The Morgan Hill Unified School District is in the process of gathering input and information for its Local Control Accountability Plan, which will go a long way to determine how much funding the district will receive for student needs in the coming years.
The LCAP is a three-year plan developed by the district that describes the goals, actions, services and expenditures for the achievement of positive student outcomes in relation to state and local priorities, according to MHUSD staff. Part of the Local Control Funding Formula that informs the school board in determining funding allocations for students’ needs, the LCAP must be updated and approved by the board of trustees annually by July 1.
“The LCAP is a tool used by local educational agencies (LEAs) to set goals, develop plans, determine what resources are needed and how they will be allocated to meet their local needs,” says MHUSD’s website. “Once it is approved by the Board, the LCAP becomes the basis for District budget expenditures.”
The district has scheduled three upcoming forums on the 2024 LCAP update for parents, families, residents and community members. The forums will take place 6-8pm Nov. 28, Jan. 30 and March 14—with each forum covering different topics.
The Nov. 28 forum at the Sobrato High School Library will cover elementary and secondary education; family and community engagement and adult school; and teachers on special assignment. The Jan. 30, 2024, forum at the Sobrato High gymnasium will focus on student services and enrollment; wellness; special education; and the English Learner Program. And the March 14 forum at the Live Oak High School gym will be a wrap-up with a report on community feedback and a review of the district’s LCAP goals.
MHUSD staff at each forum will present the LCAP goals and related actions. Attendees are invited to ask questions and offer input, according to district staff.
The purpose of the forums is to inform the community about the LCAP process, share the district’s current LCAP goals and gather input, according to MHUSD staff.
The district is also circulating an LCAP survey for parents and other interested parties to fill out before the forums. The survey can be found via a QR code on the district’s website, at tinyurl.com/2sjj2ex9.
The district’s LCAP is required to address eight priorities set by state education regulators: Basic Services, Implementation of Standards, Parental Involvement and Family Engagement, Student Achievement, Student Engagement, School Climate, Course Access and Pupil Outcomes, said MHUSD spokesperson Lanae Bays.
Another LCAP requirement is for the local district to solicit input from families, staff, students, bargaining units and others, Bays added.
“In addition to these forums, district staff will be consulting and soliciting feedback from multiple district educational partner groups such as student groups, School Site Councils and English Learner Advisory Committees, among others,” Bays added.
Over the coming weeks, district staff will be presenting MHUSD’s various LCAP goals at public board of education meetings. At the Nov. 14 meeting, staff presented LCAP Goal 1, an analysis of student achievement data.
Although the state’s official assessment of school districts’ student performance (the California Assessment won’t be available until December), MHUSD staff on Nov. 14 presented some internal data on students’ performance during the 2022-23 school year.
According to the internal assessments determined through the MAP testing program, 73% of students in grades 1-8 are reading at one or more grade levels below their current grade; and 85% of grade 1-8 students are one or more grade levels below their current grade level in math.
At Live Oak High School, about 50% of students are one or more grade levels behind in math, and 50% of those assessed are one or more grade levels behind in reading, according to the data presented at the Nov. 14 meeting. At Sobrato High School, 70% of students assessed are one or more grade levels behind in math, while 67% are one or more grade levels behind in reading.
