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Previously:

• Del Norte Unified Plan Calls for Restructuring In-Town Elementary Schools

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After unveiling a potential restructure of the in-town elementary schools, Del Norte Unified School District revisited its plan for how to bring more support to students following the COVID-19 pandemic.

But before Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Tom Kissinger began his overview on the 2021-22 Local Control Accountability Plan on Tuesday, DNUSD Superintendent Jeff Harris spoke about changing guidance at the state level regarding safety measures in the classroom.

“The long and the short of it is we’re anticipating a full return to school for all kids full time,” Harris told trustees Tuesday. “But what seems to be rising to the surface is there will be recommended physical distancing, maybe not mandatory. There will be a push to continue washing hands and hand sanitizing, and it looks as if masks will still be required in classroom settings at least through September or October.”

Neither the California Department of Public Health nor the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) have confirmed these guidelines in writing, Harris said Tuesday. That guidance is, hopefully, coming next week, he told trustees.
DNUSD’s board meeting came the day California’s tier-based Blueprint for a Safer Economy system expired.

On May 21, CDPH released recommendations urging people to get the COVID-19 vaccine, ensure that indoor spaces are well ventilated. The department also encouraged Californians to sign up for CA Notify to receive alerts when they have “been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

CDPH also stated that people must wear masks while in schools, but said they’d provide more guidance for “youth settings.”

Harris also mentioned a letter-writing campaign that he called for in March in response to state COVID-19 guidance, telling trustees that it’s still on the table.

“There are people who are making decisions who have never been in a classroom, much less taught in one, been a principal in one, been a support staff in one — some of them haven’t even had children in the classroom, and they’re making the rules,” Harris said. “If we start hearing they’re going the wrong direction or they make a decision that impacts our ability to bring students back full time or they make a decision that impacts our ability to bring our students back full time, we will operationalize the letter writing and get that out as soon as possible. The last thing our kids need is another off year.”

According to Kissinger’s presentation, this year’s LCAP represents roughly $12.2 million in expenditures out of the district’s overall budgeted general fund expenditures of roughly $53.8 million.

In the LCAP, district plans to use roughly $6.1 million in Local Control Funding Formula dollars, which must be spent on services for low income students, foster and homeless youth and English language learners. About $4.1 million is coming from other sources, including state Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELO) and federal Elementary and Secondary School Relief (ESSR II) monies, according to Kissinger’s report.

“These represent investments planned for next year,” Kissinger said, adding that the last LCAP the district adopted was from 2019-20. “These are over and above what we have had in the past.”

This year’s LCAP calls for implementing a new intervention program called iReady at the K-8 level as well as ensuring high school students have access to PSAT, SAT, ACT and AP testing, according to Kissinger.

The district plans on spending $309,000 for additional teachers “to contribute to the reduction of combination classes and lower class sizes,” according to Kissinger. Those new teachers include a full-time English language development teacher as well as an ELD program coordinator.

The district also plans to hire three full-time substitute teachers and add a full-time music teacher position. Most K8 schools will see new library technicians as well, Kissinger said.

Counseling services will also be increased, enabling the district to have a counselor at each campus, Kissinger said. An additional school psychologist will also support special education students and reduce case loads for the district’s existing psychologists, he said.

DNUSD also plans to do a “blast campaign” to seek classified employees, Harris told trustees. The district will hold a job fair on Aug. 9, enabling potential classified staff to undergo testing and the interviewing process in the morning. Harris said the district could potentially hire new employees the same day.

Harris presented a different LCAP for the Del Norte County Office of Education. The County Office of Education serves students at Community Day and Elk Creek schools, including homeless and foster youth and expelled youth.

Proposed expenditures include hiring a family-student liaison who can be a support as they learn to navigate their students’ needs, Harris said, noting that students at Community School are “much more at risk.”

“They would be a trusted person they know and can access easily, not the principal, not probation, and it doesn’t add to the burden of teachers,” Harris said.

The county’s LCAP also includes providing access to the high school equivalency test as well as experiential field trips and other hands on incentives, he said.

The DNUSD Board of Trustees is expected to adopt its 2021-22 LCAP and its annual budget on June 24.

Documents:

• LCAP Information

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