Community Organizer Gaby Fernandez and Education Policy Director Gerald Cantu Ph.D., joined parents at the Bakersfield City Schools District (BCSD) at the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) hearing on June 13, 2017.
The LCAP is a critical part in children’s education where parents have the opportunity to engage in the decisions that impact their children and schools. Each school district must create a plan that describes the school districts annual goals for the students and include the actions that will be needed in order to achieve these goals. However, this must be done with the parents, community, educators, and employees. The LCAP also includes the districts budget and how it will be dispersed to each goal in order to achieve it.
Parents from Emerson Middle School, Stella Hills Elementary School, and McKinley Elementary were able to speak in front of board members and propose recommendations for their child’s schools. Gaby was able to inform the board members that DHF has a toolkit both in spanish and english that helps to educate parents on how to read and analyze the LCAP along with making recommendations. DHF was able to suggest a future partnership with BCSD in order to educate parents more on this very important and critical part of their child’s education that allows them to have a voice.
After hearing Gaby and parents speak, Harry “Doc” Ervin, BCSD Superintendent, responded very positively which has resulted in a meeting with DHF and BCSD next month in August! Doc Ervin spoke during Gabys presentation stating that they were “always looking for ways to improve and that if DHF had any methods or ideas they were good with that and was interested in a partnership to expand the amount of parents involved.”
