Central Unified presents parent feedback on LCAP, with calls for equity, bilingual staff and earlier interventions

Director Joseph Oo, the districts new director of state and federal programs, told the Central Unified School District Board of Trustees on April 14 that parent input collected through forums and a March survey will directly inform edits to the districts Local Control and Accountability Plan.

Parents who attended in-person forums and more than 300 online respondents praised the districts English-learner supports, afterschool tutoring, and family outreach liaisons. Those forums, Oo said, also surfaced five recurring priorities: consistent and equitable offerings across sites, clearer and timelier communication with families, expanded academic and extracurricular opportunities, improved facilities and supervision, and enhanced parent education about district programs.

"Parents prioritized equity and consistency," Oo summarized. He said families particularly valued full-time ELD teachers, EL coaches, reading interventions and CTE pathways, but repeatedly reported wide variation in offerings between sites and across the districts three comprehensive high schools.

Board members pressed staff on implementation details. Trustee Kurfon asked who would coordinate scaffolded career pathways so students receive a planned sequence of career-focused activities from elementary through high school. Oo and other staff said the work would live with educational services and that the district is exploring a new coordinator position potentially funded through the CTEIG grant to create consistent, districtwide pathways and aligned curriculum.

Parents also asked for practical operational changes, Oo said, including hiring more bilingual staff (parents named Punjabi, Hindi, Arabic and Mong language needs), more library books in target languages, targeted tutoring for at-risk students, earlier interventions at elementary grades, and a concrete plan for foggy days that limits learning disruption.

Board members and staff committed to using the feedback when amending LCAP goals and budget allocations. Oo said the district held four parent forums (Rio Vista, Glacier Point, Biola Pershing and El Capitan) and received about 302 survey responses (transcript report: 298 English, 4 Spanish). He told the board the next step is to fold the parent priorities into adjustments to goals and strategy-level spending.

The presentation also highlighted concerns about inconsistent supervision and bullying, and parents suggested increased security staff, anti-vaping and anti-bullying programs, and more on-campus green spaces to help student behavior. Parents repeatedly praised family outreach liaisons and requested more accessible meeting formats, including online offerings and child care to increase participation.

The board did not take action on the LCAP that night but directed staff to return proposed amendments informed by this input. The district plans to bring changes forward as part of its annual LCAP revision cycle.