Board will also consider approval of teacher, employee union contracts, district budget and LCAP
On June 23, the Healdsburg Unified School District (HUSD) Board of Trustees will consider adopting a district equity policy and a district anti-racism policy, as well as adopting a new district mission and values statement.
It will be an evening with a packed agenda as the school board will receive an English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC) report and will take action on several items including salary schedules, tentative agreements between teacher and school employee unions, the 2021-22 district budget and the local control accountability plan (LCAP).
The meeting will start at 6 p.m. and will be held over Zoom.
ELAC report
The first item on the agenda is the annual ELAC report. This particular report will focus on the elementary school, Healdsburg Elementary and the Fitch Mountain campus.
The report will cover the presentations and training that the ELAC team provided to parents this past year, what they learned and plans for the future.
This past school year ELAC provided several parent trainings including parenting strategies during distance learning; how to manage stress during distance learning; migrant education; LCAP information; the importance of being involved in your child’s education; what to expect for in-person education; and summer programs.
The report will also include information on how many elementary students reclassified this year from an English learner to reclassified fluent English proficient (RFEP).
New district policies and mission statement
The major item on the agenda is the board’s consideration to adopt district-wide policies on equity and anti-racism, policies that have been in the works for the past several months.
The district has been working closely with the Acosta Educational Partnership on the development of the policy over the course of several school board workshops and reviews of sample district policies.
The draft policy states that the board of trustees believes that diversity exists among the district’s community, staff, students and parents and is integral to the district’s vision, mission and goals.
The draft also states that addressing the needs of the district’s most marginalized learners requires recognition of the inherent value of diversity and acknowledgment that “educational excellences requires a commitment to equity in service, support and opportunities provided to students and the resulting outcomes.”
The draft acknowledges that historic and present day societal factors contribute to disparities.
“We commit to intentional, substantive, measurable, and lasting change at the primary and secondary levels. Additionally, we pledge that equity will be used as a fundamental lens for all decision-making. This policy represents a long-term, practical commitment to build and continually improve the Healdsburg Unified School District that educates and serves the people of Healdsburg. We strongly believe this commitment to equity and diversity is beneficial to the education of all students, and to all families and the larger community,” the draft policy states.
The district has also been working with the Acosta group for the development of the anti-racism board policy.
The draft states that the school board and the district rejects all forms of racism and are committed to eliminating racism and discrimination from the “hearts and minds of individuals and from our institutions, organizations and communities.”
It also states that the district recognizes that actions need to be intentional and transformational in order to achieve true equity and eliminate racism and discrimination.
“The district is committed to eradicate institutional racism and institutional bias of any kind, including implicit or unintentional biases and prejudices that affect student achievement,” the draft policy states.
Additionally, the draft lists five principles that the school board will commit to and lays out an accountability plan and definitions of anti-racism, individual racism, institutional racism and systemic racism.
Both draft policies can be viewed in their entirety here under the “6-23-2021” board packet link.
The revised HUSD mission and values statement has also been an ongoing project with the Acosta group.
While some of the changes just come down to wordsmithing, one major change to the mission statement states that communication is clear, open and transparent among all stakeholders.
Salary schedule and teacher/school employee union agreements
The school board will also consider approval of the 2021-22 salary schedule for teachers and for certificated, classified and management staff.
In the tentative agreement, a total salary increase of 7.5%, starting July 1, is stipulated for all bargaining units, certificated, classified and management.
According to the tentative agreement, the district is projected to operate in deficit for the 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24 fiscal years and while the agreement will increase the district’s deficit spending, the reserves are now in place to cover the cost of the agreement.
In order to solidify the salary changes and the agreements, the school board will have to approve the Healdsburg Area Teachers’ Association agreement and the California School Employee Association agreement.
Additionally, for each item there will be a public hearing in order to receive public comment.
LCAP and district budget
The purpose of the LCAP and annual update is to communicate schools’ actions and expenditures that support student outcomes and performance.
The LCAP is typically completed by each school site in a district each year, however, due to COVID-19, an LCAP was not completed for the 2020-21 school. Instead, a learning continuity plan was created.
The LCAP is a three-year plan covering the 2021-24 school years.
According to the agenda packet, “It is a comprehensive planning tool that reflects the actions, services and related expenses for the instructional program in relationship to the eight state priorities with a focus on increased and improved services for English Language Learners, low-income pupils and foster youth. The annual update provides an overview of the progress made for each goal in the 2019-20 school year and the learning continuity plan.”
The LCAP also drives the calculator for the LCFF (Local Control Funding Formula). Under the LCFF, school districts receive a uniform base grant for every student, adjusted by grade level. School districts receive additional supplemental grants for students with greater challenges, defined as low-income students, English learners and foster youth.
Districts receive additional concentration grant funding when the numbers of these students enrolled in a district make up more than 55% of a district’s total enrollment.
The district plans to spend $29,483,630 for the 2021-22 school year, according to the agenda packet. Of that amount, $6,678,153 is tied to actions and services in the LCAP.
Regarding the concentrated grant funding, the district is projecting that it will receive $1,339,331 based on the enrollment of foster youth, English learner, and low-income students.
In addition to approving the LCAP, the board will consider approval of the 2021-22 district budget. The budget must be approved by the board by June 30.
