Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District adopts local control, accountability plan

 

One of the most complex documents prepared each year by Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District officials is a Local Control and Accountability Plan, commonly referred to as LCAP, which involves substantial input from parents and other school stakeholders.

The state-mandated LCAP is an important part of the state's Local Control Funding Formula, a plan initiated in 2013 to direct educational funds to specific areas of identified need. The LCAP for the upcoming school year was approved on a 5-0 trustee vote during a summer meeting.

The unanimous vote on the LCAP, as well as a similar 5-0 vote on the adoption of a new fiscal year budget, is significant, since trustees recently have cast 3-2 votes on several issues, such as a ban on teaching critical race theory and topics related to the coronavirus pandemic.

The LCAP and budget votes demonstrate trustees agree on matters regarding the spending of some $343 million for the school year beginning Aug. 30 for about 23,000 students on 34 campuses.

This year's Placentia-Yorba Linda LCAP document runs to 145 densely packed pages and is similar to the documents produced by other California school districts, county departments of education and charter schools, as required by the state.

Most include written comments by school officials to concerns raised by community members and other stakeholders to issues included or not included in the document. Most districts post the lengthy document on their web sites, which can be found under an LCAP designation.

One interesting aspect of Placentia-Yorba Linda's document is a section outlining areas that need significant improvement, based on detailed data collected from various state and local indicators.

In the mathematics area, the district's overall performance level is proficient, but some student groups score two or more levels below proficient: African American, English learners, Hispanic, homeless, low-income and foster youth.

For reading, local 2021 beginning-of-the-year assessments showed an achievement gap between all students and English learners: 43% at or above grade level versus just 12%.

In a “college and career” indicator, the district registers proficient overall, but a student group, students with disabilities, scored two levels below proficient, with only 8.4% meeting entrance requirements for the state's university systems (versus 52.2% of 12^th grade students).

The district aims to increase the percentage of 12^th grade students who meet University of California and California State University entrance requirements to 55% or higher from the 2020-21 school year figure of 52.2%, which was up from the 2019-20 figure of 51.4%.

Graduation rate in 2019 exceeded proficiency district-wide and the 2021 rate was 96%, but some student groups were lower: foster youth 59%, students with disabilities 81%, English learners 90%, homeless 93% and socio-economic disadvantaged 94%.

Yorba Linda economy shows strength since pandemic shutdown; Yorba Linda renews animal care contract

 

Yorba Linda's economy since the Covid-19 shutdown period has shown significant strength, as measured by the city's increased property and sales tax income from what was expected when the current two-year budget was adopted in June 2021.

The city is reporting more than $1 million in anticipated additional revenue – $563,681 from property taxes and $565,000 from sales taxes – in a mid-term financial report from Finance Director Dianna Honeywell. Parks and Recreation Department income will increase $267,000.

The property and sales tax streams represent about 75% of the city's $43.4 million operating revenue expected by the close of the fiscal year June 2023. Property tax income is expected to reach nearly $23.8 million, and sales tax revenue is expected to reach nearly $8.6 million.

“The booming real estate market has resulted in strong growth in the city's assessed valuation,” Honeywell said in her report, noting that the increase is based on a projection from a city-hired property tax consultant.

“Continued growth in the economy has shown ongoing positive improvements in business activity” resulting in the forecast for additional sales tax income over the original estimates, Honeywell said.

And, according to Honeywell, parks and recreation programs “are anticipated to be operating at near pre-pandemic levels,” with revenue expected to jump to nearly $2.3 million by June 30, 2023. Transit occupancy taxes and business licenses fees will be up $68,000 to $1.7 million.

One interesting revenue loss is a $45,000 drop in franchise tax income, which is due to lower cable television revenue, partly offset by higher tax revenue from the Southern California Gas Company and Republic Services trash hauling.

Revenue increases also are projected for the library and Black Gold Golf Course funds. The added library income also is due to increased property taxes, since the library has separate property taxes due to its former status as an independent special district from 1914 to 1985.

Black Gold income increases are expected to total $1.7 million, with most going to additional expenditures, such as a loan repayment to another city fund, staffing increases, higher costs for pro shop and food and beverage stock and a Kemper management fee hike of $132,750.

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Yorba Linda renewed a contract with Orange County Animal Care for an estimated $341,442 through June 30, 2023. In addition to the contract fee, the city is paying a shared cost of the new animal care facility in Tustin. The city's portion of $512,000 has $217,707 left to pay by 2026.

Among the services provided are licensing, stray and owner-released animal impounds, rabies control, leash and nuisance law enforcement, animal cruelty investigations and a procedure for residents to report barking dog complaints in their neighborhoods.

The door-to-door license compliance canvassing used in past years is not expected to resume.