Comprehensive Review Consent Decree

Compton Unified School District Consent Decree Comprehensive Review February 2003 Administrative Agent Larry E. Reider Office of Kern County Superintendent of Schools Chief Executive Officer Thomas E. Henry CONSENT DECREE III. School Conditions and Instructional Materials This section of the report provides a review of the progress made by the district toward imple- menting the requirements of Consent Decree Sections 7-25. The language of the Consent Decree is provided in italics. Section 7. Bathrooms a. All bathrooms used by children on all school sites in the CUSD will be in safe, sani- tary and operable condition, regularly cleaned with all lighting in working order and stocked with standard toilet supplies, including toilet paper, soap and paper towels. The bathrooms shall be accessible to children at all times school is in session; how- ever, at high schools, some restrooms may be locked at certain times of the day so long as students have reasonable access to restrooms that are not locked. b. The principal of each school shall be responsible for ensuring compliance with the re- quirements of this Section. The principal shall ensure that each bathroom is inspected prior to the start of school, prior to lunch period, and after the lunch period. If the result of the inspection requires corrective action, the principal shall be responsible for taking corrective action. Any condition that arises that renders any portion of a bathroom unsafe, unsanitary, inoperable, unclean, or unlit shall be remedied in ac- cordance with the following time period: (i) One hour after the inspection, if the condition can be remedied by janitorial or custodial staff. (ii) 24 hours (not counting weekends and holidays) after the inspection, if he con- dition cannot be remedied by janitorial or custodial staff. The principal shall notify the State Administrator’s office when conditions cannot be remedied by janitorial or custodial staff. c. The State Administrator shall require that each principal maintain a daily inspec- tion record of the bathrooms. The daily inspection record shall be kept on the form developed by the State Administrator. The record shall include a description of the bathroom’s condition and identify supplies that need to be provided. The inspection record shall be available for inspection by the public. The State Administrator shall periodically conduct reviews to ensure that the inspection record is being maintained. FCMAT Facility Management Standard 9.4 was the standard used to monitor the district’s compliance with Section 7. Consent Decree 1 Facilities Management Standard 9.4 Instructional Program Issues – Bathroom Facilities are Clean and Operable Legal Standard The governing board of every school district shall provide clean and operable flush toilets for the use of pupils. [EC 17576; CCR Title 5 §14030] Consent Decree Stipulation This standard was identified in the Consent Decree in the action Serna v Eastin, Case No. BC 174282, as needing to reach a rating of 8 to be deemed compliant. Additional related stipulations (Section 7) include that all bathrooms used by children are safe, sanitary and operable, regularly cleaned and stocked with supplies, and accessible when school is in session; principals are to inspect bathrooms prior to the start of school, prior to and after the lunch period, and are to take corrective action; principals will maintain daily inspection records on a form developed by the State Administrator and make them available for public inspection. Progress on Recommendations and Recovery Steps 1. This standard is fully implemented and the Consent Decree stipulation is being met. As reported in previous six-month progress reports, school site restrooms continue to be inspected a minimum of three times daily by the principal and/or other staff. Re- cords of this monitoring process are maintained at the site for inspection. 2. The maintenance department continues the use of an emergency hot line for sites to call for emergency services from the district. The maintenance department considers a non-functioning toilet an emergency. The maintenance department has set goals for response times for the central office maintenance staff. For example, maintenance staff is expected to respond to an emergency call in 15 minutes, and complete repairs to a non-functioning toilet within 24 hours. The maintenance department is tracking the number and types of emergency and non-emergency calls it receives. 3. Staff indicates that although the general condition of campus restrooms always need improvement, toilet facilities are operable. The district has been upgrading restroom facilities as deferred maintenance and general fund monies have allowed. Over the last two years, the district has renovated restroom facilities at a number of schools. Last school year, fourteen restroom renovation projects were completed at Compton High School, and Bunch, Willowbrook and Washington Elementary Schools. The board approved $660,000 for renovations of an additional 21 restrooms this school year. The passage of the district’s local $80 million general obligation bond will enable the district to modernize many of the school site restrooms, replacing aging toilets. 4. Four restroom monitors have been assigned to each high school during the last two school years to monitor the restrooms throughout the school day. The monitors have helped to insure restroom cleanliness and have improved the security and safety of students during their visits to the restrooms. 2 Consent Decree Consent Decree 3 5. The condition of school site facilities continues to be monitored during periodic, unan- nounced site visits to school campuses. A FCMAT representative, and the new Facili- ties Coordinator Compliance Officer, use a FCMAT inspection checklist to monitor compliance with Consent Decree stipulations. All written documents and logs are reviewed. Follow-up exit conferences are held with the site administrators. Schools are given a letter grade at least once per quarter based on the monitoring checklist. At the end of December 2002, 18 schools had A ratings, 17 schools had B ratings and one school had a C. Student restrooms are inspected during every campus visit. Standard Implemented: Fully Implemented – Substantial February 1999 Rating: 4 August 1999 Rating: Not Reviewed February 2000 Rating: Not Reviewed August 2000 Rating: 5 February 2001 Rating: 6 August 2001 Rating: 6 February 2002 Rating: 8 August 2002 Rating: 8 February 2003 Self Rating: 9 February 2003 New Rating: 9 Implementation Scale: Not  Fully 2 Consent Decree Consent Decree 3  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 4 Consent Decree Consent Decree 5 CONSENT DECREE III. School Conditions and Instructional Materials Section 8. Textbooks a. Appropriate textbooks and instructional materials (hereinafter “instructional materi- als”) in the core subject areas will be provided to all children in the CUSD. It is un- derstood by the parties that this requirement does not apply to courses of study, such as performing or fine arts, that do not use textbooks. b. Appropriate instructional materials are those textbooks and materials identified by the teacher consistent with the adopted curriculum and approved by the principal and the Deputy Superintendent of Education Support Services. Core subject areas are those areas of study described for grades 1 through 6 in Education Code Section 51210 and for grades 7 through 12 in Education Code Section 51220. c. Children will be able to take home either a textbook used in each core subject class or a reproduced portion of the textbook in order to prepare for class, study for examina- tions, and complete homework. By February 1 of each year, defendants shall prepare an inventory of all existing textbooks and identify the number and type of textbooks that need to be acquired in order to implement this requirement during the following school year. d. Students will be assigned one textbook at the beginning of a course of study for the entire duration of the course. If a student’s textbook is lost or destroyed for any reason during the course, a replacement textbook need not be assigned unless the student pays the cost of replacement. FCMAT Pupil Achievement Standard 1.25 was the standard used to monitor the district’s compliance with Section 8. 4 Consent Decree Consent Decree 5 Pupil Achievement Standard 1.25 Instructional Materials – Student Accessibility Professional Standard The district will ensure that all instructional materials are accessible to all students. Consent Decree Stipulation This standard was identified in the Consent Decree in the action Serna v Eastin, Case No. BC 174282, as needing to reach a rating of 8 to be deemed compliant. Additional related stipulations (Section 8) include that each student will be assigned a textbook in core subject areas at the beginning of a course of study, that children will be able to take home textbooks or study materials, that a textbook inventory is developed by February 1st and that a textbook replacement plan is developed. Progress on Recommendations and Recovery Steps 1. As reported in earlier six-month progress reports, each classroom has a complete set of textbooks. In addition, individual textbooks for secondary students to take home are available in several core subject areas. The district reports a 1:1 ratio for textbooks in English Language Arts, Mathematics, History Social Science and Science. Secondary science classrooms have classroom sets of textbooks. Students are utilizing textbooks from previous adoption cycles in some subject areas such as science. 2. The district has a textbook replacement plan in place. Written procedures for the textbook procurement process are available, and all principals have been trained on the process. The CUSD Textbook Policy is documented in the Textbook Policy Hand- book. All information related to purchasing, distribution and monitoring of textbooks is clearly delineated. 3. As students continue to lose textbooks that are assigned for their personal use, a greater percent of the district’s textbook funds are spent on replacement copies. The luxury of having class sets in addition to assigned student textbooks in some core sub- ject classes may not be able to be maintained. 4. The district purchases new textbooks based on the state textbook adoption cycle. Teachers participate in the selection of textbooks for adoption. Textbooks are recom- mended to the board for approval. All textbooks selected are standards-based. In the 1999-2000 school year, the district adopted textbooks in Language Arts and math- ematics. In the 2000-2001 school year, the district adopted textbooks in Science, History/Social Science and Advanced Placement. During the 2001-2002 school year, the adopted social science textbook purchases were completed. Students in grades 9- 12 have individual textbooks assigned in Language Arts, mathematics and social sci- ence in addition to the class sets. The class set enables students to leave their assigned copy at home. The district’s textbook acquisition focus for the 2002-2003 school year 6 Consent Decree Consent Decree 7 was changed to purchase Language Arts texts because of OCR compliance issues, instead of the planned purchase of science textbooks. However, textbooks for upper level science classes have been purchased. 5. High Point and Into English textbooks are being purchased to support the newly de- veloped English Language Development (ELD) curriculum. 6. The district continues to expend a large part of its budget on instructional materials for students. Textbooks are purchased annually with district funds allocated for this pur- pose. In the 2001-2002 school year, $1.3 million in Schiff-Bustamante instructional materials funds was allocated to the sites at $41.86 per enrolled student based on Oc- tober CBEDS counts. Additional textbook funds of $747,542 in K-8 state instructional materials funds was allocated to the elementary and middle school sites at $33.08 per student based on the P2 ADA, and $105,359 in 9-12 state instructional materials funds was allocated to the three high school sites at $20.74 per student based on the P2 ADA. Supplemental instructional materials are purchased with EIA-LEP funds for English Language Learners. One million dollars was spent to provide additional texts for the 2002 summer school program for Saxon math texts and Open Court texts and materials. The district has expended a minimum of $3 million total for textbooks in the 2001-2002 school year. 7. The Board of Trustees approved the district’s new Library Plan in January 2003. A district Library Advisory Committee is being formed and will meet regularly during the spring of 2003. All librarians, library assistants and textbook coordinators meet regularly to discuss the process of maintaining books. 8. The district has established a library book volume goal of a minimum of 13 books per student. Site librarians and library assistants are also responsible for preparing text- books for student use and distributing them expeditiously to the classrooms. Library staff is responsible for collecting texts at the end of the year, notifying students of lost book charges and ordering replacement books for the following year. Efforts are being made at the school sites to retrieve textbooks from students at the end of the school year. Lost textbook monies are collected from students if textbooks are not returned. 9. Textbook availability is monitored by a review of the textbook assignment forms, lost textbook collection process, and the purchase order requests made for replacement copies. As reported in the fourth six-month progress report, a teacher on special as- signment monitors the lost book tracking system. Teachers conduct a textbook “check day” in October, January, March and May to determine that students still have their assigned book. Teachers collect assigned books at the end of the school year. The dis- trict places orders for replacement texts for the new school year. Students are assessed for the cost of any lost book. A Gateway System software program is being used for textbook inventory. Textbook accountability reports are generated and circulated regu- larly. Textbook inventories are conducted three times each year. 6 Consent Decree Consent Decree 7 10. Parents sign off on textbook responsibility forms and the returned forms are filed in a secure area at the school site. Students are required to maintain their textbooks in the condition they were issued. Textbooks and library books are collected at the end of each year to ensure accountability. Standard Implemented: Fully Implemented – Substantial February 1999 Rating: 4 August 1999 Rating: Not Reviewed February 2000 Rating: Not Reviewed August 2000 Rating: 5 February 2001 Rating: 5 August 2001 Rating: 5 February 2002 Rating: 6 August 2002 Rating: 7 February 2003 Self Rating: 8 February 2003 New Rating: 8 Implementation Scale: Not  Fully 8 Consent Decree Consent Decree 9  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 CONSENT DECREE III. School Conditions and Instructional Materials Section 9. Broken Windows a. All boarded-up windows shall be replaced with clear glass, clear plexiglass or other clear permanent material so that there are no boarded-up windows in the CUSD. In lieu of glass, plexiglass, or other clear permanent material, the lowest row of windows below eight feet in height may contain a permanent, painted material such as wood or metal when deemed necessary by the State Administrator to prevent individuals from breaking into or vandalizing school facilities. b. Any window that is broken shall be replaced with clear glass, clear plexiglass, or other clear permanent material within 72 house (not counting weekends or holidays). c. Any material that is used to temporarily secure a broken window shall have affixed to it the date and time the temporary material was placed on the window. FCMAT Facilities Management Standard 1.12 was the standard used to monitor the dis- trict’s compliance with Section 9. 8 Consent Decree Consent Decree 9 Facilities Management Standard 1.12 School Safety – Inspection and Correction of Unsafe Conditions Legal Standard Building examinations are performed, and required actions are taken by the governing board upon report of unsafe conditions. [EC 173679(a)] Consent Decree Stipulation This standard was identified in the Consent Decree in the action Serna v Eastin, Case No. BC 174282, as needing to reach a rating of 8 to be deemed compliant. Additional related stipulations (Sections 9 and 18) include replacing boarded up windows, re- placing broken windows within 72 hours, affixing a date and time to temporary material placed on broken windows; establishing site committees to inventory and prioritize repair and mainte- nance needs, and reporting to the State Administrator and board at least once a semester. Progress on Recommendations and Recovery Steps 1. This standard is fully implemented and the Consent Decree stipulation met. The dis- trict has demonstrated sustained effort to ensure that facilities examinations are per- formed and required action taken upon any report of unsafe conditions. FCMAT team members and representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union continue to con- duct periodic, random site inspections of district facilities to ensure that unsafe condi- tions do not exist. In addition, a FCMAT representative and district personnel conduct redundant, periodic, unannounced school site visitations on a monthly basis to monitor conditions of school facilities. Schools receive a letter grade based on a criteria check- list. At the end of December 2002, 18 schools had A ratings, 17 schools had B ratings, and one school had a C. Letter grades may change at each site inspection. Several members of the district’s governing board also conduct periodic site visitations. 2. FCMAT site inspection reports continue to be shared with the ACLU, the district ad- ministration, and the Facilities Division. Reports of maintenance actions taken to rem- edy any deficiencies identified during inspections are reported back to the sites and the FCMAT inspector. Follow-up inspections are conducted by the FCMAT inspector to check the completed work. 3. The district continues to comply with the speedy replacement of broken windows. Nu- merous schools have received new plexi-glass windows. The recently passed General Obligation Bond for facilities improvements will allow the district to replace older windows and frames. The district reports that vandalism has been reduced consider- ably. 4. Schools have organized parent safety committees at each site. The committees per- form site inspections for unsafe or hazardous conditions and forward repair requests to the maintenance department to address. Plant managers are instructed to conduct daily inspections of the site and to immediately report any unsafe condition. 10 Consent Decree Consent Decree 11 5. The district, at the recommendation of FCMAT, has assigned a newly hired Facili- ties Coordinator to become a site compliance officer and conduct the monthly site inspections and ratings of the school sites. This is a proactive move to include the site inspections and grade ratings in an internal, systemic district operational process so as not to rely on an external inspector to drive the district’s response for repair and maintenance of district facilities. This will make the district’s response to facilities needs more proactive and less reactive. This position has the authority to direct district employees to remedy any facilities deficiencies noted during an inspection. The Facili- ties Coordinator Compliance Officer will continue working with the FCMAT inspec- tor through the end of the school year, when the district is expected to assume most of this role. 6. As reported in previous six-month progress reports, the district continues to utilize a maintenance request flow chart and forms to track all maintenance requests from the sites. The district has established a five-day completion timeline to complete the requested maintenance. If a request is complex and will require more than two days to complete, the request is assigned to the facilities division as a project, and sites are informed that the five-day timeline cannot be met, with an explanation of the planned date of completion. Logs of the maintenance requests are kept for each school. Indi- vidual sites receive copies of all responses to the requests generated by the site. The district has also established regular maintenance schedules for recurring work, such as tree trimming. The district is following the Facilities Master Plan in scheduling work for roofing, upgrading restrooms, retrofitting lighting, redoing asphalt, and other work projects. 7. The district continues to utilize the two mobile maintenance teams that were estab- lished earlier in the year. The teams are assigned to a school site for 7-10 days at a time to address school site repairs and maintenance. Sites are inspected ahead of the time the mobile team is scheduled to arrive to identify specific site needs. The mobile maintenance team lead also holds a meeting with the principal and plant manager upon arrival at the site. The mobile maintenance teams are used to address any site inspection deficiencies that surface in an ACLU inspection. 8. The maintenance department continues to immediately address emergency calls to the maintenance hot line (310-639-4321, extension 55377). A memo developed in May 2001, and distributed annually, identifies the types of situations that are emergencies, such as lack of heat, roof leaks, broken pipes, broken windows, odors, inoperable locks, inoperable lights, main line stoppage, broken or lost keys, bells or alarms not working, serious graffiti or vandalism, or fire. 9. Plant managers have been directed to conduct electrical inspections of their site on a daily basis and to report in writing, any potentially hazardous electrical condition. A form for the documentation of these reviews on a monthly basis was developed, and records of the monthly reports from the sites are being maintained. Follow-up work conducted on any reported electrical condition is tracked for each site. Plant managers are also required to report the monthly attendance of their staff to the district office. Both the staff attendance form and the electrical inspection form are due to the district office by the fifth of the month. 10 Consent Decree Consent Decree 11 10. Monthly training meetings are held with the plant managers on district procedures and/or on improving employee skills, such as the proper handling of cleaning chemi- cals. Plant managers are expected to train their site staff on the procedures and/or techniques learned. 11. The district conducted a workshop with the governing board on the district’s Facili- ties Master Plan and Implementation Plan in January 2002. The board has been very supportive in addressing the facilities needs of the district. The board approved a COP for approximately $19 million to build the new William Jefferson Clinton Elementary School, which opened its doors for students in January 2003. In November 2002, the district passed a General Obligation Bond for $80 million. Facilities updates are pro- vided at the monthly board meetings. 12. The district has established a district-wide Beautification Committee which has begun regular meetings. The Committee is developing a list of landscaping do’s and don’ts for site beautification projects. The Committee will approve site beautification plans and work with sites to support their beautification efforts. The committee expects to promote community and parent involvement in school beautification projects and to provide education to staff, parents and volunteers concerning use of equipment, pesti- cides, and appropriate maintenance. Two board members participate on this commit- tee. Standard Implemented: Fully Implemented – Sustained February 1999 Rating: 6 August 1999 Rating: 6 February 2000 Rating: Not Reviewed August 2000 Rating: 6 February 2001 Rating: 7 August 2001 Rating: 8 February 2002 Rating: 9 August 2002 Rating: 9 February 2003 Self Rating: 10 February 2003 New Rating: 10 Implementation Scale: Not  Fully 12 Consent Decree Consent Decree 13  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 CONSENT DECREE III. School Conditions and Instructional Materials Section 10. Electrical a. All broken and loose electrical wiring and fixtures shall be repaired or replaced, along with any other electrical problems that might immediately endanger children. b. On a monthly basis, CUSD shall inspect all school facilities and identify any broken or loose electrical wiring and fixtures or any other electrical problems that might im- mediately endanger children. A written record of these monthly inspections shall be maintained by the State Administrator. c. On or before September 1, 1999, a licensed electrical inspector shall be retained to inspect selected school sites identified by plaintiff’s counsel. The inspector shall be mutually agreed upon between counsel for the plaintiffs and defendants. The inspector shall have no prior employment or contracting arrangement with either the DUSD or the City of Compton. The inspector shall perform inspections as directed by plaintiff’s counsel and shall be compensated on an hourly basis, not to exceed the total sum of $50,000.00. The inspector shall prepare an inspection report containing the following information: (i) The location of any broken or loose electrical wiring and fixtures, the location of any other electrical problems that might immediately endanger children. (ii) The location of other electrical problems that the inspector believes should be called to the attention of the CUSD. d. A copy of the inspection report shall be delivered to counsel for plaintiffs and shall be available for public inspection at the CUSD. e. In the event the inspection indicates that broken or loose electrical fixtures remain or that electrical problems that might endanger children or employees exist, the inspec- tor shall perform follow-up inspections to determine if the problem has been cor- rected. The costs of follow-up inspections shall not be charged against the $50,000.00 allocated pursuant to subsection (c) above. FCMAT Facilities Management Standard 9.8 was the standard used to monitor the dis- trict’s compliance with Section 10. 12 Consent Decree Consent Decree 13 Facilities Management Standard 9.8 Instructional Program Issues – Adequate Lighting, Electrical Service Provided Professional Standard All schools shall have adequate lighting and electrical service. Consent Decree Stipulation This standard was identified in the Consent Decree in the action Serna v Eastin, Case No. BC 174282, as needing to reach a rating of 8 to be deemed compliant. Additional related stipulations (Section 10) include monthly inspections for electrical problems conducted by the district with written records of these monthly inspections maintained, the in- spection before September 1, 1999, by a licensed electrical inspector of sites identified by plain- tiff’s counsel and a copy of the report delivered to counsel for plaintiffs and available for public inspection, the correction of any electrical problems. Progress on Recommendations and Recovery Steps 1. This standard is being fully implemented and the Consent Decree stipulation has been met. The district and plaintiff’s counsel selected a licensed electrician to conduct site inspections of specific identified sites during the 2000-2001 school year. Inspections were conducted at Compton High School and Centennial High School during late Fall 2000. An electrical inspection of Dominguez High School was conducted in May 2001. The district’s Facilities Division addressed the deficiencies identified during the electrical inspections. The district has two licensed electricians on staff. 2. Site plant managers have been directed to conduct electrical inspections of their sites on a daily basis and to report in writing, any potentially hazardous electrical condition. Monthly electrical reports are submitted to the facilities division. Electrical hazards are considered an emergency condition that should be reported through the emergency hot line for immediate response. Electrical hazards are considered a priority con- cern and corrected as soon as possible. A form for the documentation of the monthly reviews was developed, and records of the monthly reports from the sites are being maintained. Follow-up work conducted on any reported electrical condition is tracked for each site. Records of these reports were shared with the study team. The electrical inspection form from the site is due to the district office by the fifth of each month. 3. The district’s modernization and new construction plans address heating and ventila- tion for the district schools. HVAC and lighting/electrical systems are included in the scope of the projects contained within the modernization plans. The districts’ passage of a local $80 million general obligation bond will enable the district to more speedily modernize its HVAC systems. 4. A retrofit of lights has taken place at Davis Middle School, Roosevelt Middle School, Emerson Elementary and Vanguard Middle School. The district has used deferred maintenance funds to provide these needed repairs. General and deferred maintenance funds were allocated this year to retrofit the lighting systems at seven school sites. The districts’ passage of a local $80 million general obligation bond will enable the 14 Consent Decree Consent Decree 15 district to more speedily modernize and retrofit the lights and electrical systems in the district’s schools. The district’s first modernization project is scheduled to begin at Centennial High School in February 2003. 5. The mobile repair teams are assigned to school sites on a rotational basis and replace lights and light fixtures as needed. The site staff monitors the lighting fixtures and reports fixtures that need repair. 6. All district modernization and new construction projects identified in the Facilities Master Plan address energy conservation in proposed equipment, infrastructure, and construction. The Facilities Division, along with the district’s architects, has devel- oped master specifications for the installation of all electrical and mechanical equip- ment. Standard Implemented: Fully Implemented – Substantial February 1999 Rating: 0 August 1999 Rating: Not Reviewed February 2000 Rating: 2 August 2000 Rating: 4 February 2001 Rating: 6 August 2001 Rating: 6 February 2002 Rating: 7 August 2002 Rating: 8 February 2003 Self Rating: 9 February 2003 New Rating: 9 Implementation Scale: Not  Fully 14 Consent Decree Consent Decree 15  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 16 Consent Decree Consent Decree 17 CONSENT DECREE III. School Conditions and Instructional Materials Section 11. Certificated Teachers a. A certificated teacher will be present in every classroom on every school day. b. No violation of subdivision (a) will occur if the following procedures have been fol- lowed: (i) The CUSD maintains a list of certificated substitute teachers with sufficient numbers of certificated teachers to meet projected teacher absences. (ii) CUSD attempted to contact everyone on that list in an effort to secure the present of a certificated teacher in the classroom. (iii)Whenever the list has been exhausted such that CUSD is unable to secure a certificated substitute teacher, the CUSD has commenced reasonable efforts to increase the number of certificated substitute teachers on the list who are will- ing and able to provide services to the CUSD. c. In the event a certificated teacher cannot be obtained, the principal shall be respon- sible for ensuring that children without a certificated teacher receive appropriate instruction in accordance with the curriculum for the class. FCMAT Personnel Management Standard 8.2 was the standard used to monitor the dis- trict’s compliance with Section 11. Section 12. Absenteeism a. Due to the high degree of employee absenteeism, it is reasonable and necessary that CUSD hold all personnel accountable for meeting attendance requirements. Absentee- ism of CUSD employees impedes the ability of CUSD to provide instructional services to children. b. The State Administrator will develop a plan to reduce employee absenteeism district- wide, subject to the requirements of collective bargaining. The absenteeism plan shall address the issue of employees who are absent from any required staff development programs. FCMAT Personnel Management Standard 8.2 was the standard used to monitor the dis- trict’s compliance with Section 12. 16 Consent Decree Consent Decree 17 Personnel Management Standard 8.2 Use of Technology Professional Standard The Personnel Division provides an automated substitute calling system. The system should have the ability to input and retrieve data. Data should be distributed to site and program managers. Consent Decree Stipulations Sections 11 and 12 of the Consent Decree in the action Serna v Eastin, Case No. BC 174282, includes the following stipulations: the district is to ensure that certificated teachers are present in each classroom every day, maintain a list of certificated substitutes in sufficient numbers to meet absences, develop a plan to reduce employee absenteeism, and hold employees accountable for meeting attendance requirements. Progress on Recommendations and Recovery Steps 1. The district has a goal, set by the superintendent, of 97% attendance for all classroom teachers. The associate superintendent for each instructional level (elementary, middle and high) has the responsibility to work directly with principals to reach this goal. Each school addresses staff attendance as part of their school improvement plan. The district regularly reports employee absences and reasons for absences to school site managers to work with their staffs to reduce absenteeism. 2. The Office of Human Resources and Employee Development (HRED) attempts to provide substitutes whenever classroom teachers are absent. HRED currently main- tains a pool of 275 substitutes upon which to draw to cover teacher absences. HRED continues to process applications for individuals interested in substituting. 3. Site administrators rely on substitutes to replace absent teachers, and assign their non-instructional certificated staff to substitute when a regular substitute is not avail- able to cover a teacher’s absence. The superintendent reminds school principals of this priority by memo. If no substitute is available, certificated teachers are first solicited to substitute during their preparation period(s). Department chairs, counselors, curricu- lum specialists, learning support coordinators, assistant principals and principals are to be used on a rotational basis when other teachers are not available. Teachers can be recalled from a locally held workshop or conference to return to school if no substitute is available. At the elementary level, HRED indicated that in emergencies, 20% of the students in a class may be assigned to each of five other certificated teachers for the day. 4. HRED monitors on a daily basis, the number of classroom teacher absences by site, and provides weekly reports to the Executive Cabinet and monthly reports to the prin- cipals. Monthly reports should also be shared with the governing board and the teach- ers’ association. 5. The district continues to utilize an automated substitute calling system, Substitute Employee Management System (SEMS). The system has operated well and has not 18 Consent Decree Consent Decree 19 broken down. The system utilizes four incoming lines and four outgoing lines to receive calls from district teachers and to schedule substitutes. The hours of operation have been extended to provide greater opportunity to reach prospective substitutes. Principals must still remind teachers to use the system to report their absences. HRED provides ongoing training for school site secretaries on the SEMS system on an as needed basis. 6. The HRED staff holds monthly training sessions with new substitute teachers. The district has developed a substitute teacher’s manual for substitute teachers as recom- mended. The sub manual includes directions for using the SEMS system. Substitutes have a better idea of their tasks and the district’s expectations. Absent teacher posi- tions are usually adequately filled with a trained substitute. 7. The district attempts to limit the demand for substitutes by continuing to restrict the number of leaves for school business which may occur on any given day. The district will not authorize school business leaves on the school day immediately before or immediately following a district holiday. The district assigns event numbers to staff development events and tries to limit no more than 40 teachers per day to attend staff development events. This requires that the district coordinate its staff development activities so as not to schedule too many activities on the same day. 8. HRED communicates with the school principal whenever a procedural error occurs in the placement of substitutes. 9. The district continues to demonstrate a safety conscious approach by requiring all district employees to wear a district-issued identification badge. 10. On February 10, 2003, the SEMS system will receive a planned update. The new ver- sion will allow HRED to use the email system to provide school sites with daily, or as needed, reports of their teachers who are absent and/or the substitutes who are sched- uled. The system will also allow the school sites to communicate directly with the SEMS and request specified information. 11. In cooperation with the Information Technology Department, HRED is designing a comprehensive Human Resource Information System (HRIS) which will maintain information pertinent to each certificated employee. 18 Consent Decree Consent Decree 19 Standard Implemented: Fully Implemented – Substantial February 1999 Rating: 4 August 1999 Rating: Not Reviewed February 2000 Rating: 6 August 2000 Rating: 6 February 2001 Rating: 6 August 2001 Rating: 7 February 2002 Rating: 8 August 2002 Rating: 9 February 2003 Self Rating: 10 February 2003 New Rating: 9 Implementation Scale: Not  Fully 20 Consent Decree Consent Decree 21  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 CONSENT DECREE III. School Conditions and Instructional Materials Section 13. Homework a. The CUSD has adopted a homework policy. b. The State Administrator shall ensure that the homework policy is implemented at ev- ery school site. The State Administrator shall require that the principal of each school certify in writing on a monthly basis that the homework policy is being followed at each school, or if it is not being followed, that disciplinary proceedings have been commenced against personnel not complying with the homework policy. c. At the beginning of each semester, parents shall receive information on the home- work policy and shall be requested to sign an acknowledgement of the receipt of such policy. If the parent fails to return the acknowledgement form to the district, the dis- trict will make one attempt to contact the parent by telephone regarding the homework policy. FCMAT Pupil Achievement Standards 1.2 and 1.11 were the standards used to monitor the district’s compliance with Section 13. 20 Consent Decree Consent Decree 21 Pupil Achievement Standard 1.2 Student Objectives – Core Curriculum Content Professional Standard The district has clear and valid objectives for students, including the core curriculum content. Consent Decree Stipulation This standard was identified in the Consent Decree in the action Serna v Eastin, Case No. BC 174282, as needing to reach a rating of 8 to be deemed compliant. Additional related stipulations (Section 13) include a monthly certification from the site principal that a homework policy is implemented at each site, and that information about the policy is sent to parents each semester and parents acknowledge receipt of the notification. Progress on Recommendations and Recovery Steps 1. The district’s governing board has revised its mission statement and goals and de- veloped a new district logo. The mission statement and goals are reiterated on newly revised district documents. “The mission of the Compton unified School District is to empower leaders to lead, teachers to teach and students to learn by fostering an environment that encourages leaders and teachers to be visionary, innovative and accountable for the achievement of all students.” 2. The district’s homework policy is included in the Parent Handbook distributed at the beginning of each school year. The district monitors the implementation of the Home- work Policy through the issuance of a reminder bulletin to the sites. The district com- plies with Section 13 of the Consent Decree by sending notification home to parents twice per year, through the Parent Handbook and through a letter disseminated at the second semester. Parents must acknowledge receipt of the Parent Handbook. Parent acknowledgements of receipt of the handbook are maintained at the site. A monthly certification by site principals that the homework policy is being implemented contin- ues to be a required submission to meet compliance with the Consent Decree stipula- tion. 3. The district has clear goals and objectives for student performance and improvement. The goals and objectives for student learning can be seen in the various curricular documents the district is revising and developing. Many teachers are posting the grade level or subject matter standard(s ) in their classrooms. The district is also encouraging more project-based learning activities for students and providing many more opportu- nities for the display of student work. 22 Consent Decree Consent Decree 23 4. Twenty district schools receive substantial additional funding for school improvement as participants in one of the following school improvement programs: High Priority Schools Program (HPSP), Immediate Intervention/ Underperforming Schools Program (II/USP), or the Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration Program (CSRD). Four additional schools have been invited to apply for participation in the High Prior- ity Schools Program. The additional funds for these twenty schools total more than $7 million for the 2002-03 school year. Other curricular improvement efforts include the following: 5. Teachers were recruited to review and revise curriculum guides during summer 2002. Staff trained at the Curriculum Audit Training in January led the process. Revision of curriculum guides, to make them more “user friendly,” continues throughout the 2002- 2003 school year. 6. A new Associate Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction has been hired to over- see the revision of the curriculum guide and the development of binders for each sub- ject based on the content and performance standards beginning with English Language Development. Benchmark assessments will accompany these curriculum guides. 7. The ELD curriculum guide has been completed and K-12 ELD performance bench- marks have been developed. Training on the implementation of the new ELD curricu- lum will take place in the spring of 2003. 8. A district curriculum template has been developed which ensures instructional activi- ties for EL, special needs, and gifted students. In addition, a section of technology integration is added to the template. All curriculum guides are aligned to content stan- dards. 9. Open Court Pacing Guides have been used to insure full implementation of the read- ing program across the district in grades K-5. Professional Development activities for the implementation of Open Court continue to be conducted for teachers under the AB 466 mandate and AB 75. Principals have been trained in elementary schools to support the implementation of Open Court via coaching, lesson demonstration, and continuous feedback. The district conducted 40-hour reading academies for teachers in grades K-5 during the summer. 252 teachers participated in June 2002. Eighty-hour follow-up training workshops are available to these teachers during the school year. 10. The computer generated standards based report card for K-5 has been implemented. A process has been developed to insure that all students have report cards according to schedule. 11. The textbook adoption process was completed during the year for K-5 literacy (SRA/ Open Court 2002) and 6-8 mathematics and pre-Calculus and Calculus (Holt, Rein- hart, and Winston) and 9-12 mathematics (McDougal Littell, 2001). 22 Consent Decree Consent Decree 23 12. The number of students in the Advanced Placement (AP) program increased and course offerings were increased from four subjects to eleven subjects in one year. More students are taking the AP exams in comparison to previous years. 13. A number of new curricular programs have been initiated. A new program with the University of California College Prep (UCCP) and APEX Learning has provided ad- ditional on-line resources for teachers, coursework for students, and AP exam prepara- tion for AP students. a. A new Achieving College Partnership has been formed with Compton Col- lege, CSU Long Beach, CSU Dominguez Hills, and UC Irvine. b. A Boeing grant in the amount of $25,000 has been granted to the district to work with high school science and math programs in collaboration with Compton College. The program provides student mentors and mentoring in- structors to high school math and science students and teachers. c. The UC Irvine FOCUS project, funded by the National Science Foundation, will assist Compton USD in improving math and science instruction, develop- ing a teacher pipeline in math and science, increasing the number of students participating in higher levels of math and science courses in high schools, and increasing the number of credentialed math and science teachers. d. In partnership with UC Irvine, math and science in-services are being held for teachers in grades 3-5 and 6-8. A trainer of trainers model is being implement- ed for selected teachers in these two core subjects. Standard Implemented: Fully Implemented – Substantial February 1999 Rating: 0 August 1999 Rating: 2 February 2000 Rating: 3 August 2000 Rating: 5 February 2001 Rating: 6 August 2001 Rating: 6 February 2002 Rating: 7 August 2002 Rating: 8 February 2003 Self Rating: 9 February 2003 New Rating: 8 Implementation Scale: Not  Fully 24 Consent Decree Consent Decree 25  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pupil Achievement Standard 1.11 Students Engaged in Learning Professional Standard Students are engaged in learning and they are able to demonstrate and apply their knowledge and skills. Consent Decree Stipulation This standard was identified in the Consent Decree in the action Serna v Eastin, Case No. BC 174282, as needing to reach a rating of 8 to be deemed compliant. Additional related stipulations (Section 13) include a homework policy implemented at each site with a monthly certification from the site principal that this is occurring, information sent to parents each semester and parent acknowledgment of the notification. Progress on Recommendations and Recovery Steps 1. The district’s homework policy is included in the Student and Parent/Guardian Hand- book distributed at the beginning of each school year. The district monitors the imple- mentation of the homework policy through the issuance of a reminder bulletin to the sites. The district complies with Section 13 of the Consent Decree by sending notifica- tion home to parents twice per year, through the Parent Handbook and through a letter disseminated at the second semester. Parents must acknowledge receipt of the Parent Handbook. Parent acknowledgements of receipt of the handbook are maintained at the site. A monthly certification by site principals that the homework policy is being implemented continues to be a required submission to meet compliance with the Con- sent Decree stipulation. 2. Students have several opportunities in which to demonstrate their accomplishments through family-oriented district sponsored exhibitions. a. The UC Irvine MESA program continues to support math and science teach- ers and participating students in different academic activities in the middle and high schools. MESA is an extra-curricular enrichment program in math and science that is offered to students at the middle and high schools. MESA exposed over 1,100 students to math and engineering concepts through hands on activities. Over 700 students were involved on a regular basis, logging an average of 12 hours of extended studies per month. b. Students participate in the math and science fair, and various oratorical con- tests. c. Schools hold assemblies and other performances or demonstrations of knowl- edge and skills performed by students. d. College fairs are hosted by the high schools. e. Back-to-School and Open House nights continue to have good participation from the parents and the community. Student work and/or performances are often featured. 24 Consent Decree Consent Decree 25 3. The number of students participating in Advanced Placement (AP) courses in the district’s three high schools continues to increase. In 2002, student enrollment in AP courses totaled 582 students as compared to 120 students enrolled in AP courses in 1998, 162 in 1999, 277 in 2000, and 486 in 2001. The number of students taking, and passing, the Advanced Placement exam that awards college credit for work performed in high school also continues to increase. In 1999, for example, 163 students took the AP exam and 14 students passed it for a 9% passing rate. In 2002, 510 students took the AP exam and 75 students passed it and were awarded college credit, a passing rate of 15%. 4. Several students in the district have enrolled in on-line courses, primarily in Pre- Calculus and AP Calculus. At Centennial High School, for example, 14 students are enrolled in APEX Learning on-line classes this year. 5. The district’s Assessment Plan has been updated for 2002-2003 and includes an over- view list and schedule of the assessments for high schools, middle schools and el- ementary schools; detail on the Writing Assessment, the CAT-6, the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE), and the California English Language Development Test (CELDT). Four writing assessments continue to be administered during the school year. The writing assessments included various types of writing tested at appropriate grade levels (narrative, descriptive, persuasive, expository, report, reflective writing). 6. The district intends to implement a new student information system in the fall of the 2003-04 school year that will enable the district to store all assessment information on the system for analysis. A standards-based test item bank will be developed for the district. Any assessment administered by the district is expected to be aligned to the standards and CAHSEE blue prints, and administered at determined benchmark peri- ods. Recommendations for staff development in specific instructional strategies will then be determined for the school sites based on the assessment data. 7. The University of California, Irvine and the California State Universities at Long Beach and Dominguez Hills provide high school teachers concentrated training in their subject fields through the California Subject Matter Projects. 8. CSU Dominguez Hills will begin staff development with high school teachers in the California History-Social Science Project in the spring, to ensure curriculum align- ment with the standards in order to improve student achievement. 9. The first year of the Local Reading Program Grant involved three schools in literacy improvement projects. These schools were part of the Reading Project lead by Univer- sity of California, Irvine. 10. Late student entry days and/or early student dismissal Mondays are used to provide staff development time for all grade level teachers, K-12. Professional development activities are provided by other service providers such as the LA Education Partner- ship, the Pulliam Group, the Los Angeles County Office of Education, WestEd, and others. 26 Consent Decree Consent Decree 27 11. As reported in the previous six-month progress report in August, the college-go- ing rates for seniors has improved. The district has committed staff and resources to supporting the Going to College Culture within the district. A new Achieving Col- lege Partnership has been established with Compton College, CSU Long Beach and CSU Dominguez Hills, and UC Irvine. Approximately 150 graduating seniors from the class of 2002 were accepted to four-year colleges and universities. More than $250,000 in scholarships were awarded to these students. The scholarship students and their parents were recognized by the district at a Senior Banquet in their honor. 12. All three high schools participated in the LACOE Academic Decathlon program in the last year, the first time in many years. Student participants brought back ten medals for the various academic events. Standard Implemented: Partially Implemented February 1999 Rating: 0 August 1999 Rating: Not Reviewed February 2000 Rating: 3 August 2000 Rating: 4 February 2001 Rating: 5 August 2001 Rating: 5 February 2002 Rating: 6 August 2002 Rating: 7 February 2003 Self Rating: 8 February 2003 New Rating: 7 Implementation Scale: Not  Fully 26 Consent Decree Consent Decree 27  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 28 Consent Decree Consent Decree 29 CONSENT DECREE III. School Conditions and Instructional Materials Section 14. Security Plan a. The State Administrator shall develop a district-wide security plan which addresses both the safety of students and employees and the protection of District property. In developing the security plan, the Statewide Administrator shall form a Security Com- mittee consisting of (a) a member of the Advisory Board, (b) a teacher selected by the Compton Education Association, (c) a principal selected by the State Administrator, and (d) four parents nominated by counsel for the plaintiffs and approved by the State Administrator. In addition, the State Administrator shall consult with local law en- forcement agencies regarding the security plan and invite such agencies to participate in the Security Committee. b. The Security Committee shall review the implementation of the plan and make recom- mendations for is improvement. It will meet with the State Administrator on a quar- terly basis. An annual public hearing will be held before the Advisory Board to review the plan. c. The plan developed by the State Administrator shall include a program to encour- age the voluntary participation of parents in school security patrols. The program will include the training of parents and appropriate provisions to indemnify and hold participants harmless from any personal liability for their participation in the school security patrols. FCMAT Facilities Management Standard 1.3 was the standard used to monitor the dis- trict’s compliance with Section 14. 28 Consent Decree Consent Decree 29 Facilities Management Standard 1.3 School Safety – Plan for Protection of People and Property Legal Standard Demonstrate that a plan of security has been developed which includes adequate measures of safety and protection of people and property. [EC 32020, 32211, 35294-35294.9, 39670-39675] Consent Decree Stipulation This standard was identified in the Consent Decree in the action Serna v Eastin, Case No. BC 174282, as needing to reach a rating of 8 to be deemed compliant. Additional related stipulations (Section 14) include the development of a district-wide security plan, the establishment of a district security committee that reviews implementation of the secu- rity plan, providing an annual public hearing before the board, the encouragement of voluntary participation of parents in school security patrols and training for parents. Progress on Recommendations and Recovery Steps 1. This standard has been fully implemented and the Consent Decree stipulation met. Security alarms are in place in all district schools. Continuous efforts are ongoing to connect all portable classrooms wherever they are installed. The security alarms are monitored by Advance Alarm, the security company that installed the system. The company notifies district Police Services whenever an alarm is triggered. The district reports a higher apprehension rate of perpetrators of vandalism and property crimes. The number of property crimes in the district has decreased. 2. As reported in earlier progress reports, the district has a district-wide security plan, and the district-wide safety committee continues to meet to review school safety is- sues. Parent volunteers continue to be solicited to participate on the district and site committees. School site safety committees continue to determine site safety concerns and recommend remedial action to the school administrator and the district office. Documentation of committee meetings and agendas are verified during school site visits by district administration and a FCMAT representative. 3. The governing board has established a Finance Committee and a Risk Management sub-committee, aimed at reducing district liability and loss. 4. Other security initiatives reported in previous progress reports continue. Several school sites have video cameras affixed in key spots on campus. The district has begun to reestablish selective community use of the school facilities for after-hours events. The district had reduced the number of facility use permits for community use, and had closed its campuses to the general public on weekends and overnight begin- ning at 9:00 p.m. The district has reestablished, on a limited basis, the community use of facilities. Requests must be pre-approved, and requesters must be willing to pay for the costs of custodians and utilities. Fee waivers are available on a limited basis. School perimeter gates continue to be locked when school facilities are not in use, and 30 Consent Decree Consent Decree 31 perimeter fencing at many sites reduces the number of incidences of property damage on school campuses. Signs are posted on each campus warning against trespassing, and directing visitors to report to the administration office. 5. The district has reestablished its participation in the WE-TIP program, an anonymous telephone tip line for community members to use to report property crimes against the district. Emphasis and use of the WE-TIP program has grown. Information on the WE-TIP program is posted, along with the number 1-800-78-CRIME. The WE-TIP program also provides rewards up to $1,000. Standard Implemented: Fully Implemented – Sustained February 1999 Rating: 5 August 1999 Rating: 6 February 2000 Rating: 7 August 2000 Rating: 7 February 2001 Rating: 8 August 2001 Rating: 8 February 2002 Rating: 9 August 2002 Rating: 9 February 2003 Self Rating: 10 February 2003 New Rating: 10 Implementation Scale: Not  Fully 30 Consent Decree Consent Decree 31  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 32 Consent Decree Consent Decree 33 CONSENT DECREE III. School Conditions and Instructional Materials Section 15. Emergency Drills a. By September 1, 1999, the State Administrator shall certify that every school site has the fire warning system required by Education Code Section 32001. b. The State Administrator shall certify that every school site has an earthquake emer- gency procedure system in accordance with Education Code Sections 35296 and 35297. c. In accordance with Education Code Section 32001, monthly fire drills shall be con- ducted at the elementary and intermediate school levels and not less than twice yearly at the secondary level. d. In accordance with Education Code 35297, earthquake drop procedures shall be practiced at least once each school quarter in elementary and intermediate school levels and at least once a semester at the secondary level. e. The State Administrator shall require that each principal maintain a written log of fire drills and earthquake drop procedures. The written log shall be on the form developed by the State Administrator. The written log shall be available for inspection by the public. The State Administrator shall periodically conduct reviews to ensure that the log is being maintained. FCMAT Facilities Management Standard 1.9 was the standard used to monitor the dis- trict’s compliance with Section 15. 32 Consent Decree Consent Decree 33 Facilities Management Standard 1.9 School Safety – School Site Emergency Procedures Plan Legal Standard Each public agency is required to have on file written plans describing procedures to be em- ployed in case of emergency. [EC 32000-32004, 32040, 35295-35297, 38132, 46390-46392, 49505, GC 3100, 8607] Consent Decree Stipulation This standard was identified in the Consent Decree in the action Serna v Eastin, Case No. BC 174282, as needing to reach a rating of 8 to be deemed compliant. Additional related stipulations (Section 15) include that each school site has a fire warning sys- tem by September 1, 1999, that each school site has earthquake emergency procedure system, that fire drills and earthquake drop procedures are conducted according to education code, that written logs of fire and earthquake drop drills are maintained, that the written logs are available for public inspection and that the State Administrator conduct periodic reviews to ensure the log is being maintained. Progress on Recommendations and Recovery Steps 1. This standard is fully implemented and the Consent Decree stipulation met. As re- ported in earlier six-month progress reports, written emergency plans are available at the school sites for earthquakes and other disasters. School site safety plans include fire evacuation plans, bomb threats or disturbances, and staff assignments in cases of emergencies. The availability of the school’s site plans are checked during site visita- tions by district personnel and by FCMAT members. 2. Schools are required to conduct emergency drills according to Education Code and to maintain records of drills conducted. This process is verified for each site. The school’s records are reviewed by district personnel and by FCMAT members. Peri- odic, unannounced site visits are conducted by a FCMAT representative to review the written logs of the scheduled drills held on the campus. 3. All schools have a fire alarm system in place. Most of the schools have converted to a strobe fire alarm system. All schools are being converted to the strobe fire alarm system on an incremental basis. Nine schools use a bell system and are awaiting the conversion. The district has conducted on-site fire alarm drills with the fire department to test the schools’ systems. District office staff, school police and plant staff partici- pate in the monitoring of these drills. 4. The district has worked with the city to establish a district level disaster response team to operate out of a centrally located emergency operations center. The district and the city have established the district police department as the Emergency Operation Cen- ter (EOC). The EOC is operational. The district continues to identify the special emer- 34 Consent Decree Consent Decree 35 gency skills of staff. School sites have been identified for use as temporary shelters. School sites continue to maintain their emergency disaster kits. Training continues to be conducted for district staff on how to handle emergencies. 5. The district responds to site emergencies that are called in to the district office on the emergency hot line as rapidly as possible. District staff indicated that broken windows are replaced within 24 hours and that broken toilets are responded to within two hours. Standard Implemented: Fully Implemented – Sustained February 1999 Rating: 3 August 1999 Rating: 3 February 2000 Rating: Not Reviewed August 2000 Rating: 5 February 2001 Rating: 6 August 2001 Rating: 7 February 2002 Rating: 8 August 2002 Rating: 9 February 2003 Self Rating: 10 February 2003 New Rating: 10 Implementation Scale: Not  Fully 34 Consent Decree Consent Decree 35  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 36 Consent Decree Consent Decree 37 CONSENT DECREE III. School Conditions and Instructional Materials Section 16. Litter a. All schools will remain clean and operational and free from graffiti. b. All playground equipment that is currently unusable will either be repaired or re- moved within thirty (30) days of the effective date of this Consent Decree. Playground equipment that becomes unusable in the future shall be repaired or removed within thirty (30) days of it becoming unusable. c. At the start of each school week, the school shall be free of litter. All litter will be re- moved on a daily basis while school is in session. d. Each school site shall develop a community service program in which all children are encouraged to perform five hours per semester of community service in supervised litter removal or recycling programs on school facilities or in the neighborhood sur- rounding the school site. FCMAT Facilities Management Standards 1.8 and 1.14 were the standards used to monitor the district’s compliance with Section 16. 36 Consent Decree Consent Decree 37 Facilities Management Standard 1.8 School Safety – Graffiti and Vandalism Abatement Plan Professional Standard The district has a graffiti and vandalism abatement plan. The district should have a written graf- fiti and abatement plan that is followed by all district employees. The district provides district employees with sufficient resources to meet the requirements of the abatement plan. Consent Decree Stipulation This standard was identified in the Consent Decree in the action Serna v Eastin, Case No. BC 174282, as needing to reach a rating of 8 to be deemed compliant. Additional related stipulations (Section 16) include that all schools are clean and free from graf- fiti, that unusable playground equipment is removed or repaired, that schools are free of litter and that a community service program of five hours per semester has been developed for students. Progress on Recommendations and Recovery Steps 1. This standard has been fully implemented and the Consent Decree stipulation met. The district’s graffiti abatement program is one of immediate removal and remains a major district priority. Site security personnel, or “yellow jackets,” are assigned to patrol specific sections or “hot spots” on the campus to supervise graffiti-prone areas. The monitoring by on-site staff remains key to eliminating graffiti. 2. As reported in previous six-month reports, the district has assigned one district main- tenance employee to remove graffiti at district schools, visiting each high school every day. In addition, the school custodial staffs have targeted graffiti as a priority for removal every day. Site custodians handle the smaller paint jobs, and call the district for help on the bigger paint jobs, at a height over ten feet. A memo delineating that re- moval of graffiti up to a height of ten feet was the responsibility of the plant staff was sent to the schools in August. School sites are provided with paint to match school colors, to avoid the patchwork appearance often caused by graffiti removal. 3. The district has established an emergency “hot line” (310-639-4321, extension 55377) for the reporting of graffiti that the school custodians cannot handle on their own. The district’s expected response time to the site is 15 minutes. 4. The district responds speedily to reports of vandalism. The maintenance department works cooperatively with the district’s police services to provide cost estimates of any damage to district property so that police services can follow-up to seek restitution from the perpetrators. For example, a memo to police services was shared with the re- view team delineating the cost of replacing multiple locks on two campuses that were vandalized during the Thanksgiving break. 38 Consent Decree Consent Decree 39 5. Periodic, unannounced school visits continue to be conducted by a FCMAT repre- sentative to monitor compliance with the stipulations. School campuses are inspected regularly and appear to be relatively free from graffiti. The elementary and middle school campuses are clean and graffiti-free. The high school campuses remain a con- stant challenge for staff. 6. The district has changed the high school graduation requirements to include a required 2.5 credits of community service for students to meet prior to graduation. The course requirement is the equivalent of 45 hours, or one quarter of a year’s credits. Students who graduate in 2006, who are now freshmen, will need to meet this graduation requirement. In other community service activities, students are engaged in campus beautification projects, often initiated by student government groups, on the various school campuses. Standard Implemented: Fully Implemented – Substantial February 1999 Rating: 6 August 1999 Rating: 6 February 2000 Rating: Not Reviewed August 2000 Rating: 7 February 2001 Rating: 7 August 2001 Rating: 8 February 2002 Rating: 9 August 2002 Rating: 9 February 2003 Self Rating: 10 February 2003 New Rating: 9 Implementation Scale: Not  Fully 38 Consent Decree Consent Decree 39  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Facilities Management Standard 1.14 School Safety – Sanitation is Maintained and Fire Hazards are Corrected Legal Standard Sanitary, neat and clean conditions of the school premises exist and the premises are free from conditions that would create a fire hazard. [CCR Title 5 §633] Consent Decree Stipulation This standard was identified in the Consent Decree in the action Serna v Eastin, Case No. BC 174282, as needing to reach a rating of 8 to be deemed compliant. Additional related stipulations (Sections 16 and 18) include that all schools are clean and free from graffiti, that unusable playground equipment is removed or repaired, that schools are free of litter and that a community service program of five hours per semester has been developed for students; other stipulations include establishing site committees to inventory and prioritize repair and maintenance needs, and reporting to the State Administrator and board at least once a semes- ter. Progress on Recommendations and Recovery Steps 1. This standard is fully implemented and the Consent Decree stipulation met. The district’s increased attention on improving facilities and site cleanliness has resulted in cleaner campuses. Plant managers are instructed to perform daily inspections of their site to ensure a clean, sanitary and safe environment for staff and students. School site safety committees continue to make site inspections, and monitor facilities needs at the school. Site inspections conducted by the Facilities Coordinator Compliance Of- ficer and a FCMAT representative, verifies committee agendas and meeting minutes. Random, unannounced site inspections continue to keep all staff focused on maintain- ing the cleanliness of the school sites. Principals, or their designees, are required to in- spect student restrooms three times a day and to take action to remedy any problems. Daily inspections by site principals have also improved campus cleanliness. 2. A FCMAT site inspection checklist is used in the site inspection process, and a letter grade is given to a school based on the number of checklist criteria met. The main- tenance department handles any deficiency reported on the site inspection reporting forms right away. Two mobile maintenance teams have been established to do routine maintenance at school sites. The teams are assigned to a school site for approximately 7-10 days. Sites are inspected ahead of the time the mobile team is scheduled to arrive to identify specific site needs. The mobile maintenance team lead also holds a meeting with the principal and plant manager upon arrival at the site. 3. Sites are free from fire hazards. Any hazardous conditions have already been ad- dressed by the district. If a random site inspection turns up any potential new hazard, it is addressed by the district right away. All schools have an operational fire alarm system in place as discussed in Standard 1.9. Any unusable playground equipment was long ago removed or repaired by the district in response to the Consent Decree. 40 Consent Decree Consent Decree 41 4. Custodial staffs receive structured monthly training to improve site safety and cleanli- ness, and are directed to keep storage areas clean and exits free of obstructions. All doors that might constitute a safety hazard are being changed. Training workshops are being conducted in collaboration with the district’s Risk Manager. The district contin- ues to maintain its emphasis on safety and cleanliness. 5. The maintenance department works with the site plant managers to structure the work day for the site custodians and grounds workers. Sample schedules of typical work assignments have been developed to help the plant managers better direct and monitor the work of their staff. 6. As reported in earlier six-month progress reports, a district maintenance employee has been assigned to remove graffiti at district schools, and makes an inspection of each high school every day. The district has assigned an additional classified employee to each of the three high schools to be responsible for landscaping and grounds at their site. The district conducts regular meetings with site principals and plant managers in attendance together to address cleanliness issues. 7. Both classified and certificated staff remain responsible for addressing the daily re- moval of litter. The district has changed the high school graduation requirements to in- clude a required 2.5 credits of community service for students to meet prior to gradu- ation. The course requirement is the equivalent of 45 hours, or one quarter of a year’s credits. Students who graduate in 2006, who are now freshmen, will need to meet this graduation requirement. In other community service activities, students are engaged in campus beautification projects, often initiated by student government groups, on the various school campuses. Recycling bins have been set up at Roosevelt Middle School by the student leadership to promote the recycling of trash. Cash incentives are used to promote recycling. 8. The district has established a district-wide Beautification Committee which has begun regular meetings. The Committee is developing a list of landscaping do’s and don’ts for site beautification projects. The Committee will approve site beautification plans and work with sites to support their beautification efforts. The committee expects to promote community and parent involvement in school beautification projects and to provide education to staff, parents and volunteers concerning use of equipment, pesti- cides, and appropriate maintenance. Two board members participate on this commit- tee. 40 Consent Decree Consent Decree 41 Standard Implemented: Fully Implemented – Sustained February 1999 Rating: 0 August 1999 Rating: 4 February 2000 Rating: Not Reviewed August 2000 Rating: 6 February 2001 Rating: 6 August 2001 Rating: 7 February 2002 Rating: 8 August 2002 Rating: 9 February 2003 Self Rating: 10 February 2003 New Rating: 10 Implementation Scale: Not  Fully 42 Consent Decree Consent Decree 43  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 CONSENT DECREE III. School Conditions and Instructional Materials Section 17. Drinking Water a. Drinking water will be readily available to all school children. FCMAT Facilities Management Standard 8.10 was the standard used to monitor the dis- trict’s compliance with Section 17. 42 Consent Decree Consent Decree 43 Facilities Management Standard 8.10 Facilities Maintenance and Custodial – Adequate Repair and Supervision of School Buildings Legal Standard The governing board shall keep the school buildings in repair and supervised. [EC 17593] Consent Decree Stipulation This standard was identified in the Consent Decree in the action Serna v Eastin, Case No. BC 174282, as needing to reach a rating of 8 to be deemed compliant. An additional related stipulation (Section 17) includes that drinking water will be readily avail- able to all students. Progress on Recommendations and Recovery Steps 1. This standard is fully implemented and the Consent Decree stipulation met. The gov- erning board, elected in November 2001, has been supportive of the district’s actions to address the facilities needs of the district. At a workshop/meeting in January 2002, staff reviewed the district’s Facilities Master Plan and the Implementation Plan (time- line for completion). The board members, who were not board members when the Master Plan or Implementation Plan were developed, were supportive of the Facilities Master Plan and committed themselves to its completion. The board has established committees to work with district staff in several district operational areas. The board president chairs the facilities operational area and conducts periodic school site visita- tions with the superintendent, a teacher, a parent and the site principal to review the site’s facilities. Board members have also participated with FCMAT and the ACLU in random site inspections. 2. The ongoing, random, unannounced site inspections keep staff focused on campus cleanliness and the safe condition of school site facilities. The district hired a new facilities coordinator in the fall. Part of this coordinator’s responsibility will be to inspect school sites using the FCMAT criteria checklist in order to make the inspec- tions currently performed by FCMAT a regular district operational responsibility. The district can then take immediate remedial action to address any potential hazards or issues of non-compliance. FCMAT welcomes the institutionalization of this process. 3. A FCMAT representative, and the new Facilities Coordinator Compliance Officer, currently continue to visit the sites and use the FCMAT inspection checklist to moni- tor compliance with Consent Decree stipulations. Follow-up exit conferences are held with the site administrators. Schools are given a letter grade at least once per quarter based on the monitoring checklist. At the end of December 2002, 18 schools had rat- ings of A, 17 had ratings of B, and one school had a C. 4. Drinking water is readily accessible to students. The condition of student drinking fountains is checked during monthly site inspections. Inoperable fountains are re- ported to maintenance staff for correction. The district maintains contracts for annual 44 Consent Decree Consent Decree 45 water service to check all water lines and test for toxic substances such as arsenic. A new construction criteria to be applied to any new district facility is the performance of potable water tests. The district continues its upkeep of the water fountains. 5. Facilities deficiencies identified during site inspections are shared with the facilities division for remedy. A written report of action taken is sent to the site principal and the FCMAT inspector for a follow-up visit. Mobile maintenance teams address any checklist deficiency right away. Repair work on site facilities is continuous. Now that the new Facilities Coordinator Compliance Officer has assumed greater responsibil- ity for these site inspections, remedial actions are more immediate and performance evaluations of staff directly affected. Standard Implemented: Fully Implemented – Substantial February 1999 Rating: 2 August 1999 Rating: Not Reviewed February 2000 Rating: Not Reviewed August 2000 Rating: 6 February 2001 Rating: 6 August 2001 Rating: 7 February 2002 Rating: 8 August 2002 Rating: 9 February 2003 Self Rating: 10 February 2003 New Rating: 9 Implementation Scale: Not  Fully 44 Consent Decree Consent Decree 45  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 46 Consent Decree Consent Decree 47 CONSENT DECREE III. School Conditions and Instructional Materials Section 18. Site Committees a. At each school site, a committee shall be established for the purpose of conducting an inventory and prioritization of repair and maintenance needs and for performing other obligations required by this Consent Decree. Existing school site committees may be used for this purpose so long as their membership is augmented to meet the requirements of this Section. b. Composition of the committee. i. At least sixty percent parents of student attending the school. Such parents will be selected randomly from among those parents expressing an interest in participation after notice of the opportunity has been distributed to all parents at the school. ii. The remainder shall be composed of administrators, teachers, classified em- ployees, and interested members of the surrounding community. c. The site committee shall be constituted at each school within sixty (60) days of the ef- fective date of this Consent Decree. d. At least once each semester, the site committee shall prepare a report to the State Administrator and Advisory Board concerning repair and maintenance needs at the school. e. The site committees shall be chaired by a parent who has been trained in committee and meeting management. FCMAT Facilities Management Standards 1.12, 1.14, and 9.11 were the standards used to monitor the district’s compliance with Section 18. 46 Consent Decree Consent Decree 47 Facilities Management Standard 1.12 School Safety – Inspection and Correction of Unsafe Conditions Legal Standard Building examinations are performed, and required actions are taken by the governing board upon report of unsafe conditions. [EC 173679(a)] Consent Decree Stipulation This standard was identified in the Consent Decree in the action Serna v Eastin, Case No. BC 174282, as needing to reach a rating of 8 to be deemed compliant. Additional related stipulations (Sections 9 and 18) include replacing boarded up windows, re- placing broken windows within 72 hours, affixing a date and time to temporary material placed on broken windows; establishing site committees to inventory and prioritize repair and mainte- nance needs, and reporting to the State Administrator and board at least once a semester. Progress on Recommendations and Recovery Steps 1. This standard is fully implemented and the Consent Decree stipulation met. The dis- trict has demonstrated sustained effort to ensure that facilities examinations are per- formed and required action taken upon any report of unsafe conditions. FCMAT team members and representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union continue to con- duct periodic, random site inspections of district facilities to ensure that unsafe condi- tions do not exist. In addition, a FCMAT representative and district personnel conduct redundant, periodic, unannounced school site visitations on a monthly basis to monitor conditions of school facilities. Schools receive a letter grade based on a criteria check- list. At the end of December 2002, 18 schools had A ratings, 17 schools had B ratings, and one school had a C. Letter grades may change at each site inspection. Several members of the district’s governing board also conduct periodic site visitations. 2. FCMAT site inspection reports continue to be shared with the ACLU, the district ad- ministration, and the Facilities Division. Reports of maintenance actions taken to rem- edy any deficiencies identified during inspections are reported back to the sites and the FCMAT inspector. Follow-up inspections are conducted by the FCMAT inspector to check the completed work. 3. The district continues to comply with the speedy replacement of broken windows. Nu- merous schools have received new plexi-glass windows. The recently passed General Obligation Bond for facilities improvements will allow the district to replace older windows and frames. The district reports that vandalism has been reduced consider- ably. 4. Schools have organized parent safety committees at each site. The committees per- form site inspections for unsafe or hazardous conditions and forward repair requests to the maintenance department to address. Plant managers are instructed to conduct daily inspections of the site and to immediately report any unsafe condition. 48 Consent Decree Consent Decree 49 5. The district, at the recommendation of FCMAT, has assigned a newly hired Facili- ties Coordinator to become a site compliance officer and conduct the monthly site inspections and ratings of the school sites. This is a proactive move to include the site inspections and grade ratings in an internal, systemic district operational process so as not to rely on an external inspector to drive the district’s response for repair and maintenance of district facilities. This will make the district’s response to facilities needs more proactive and less reactive. This position has the authority to direct district employees to remedy any facilities deficiencies noted during an inspection. The Facili- ties Coordinator Compliance Officer will continue working with the FCMAT inspec- tor through the end of the school year, when the district is expected to assume most of this role. 6. As reported in previous six-month progress reports, the district continues to utilize a maintenance request flow chart and forms to track all maintenance requests from the sites. The district has established a five-day completion timeline to complete the requested maintenance. If a request is complex and will require more than two days to complete, the request is assigned to the facilities division as a project, and sites are informed that the five-day timeline cannot be met, with an explanation of the planned date of completion. Logs of the maintenance requests are kept for each school. Indi- vidual sites receive copies of all responses to the requests generated by the site. The district has also established regular maintenance schedules for recurring work, such as tree trimming. The district is following the Facilities Master Plan in scheduling work for roofing, upgrading restrooms, retrofitting lighting, redoing asphalt, and in other work projects. 7. The district continues to utilize the two mobile maintenance teams that were estab- lished earlier in the year. The teams are assigned to a school site for 7-10 days at a time to address school site repairs and maintenance. Sites are inspected ahead of the time the mobile team is scheduled to arrive to identify specific site needs. The mobile maintenance team lead also holds a meeting with the principal and plant manager upon arrival at the site. The mobile maintenance teams are used to address any site inspection deficiencies that surface in an ACLU inspection. 8. The maintenance department continues to immediately address emergency calls to the maintenance hot line (310-639-4321, extension 55377). A memo developed in May 2001, and distributed annually, identifies the types of situations that are emergencies, such as lack of heat, roof leaks, broken pipes, broken windows, odors, inoperable locks, inoperable lights, main line stoppage, broken or lost keys, bells or alarms not working, serious graffiti or vandalism, or fire. 9. Plant managers have been directed to conduct electrical inspections of their site on a monthly basis and to report in writing, any potentially hazardous electrical condition. A form for the documentation of these monthly reviews was developed, and records of the monthly reports from the sites are being maintained. Follow-up work conducted on any reported electrical condition is tracked for each site. Plant managers are also required to report the monthly attendance of their staff to the district office. Both the staff attendance form and the electrical inspection form are due to the district office by the fifth of the month. 48 Consent Decree Consent Decree 49 10. Monthly training meetings are held with the plant managers on district procedures and/or on improving employee skills, such as the proper handling of cleaning chemi- cals. Plant managers are expected to train their site staff on the procedures and/or techniques learned. 11. The district conducted a workshop with the governing board on the district’s Facili- ties Master Plan and Implementation Plan in January 2002. The board has been very supportive in addressing the facilities needs of the district. The board approved a COP for approximately $19 million to build the new William Jefferson Clinton Elementary School, which opened its doors for students in January 2003. In November 2002, the district passed a General Obligation Bond for $80 million. Facilities updates are pro- vided at the monthly board meetings. 12. The district has established a district-wide Beautification Committee which has begun regular meetings. The Committee is developing a list of landscaping do’s and don’ts for site beautification projects. The Committee will approve site beautification plans and work with sites to support their beautification efforts. The committee expects to promote community and parent involvement in school beautification projects and to provide education to staff, parents and volunteers concerning use of equipment, pesti- cides, and appropriate maintenance. Two board members participate on this commit- tee. Standard Implemented: Fully Implemented – Sustained February 1999 Rating: 6 August 1999 Rating: 6 February 2000 Rating: Not Reviewed August 2000 Rating: 6 February 2001 Rating: 7 August 2001 Rating: 8 February 2002 Rating: 9 August 2002 Rating: 9 February 2003 Self Rating: 10 February 2003 New Rating: 10 Implementation Scale: Not  Fully 50 Consent Decree Consent Decree 51  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Facilities Management Standard 1.14 School Safety – Sanitation is Maintained and Fire Hazards are Corrected Legal Standard Sanitary, neat and clean conditions of the school premises exist and the premises are free from conditions that would create a fire hazard. [CCR Title 5 §633] Consent Decree Stipulation This standard was identified in the Consent Decree in the action Serna v Eastin, Case No. BC 174282, as needing to reach a rating of 8 to be deemed compliant. Additional related stipulations (Sections 16 and 18) include that all schools are clean and free from graffiti, that unusable playground equipment is removed or repaired, that schools are free of litter and that a community service program of five hours per semester has been developed for students; other stipulations include establishing site committees to inventory and prioritize repair and maintenance needs, and reporting to the State Administrator and board at least once a semes- ter. Progress on Recommendations and Recovery Steps 1. This standard is fully implemented and the Consent Decree stipulation met. The district’s increased attention on improving facilities and site cleanliness has resulted in cleaner campuses. Plant managers are instructed to perform daily inspections of their site to ensure a clean, sanitary and safe environment for staff and students. School site safety committees continue to make site inspections, and monitor facilities needs at the school. Site inspections conducted by the Facilities Coordinator Compliance Of- ficer and a FCMAT representative, verifies committee agendas and meeting minutes. Random, unannounced site inspections continue to keep all staff focused on maintain- ing the cleanliness of the school sites. Principals, or their designees, are required to in- spect student restrooms three times a day and to take action to remedy any problems. Daily inspections by site principals have also improved campus cleanliness. 2. A FCMAT site inspection checklist is used in the site inspection process, and a letter grade is given to a school based on the number of checklist criteria met. The main- tenance department handles any deficiency reported on the site inspection reporting forms right away. Two mobile maintenance teams have been established to do routine maintenance at school sites. The teams are assigned to a school site for approximately 7-10 days. Sites are inspected ahead of the time the mobile team is scheduled to arrive to identify specific site needs. The mobile maintenance team lead also holds a meeting with the principal and plant manager upon arrival at the site. 3. Sites are free from fire hazards. Any hazardous conditions have already been ad- dressed by the district. If a random site inspection turns up any potential new hazard, it is addressed by the district right away. All schools have an operational fire alarm system in place as discussed in Standard 1.9. Any unusable playground equipment was long ago removed or repaired by the district in response to the Consent Decree. 50 Consent Decree Consent Decree 51 4. Custodial staffs receive structured monthly training to improve site safety and cleanli- ness, and are directed to keep storage areas clean and exits free of obstructions. All doors that might constitute a safety hazard are being changed. Training workshops are being conducted in collaboration with the district’s Risk Manager. The district contin- ues to maintain its emphasis on safety and cleanliness. 5. The maintenance department works with the site plant managers to structure the work day for the site custodians and grounds workers. Sample schedules of typical work assignments have been developed to help the plant managers better direct and monitor the work of their staff. 6. As reported in earlier six-month progress reports, a district maintenance employee has been assigned to remove graffiti at district schools, and makes an inspection of each high school every day. The district has assigned an additional classified employee to each of the three high schools to be responsible for landscaping and grounds at their site. The district conducts regular meetings with site principals and plant managers in attendance together to address cleanliness issues. 7. Both classified and certificated staff remain responsible for addressing the daily re- moval of litter. The district has changed the high school graduation requirements to in- clude a required 2.5 credits of community service for students to meet prior to gradu- ation. The course requirement is the equivalent of 45 hours, or one quarter of a year’s credits. Students who graduate in 2006, who are now freshmen, will need to meet this graduation requirement. In other community service activities, students are engaged in campus beautification projects, often initiated by student government groups, on the various school campuses. Recycling bins have been set up at Roosevelt Middle School by the student leadership to promote the recycling of trash. Cash incentives are used to promote recycling. 8. The district has established a district-wide Beautification Committee which has begun regular meetings. The Committee is developing a list of landscaping do’s and don’ts for site beautification projects. The Committee will approve site beautification plans and work with sites to support their beautification efforts. The committee expects to promote community and parent involvement in school beautification projects and to provide education to staff, parents and volunteers concerning use of equipment, pesti- cides, and appropriate maintenance. Two board members participate on this commit- tee. 52 Consent Decree Consent Decree 53 Standard Implemented: Fully Implemented – Sustained February 1999 Rating: 0 August 1999 Rating: 4 February 2000 Rating: Not Reviewed August 2000 Rating: 6 February 2001 Rating: 6 August 2001 Rating: 7 February 2002 Rating: 8 August 2002 Rating: 9 February 2003 Self Rating: 10 February 2003 New Rating: 10 Implementation Scale: Not  Fully 52 Consent Decree Consent Decree 53  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Facilities Management Standard 9.11 Instructional Program Issues – Facilities Reflect Community Standards and Expectations Professional Standard Facilities within the CUSD reflect the standards and expectations established by the community. Consent Decree Stipulation This standard was identified in the Consent Decree in the action Serna v Eastin, Case No. BC 174282, as needing to reach a rating of 8 to be deemed compliant. Additional related stipulations (Section 18) include establishing site committees to inventory and prioritize repair and maintenance needs, and reporting to the State Administrator and board at least once a semester. Progress on Recommendations and Recovery Steps 1. The district is fully implementing this standard and has met the Consent Decree stipulation. The district continues to involve community members and parents in vari- ous facilities decisions. As reported in earlier six-month progress reports, the district involved a representative community committee in the development of the district’s Comprehensive Facilities Master Plan. The plan, therefore, reflects the standards and expectations of the community for its school facilities. Several public meetings and hearings were conducted in addition to the committee’s meetings, to solicit wider community input into the long-range facilities plan. The committee also provided in- put to the district on a number of operational decisions such as reviewing and revising school boundaries, and placement of portables on school campuses. 2. The district facilities committee was involved in the new elementary school project, and in promoting passage of the district’s general obligation bond. 3. The district successfully passed an $80 million general obligation bond in November 2002 with a community approval rate of more than 80%. The super majority of vot- ers in the community have clearly demonstrated their support and expectations for the completion of the district’s facilities improvement plans. Property owners were as- sessed an annual $60 per $100,000 of assessed property valuation. 4. The district continues to improve in its efforts to keep parents and the community in- formed of projects and improvements in the schools. This appears to be having a posi- tive result, as facilities staff have indicated that parents and community members have been reporting their appreciation to the district for the “drastic improvements” that have occurred in the district’s facilities. The facilities division has initiated a newslet- ter to update the community and staff on the status of facilities projects. The facilities division contributed the necessary information for the bond campaign publications. 54 Consent Decree Consent Decree 55 5. As reported in earlier progress reports, site safety committees have been established at each school site. The composition of the committees are specified in the consent decree stipulation, and should be composed largely of parents (60%). The commit- tees are responsible for periodically inspecting their school sites and identifying repair and maintenance priorities. Copies of agendas and minutes are checked by a FCMAT representative during periodic, unannounced visits to the school sites. Standard Implemented: Fully Implemented – Substantial February 1999 Rating: 0 August 1999 Rating: Not Reviewed February 2000 Rating: 2 August 2000 Rating: 4 February 2001 Rating: 4 August 2001 Rating: 5 February 2002 Rating: 7 August 2002 Rating: 8 February 2003 Self Rating: 9 February 2003 New Rating: 9 Implementation Scale: Not  Fully 54 Consent Decree Consent Decree 55  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 56 Consent Decree Consent Decree 57 CONSENT DECREE III. School Conditions and Instructional Materials Section 19. Student Promotion a. The State Administrator shall develop a draft policy concerning the retention and promotion of students (“promotional policy”). b. In drafting the policy, the State Administrator shall consult with the Advisory Board and with the site committees. c. Upon completion of the draft promotional policy, one or more public meetings will be convened to secure the input of parents. Plaintiffs’ counsel shall assist the CUSD in securing broad parental participation at the public meeting(s). d. Plaintiffs’ counsel shall provide the State Administrator with written comments on the draft promotional policy prior to the first public meeting required by subdivision (c). FCMAT Pupil Achievement Standards 1.5 and 1.16 were the standards used to monitor the district’s compliance with Section 19. 56 Consent Decree Consent Decree 57 Pupil Achievement Standard 1.5 Preparation of Students – Expectations and Practices Professional Standard Expectations and a practice exist to improve the preparation of students and to build a school structure with the capacity to serve all students. Consent Decree Stipulation This standard was identified in the Consent Decree in the action Serna v Eastin, Case No. BC 174282, as needing to reach a rating of 8 to be deemed compliant. Additional related stipulations (Section 19) include the development of a district policy on stu- dent promotion and conducting parent meetings to obtain input to the policy. Progress on Recommendations and Recovery Steps 1. As reported in earlier progress reports, Section 19 of the Consent Decree has been implemented. The promotion/acceleration/retention policy, Policy No. 5123, was revised and adopted on April 11, 2000. Information on the policy is distributed to parents through the Student and Parent/Guardian Handbook. If a student is in danger of being retained, parents are notified early about the possibility and about summer school options that are available to the student. 2. The district has implemented several intervention programs to address low student performance. A seventh period class was offered to English language learners and low achievers (lower than 31% in math or reading) at the middle and high school. This class is part of the student’s regular schedule. Secondary school master schedules are developed based on student needs, and teacher assignments are fitted to meet those identified needs. Teachers were encouraged to develop class exams that were tied to performance standards. Individual professional development plans are developed with each teacher. Principals include these individual staff development plans in the staff evaluation process. 3. Bell schedules for schools have been revised to include banked time for twenty mini- mum days for faculty professional development. Three Learning Support Coordinators were assigned to each high school, increasing the administrative support staff. Sum- mer school was made mandatory for students during the summer. Elementary and middle schools have early dismissal on Mondays to provide time for grade level and subject matter meetings and professional development activities. High schools have late-entry Mondays for staff development activities. 4. All professional development activities have focused on the improvement of instruc- tion and student achievement: the California Subject Matter Projects (Reading and Literature, Math, Science, Writing, and History-Social Science), the Los Angeles County Office of Education’s (LACOE) California School Leadership Academy, other trainings hosted by LACOE, training in Open Court, Language!, CORE, ELD/SDAIE 58 Consent Decree Consent Decree 59 strategies, teacher evaluation, FRISK, airborne pathogens, new administrator orien- tation, sexual harassment, child abuse, IEP development, classroom management, conflict resolution, English Language Development standards, California Standards of the Teaching Profession, Section 504, Special Education Handbook of Process and Procedures and other mandated training. The Pulliam Group, Riverdeep Math, and Target Teach for Math provide training in instructional delivery and use of assessment data to focus on particular areas of im- provement. Site based minimum days give the school staff the opportunity to work together on issues relating to student achievement. Administrators attend district sponsored leadership institutes, symposiums, and other training opportunities to be trained in using student performance data and improving the delivery of quality curriculum and instructional practices. Principals meet regular- ly with their supervisors to ensure the monitoring of effective instructional practices. Administrators are provided workshops on how to coach teachers to ensure that teach- ers utilize the best teaching practices that are aligned with the California Standards for the Teaching Profession. Meetings with assistant principals provide them with additional training to become better instructional leaders. Middle school assistant principals meet at various school sites and as part of the activity, they visit classrooms and give immediate feedback to the hosting school. New and inexperienced teachers meet regularly with mentor teachers and personnel staff members to assist them with classroom management and curriculum and instruc- tion. Central office administrators assist in the monitoring of curriculum delivery. 5. Algebra is the entry level ninth grade math course. The district’s graduation require- ments were revised to align them to the high school exit exam. Middle schools offer pre-Algebra at the seventh grade and Algebra at the eighth grade. 6. Students at the high school who fail a first semester course have to repeat the failed portion of the course before moving on to the second semester level. After school tutorials and Saturday school are provided at all high schools for students who did not pass the CAHSEE high school exit exam. 7. Principals continue to be required to spend 40 percent of the school day in classrooms or working with teachers on instructional improvement. A memo from the superin- tendent was recently reissued to reinforce this emphasis. Principals are expected to provide documentation of their classroom visitations as part of their evaluation pro- cess. Principals give feedback to teachers regarding their lessons. A classroom obser- vation form is used by site administrators to identify practices in place and areas for improvement. Meetings with principals during instructional time have been reduced to once a month for the division and twice a month with the superintendent. 58 Consent Decree Consent Decree 59 8. Central office administrators provide assistance in the monitoring of curriculum delivery. The Key Results Visitation teams have been reestablished at the K-5 level, to visit schools and monitor the quality of instruction provided. Curriculum Special- ists provide lesson demonstrations to new and inexperienced teachers. Participants in the California Professional Development Institutes are encouraged to implement new instructional strategies and to visit the classrooms of their peers. 9. Students are honored for their academic achievements at Board meetings. 10. The district provides a supportive network of supplemental services for students hav- ing academic difficulties. Students learning English get a “double dose” of language arts and ELD classes; high school students can stay for five years to complete require- ments for graduation; after school and Saturday programs are available to students and extended summer school programs of eight weeks instead of six weeks are available. The district’s staff development for teachers focuses on strengthening good “first time teaching” with appropriate SDAIE instruction for English language learners to reduce the need for remedial classes; student needs are better and more appropriately identi- fied and students more appropriately placed and grouped; instructional emphasis is on providing core knowledge to all students. Standard Implemented: Partially Implemented February 1999 Rating: 0 August 1999 Rating: 3 February 2000 Rating: Not Reviewed August 2000 Rating: 5 February 2001 Rating: 5 August 2001 Rating: 5 February 2002 Rating: 6 August 2002 Rating: 6 February 2003 Self Rating: 8 February 2003 New Rating: 7 Implementation Scale: Not  Fully 60 Consent Decree Consent Decree 61  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pupil Achievement Standard 1.16 Common Vision – Practice Professional Standard A common vision of what all students should know and be able to do exists and is put into prac- tice. Consent Decree Stipulation This standard was identified in the Consent Decree in the action Serna v Eastin, Case No. BC 174282, as needing to reach a rating of 8 to be deemed compliant. Additional related stipulations (Section 19) include the development of a district policy on stu- dent promotion and conducting parent meetings to obtain input to the policy. Progress on Recommendations and Recovery Steps 1. As reported in earlier progress reports, the promotion/acceleration/retention policy, Policy No. 5123, was revised and adopted on April 11, 2000. Section 19 of the Con- sent Decree has been implemented. Information on the policy is distributed annu- ally to parents through the Student and Parent/Guardian Handbook. If a student is in danger of being retained, parents are notified early about the possibility and about summer school options that are available to the student. A process is in place to review new and proposed revised board policies on an ongoing basis. The instructional series, 6000, provides a curriculum framework for the district. 2. The district’s governing board adopted in the fall of 2002 a revised mission statement and goals and developed a new district logo. The mission statement and goals are reit- erated on newly revised district documents. The mission statement should be posted at all school sites. “The mission of the Compton unified School District is to empower leaders to lead, teachers to teach and students to learn by fostering an environment that encourages leaders and teachers to be visionary, innovative and accountable for the achievement of all students.” 3. Each school plan has a mission statement and delineates instructional goals of what all students should know and be able to do. The mission statement of the individual schools in future school plans should reflect the newly adopted district mission state- ment. Staff development training in the curricular standards for each core subject focuses teachers on what they are expected to do in teaching the instructional content. Each site has developed a Single Site Plan for Student Achievement to delineate all support and supplemental services provided to the students. 60 Consent Decree Consent Decree 61 4. Other newly approved curriculum documents that guide the instructional program include: • A district technology plan that has been approved by the state. The plan is be- ing implemented by the district. • A district library plan that has been approved by the school board. A library advisory board has been established and will begin meeting in the spring of 2003. • A Master Plan for English Learners that has been approved by the governing board and the state department. The English Language Development curricu- lum has been completed for K-12. Training for teachers begins in the spring, 2003. • A district curriculum template which includes the integration of technology that has been developed. All curriculum guides will be aligned with the con- tent standards. 5. Report cards for grades K-5 were revised to reflect content and performance stan- dards. High School graduation requirements are clearly defined in the Student and Parent/Guardian Handbook. Graduation requirements have been revised and will af- fect this year’s freshmen who will be graduating in 2006. Work is being conducted in school year 2002-03 to develop standards-based report cards for grades 6-12. 6. Central office administrators serve not only as supervisors to the site administrators, but also serve as mentors and facilitators for newly hired administrators. Several re- tired administrators also serve as mentors to new and less seasoned administrators. 7. Twenty district schools receive grants from school improvement programs such as the High Priority Schools Program (HPSP), the Immediate Intervention/ Underperform- ing Schools Program (II/USP), or the Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration program (CSRD). An additional four schools have been invited to apply for HPSP funding. These grants provide additional resources to assist students in academic performance improvement. The schools involved in the various school improvement programs such as HPSP, II/USP and CSRD work with outside consultants in reform- ing their schools. This is the last year for school participation in CSRD and II/USP. 8. There were ten schools originally identified as program improvement schools under the Title I program. Program improvement schools are schools in which adequate student progress has not been made. Student performance in most of these schools has improved, but one elementary school is still on the list. Progress continues to be moni- tored by the district. Thirteen schools have been identified that need to demonstrate satisfactory student progress in their second year under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) mandate. 62 Consent Decree Consent Decree 63 Standard Implemented: Partially Implemented February 1999 Rating: 0 August 1999 Rating: Not Reviewed February 2000 Rating: 4 August 2000 Rating: 5 February 2001 Rating: 6 August 2001 Rating: 6 February 2002 Rating: 6 August 2002 Rating: 6 February 2003 Self Rating: 8 February 2003 New Rating: 7 Implementation Scale: Not  Fully 62 Consent Decree Consent Decree 63  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 64 Consent Decree Consent Decree 65 CONSENT DECREE III. School Conditions and Instructional Materials Section 20. CBEST a. Any teacher hired after November 20, 1997 will be employed for no more than two years without passing CBEST. b. Each year the State Administrator will produce a public report which will identify every teacher employed by the CUSD who does not have a clear credential and how long the employee has been employed. c. No new teacher will be retained for more than three years if he or she does not obtain a preliminary credential. d. The State Administrator shall develop and implement an incentive program to en- courage teachers to obtain a clear credential and to continue their employment with CUSD once they have obtained such credential. FCMAT Personnel Management Standard 3.10 was the standard used to monitor the district’s compliance with Section 20. 64 Consent Decree Consent Decree 65 Personnel Management Standard 3.10 Certificated Recruitment and Selection Legal Standard The district limits the number of certificated persons on CBEST waiver. [EC 44252.5] Consent Decree Stipulations Section 20 of the Consent Decree in the action Serna v Eastin, Case no. BC 174282, includes the following stipulations: the district is to identify teachers without clear credentials, produce a pub- lic report, monitor teachers who have not passed CBEST, release teachers who have not passed CBEST after two years or who have not obtained a preliminary credential after three years, pro- vide an incentive program to teachers to obtain an appropriate credential. Progress on Recommendations and Recovery Steps 1. The district continues to limit the number of teachers on CBEST waivers. In 1998-99 there were 252 teachers on CBEST waivers. This was reduced to 72 in the 2001-02 school year, and has been further reduced to 30 teachers on CBEST waivers in 2002- 2003. 2. The percent of total teaching staff with clear credentials continues to increase. In October 2001, 40% of the district’s teachers held clear credentials. In June 2002, 45% of the teachers held clear credentials. In February 2003, 47% of the teachers hold clear credentials. 3. The number of teachers in the Pre-Intern and Intern programs continues to expand. In the 2001-2002 school year, 170 teachers participated in the Pre-Intern Program, and 47 teachers were in the Intern Program. In 2002-2003, 354 teachers are participating in the Pre-Intern Program (256 Multiple Subject Pre-Interns; 98 Single Subject Pre-In- terns); and 104 teachers participate in the Intern Program. 4. All new, non-credentialed teachers who have not met the subject matter requirement are required to participate in the district’s Pre-Intern program as a condition of employment, or are required to provide, within six months of employment, documentation that they are participating in another intern program working towards a credential, and ongoing evidence of completion of a minimum of six units per year toward their credential. 5. The district provides a differentiated salary schedule, paying credentialed teachers at a higher level than non-credentialed teachers. This provides a strong incentive for teach- ers to become credentialed as quickly as possible. 6. The Commission on Teacher Credentialing allows a maximum of three years for teachers to obtain a CBEST waiver. However, the Consent Decree stipulates that the district must release teachers who have not passed CBEST after two years. The district is complying with the Consent Decree. To minimize the disruption to student instruc- tion, the parties to the Consent Decree have agreed that teachers may be released at the end of the school year. 66 Consent Decree Consent Decree 67 7. The District continues to release teachers who have not passed the CBEST within the allotted two-year period. During 2001-02, the district released 19 teachers who failed to pass CBEST. In 2002-03, the district has released 14 teachers who failed to pass the CBEST. Not only has the district released teachers who have not passed the CBEST, it has also released or reassigned administrators who have not passed the CBEST in their quest for an administrative credential. The district has not released or reassigned any admin- istrators in 2002-03 for failing to pass the CBEST. 8. The district has utilized Teaching as a Priority Program (TAP) funds to provide in- centives for recruiting and retaining credentialed teachers in the district. The funds provided for a $3500 signing bonus for credentialed teachers new to the district in the 2001-02 school year. Credentialed teachers who stayed with the district received a $750 bonus and an additional $750 for supplies if they were a classroom teacher. TAP funds have not been released to the district for the 2002-03 school year. If the dollars are released, the district will use these funds in 2003-04 to provide newly employed credentialed teachers with a $2,500 signing bonus and provide all returning creden- tialed teachers with a $750 bonus. 9. The district continues to provide preparation for the CBEST exam prior to each ad- ministration of the exam during the school year. Staff training is provided at no ex- pense to the teachers, and the district provides support and coaching from experienced teachers. 10. The district and the California School Employees Association are designing a Para- professional Career Ladder Program for instructional assistants who desire to become teachers. The program hopes to accept its first ten participants in Summer 2003, ac- cepting an additional ten participants in January 2004. 11. In an effort to retain teachers, the district is supporting 114 credentialed teachers through the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment Program (BTSA). BTSA provides coaching support to first and second year probationary teachers. The district is also currently providing support to 41 new teachers through the Peer Assistance and Review Program (PAR). 12. The district continues to comply with the Consent Decree stipulations to identify teachers without clear credentials, to monitor teachers who have not passed the CBEST, and to release teachers who have not passed CBEST or obtained a prelimi- nary credential after three years. The district reports to the superintendent and board on the numbers of teachers who have not passed CBEST, the number of years they have served with the district, and the number of teachers released for not meeting the CBEST requirement. A report dated January 29, 2003 indicated the number and per- cent of credentialed and non-credentialed teachers in the district. 66 Consent Decree Consent Decree 67 In 2001-02, the HRED division compared the percent of credentialed teachers to the schools’ API base scores. However, there was no clear correlation that a higher per- cent of credentialed teachers at the site yielded a higher API base score. The district will continue to review these two data streams. Standard Implemented: Fully Implemented - Sustained February 1999 Rating: 8 August 1999 Rating: Not Reviewed February 2000 Rating: Not Reviewed August 2000 Rating: 8 February 2001 Rating: 8 August 2001 Rating: 9 February 2002 Rating: 10 August 2002 Rating: 10 February 2003 Rating: 10 Implementation Scale: Not  Fully 68 Consent Decree Consent Decree 69  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 CONSENT DECREE III. School Conditions and Instructional Materials Section 21. Food Service a. The results of any inspection by the Los Angeles County Health Department shall be shared with the site committee at the school where the food service facility is located. FCMAT Facilities Management Standard 9.3 was the standard used to monitor the dis- trict’s compliance with Section 21. 68 Consent Decree Consent Decree 69 Facilities Management Standard 9.3 Instructional Program Issues – Lunch Areas are Warm, Healthful and Safe Legal Standard The governing board shall provide a warm, healthful place in which children who bring their own lunches to school may eat their lunch. [EC 17573, CCR Title 5 §14030] Consent Decree Stipulation This standard was identified in the Consent Decree in the action Serna v Eastin, Case No. BC 174282, as needing to reach a rating of 8 to be deemed compliant. An additional related stipulation (Section 21) includes that any inspections conducted by the Los Angeles County Health Department should be shared with the school site committee. Progress on Recommendations and Recovery Steps 1. As reported in earlier six-month progress reports, the district completed its feasibility study for a central district kitchen, referenced in the master plan, to serve all district schools. The district applied to the Department of Agriculture for a waiver to use the surplus funds in the Food Services reserve accounts, earmarked for equipment, to build the central kitchen. The waiver, however, was not granted. The governing board had therefore decided to not implement the central kitchen project, and instead, to up- grade and remodel five existing cafeterias to make them more attractive and increase student lunch participation. 2. The board contracted Universal Seating to remodel five school cafeterias at a cost of $250,000 per site before schools opened in September. The five sites were the three high schools and Roosevelt and Whaley Middle Schools. The remodeling, which actually occurred during the winter break, has been completed and has renovated the cafeterias into a restaurant style setting, modifying the student seating arrange- ments, lunch flow patterns, and providing attractive artwork and murals related to the schools’ themes and/or school mascots. 3. High schools have been equipped with four outdoor kiosks at each site to provide for lunch vendors (working with food services) to provide a variety of lunch options for students, in addition to the cafeteria lunch. Colorfully painted trash barrels with hoops on the top of them have been placed in the lunch courtyards to encourage students to throw their trash through the hoops into the trash cans. Additional outdoor benches have been provided for students. 4. Heating is provided to all cafeterias. The maintenance department has repaired numer- ous HVAC systems district-wide. The passage of the district’s local general obligation bond will enable the district to renovate the old and out-dated heating and air-condi- tioning systems in the schools. 70 Consent Decree Consent Decree 71 5. Shade structures to enhance the outdoor lunch areas have been erected at Roosevelt Elementary and Roosevelt Middle Schools. Attractive, new marquis messaging boards have been installed at the three high schools to announce upcoming school activities. 6. The district adopted a Comprehensive Facilities Master Plan in July 1999. All district facilities projects being undertaken are based on this long-range master plan. The district anticipates that completion of its 28 approved modernization projects and three new construction projects will provide modernized school lunch rooms and other areas of campus for students to enjoy their lunches. 7. The inspections of the various site cafeterias by the Los Angeles County Health Department are shared with the school site administrators to share with the school site councils. The inspections conducted by the Los Angeles County Health Depart- ment of several site cafeterias for the 2000-01 school year were shared with the school site committees. There were no inspections conducted by the County Health Depart- ment during the 2001-2002 school year. Early in the 2002-03 school year, the County Health Department visited one school cafeteria in response to a parent complaint, and found the complaint to be unsubstantiated. 8. All district cafeteria managers and cooks participate in the Serve-Safe national certifi- cation program, and three district food services employees are trainers in this certifica- tion program. Training in food safety and service is provided regularly for all employ- ees. Food services employees now voluntarily participate in training after work hours and are awarded ROP credit for the workshops. Standard Implemented: Fully Implemented – Substantial February 1999 Rating: 3 August 1999 Rating: Not Reviewed February 2000 Rating: Not Reviewed August 2000 Rating: 4 February 2001 Rating: 4 August 2001 Rating: 4 February 2002 Rating: 6 August 2002 Rating: 7 February 2003 Self Rating: 8 February 2003 New Rating: 8 Implementation Scale: Not  Fully 70 Consent Decree Consent Decree 71  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 72 Consent Decree Consent Decree 73 CONSENT DECREE III. School Conditions and Instructional Materials Section 22. Central Telephone Number for Facilities Complaints a. The State Administrator shall establish a central telephone number for the purpose of receiving complaints about condition of school facilities. b. The telephone number shall be distributed to all parents at the beginning of each school semester and shall be posted in prominent places at all school sites. c. All telephone calls shall be recorded on a form developed by the State Administra- tor. The form shall require information that will ensure that the State Administrator can prepare a quarterly report that provides information concerning the nature of the calls received, the number of calls received, the school that each call concerned, and the disposition of any complaints received. The quarterly report shall be provided to counsel for plaintiffs and defendants and shall be available to the public. FCMAT Facilities Management Standard 11.2 was the standard used to monitor the district’s compliance with Section 22. 72 Consent Decree Consent Decree 73 Facilities Management Standard 11.2 Communication – Communication of Actions Taken, Planned, Progress Made Professional Standard The district should apprise students, staff and community of efforts to rectify any substandard conditions. Consent Decree Stipulations Section 22 of the Consent Decree in the action Serna v Eastin, Case No. BC 174282, includes the following stipulations: the district is to establish a central telephone number for complaints about the condition of school facilities, distribute and post the telephone number for the public, develop a form for recording calls, record all calls on the developed form, prepare quarterly reports con- cerning the calls received at the school and district levels. Progress on Recommendations and Recovery Steps 1. This standard is fully implemented and the Consent Decree stipulation is being met. The district recognizes that the condition of the district’s facilities continues to be an important issue for staff, students, parents, and community members. The district pro- vides ongoing communication about the district’s activities and positive achievements to its community. The governing board is supportive of addressing facilities needs, and has committed itself to the completion of the district’s Facilities Master Plan. 2. The district is doing a good job of keeping parents and the community informed of projects and improvements in the schools. This appears to be having a positive re- sult, as facilities staff have indicated that parents and community members have been reporting their appreciation to the district for the “drastic improvements” that have occurred in the district’s facilities. The Facilities Division provides monthly project status reports to the governing board, and has initiated a newsletter of facilities activi- ties. The district should make the newsletter a regular publication. 3. The district successfully passed an $80 million local general obligation bond in No- vember 2002 with a community approval rate of more than 80%. The district effec- tively communicated its facilities needs to its community. The super majority of voters in the community have clearly demonstrated their support and expectations for the completion of the district’s facilities improvement plans. Property owners were as- sessed an annual $60 per $100,000 of assessed property valuation. 4. The district continues to provide communication channels for students and staff to utilize to report any unsafe conditions. Reports are made through the district’s Emer- gency Hot-Line, anonymously through the WE-TIP program, or at open Board meet- ings. The district also receives public complaints through the district’s central tele- phone number, the public information office, or the superintendent’s office. School complaints are generally referred to the site principal for resolution. Complaints about security issues are made to the Police Services department. Facilities complaints are made to school principals, board members or the superintendent. 74 Consent Decree Consent Decree 75 5. The district has reestablished participation in the WE-TIP hot-line program, which provides a means for community members to anonymously report facilities concerns or problems to the district. The WE-TIP number was listed in the division’s recent newsletter. Posters on the program have been posted at school sites and the WE-TIP telephone number is widely disseminated. A reward of up to $1,000 is made avail- able through the WE-TIP program. The district should record and tabulate the types of complaints received and provide a quarterly report of this information to the board. Standard Implemented: Fully Implemented – Substantial February 1999 Rating: 9 August 1999 Rating: Not Reviewed February 2000 Rating: Not Reviewed August 2000 Rating: 7 February 2001 Rating: 7 August 2001 Rating: 7 February 2002 Rating: 8 August 2002 Rating: 8 February 2003 Self Rating: 9 February 2003 New Rating: 8 Implementation Scale: Not  Fully 74 Consent Decree Consent Decree 75  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 76 Consent Decree Consent Decree 77 CONSENT DECREE III. School Conditions and Instructional Materials Section 23. Volunteerism a. The District shall actively recruit parents to volunteer at school sites both during hours that school is in session and other periods. The State Administrator shall de- velop a parent involvement plan that includes strategies for recruiting and utilizing parent volunteers to carry out the terms of this Consent Decree. b. Volunteers shall be recruited to assist in security campus patrols, maintenance and litter removal, and after-school tutoring programs. Plaintiffs’ counsel shall actively assist in recruiting other parents to do volunteer work. Parents will be encouraged to perform at least 40 hours of volunteer work per year at their child’s school. c. The principal of each school, using a form developed by the State Administrator, shall keep a record of the number of volunteer hours at each school site. d. The State Administrator shall on a monthly basis present a certificate of appreciation to the volunteer of the month from each school. The certificate shall be presented at a public meeting, such as a meeting of the Advisory Board. FCMAT Facilities Management Standard 10.1 was the standard used to monitor the dis- trict’s compliance with Section 23. 76 Consent Decree Consent Decree 77 Facilities Management Standard 10.1 Community Use of Facilities – Plan to Promote Community Involvement in Schools Professional Standard The district should have a plan to promote community involvement in schools. Consent Decree Stipulations Section 23 of the Consent Decree in the action Serna v Eastin, Case No. BC 174282, includes the following stipulations: the district is to develop a parent involvement plan, develop a form to record voluntarism, recruit parents to volunteer 40 hours per year, keep records of the number of volunteer hours at the schools, conduct monthly recognition programs and provide a certificate to the volunteer of the month. Progress on Recommendations and Recovery Steps 1. The district has met this standard and Consent Decree stipulation as reported in earlier six-month reporting periods. The district continues to promote community involve- ment in its schools, and continues to implement the “Volunteers in Public Schools” (VIPS) guide. The VIPS handbook, developed in the 1999-2000 school year, provides direction to volunteers about becoming involved in the district schools. Schools con- tinue to monitor volunteer participation and the number of parent volunteer hours with sign-in sheets that are monitored by district staff and a FCMAT representative. Train- ing and workshops continue to be provided to parents and school volunteers. Each school has at least one or more parent coordinators to promote parent involvement and assist parents in volunteer activities. 2. Community input is regularly sought by the district. The district held a parent fo- rum during the spring 2002 to hear parents’ concerns and suggestions for improving district programs and operations. The forum was very well attended, and the district intends to conduct these forums on a regular basis. In 2001, parents and community members were involved in the superintendent search process, serving on a community interview panel. Parents were surveyed in the district’s deliberations to expand kinder- garten to a full-day program, which was implemented in September 2001. Community members were heavily involved in the district’s successful campaign to pass a local general obligation bond in the November 2002 elections. 3. The district has established a district-wide Beautification Committee which has begun regular meetings. The Committee is developing a list of landscaping do’s and don’ts for site beautification projects. The Committee will approve site beautification plans and work with sites to support their beautification efforts. The committee expects to promote community and parent involvement in school beautification projects and to provide education to staff, parents and volunteers concerning use of equipment, pesti- cides, and appropriate maintenance. Two board members participate on this committee along with staff and parent volunteers. 78 Consent Decree Consent Decree 79 4. The district continues to provide training workshops to its classified personnel, par- ticularly front office staff, about providing a “customer service” attitude to parents and school visitors. Parent handbooks are updated at the beginning of the school year and distributed to students and parents. The parent handbooks communicate information on school operations and district requirements to help parents understand the school system. 5. Parent centers are available at 14 of 34 school sites, and all schools have a designated area for parents to meet. Parent centers are included in the district’s Comprehensive Facilities Master Plan for many district schools as part of the planned modernization projects. 6. The district conducted a volunteer recognition dinner at the end of the 2001 school year to show its appreciation for the many outstanding parent and community vol- unteers who have worked with the schools. More than 70 volunteers, two from each school, were recognized. More than 250 people attended the event. The district con- ducted its 2002 volunteer recognition event on May 10th, again recognizing two vol- unteers from each school. More than 150 people attended the event held in the board room. The district intends to make this an annual event and has already designated a date in May 2003. 7. As reported in earlier six-month progress reports, parent involvement is a major com- ponent of several grant programs awarded to the district. The Voluntary Desegregation grant, for example, requires a strong parent involvement program with documentation including parents’ name, school, organization, and other information. The Read Across America program requires each site to develop a plan to involve parents and com- munity members as readers. The Immediate Intervention/ Underperforming Schools Program (II/USP) requires the involvement of community members and parents on the school action team that develops the school’s Action Plan for implementation. The Title I program requires a parent involvement component to meet program compli- ance. Additional grant programs will continue to make parent involvement a condition of the grant award. The district continues its efforts to recruit new parents and involve existing parents at all sites. 78 Consent Decree Consent Decree 79 Standard Implemented: Fully Implemented – Sustained February 1999 Rating: 8 August 1999 Rating: Not Reviewed February 2000 Rating: Not Reviewed August 2000 Rating: 8 February 2001 Rating: 9 August 2001 Rating: 10 February 2002 Rating: 10 August 2002 Rating: 10 February 2003 Rating: 10 Implementation Scale: Not  Fully 80 Consent Decree Consent Decree 81  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 CONSENT DECREE III. School Conditions and Instructional Materials Section 24. Race Relations a. The State Administrator shall develop a program to incorporate race relations and nonviolent conflict resolution into the ongoing course of study of all students. In addi- tion, the plan shall encourage the participation of parents in the course of study. FCMAT Pupil Achievement Standard 1.10 was the standard used to monitor the district’s compliance with Section 24. 80 Consent Decree Consent Decree 81 Pupil Achievement Standard 1.10 Variety of Instructional Strategies – Student Diversity Professional Standard Teachers use a variety of instructional strategies and resources that address their students’ diverse needs. Consent Decree Stipulation This standard was identified in the Consent Decree in the action Serna v Eastin, Case No. BC 174282, as needing to reach a rating of 8 to be deemed compliant. Additional related stipulations (Section 24) include the development of a program in race rela- tions in an ongoing course of study for all students, and the encouragement of parent participa- tion in the program. Progress on Recommendations and Recovery Steps 1. To address the Consent Decree stipulation the district purchased instructional materi- als on the Latino experience and the African-American experience for use in the class- room. The district’s desegregation funds have increased the availability of Spanish supplemental materials in the school libraries. The district offered an elective course in Ethnic Studies during summer school. The district will revise the History/Social Science curriculum to include further study of the various ethnic populations that are reflected in the student population. The district celebrated Cesar Chavez’s birthday for the first time during the previous school year with materials developed by the curricu- lum office for teacher use in the classroom. 2. The district works with students directly to improve race relations in the schools. All of the high schools have a Human Relations Club. Programs in Conflict Resolution and Peer Mediation are also being implemented in the schools. A number of multi-cul- tural activities are provided in the elementary schools. Many schools have an Advi- sory period, available to work directly on student issues. 3. Student data is the basis for determining the appropriate staff development activities for teachers. Teachers are provided training in various instructional strategies and modalities such as cooperative grouping and “front loading,” and are expected to use them in their teaching. Teachers are expected to apply the strategies learned from the staff development activities to their teaching to better ensure they are meeting the needs of diverse students. Through classroom observations, principals provide feed- back on the instructional delivery strategies they observe being used in the classroom. Staff development activities help teachers to incorporate strategies such as SDAIE and lesson modifications for special needs students. 4. Both general and categorical funds are used to support all students, including those with special needs, in meeting their achievement goals. Staff development is intended to help teachers to provide quality instructional services for diverse students. Training emphasis is on differentiation of instruction, so that the same lesson is not provided 82 Consent Decree Consent Decree 83 in the same manner to all students. Minimum day schedules and banked minutes have been built into school schedules to provide for faculty professional development. A staff development evaluation form has been developed for completion after each train- ing activity to assess the effectiveness of the activity. 5. The district reports that varied instructional strategies are observed during classroom observations conducted. At the high school level, for example, classroom desks are of- ten arranged facing each other for student interaction instead of facing the front. More project-based learning and subject matter projects are assigned, and more group work and projects are being displayed. Teachers are observed “checking for understanding.” Teachers are required to prepare and submit lesson plans that are reviewed by site administrators. High school teachers prepare a course syllabus for each semester class. 6. At the beginning of the school year, each school’s staff development activities in- cluded analysis and interpretation of student performance data. Graphs and charts were prepared to show student and school performance in comparison with test data from the previous school year. Data is presented in a variety of ways to better inform the schools and their communities of their students’ academic performance. All staff development activities use student data as the basis for determining teacher training needs. 7. The district’s professional development plan is under development for implementation during school year 2003-04. The plan includes an evaluation component that solicits immediate feedback on the workshop content and an assessment of the implementa- tion of the workshop content or information. A coordinated calendar of proposed staff development activities for school year 2003-04 is being utilized. Most staff develop- ment activities are based on the California content standards. Staff development is focused to train teachers in meeting standards and any state or federal compliance issues. Staff development activities are provided at all levels including classified per- sonnel. 8. A major professional development thrust during this school year has been to provide training for the implementation of the Master Plan for English Learners. 9. An Associate Superintendent Position was established to supervise middle schools. A District Middle School Leadership Team was established to insure articulation among the middle schools. A Middle School Symposium was held in October 2002 with lead- ership teams from the eight middle schools participating to ensure articulation among the middles and program alignment. 10. Ten schools had been identified as Program Improvement Schools under Title I as of the 2001-2002 school year. Of those ten schools, five are now in year three of the Program Improvement Schools category. The district is providing supplemental edu- cational services to the students in these schools. Tutorials continue to be part of the students’ school day with emphasis in reading and mathematics. Additional categori- cal funding has been allocated to improve student achievement in these schools. 82 Consent Decree Consent Decree 83 11. For the last five years, test scores have improved in the schools, particularly at the el- ementary and middle schools where the greatest gains have been made. High schools continue to require additional support to improve student achievement. The Pulliam Group has been working with the three high schools to provide more defined data sets to assist the individual classroom teachers to identify student academic needs based on SAT-9, California Content Standards Tests, and the CAHSEE results. Standard Implemented: Partially Implemented February 1999 Rating: 0 August 1999 Rating: Not Reviewed February 2000 Rating: 3 August 2000 Rating: 4 February 2001 Rating: 4 August 2001 Rating: 5 February 2002 Rating: 6 August 2002 Rating: 7 February 2003 Self Rating: 8 February 2003 New Rating: 7 Implementation Scale: Not  Fully 84 Consent Decree Consent Decree 85  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 CONSENT DECREE III. School Conditions and Instructional Materials Section 25. Additional Compliance Requirements a. Facilities Plan. A comprehensive facilities plan is currently being developed by CUSD. Upon completion of that plan, defendants shall submit to the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (“FCMAT”) an implementation plan to implement all recommendations of the facilities plan including specific timelines. FCMAT shall solicit comments from plaintiffs’ counsel on the proposed implementation plan prior to its approval. FCMAT shall approve, with such modifications as it deems appropri- ate, the plan within 60 days of its submission. The implementation plan shall provide that all recommendations of the facilities plan are implemented at the earliest feasible date, and as part of the approval process, FCAMT shall issue detailed findings setting forth the reason each timeline was chosen. Defendants shall make a good faith effort to implement such implementation plan. c. During the period of this Consent Decree, the proceeds of any local CUSD bonds or other local CUSD borrowing instruments shall be used solely to implement the facili- ties plan required by Section 25(a) until such plan is fully implemented or for such other capital expenditures determined by FCMAT to be necessary or appropriate to implement the FCMAT recovery plans until such plans are fully implemented. FCMAT Facilities Management Standards 2.1 and 3.10 were the standards used to monitor the district’s compliance with Section 25a and 25c. 84 Consent Decree Consent Decree 85 Facilities Management Standard 2.1 Facility Planning – Maintenance of a Long-Range Facilities Master Plan Professional Standard Compton Unified School District should have a long-range school facilities master plan. Consent Decree Stipulation This standard was identified in the Consent Decree in the action Serna v Eastin, Case No. BC 174282, as needing to reach a rating of 8 to be deemed compliant. Additional related stipulations (Section 25) include developing a comprehensive facilities plan with time lines, submitting the plan to FCMAT for approval, and FCMAT soliciting comments from plaintiff’s counsel. Progress on Recommendations and Recovery Steps 1. The district has met this standard and the Consent Decree stipulation. The board adopted a long-range Comprehensive Facilities Master Plan on July 13, 1999. The district completed a Facilities Implementation Plan which was approved by FCMAT effective August 10, 2001. The implementation plan provides a timeline to address the district’s most pressing facilities needs and provides a priority for the modernization and new construction projects to be completed by the district as funds become avail- able. 2. All district facilities projects that are undertaken are based on the long-range Facili- ties Master Plan. Decisions about the use of the district’s deferred maintenance funds are also being guided by the Plan. The district has been using its deferred maintenance funds to address the safety needs identified in the Facilities Master Plan since state and local GOB funds were not available. 3. As reported in earlier six-month progress reports, the full implementation of the Facil- ities Master Plan will require state funds for modernization and new construction. The district had qualified to receive state financial hardship funds to pay its share of the modernization (20%) and new construction (50%) match. The hardship status would have provided 100% of the necessary funding. All of the district’s modernization and new construction projects were approved by DSA and OPSC and have been awaiting the availability of state funds. The district’s projects have been placed on the waiting list of approved projects to be funded through state general obligation bond funds. The state’s General Obligation Bond was passed in November 2002. 4. In November 2002 the district also passed a local $80 million General Obligation Bond to modernize its aging facilities. Unfortunately, the district has lost its hardship status with the passing of the GOB and the district will be required to provide its share of matching funds for modernization (20%) and new construction (50%) projects. The district plans to use $61 million to support its modernization projects and $20 million for new construction projects. The district is establishing a bond oversight commit- 86 Consent Decree Consent Decree 87 tee to ensure that the bond proceeds are utilized as the voters intended to support the district’s facilities projects. A FCMAT representative has been appointed as a member of the committee. 5. The district also approved an earlier COP for $19 million to build a new elementary school adjacent to Dominguez High School. The William Jefferson Clinton Elementa- ry School was opened to students in January 2003, as scheduled. The new school can accommodate 850 students. The district will now remove the excess portables from Roosevelt, Kelly and Foster Elementary Schools for use to house students at Centen- nial High School, the first school targeted for major modernization work. 6. A workshop/meeting was conducted with the newly elected governing board in Janu- ary 2002 to review the Facilities Master Plan and the Implementation Plan. The board has recommitted itself to implementing the Plan. The board has established com- mittees in several district operational areas, one of which is facilities, chaired by the school board president. The committee visits campus sites periodically to review the condition of the facilities. Standard Implemented: Fully Implemented – Sustained February 1999 Rating: 0 August 1999 Rating: 5 February 2000 Rating: 6 August 2000 Rating: 7 February 2001 Rating: 8 August 2001 Rating: 9 February 2002 Rating: 10 August 2002 Rating: 10 February 2003 Rating: 10 Implementation Scale: Not  Fully 86 Consent Decree Consent Decree 87  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Facilities Management Standard 3.10 Facilities Improvement and Modernization – Plan for Maintenance and Modernization Exists Legal Standard The CUSD maintains a plan for the maintenance and modernization of its facilities. [EC 17366] Consent Decree Stipulation This standard was identified in the Consent Decree in the action Serna v Eastin, Case No. BC 174282, as needing to reach a rating of 8 to be deemed compliant. Additional related stipulations (Section 25) include developing a comprehensive facilities imple- mentation plan with time lines, submitting the plan to FCMAT for approval, and FCMAT solicit- ing comments from plaintiff’s counsel. Progress on Recommendations and Recovery Steps 1. The district has implemented this standard and met the Consent Decree stipulation. As reported in earlier six-month progress reports, the district developed a Comprehensive Facilities Master Plan, adopted by the Board in July 1999. The district completed a Facilities Implementation Plan, approved by FCMAT effective August 10, 2001, to implement the district’s Comprehensive Facilities Master Plan. Although the imple- mentation plan relies on the receipt of state funds to implement modernization and new construction projects, the plan also identifies sources of district general funds for capital improvement projects and deferred maintenance, and provides a priority for the completion of construction projects as funds are received. The district has commit- ted $2 million to $2.6 million for capital improvement projects per year, and $835,000 as the district’s annual match for deferred maintenance projects. 2. The district has allocated healthy annual budgets for facilities projects from the gener- al fund as facilities improvement has been a continuing district priority. The budgeted funds were used to improve facilities that needed immediate attention. Staff indicated that approximately $10 million was spent on maintenance and construction in the 2000-2001 school year and close to $30 million in the 2001-2002 school year. 3. All district facilities projects that are undertaken are based on the long-range Facili- ties Master Plan. Decisions about the use of the district’s deferred maintenance funds are also being guided by the Plan. The district has been using its deferred maintenance funds to address the safety needs identified in the Facilities Master Plan since state and local GOB funds were not available. The funds that will be available from the newly passed state and local bonds will allow the district to more speedily implement the facilities projects identified in its Comprehensive Facilities Master Plan. Sixteen modernization projects are scheduled to start in February 2003. The district is estab- lishing a bond oversight committee to ensure that the bond proceeds from the district’s 88 Consent Decree Consent Decree 89 $80 million local general obligation bond are utilized as the voters intended to sup- port the district’s facilities projects. A FCMAT representative has been appointed as a member of the committee. Standard Implemented: Fully Implemented – Substantial February 1999 Rating: 0 August 1999 Rating: Not Reviewed February 2000 Rating: Not Reviewed August 2000 Rating: 6 February 2001 Rating: 6 August 2001 Rating: 7 February 2002 Rating: 8 August 2002 Rating: 9 February 2003 Self Rating: 10 February 2003 New Rating: 9 Implementation Scale: Not  Fully 88 Consent Decree Consent Decree 89  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 90 Consent Decree Consent Decree 91 CONSENT DECREE III. School Conditions and Instructional Materials Section 25. Additional Compliance Requirements b. FCMAT has prepared five recovery plans for CUSD: Pupil Achievement; Financial Management; Facilities Management; Personnel Management; and Community Rela- tions. In each of these five plans, FCMAT has identified specific legal and Professional Standards by which to assess CUSD’s compliance. In connection with each standard, FCMAT has measured CUSD’s progress using a 10-point scale, with a scaled score of “0” representing a standard that is not implemented and a scaled score of “10” representing a standard that is fully implemented. The standards of Pupil Achievement recovery plan and Facilities recovery plan are made a part of this Consent Decree and shall be subject to the compliance requirements of this Consent Decree. (i) A list of standards for the Pupil Achievement recovery plan and Facilities recovery plan, including the current scaled scores is set forth in Exhibit “A” attached hereto and incorporated by reference. Any standard that has a scaled score of 8, 9, or 10 shall be deemed to have been implemented. Any standard that has a scaled score of less than 8 shall be addressed and improved by defendants. Compliance with a recovery plan’s standards shall be deemed sat- isfied when FCMAT certifies that defendants have achieved an average scaled score for all such standards of 7.5 and no standard has received a scaled score of less than 4. In addition, compliance shall not be deemed achieved un- less the following standards have received a score of at least 8: 1) Pupil Achievement: 1.2; 1.4; 1.5; 1.10; 1.11; 1.16; 1.20; 1.21; 1.23; 1.25; 2.3; 2.6; 2.9; 2.10 2) Facilities: 1.3; 1.6; 1.7; 1.8; 1.9; 1.12; 1.14; 1.17; 2.1; 2.3; 2.4; 2.5; 2.6; 3.4; 3.8; 3.10; 6.2; 6.3; 8.5; 8.6; 8.8; 8.9; 8.10; 8.12; 9.3; 9.4; 9.7; 9.8; 9.10; 9.11. (ii) Within 60 days of the approval of this Consent Decree, defendants shall submit to FCMAT a proposed timeline to implement the Pupil Achievement re- covery plan and Facilities recovery plan. FCMAT shall solicit comments from plaintiffs’ counsel on the proposed timelines prior to its approval. FCMAT shall approve, with such modifications as it deems appropriate, the timelines within 60 days of its submission. The timelines shall provide that all recom- mendations of these recovery plans are implemented at the earliest feasible date, and FCMAT shall issue detailed findings setting forth the reason each timeline was chosen. 90 Consent Decree Consent Decree 91 (iii)In the event that defendants are unable to comply with any timeline, defen- dants may apply to the Special Master for an extension of time upon a show- ing of good cause. Absent an extension, plaintiffs may apply to the Special Master for specific orders directing particular actions to bring CUSD into compliance. The FCMAT standards identified in the Consent Decree Section 25b as needing to reach a rating of 8 to be deemed compliant follow on the next pages of this report. Charts of the Pupil Achievement and Facilities Management standards are included to provide an overview of the ratings of the standards over time and the status of their implementation. 92 Consent Decree