1. Academic Achievement
1.1 Present a plan to the Governing Board which assesses the value and effectiveness of current CUSD programs.
Students at Coronado High School have access to a robust Advanced Placement (AP) course of study across all disciplines. AP examinations are tests offered by the College Board and are taken annually during the first three weeks of May. The culminating assessments measure a student's mastery of the year-long course and include multiple-choice and free-response sections. Students enrolled in AP courses are not required to take the exam in May. Some Colleges and Universities allow passing scores (3, 4, or 5) to qualify for credit in introductory courses. AP scores are not part of a student’s transcript and/or college application unless the student self-reports his/her scores and provides them to the admissions committee for review. The following charts show CHS student pass rate percentage, total number of students / exams, and how our students perform, by subject, in comparison to global pass rates across subject areas.
1.4 Integrate programs and experiences which enhance college and career readiness across CUSD.
Thirty-five Coronado High School students are currently enrolled in Engineering 110, a three unit UC/CSU transferable Southwestern Community College course, which meets on campus during 4th period on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. This Spring, CHS students will have access to another Southwestern Community College dual-credit course, Lifelong Success. Lifelong Success applies physiological, social, and psychological principles to college, work, and life success. Facilitated by a SWCC professor, this course uses assessment of personality, interests, skills, and values to identify major and career options. In addition, the class leverages learning styles, psychological principles of learning, life management, and creative and critical thinking techniques to promote health and lifelong learning.
We are excited to continue our partnership with Southwestern Community College and plan to expand our course offerings in 2020-21.
2. Budget
2.3 Create a user-friendly budget document which promotes transparency and accessibility to those within our shared community.
After approval of our Unaudited Actuals at the September 12th Board meeting, Mr. Salamanca updated the Strategic Planned Spend Down ‘Budget-At-A-Glance’ document on the CUSD website. The document, along with other Business Services Department resources, is located under ‘Important Forms & Links at https://coronadousd.net/departments/business-services/. The First Interim Budget report will come before the Board in December, 2019.
2.4 Strengthen systems and processes to ensure the strategic recruitment and placement of interdistrict transfer students in order to stabilize enrollment and sustain programs offered across CUSD.
As a public school funded through the Local Control Funding Formula, there is a direct correlation between district enrollment and funding through the State of California. Our Administrative Regulation on Interdistrict Attendance Agreements and Permits (AR 5117) outlines our procedures and timelines for requesting, approving, or denying an interdistrict transfer permit.
Historical IDT Enrollment Data for CUSD:
Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Association of Coronado Teachers and Coronado Unified School District clearly outlines target class size averages, by school-wide and grade level band averages, across CUSD:
Village Elementary:
Silver Strand Elementary:
Coronado Middle School
|
Department
|
Department Average
|
|
English
|
31.44
|
|
History
|
31.38
|
|
Humanities
|
31.22
|
|
Math
|
28.56
|
|
Science
|
31.58
|
Coronado High School
|
Department
|
Department Average
|
|
English
|
31.71
|
|
Math
|
29.78
|
|
Science
|
30.02
|
|
Social Studies
|
29.33
|
As of October 1, 2019, all CUSD class sizes currently fall within agreed upon targets.
4. Communication
4.1 Establish an effective and efficient communication plan for CUSD ensuring consistent branding and messaging across all platforms.
In the Spring of 2019, CUSD staff and an assortment of shareholders (parents, teachers, staff, community members) engaged in a facilitator-led discussion on which communication systems would best meet the needs of our community. The result of these meetings with the development of the CUSD Communications Protocols Handbook. The overarching goal of the protocol handbook is to define systems to communicate openly, freely, and accurately to engage and involve all shareholders.
One ‘Action Item’ from our protocol handbook stressed the need to establish official District communication tools to help set expectations regarding where/how shareholders will be able to capture accurate information on the District and school sites. The protocol handbook also encouraged a standardized platform so parents with students at multiple sites could navigate information in a uniform fashion. Our four principal newsletters have adopted the platform ‘smore’ for weekly parent communications. This user-friendly system is efficient and allows us to track usage by site. The weekly newsletter ensures communications are timely, accurate and reliable to build shareholder trust in information received.
As previously shared with the community and Governing Board, CUSD has started using the Thoughtexchage platform to solicit feedback from shareholders. Thoughtexchage helps organizations crowdsource answers to questions posed in real time. In addition, participants are free to contribute ideas, read and respond (via ranking) to others’ ideas, and participate anonymously. The software ‘ranks’ those themes which surface with the most user support, allowing organizations to make informed decisions which have demonstrated community buy-in. Two CUSD have recently closed; one for staff on health and wellness, and one to parents/community on college and career readiness. A summary of each is listed below:
Some initial data / analysis:
Staff will present a more comprehensive overview of both ThoughtExchange results, along with action plans in response, at our November Board meeting.
The Superintendent visits each school site on a weekly basis. While each visit is different, time engaged in classroom walkthroughs to observe instruction with the principal is commonly shared. This time provides an opportunity for discussions on staffing, programming, curricula, facilities, budget, and challenges faced. In addition, these visits provide value and time to check in with both classified and certificated staff, reinforce CUSD Mission Statement and theme, and ensure an understanding of the culture and subtle intricacies which influence and guide each school site.
This school year, the Superintendent is also visiting staff meetings (quarterly) across CUSD to share district initiatives, provide Governing Board updates, and respond to questions from staff. The first staff meeting visits are scheduled for Coronado High School and Village Elementary on Wednesday, October 16th.
4.2 Budget Study Committee
The Coronado Unified School District ‘Budget Study Committee’, comprised of community members, Parent Teacher Organization representatives, parents, ACT leadership and teachers, CSEA leadership and staff, Governing Board Trustees, and district administration,will hold its fourth meeting this month. The goal of the committee is to create opportunities to inform our community on the intricacies and complexities of public school funding, specifically the impact of funding on CUSD. In the spirit of transparency and collaboration, participants ask targeted questions and support the development of future agenda items for review. Our first session, held on January 9, 2019, provided information on our annual budget cycle, Basic Aid vs. LCFF funding, and an overview of how we (CUSD) receive revenue from State, Federal, and local sources. The second session, held on February 6, 2019, outlined expenditures, staffing, health and welfare costs, STRS/PERS contributions, and a summary of implications regarding the Governor’s Budget proposal on CUSD. In addition, Mr. Salamanca facilitated a lesson on how to interpret mandated budget reports. In our third session, held on May 29, 2019, Mr. Salamanca presented an overview of the May revise, provided legislative updates related to public school funding, and reviewed federal and state mandates related to special education in CUSD. The three presentations are available on the CUSD website. Members of the Budget Committee are provided with ‘assigned’ readings and help determine topics for further discovery and discussion. Feedback from these sessions have been incredibly positive.
The Budget Study Committee will meet on October 23, 2019, to review CUSD unaudited actuals, the ‘Budget-At-A-Glance’ document, Special Education funding, and CASLE committee initiatives.
4.3 One School, One Campus Update
In March, 2019, the Governing Board approved the relocation of Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten students back to the main campus at Village Elementary School, effective school year 2020-21. Action taken by the Governing Board included direction for the Superintendent to provide monthly updates and timelines on efforts made to adequately prepare the facilities, staff, students, and community for the transition.
One important aspect of this initiative is to make purposeful and strategic placement determinations, specifically with interdistrict transfer (IDT) students, to ensure enrollment falls within capacity at Village Elementary School as stated in the Budget update above (2.4), recruitment and placement of interdistrict transfer students in order to stabilize enrollment and sustain programs offered across CUSD.
Village currently has the smallest percentage of IDTs in CUSD (see chart below), and we are making intentional enrollment decisions to ensure we are at or below capacity for school year 2020-21.
*The Long Range Facilities Maintenance Management Plan (2014) lists student capacity for Village Elementary at 988 students. Current enrollment, TK-5th grade, is 808.
All other aspects associated with the relocation of TK/K from ECDC back to Village Main remain on schedule. As stated in previous updates to the Board, the initial assessment on the 700 building and classroom (originally designed as a Kindergarten facility) facilities revealed the need for only cosmetic improvements. Planning for renovations to the pod have begun. Staff will have opportunities to review and determine paint, flooring, and landscape options later this Fall. Existing TK/K classroom furniture at ECDC will be relocated to the 700 pod during Summer 2020. CUSD will host an ‘Open House’, aligned with registration for the 2020-21 school year, to showcase the renovated space and our new Village iLab this Spring.