Three Placentia-Yorba Linda school district initiatives promise significant educational gains

 This year three initiatives hold the promise of significant educational gains for the 23,000 students attending the 34 campuses in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District.

And, unlike some split decisions by the district's five elected trustees on major matters, such as a ban on teaching critical race theory and the adoption of a parental notification policy, all three have the unanimous support of the trustees.

One, of course, is the opening on Aug. 27 for approximately 600 seventh- and eighth-grade students of a district-affiliated charter school on the Bernardo Yorba Middle School campus.

The Orange County School of Computer Science is considered a “conversion charter school,” and, as such, will provide more opportunities for students than a privately run charter that would operate with a separate administrative staff and little oversight by a publicly elected board.

The district-approved conversion charter will have full access to district-level support on an existing campus with tested and experienced leaders – Principal Beth Fisher and Assistant Principal Rachael Collins.

And important financial matters, such as payments for expenses, will be overseen by knowledgeable school finance personnel answerable to the district's publicly elected governing board.

A second initiative relates to hiring teachers with more than six years of experience in other districts. Prior to the adoption of this year's contract with certificated staff, placement on the teacher salary schedule started at the sixth year, even if the teacher had more experience.

Teachers with more than six years of experience were reluctant to join the Placentia-Yorba Linda district because of a sizable loss of pay. For example, last year, a sixth-year teacher with advanced credits earned $82,625, while a 12th-year teacher earned $103,268.

A third initiative involves paying teachers extra for tutoring students after regular school hours to make up for the substantial learning lost because of campus closures due to the pandemic.

In a statement to district stakeholders, Superintendent Alex Cherniss noted that the district “has a number of students who aren't achieving at grade level” and “addressing this will be one of my primary goals....”

He said some of one-time funding allocated by state and federal governments “should be used to address the ever-increasing learning gaps exacerbated by the pandemic....”

Already for the 2023-24 school year, teachers have been approved to serve as after-school tutors, with several specializing in math intervention, which has been identified as needing catch-up help. New math curriculum and texts are scheduled for purchase and use in 2026-27.

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All three board officers for 2024 – President Leandra Blades, Vice President Todd Frazier and Clerk Steve Youngblood – were selected on 3-2 votes, with Marilyn Anderson and Carrie Buck opposed.

Hefty price tag estimated for Yorba Linda to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act; two charter schools approved for Placentia-Yorba Linda district

 

A price tag totaling some $444 million has been estimated by a Yorba Linda-hired consultant to put the city into full compliance with portions of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

But fortunately for city taxpayers, there is no federal requirement that mandates removal of barriers to persons with disabilities on a specific timeline, and there are many exceptions to completing barrier-removal projects, including concerns related to cost and feasibility.

The American with Disabilities Act, passed by Congress in 1990, has several provisions that involve access to the many programs and services provided by state and local governments.

Yorba Linda's City Council recently adopted a citywide transition plan required by the act, which will allow the city to remain eligible for various federal funding programs, according to a report prepared by Rick Yee, the city's acting public works director.

The transition plan was developed by Burbank-based Sally Swanson Architects, and a 24-page portion of the plan identifies physical obstacles in city public rights-of-way which limit access by individuals with disabilities.

A survey of 43 city facilities found some 2,015 different accessibility related barriers. The plan estimated the financial cost to mitigate the barriers to be approximately $10.6 million.

Surveys also involved sidewalks, curb ramps and pedestrian signals, which also included other standards, such as state building codes and federal transportation requirements, in addition to the Americans with Disabilities Act provisions.

Some 254 sidewalk miles were surveyed, with 81.5 miles found compliant, and the cost to mitigate barriers estimated at $409 million. Of 4,229 curb ramps surveyed, six were found compliant, with mitigation estimated at $21.5 million. None of 417 pedestrian signals were found compliant, with an estimated $3.1 million cost to mitigate.

According to Yee's report, the city has been spending about $1 million annually on sidewalk, curb ramp and minor facility upgrades, along with including a budget for accommodations in major capital projects.

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Enrollment applications are now available on the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District website for the Orange County School of Computer Science charter school to open in August for seventh and eighth grade students on the Bernardo Yorba Middle School campus.

And despite a 5-0 denial vote by Placentia-Yorba Linda trustees, the California Republic Leadership Academy Yorba Linda charter was approved for a site to be determined on a 3-0 vote by the Orange County Board of Education.

Placentia-Yorba Linda officials had opposed the board's action at a prior public hearing.

The academy has asked parents to sign a document indicating they are “meaningfully interested” in enrolling students so the charter can seek “reasonably equivalent school facilities” from the district under state law.