ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - The Elk Grove Unified School District board of education reviewed and approved the district’s Local Control and Accountability Plan at its June 25 regular meeting, after reviewing results for various performance measures.

Staff presented local indicators for the Local Control and Accountability Plan, which describes how the district plans to meet its educational goals. Out of seven indicators listed by the state, the district is focusing on five: basic services, implementation of state academic standards, parent engagement, school climate and broad course of study.

Research project manager Caitlyn Yee said the district has met standards for all five indicators.

For example, the parent engagement indicator was measured through 2023 Parent Survey, which found 92% of parents say their school provides a respectful environment, 91% say their school involves parents and 87% say their school provides opportunities for parent input.

To assess whether students receive a “broad course of study,” the district evaluated different sets of classes for elementary school students, and for middle and high school students. 

Among elementary students, 99% were determined to have a broad course of study, all of them having received grades in English, math, science, social science and physical education, and 99% receiving a grade in visual and performing arts.

Because of required enrollment in core classes, the middle school and high school evaluations looked at enrollment in honors classes, accelerated math, Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate. Yee said 53% of middle school students were enrolled in at least one of these course types and 48% of high school students were enrolled.

Trustee Carmine Forcina said staff had earlier told the board the response rates for the student and staff survey on school climate. Noting that some response rates were less than half of the full amount, Forcina asked how the district can get a 100% response rate and how it can trust the results as representative.

Deputy Superintendent Mark Cerutti said the district is considering shortening the survey window to create greater urgency for responses. Cerutti said the district is analyzing the populations it surveys so it can eventually judge how representative a subset of respondents is.

“I want to say that, a year from now, whether or not we will be comfortable (extrapolating results), we will be able to say more accurately, ‘How representative is that group of the whole?’” Cerutti said.

Cerutti told Trustee Michael Vargas that each school has access to site-specific results, allowing school staff to draw insights from them.

Elk Grove Charter School also presented its own Local Control and Accountability Plan, reporting that it had met standards in the same five indicators as the Elk Grove Unified School District.

The board voted to approve both Local Control and Accountability Plans.

The board shared its well-wishes for student board member Isabella Sigal, who was attending the final meeting of her year representing student interests. The Franklin High School graduate will attend University of California at San Diego in the fall.

Trustee Sean Yang said serving on the board gave Sigal an opportunity to learn about leadership, financial literacy, public speaking and civic engagement.

“I think that this journey of yours, being here on this dais with us every board meeting, has prepared yourself to be extraordinary, whatever you want to strive for in the near future,” Yang said.

Trustee Beth Albiani commended Sigal’s efforts in the role. 

“I appreciate how you fulfilled all the previous goals for this job and tried to make some for yourself, and the time that you spent leaving your knowledge in a way that the next (student) board member can benefit from is greatly appreciated.”

For Trustee Michael Vargas and Board President Gina Jamerson, Sigal helped the board by representing the perspective of students.

Jamerson appreciated “the amount of work that you do outside of this meeting, the work that you do with the other students and being able to bring their voice to us on important matters, the way that you continue with your dedication to equity and continue to bring the need of the students for mental health counseling.”

Trustee Carmine Forcina said Sigal prepared for her time on the board and “moved the needle on more involvement as a student board member with the groups that you were representing.”