Parents of special needs kids, here is your opportunity to give feedback to School Districts on what to spend on, to increase your child’s educational progress. As Districts prepare to finalize their budgets with Proposition 30 funds (Temporary Taxes to Fund Education), you must speak up on your child’s behalf.  Remember, your input today will make a difference in how well your child is prepared to succeed beyond 12th grade.

California’s new way of funding schools referred to as Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) requires parental and community input in increasing student outcomes, especially in the areas of educating low-income students, English learners, and students in foster care (high-needs students) FAQs on LCFF, visit: http://edsource.org/today/wp-content/uploads/10-questions.pdf?q=10-questions

Items for consideration, from parents of special needs children/high needs:

• Greater accountability for academic progress
• Hiring highly qualified special ed. teachers
• Regular training for teachers & aides on technology, behaviors, curriculum strategies, identifying mainstreaming opportunities
• Remove tenure & seniority protection for ineffective teachers
• Ensure social workers & advocates are included when dealing with high-needs students
• Increased behavioral supports for students
• Speech and language specialists observing students inside classrooms, regularly
• Regular use of laptops by all 4 & 5th graders
• ELL assistance for parents
• After school tutoring program
• Parenting workshops on behaviors, speech and language, social skills
• Healthful lunch menus
• Flyers in Spanish
• Training kids in self-advocacy
• Briefing on special education budgets

Get involved and submit your input today! The Districts which have begun gathering parent input have made it easy to do so online.  Share this with other parents of special needs students.

Stanislaus County Office of Education(SCOE): (209) 238-1700

Sylvan Union parents,  https://sites.google.com/a/sylvan.k12.ca.us/sylvan-union-school-district—2014-15-budget-communication/home ( scroll to middle of page)
Modesto City School parents, http://www.mcs4kids.com/LCFF/default.aspx

Call your School’s Superintendent’s office to find out how to submit parent input on LCFF budgeting and their deadline.

Ceres Unified, 209-556-1500
Empire Union, 209-521-2800
Ceres Unified, 209-556-1500
Oakdale Joint Union, 209-848 4884
Patterson Joint, 209-895 7700
Riverbank Unified, 209-869-2538
Salida Union, 209-545-0339
Stanunion, 209 529-9546
Turlock Unified,  209 667-0632
Riverbank Unified, 209-869-2538
Stanunion,  209 529-9546
Turlock Unified,  209 667-0632,
For more Districts, http://www.stancoe.org/html/links.htm

San Joaquin County Office of Education:(209) 468-4802
Escalon Unified, 209 838-3591 x416
Lincoln Unified, 209-953-8700
Lodi Unified, (209) 331-7010
Manteca Unified, (209)858-0761
Ripon Unified, (209) 599-2131
Stockton Unified, 209-933-7070
Tracy Unified, 209.830.3200
For more Districts, http://www.sjcoe.org/ourschools/

Visit FairShare4Kids.org to see proposed funding amounts for your local school district or charter school.

Team SNIMC