Saddleback Unified to Rev Up English-Learner Program

Students learning English in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District are suddenly the subject of district scrutiny as administrators work to improve their testing scores to avoid losing government funding.

The SVUSD school board Tuesday approved a plan aimed at helping those English learners—who, according to recent test data, are still struggling to gain English proficiency—perform better academically.

The possibility of losing federal No Child Left Behind money spurred the district's sudden interest in re-evaluating how it teaches English learners. For the past four years, the district has failed to meet federal benchmarks set for its English learners, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Kathy Dick told the board.

The district plans to re-evaluate how it teaches English-learner courses in the secondary grades to help students who have been attending schools for five or more years without making advancements in language proficiency, Dick said Tuesday evening.

It is also providing elementary-level teachers with revamped teaching materials, dubbed Medallions, which emphasize English-language development for all students, she said.

Overall, the district’s performance on academic assessments has been trending upward.

Ninety-seven percent of the district’s traditional schools had state API scores above the 800 mark, the state's goal for all its schools. Across the district, API scores rose 3 points in 2011.

“I’m proud of our students, teachers and our instructional department,” Trustee Don Sedgwick said. “For this to happen despite budget cuts and despite larger class sizes is pretty remarkable.”

Contract Negotiations Begin

Also at the meeting, the Saddleback Valley Educators Association and the Saddleback Valley Pupil Services Association presented the board with their initial proposals to start the negotiation process for new labor contracts. The California School Employees Association, the union that represents the district’s classified employees, has not yet submitted a proposal.

Under the current labor contract, SVEA and SVPSA employees agreed to pay cuts of 10 to 13 percent and other concessions worth $26 million to help shrink the district's deficit.

That contract stipulates that those pay cuts would be restored in the 2012-13 school year, along with the restoration of unpaid furlough days and smaller class sizes. But the district’s tentative proposal suggests that restoring all the concessions might be contingent on its budget picture.

Under the state budget approved in June, Saddleback Valley district schools could see midyear cuts of up to $8 million if tax collections fall short this fall, district officials have said.

The district's tentative proposal seeks to reduce its health care expenses on two fronts. It proposes a cap on what the district will pay toward benefits, as well as an increase in the years of service required to receive health benefits after retirement.