To read the district’s plan, visit the district website and click on the “10-20-21” board packet link. There you can also read the full agenda item report and consent calendar.
