EdCal EdCalv47.22

Medicaid changes opposed by ACSA

Education California | The official newspaper of the Association of California School Administrators Volume 47 | Number 22 | March 20 , 2017

Superintendent Terri Rufert of Sundale UESD testifies before the State Board of Education , supported by Edgar Zazueta , Adonai Mack and Jason Henderson of ACSA ’ s Governmental Relations staff .

ACSA voice is heard on accountability system

With the state closing in on the launch of the first phase of the new accountability and continuous improvement system , ACSA has taken a leadership role in pushing for cooperation with stakeholders , in addition to providing valuable resources to district and site leaders , parents , and members of the community .
“ ACSA stands ready to collaborate with the State Board of Education , California Department of Education , and other stakeholders as we strive towards supporting a successful rollout and implementation of the new system ,” said Terri Rufert , superintendent of Sundale UESD .
Rufert testified before the Board last week , urging members to keep school climate as a local indicator , and continue to allow districts the flexibility to use a variety of local measures for those that do not use the California Healthy Kids Survey . She highlighted some issues ACSA members have raised regarding English Learner definitions in the new accountability system .
“ Our members are concerned there are currently three different definitions for English Learners in the new accountability system , and caution that this inconsistency will result in confusion with teachers and parents ,” she said . “ When districts have multiple definitions , it makes it more difficult to have discussions with stakeholders and to determine needs because they are talking about different issues at different times . Inconsistent definitions also create challenges for schools to track data and make the system much more complex .”
Rufert also encouraged the CDE
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Dated Material staff to continue to translate the materials and documents used into multiple languages so administrators can reach out to a larger segment of the parent and stakeholder community .
During her testimony , Rufert made note of a new , two-minute video produced by ACSA highlighting the key components of the California School Dashboard . The free video is now available on the ACSA YouTube channel , as well as on ACSA ’ s website at www . acsa . org / accountability .
ACSA ’ s Task Force on Accountability and Continuous Improvement is taking a holistic approach in reviewing the first phase of the accountability system . One of the goals is to inform SBE and CDE staff on policy areas and technical details that need to be re-examined during the second phase of the system and submitting a comprehensive letter to the Board .
Over the coming months , the Board will be considering possible changes to several state indicators during the second phase of the accountability system . They include strengthening the College and Career Indicator with additional career metrics , developing an individual student growth measure by fall 2018 , exploring whether to include long-term English learner data on the English Learner Progress Indicator , and including data on Chronic Absenteeism by fall 2017 .
The Board will also need to consider the metrics that could be incorporated into an accountability system supporting the unique circumstances of alternative schools , an effort that could take 12-18 months . As part of this initial conversation , Elsbeth Prigmore , principal of a
See SBE , page 2

Court ruling impacts Public Records Act

Emails , text messages and other written communications sent from school board members ’ or district administrators ’ private accounts or to public officials at such accounts may be subject to disclosure under the California Public Records Act , the California Supreme Court ruled unanimously in a highly anticipated decision published earlier this month .
“ All that is needed now to trigger an obligation to turn over emails regarding district business is a Public Records Act request ,” said Harold Freiman , a partner at the law firm Lozano Smith . “ No lawsuit or court order is needed to start the request process .”
The court held that the public has a right under the CPRA to access texts , emails and other records discussing public business regardless of whether the records were created , received by , or stored in a private account .
“ If public officials could evade the law simply by clicking into a different email account , or communicating through a personal device ,” the court wrote , “ sensitive information could routinely evade public scrutiny .”
This case had its origin in a 2009 lawsuit against the City of San Jose , its redevelopment agency , and several city officials . A
See COURT , page 4

Medicaid changes opposed by ACSA

Although Medicaid is often thought of as a program for low-income people , that does not paint the entire picture . More than 74 million people are enrolled in Medicaid , and about 40 percent of Medicaid spending goes to disabled persons .
President Trump wants to change the entire system to one of block grants to states . The problem is that block grants have difficulty keeping up with rising costs . One study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities of a GOP proposal last year similar to Trump ’ s plan stated Medicaid funding would be dramatically cut by onethird over the next 10 years .
ACSA and the California School Boards Association have drafted a letter to policymakers in Washington , D . C . voicing opposition to the proposed Medicaid changes in the Trumpcare plan .
The two associations voice their strong opposition to changes to Medicaid financ-
See MEDICAID , page 5
April 21 is the deadline to apply for two upcoming ACSA seats on the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission , the body responsible for accrediting independent and public K-12 schools in California .
Twenty-six people serve on that commission , and seven are members of ACSA . Stepping down this year after serving as ACSA representatives are superintendents Michael McCoy and Grant Bennett .
ACSA members interested in serving as a representative to WASC must :
• be regular members of ACSA ;
• have experience in accreditation , such as experience with the commission , experience as a chairperson and / or visiting committee member or experience working on
SBE appointment . Karen Valdes , assistant superintendent with Menifee UESD and president of ACSA Region 19 , has just been named as a member of the State Board of Education . Valdes has served in her current position with Menifee UESD since 2006 . Prior to that , she served as regional director with Riverside COE .
Twitter chat . Senior Director of Member Services Margarita Cuizon will be hosting the first in a monthly series of Twitter chats focused on women ' s leadership . Cuizon ' s chat will take place March 28 at 7 PM , @ ACSA _ Info .
ACSA awards . The statewide 2017 ACSA Administrator of the Year Awards will be announced March 27 . Check the March 27 edition of EdCal , or go to www . acsa . org / awards for the complete list .
César Chávez . California has established an official state holiday to honor Latino labor leader César E . Chávez , born on March 31 , 1927 . Teacher resources and a model curriculum on the life and work of César Chávez can be downloaded from the CDE website at http :// chavez . cde . ca . gov / ModelCurriculum / Intro . aspx . You will find biographies , pictures , and other resources on his life and farm labor issues for use in kindergarten through grade 12 . The biography is available in English , Spanish , Vietnamese , Hmong , Cantonese , and Tagalog .
Library survey . CDE is conducting its annual survey of school library services . The updated survey is divided into five sections that incorporate the California Model School Library Standards . The updated survey is able to better assess the library services provided by schools , as new questions have been added and schools are able to provide more detailed information than before . To access the survey , go to https :// goo . gl / paOcEQ and type “ @ YourLibrary ”.

ACSA candidates sought for seats on WASC commission

school self-study committees ; and
• have experience working with the types of schools being accredited , such as public , private or parochial comprehensive high schools , middle schools and elementary schools , continuation high schools and adult schools .
Nominees must be regular ACSA members and should have high credibility with colleagues , recognized competence in their field and be committed to ensuring highquality education for all students . They should be able and willing to devote the necessary time and energy to fully carry out the responsibilities of a commissioner .
Please visit www . acsa . org / aboutus for an application form or call the ACSA Executive Department at ( 800 ) 608-ACSA .