1.0 Academic Achievement

Prioritize programs and experiences which enhance college and career readiness across CUSD. 

In October 2019, CUSD facilitated a ThoughtExchange with our staff and community which posed the following ‘How can CUSD best prepare our students for College and Career Readiness?” Three key themes emerged from the over 350 ideas shared (with over 8,500 ratings): expand dual credit experiences, provide additional counseling services, and create flexibility/allocate time for students to pursue passions/interests.

• Expand dual credit experiences: On June 18, the Governing board approved the College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP) Partnership Agreement between CUSD and Southwestern Community College.  In accordance with Education Code Section 76004, enacted by AB 288, Chapter 618, Statutes of 2015, the Southwestern Community College District (SCCD) and the Coronado Unified School District (CUSD) are pursued to enter into this College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP) Partnership Agreement, allowing for dual-enrollment opportunities for Coronado High School students. CHS students will now have the opportunity to earn transferrable college credits while simultaneously enrolled in CHS.  Additionally, students will be exposed to courses that will allow them to further explore their passions and interests.

• Provide Additional Counseling Services: On June 6, the Governing Board approved the posting of a K12 Strong Workforce Teacher on Special Assignment and Career Counselor position. A counselor was selected for this role and will begin her position supporting students at both Coronado Middle and Coronado High School. 

• Create Flexibility/Allocate Time: On May 17, 2020, the Governing Board approved a new bell schedule for Coronado High School to be implemented for the 2021-22 school year. The schedule will address targeted areas of need in the areas of college and career readiness, UC A-G preparedness, and CHS graduation rate. The new schedule also affords flexibility for our students to access up to eight additional courses. These additional opportunities will support struggling students, strengthen existing pathway programs, and allow students to pursue passions in all subject areas while still adhering to UC A-G graduation requirements. 

In the Fall, CUSD will embark on a new opportunity to coordinate and align CTE and Workforce Programs, made possible by two grant opportunities in which CUSD applied for and received.  CUSD will serve as the new K-12 Pathway Coordinator host for the Southwestern Community College District service area.  This K-12 Pathway Coordinator will coordinate all aspects of specialized programs including, but not limited to, the Strong Workforce Program (SWP) and Career Technical Education (CTE).  The new coordinator (job description provided in Agenda Item 5.6) will work directly with our newly hired Strong Workforce Program counselor.  Together, this duo will further support CUSD’s efforts to align K-13 CTE and workforce programs, not only in our district, but within the South Bay region (SUHSD and SWC).  This opportunity will keep CUSD at the forefront of the changing and developing workforce demands and opportunities, as well as align our CTE programs to provide our students with essential knowledge and skills they need to transition into post-secondary CTE opportunities. 

2.0 Budget

Create a plan which demonstrates a fiscally solvent budget spend-down in anticipation of reaching ‘Basic Aid’ status with viable reserves while prioritizing  student access to programs, resources, and curricula.

In Spring 2019, the Governing Board through the Long Range Plan directed staff to “deliberately seek creative funding resources” in order to best serve the needs of our school community. This directive drove efforts to secure a lease agreement with the US Navy for shared use of our Early Childhood Development Center facility. This partnership leveraged CUSD property in order to procure a loan specifically designated for capital improvements and maintenance and operations costs, safeguarding our general fund from unpredictable expenditures. The ‘Using Facilities to Pay for Facilities’ initiative positioned CUSD to achieve our budget objective in anticipation of reaching basic aid: to present the Governing Board with a structurally-balanced budget which includes a planned spend-down of reserve funds while minimizing impact to programs and maximizing student achievement and learning. The following attachment provides an overview of the funding cycle. 

None for this report