2013-Annual Report Final

MERCED COUNTY SCHOOLS ANNUAL EDUCATION REPORT 2 0 1 3 Proudly Sponsored By MERCED COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION Bond Underwriters & Financial Advisors Steven E. Gomes, Ed.D., County Superintendent of Schools MERCED COUNTY SCHOOLS SCHOOL DISTRICTS HISTORY Merced Union High School District encompasses 8 districts Merced County schools were SNELLING-MERCED FALLS incorporated more than 150 years ago in 1856 when the first County BALLICO- TURLOCK CRESSEY MERCED RIVER Superintendent of Schools, DELHI UNIFIED WINTON William Nelson, petitioned the ELEMENTARY MERCED CITY LIVINGSTON Board of Supervisors to divide the HILMAR UNIFIED UNION ELEENTARY ATWATER ELEMENTARY PLANADA county into three school districts. ELEMENTARY WEAVER UNION ELEMENTARY The 1860 census reported a MC SWAIN UNION ELEMENTARY GUSTINE UNIFIED LE GRAND population of 1,141 in Merced ELEMENTARY County and in 1863, the Schools PLAINSBURG UNION ELEMENTARY EL NIDO ELEMENTARY Superintendent reported an enrollment of 267 children and a county schools budget of $1,000. Le Grand Union High School District encompasses 3 districts The first high school was estab- LOS BANOS UNIFIED lished in 1895 with 27 students and two teachers under the ad- ministration of the County Board DOS PALOS- ORO LOMA UNIFIED of Education. In 1897, a new high school was completed on the corner of 22nd and M Streets in Courthouse Square. Today, there are 20 school districts with their own Boards of Trustees and Superintendents serving more than 56,000 K-12 students with Steven E. Gomes, Now completed, the Ed.D., serving as the 28th County Merced Union High Superintendent of Schools. School District’s newest high school, El Capitan, currently serves 735 freshman and COVER PHOTOS: Clockwise from top left, sophomore students. Luis Salcedo instructs a math class at Hoover Middle During the next two School in Merced, UC Merced Get S.E.T. service years, the school will learning students work with middle school students at increase to a student population of approxi- Dinner With a Scientist and students perform in the mately 1,600 and serve Merced County Education Foundation performance grades 9-12. of “The Wizard of Oz.” 2 2013 MERCED COUNTY SCHOOLS ANNUAL EDUCATION REPORT MESSAGE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT hank you for to Merced County and districts like Weaver and Los Banos have seen your interest in increases in enrollment. the 2013 Merced Merced County has gone through T some tough times economically and County Schools Annual socially. However, I remain optimistic about its future. I look at the growth Education Report. in school enrollment this past year, the This document focuses on the beginning of new housing construction, achievements, highlights, struggles and the move toward adequately funding other aspects of Merced County’s our schools based on need and paying 20 school districts and nearly 70,000 schools for money owed to them from P-12 grade students. This report tells previous years, a decrease in fore- MCOE CABINET the story of how 9,000 teachers and closures and an increase in property support staff are working hard every values. day at 114 school sites to provide our We are poised for success. Holly Newlon children with an excellent education. More than 55 percent of our high Assistant Superintendent Too often, headlines depict a failing school graduates are entering higher education and now that UC Merced Career & Alternative Education school system. Although the process can always be improved, the reality is is a choice, perhaps they will not leave that the schools in our county are far the area to earn their post-secondary Christie Hendricks from failing. Most county residents are degree. We want our college-educated Assistant Superintendent surprised to learn that the percentage students to find jobs here and become the workforce that will bring business- Early Education of Merced County students enrolling in higher education ranks sixth in the es to Merced County. state. I am proud that MCOE has 1,500 Janet Riley This report will highlight and explain full and part time dedicated employ- Assistant Superintendent the transitions taking place in the ees providing services to school staff, parents, students and the community in Business Services California educational system. Some of those transitions are unique to the three counties Golden State, while others are not. I am also proud of the hard work Steven E. Gomes, Ed.D. In California, we are changing what the teachers and support staff do to County Superintendent of Schools and how we teach, how we measure educate our children every day in our student achievement, how we hold 20 school districts and humbled to schools accountable, how we fund serve as your county superintendent. I Eva Chavez our schools and how we will require hope you will find this report informa- Assistant Superintendent districts to produce a Local Control tive and a glimpse behind the school Human Resources Accountability Plan in order to spend doors. their state funds. Any one of those In advance, I want to thank you for reading this report and gaining a great- Susan Coston changes would be substantial to ac- complish in one year! er understanding of Merced County Assistant Superintendent Voters in California passed Propo- education. Special Education sition 30 giving schools an economic breath of air and I have included how Steven E. Gomes, Ed.D. Kathy Pon, Ed.D. those funds have been spent in 2013. County Superintendent of Schools The new school funding formula called Assistant Superintendent Local Control Funding Formula was Instructional Services very favorable to schools in Merced County. As the mortgage crisis has dimin- For more information about this ished, more students have returned report’s sponsors, see page 15. 2013 MERCED COUNTY SCHOOLS ANNUAL EDUCATION REPORT 3 OUR SCHOOLS, OUR STUDENTS STUDENT ENROLLMENT 57,500 6% 57,000 18% 56,500 56,349 56,258 56,000 56,153 56,156 3% 3% 55,500 55,563 69% 55,000 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 Hispanic Asian White - Not of Hispanic Origin Source: California Dept. of Education Black - Not of Hispanic Origin Other In the 2012-13 school year, there was a modest increase of 184 Transitional Kindergarten (TK) through 12th grade students in county schools. This brings the total number of TK-12 grade students to 56,349. According to the 2013 Califor- nia Child Care Portfolio for Merced County, there are 12,852 children ages 0-4. Of those 12,852 youngsters, 8,660 are 3 and 4 years old, with approximately 40 percent attending preschool, according to the National KIDS COUNT Program. MERCED COUNTY SCHOOLS’ BUDGET 2008-14 $ 470,000,000 $ 460,000,000 $ 450,000,000 $ 440,000,000 $ 430,000,000 $ 420,000,000 $ 410,000,000 $ 400,000,000 $ 390,000,000 $ 380,000,000 $ 370,000,000 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 Source: Merced County Office of Education Totals include revenue limit, federal, other state and other local funding received through the general fund. 4 2013 MERCED COUNTY SCHOOLS ANNUAL EDUCATION REPORT MERCED COUNTY STUDENTS STUDENT ETHNICITY 6% 9% Hispanic Asian White - Not of Hispanic Origin 18% Black - Not of Hispanic Origin Other 26% 3% 53% 3% 69% 6% Hispanic Asian White - Not of Hispanic Origin 7% Black - Not of Hispanic Origin Other MERCED COUNTY CALIFORNIA Source: California Dept. of Education Data collected May, 2013 California has the largest and most diverse student population in America. Statewide, about half a million students are in each grade level. To provide for their education, more than 300,000 teachers work in about 10,000 schools in about 1,000 school districts across the state. In Merced County, there are about 2,500 teachers in 114 schools in 20 school districts. SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS BY DISABILITY 11% 11% 15% 15%11% Speciﬁc Learning Disability 3% 12% Emotional Disturbance 23% 9% 6% 9% Speech or Language Impairment 49% Autism 3% Other Intellectual Disability (formerly Mental Retardation) 15% 12% 4% 49% 40% MERCED COUNTY CALIFORNIA Source: California Dept. of Education Data collected December, 2012 2013 MERCED COUNTY SCHOOLS ANNUAL EDUCATION REPORT 5 ACADEMIC ACCOUNTABILITY ith the implementation of the Common Core State Standards in the 2013-14 school Wyear, the Academic Performance Index (API) scores for schools in Merced County, which are based on the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR), will be replaced by the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASP) system. Schools API SSR Schools API SSR The chart at left Ada Givens Elementary 735 2 John C. Fremont Charter 737 1 shows two scores for Aileen Colburn Elementary 771 8 John Muir Elementary 797 7 each Merced County Alicia Reyes Elementary 672 1 Le Grand Elementary 720 1 Allan Peterson Elementary 855 2 Le Grand High 683 1 school. The API is a Atwater High 787 10 Leontine Gracey Elementary 726 1 single number, ranging Ballico Elementary 838 6 Livingston High 782 10 from a low of 200 to Bellevue Elementary 810 10 Livingston Middle 751 9 a high of 1,000, which Bellevue Senior Elementary 802 * Lorena Falasco Elementary 787 7 reflects a school’s, Bernhard Marks Elementary 733 1 Los Banos Elementary 769 5 LEA’s, or a student Bryant Middle 666 1 Los Banos High 732 5 Buhach Colony High 791 10 Los Banos Junior High 757 4 group’s performance Campus Park Elementary 756 9 Luther Burbank Elementary 822 3 level, based on the Cesar E. Chavez Middle 768 10 Margaret Sheehy Elementary 764 4 results of statewide as- Charles Wright Elementary 756 2 McSwain Elementary 862 7 sessments. In addition Charleston Elementary 854 5 Merced High 793 8 to statewide ranks, Cressey Elementary 768* * Merquin Elementary 636* * schools are ranked Delhi High 703 7 Mitchell Elementary 832 10 Don Stowell Elementary 728 5 Mitchell Intermediate 816 9 compared to 100 Donn B.

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