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.
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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.