Salinas
>> The uneven outcomes for English learners throughout Monterey County
are due to the wide variety of districts that educate them, and not to the lack
of support by the Monterey County Office of Education.
Thus, a
recent report by the Monterey County civil grand jury misplaces the blame for
their lack of success and misrepresents the duties of the board of education
and the superintendent of schools, separate entities that do not report to each
other.
That was
the gist of the joint response issued by the Monterey County Board of Education
and county Superintendent of Schools Nancy Kotowski to the grand jury report
titled “Education, a ‘No Excuses’ Approach to English Language Learning in
Monterey County.” In the report grand jurors say top county educational leaders
are not doing enough to promote the academic progress of English learners.
In the
response, county education officials say the issues of English language
learners are complex and involve the roles of family, school and community.
“The
county superintendent and county board of education have no statutory authority
over the quality and successful implementation of the district’s instructional
programs,” the report reads. “Each school district’s board of trustees is
entrusted with and responsible for their district’s educational programs and
engagements of their families and communities.”
In the
first few pages of the 14-page response, county education officials pinpoint
what they say are inaccuracies in the grand jury document.
Later, the
letter responds to each one of the grand jury recommendations mostly by stating
the authors’ disagreement with the conclusions.
“We agree
that it is critical to accelerate the progress English Learners make in their
acquisition of English proficiency in order for them to be well prepared for
college and the workplace,” the report reads. “We disagree that English
learners are performing far below the academic standards established by the
state.”
For
instance, the report cites that the percentage of English learners who drop out
in Monterey County is 20.2 percent, compared to the statewide average of 20.9
percent.
“Further,
English learners are graduating at the same rate as their peers across
California, despite significantly greater obstacles. While we are keeping pace
with the state, these results must be improved.”
School
districts throughout Monterey County are on pace to receive $131 million this
year for English learners, low-income students and foster care students. It is
to be distributed through the Local Control Formula Funding plan, a new method
being introduced this year.
Through
the Local Control Accountability Plan, each district must identify how the
money will be used, and it’s ultimately their responsibility to make sure the
students succeed.
The plan
“is critical because it must identify how the funds will be directed to meet
the needs of these students,” the report reads. “The county superintendent
supports the districts in developing their plans and is responsible for
approving them, following statutory guidelines. It is each district’s
responsibility to implement their plan.”
English learners make up more than 40 percent of students of Monterey
County public K-12 schools — a far greater share than California as a whole
with only 23 percent. Likewise, the percentage of low-income students is
greater than that of the state — 69 percent in Monterey County and 60 percent
in California.
August 13, 2015
Monterey
County Herald
By
Claudia Meléndez Salinas
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