(July 3)  The Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on June 26 adopted the district’s so-called Local Control Accountability Plan as it was originally drafted, leaving intact provisions that will entail the hiring of intervention specialists to assist the faculty in refining approaches toward improving the academic performance of English learners, students from low income households and foster youth.
The plan features the hiring of what are termed “intervention teachers” at all school sites, hiring a bilingual clerk at schools where more than 15 percent of the student population speaks a language other than English, expanding wireless internet capability at school sites, the construction of new computer labs, and computer acquisitions.
At a public hearing on June 12, a number of teachers and parents lodged complaints to the effect that they had inadequate opportunity to provide input with regard to the plan. Some called for greater emphasis on the reduction of classroom size as a strategy to improve student test scores.
While board member Andrew Cruz supported calls for the redrafting of the plan and the board delayed a vote on its acceptance on June 12, on June 26 the Chino Unified School District’s Local Control Accountability Plan was ratified as previously presented. Cruz and board member James Na dissented in that vote.
The Sentinel had reported in its June 20 edition that the district would alter the plan to accommodate the calls for the reduction in the district’s classroom sizes. That report has proved out to be in error.
In actuality, the plan as previously drafted contained a provision calling for the district to implement classroom size reductions in accordance with the state’s funding formula. According to the plan, the class size ratio will be reduced to 27 students to one teacher in Kindergarten through the third grade beginning in August.