Ryan Bahten

The LCAP for Del Norte County Unified School District focuses on improving student achievement, increasing student attendance, strengthening collaboration, ensuring safe and welcoming schools, and improving areas where students are performing in the lowest categories. Key strategies include maintaining instructional assistants, providing targeted reading intervention, supporting class size reduction, enhancing English Learner support, and offering school-based supplemental funding. The plan also addresses chronic absenteeism through incentives and transportation programs, and promotes collaboration through family engagement activities and school site council meetings. Additionally, it aims to create a positive school climate through maintenance, PBIS, restorative justice, and comprehensive counseling services.

The 2025-26 Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) for Del Norte County Unified School District focuses on increasing student achievement, improving attendance, fostering a culture of collaboration, and ensuring safe and welcoming schools. Key priorities include enhancing academic performance in English/Language Arts and Mathematics, reducing chronic absenteeism and suspension rates, and providing comprehensive support services for socioeconomically disadvantaged students, English learners, and foster youth. The plan also addresses equity by targeting resources to schools and student groups identified as needing the most support based on the California School Dashboard.

The budget includes projections for LCFF funding, federal revenues, state revenues, and local revenues. It outlines the LCFF funding model, supplemental and concentration grants, funding deferrals, mandate reimbursement, transportation funding, and class size ratios. The budget also addresses enrollment projections, deficit spending, lottery and forest reserve revenues, and reserves. Discussions include the Schools Resource Allocation System, employee health benefits, and potential budget cuts due to the expiration of one-time COVID-era funds.

The meeting focused on the LCAP midyear progress report, addressing questions and concerns regarding budget allocation and its impact on various programs and positions. Key discussion points included funding for library technicians, the impact of potential budget cuts on teaching staff and programs, the allocation of funds for specific goals, transportation issues, and the availability of support services like counseling. Discussions also covered the use of surplus funds, the process for deciding on potential job cuts, and the possibility of implementing tutoring programs within the after-school program.

The meeting focused on a midyear LCAP progress report, reviewing goals and metrics related to English learners, student drop-out rates, foster/homeless graduation rates, and special education student performance. Discussions included data discrepancies, the need for additional staffing, funding for reading intervention and attendance incentives, and the challenges of testing students with disabilities using the new digital format. Plans for high school field trips were also discussed.