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April 1, 2019 ACSA testifies at SBE on California Dashboard FAIR Continued from page 1 tional average, the most English Learners of any state in the country, and persistent opportunity and achievement gaps. Propo- nents of Full and Fair Funding say ade- quate funding would provide the resources needed for high-quality education for all of the state’s 6.2 million students. According to CSBA, California’s inadequate school funding hurts students, undermines communities “California leaders and threat- have been ens the state’s intentional in prosperity by not preparing positioning our students for state to lead the an increasingly nation on competitive, numerous fronts, technolo- gy-driven global it is time we economy. properly invest in While school our schools so our spending has students are also recently been restored to in a position to pre-recession lead.” levels, the state’s Prop. 98 Edgar Zazueta funding guar- ACSA Senior Director, Policy and antee has not Governmental kept pace with Relations growing costs for districts like pension obliga- tions and health care. Full and Fair Funding campaign officials contend that overall, California is a wealthy state with high income areas and a large and robust economy. “California leaders have been intentional in positioning our state to lead the nation on numerous fronts, and it is time we prop- erly invest in our schools so our students EDCAL   3 are also in a position to lead,” said Edgar Zazueta, ACSA senior director, Policy and Governmental Relations. Current per-pupil funding levels would need to increase by $1,961 per student in order to reach the national funding average. That means a school with 500 students would receive nearly $1 million in addi- tional revenue. Proponents say this funding can be used in a number of ways, including: •  Improve college and career counseling by providing a college and career counselor for every 250 students (recommended by the American School Counselor Associa- tion). This will ensure that all students are on track to graduate, meet A-G require- ments, and have a robust plan for what to do after high school graduation. Cost: $159,948 for two counselors. •  Engage parents by having teachers conduct home visits and having a parent coordinator organize educational classes for parents to learn about how they can best support their children’s education. Cost: $87,474 to provide a stipend for teachers to conduct at least a one-hour home visit per student (assuming a cost of $15 per hour) and a parent coordinator. •  Ensure Advanced Placement success by placing all students in an Advanced Placement course, paying for test fees, and incorporating student supports, including tutoring, to master and practice the content. Supports can also incorporate AP prepara- tion during summer school. Cost: $89,500 to provide each student with one AP test fee ($94) and an average of one hour of tutoring from a certificated teacher ($85). •  Provide a well-rounded education by supporting time for arts, physical activity, civic engagement and other topics that provide students with a well-rounded education. Funding will support part-time teachers in these diverse subject areas. Cost: $159,948 for four half-time teachers in the areas of art, music, physical education, and civics. Paid Advertisement ACSA Executive Director Wes Smith testified at a recent meeting of the State Board of Education to provide input on the California School Dash- board. Smith said the Dashboard is a good resource to help school leaders commu- nicate to parents about what is going on in their district, which student groups may still need help and the progress the district has made over time. “ACSA supports the Board’s intent to make modifications to the Dash- board over time as new data becomes available and in response to stakeholder input,” Smith said. “To that end, over the past two months we have leveraged the expertise of practitioners serving in ACSA’s Accountability Task Force and our committees and councils who have undertaken an extensive review of each of the state indicators.” Smith said the ACSA Accountabil- ity Task Force, chaired by ACSA Past President Ralph Porras, will offer rec- ommendations to the SBE on the issues that may improve the Dashboard. Smith told the Board that ACSA looks forward to continuing to be a partner in this work as educators strive to close achievement gaps and im- prove educational opportunities for all students.