Educational Partner Engagement Feedback

Engaging educational partners is a central part of the PRJUSD LCAP development process. This section describes the feedback received from each educational partner group and the specific changes that feedback produced in the 2026–2027 LCAP. A summary of how and when each partner was engaged is provided in the preceding engagement table, and the detailed goal- and action-level changes referenced below are explained more fully within the analysis of the corresponding goal.

Across all surveys and committees, several priorities recurred and shaped the decisions described below: (1) student emotional safety, mental health, and counseling capacity; (2) class size and adult support in classrooms, including paraeducators, aides, and student engagement staff; (3) support for English/Multilingual Learners, including translation, interpretation, and proactive family communication; (4) access to electives, Career Technical Education (CTE), and dual enrollment, particularly for English/Multilingual Learners and Students with Disabilities; (5) physical safety, supervision, and consistent expectations; and (6) balanced, well-supported access to technology. These themes cut across staff, parent, and student voice and are reflected in the goal- and action-level changes summarized below and detailed within the analysis of each goal.

SURVEYS (JAN 26–MARCH 10, 2026):

Surveys were completed by staff (252 responses), parents in English and Spanish (270 responses), and students in grades 4–12 (1,661 responses). Results are summarized below and informed the funding and service decisions reflected in the adopted LCAP.

STAFF 96% feel connected to school at least sometimes; 96% feel physically safe; 94% report at least one caring adult on campus. Top values: physical safety, emotional safety and mental health support, and academic achievement. Greatest concerns: class size, counseling and mental health services, staff retention and well-being, compensation, classroom paraprofessional support, and special education staffing. Most helpful supports identified: smaller class sizes, caring and well-trained teachers, classroom aides/paraeducators, intervention teachers, and instructional coaches.

PARENTS (ENGLISH) 94% feel connected to school at least sometimes; 97% feel physically safe; 94% report a caring adult for their child; 70% believe PRJUSD provides a high-quality education for all students. Top values: physical safety, academic achievement, and emotional safety and mental health support. Greatest concerns: reducing class sizes, adding classroom aides/paraeducators, expanding counseling and mental health services, more intervention teachers and tutors, professional development, after-school programs, facilities, safety, English/Multilingual Learner support, and parent engagement.

PARENTS (SPANISH) 93% feel connected to school at least sometimes; 100% feel physically safe; 93% report a caring adult for their child. Top values: academic achievement, physical safety, emotional safety and mental health support, support for English/Multilingual Learners and bilingual programs, and family and community engagement. Greatest concerns: clear communication about school activities, more translation and interpretation services, bilingual family advocates, more evening/weekend family events, additional English/Multilingual Learner support, mental health and counseling, smaller class sizes, and campus safety.

STUDENTS, GRADES 4-12 83.74% feel connected to school at least sometimes; 88.74% feel physically safe; 80.01% report at least one caring adult available; 91.21% believe their school is safe, welcoming, and inclusive. Top values: academic achievement, physical safety, and emotional safety and mental health support. Greatest concerns: academic achievement, physical and emotional safety, Career Technical Education (CTE) pathways, Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) and STEM electives, dual enrollment, clean facilities, access to technology, and school meals.

Changes reflected in the adopted LCAP: Counseling and mental health: maintained 3.0 FTE of elementary counseling (0.5 per site) through Supplemental/Concentration funds, added $40,000 for a 20% increase in two TK–8 counselors at Georgia Brown, and restructured the Lewis Flamson (Paso Robles Junior High) Wellness Room counselor position ($57,000) to absorb Tier 3 supports on-site. Class size and classroom support: placed a full-time Student Engagement Specialist at every elementary school, added seven itinerant PE paraeducators to reduce student-to-adult ratios, and added a full-time Campus Assistant at Georgia Brown. Intervention and coaching: maintained two instructional coaches by shifting their funding to District Title I funds. English/Multilingual Learner support, communication, and translation: added a 0.375 Bilingual Translator/Interpreter position, a 0.25 ELD teacher at Kermit King, and a Special Education Coordinator to support dual-identified English/Multilingual Learners with disabilities. Technology and screen-time access: invested an estimated $250,000 in student devices and software and allocated 10% of the salary for three IT Technicians for on-site support. CTE, electives, and dual enrollment: expanded CTE pathway access and continued exploring a Paso Robles High School (PRHS) bell-schedule adjustment to widen access to electives, CTE, and dual enrollment.

COMMITTEES:

LCAP Parent Advisory Committee (PAC)

What we heard: Student emotional safety and the need for counselors. Tolerance and inclusion. Teacher caring. Access to electives, especially for English/Multilingual Learners and Students with Disabilities. Concern about excessive screen time.

Changes reflected in the adopted LCAP: Funded 50% of the elementary counselors rather than eliminating them, with each site able to fund the remaining 50% through Title I. Continued work toward a PRHS bell-schedule modification to expand access to electives, CTE, dual enrollment, and Early/Middle College for English/Multilingual Learners and other students.

District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC)

What we heard: Communication systems connecting home and school. Translation services. Transportation. Access to electives for English/Multilingual Learners. Physical and emotional safety. Culturally responsive, high-engagement teaching strategies.

Changes reflected in the adopted LCAP: Added a 0.375 Bilingual Translator/Interpreter position and continued translation at all meetings in Spanish, with continued efforts to provide other languages as needed. Continued Public Information Officer support to ensure communication reaches the district’s most vulnerable families. Continued bus service to the extent staffing allows. Continued pursuing the secondary bell-schedule adjustment and expanded access to electives, CTE, dual enrollment, and Early/Middle College across secondary sites. Maintained counseling and mental health services and focused professional development on robust Tier 1 instruction, including Universal Design for Learning and English Language Development strategies such as comprehensible input and structured student discourse.

Superintendent’s Student Advisory Councils (SAC)

Paso Robles High School SAC

What we heard: Insufficient quad supervision and inconsistent rule enforcement, with some students not feeling safe speaking up. Desire for positive incentives aligned with PBIS, greater schedule flexibility, more elective options for English Learners, and a more open campus.

Changes reflected in the adopted LCAP: Added a Deputy Principal to work with counselors on system design, safety, and strong Tier 1 instruction. Continued work on the bell-schedule modification to support access to electives and advanced innovative PBIS implementation.

Alternative Education SAC (Liberty High School)

What we heard: Students expressed strong appreciation for Liberty’s sense of belonging, improvements in mental health, and the visibility English/Multilingual Learners feel there. Students reflected candidly on prior experiences at a comprehensive site, including a lack of personal connection, punitive culture, environmental neglect, and a disconnect around the purpose of diagnostic testing, and emphasized empathy and a personalized approach.

Changes reflected in the adopted LCAP: Maintained the goals, actions, and strategies at Liberty that are working well—mental health support, bilingual support, and CTE access—and applied the students’ feedback on climate and culture to practices at the comprehensive high school.

Schools Receiving Equity Multiplier Funds (Liberty High School)

What we heard: Through the Alternative Education School Site Council and ongoing meetings with Alternative Education leadership, partners provided input on using Equity Multiplier funds toward the required action areas for graduation rate and the College/Career Indicator for English Learners, socioeconomically disadvantaged, and Hispanic students. Site analysis identified unmet mental health and basic-needs supports affecting attendance as the primary barriers to graduation and college/career readiness, along with a need to expand CTE pathways.

Changes reflected in the adopted LCAP: Maintained the half-time CTE teacher, expanded mental health services, and continued bilingual paraeducator and bilingual family advocate support under Goal 5, based on evidence that these supports are effective. Because Independence High School is no longer eligible for Equity Multiplier funds in 2026–2027, the corresponding Goal 6 has been eliminated.

Bargaining Units (PRPE and CSEA) District leadership met individually with the leadership of the certificated (PRPE) and classified (CSEA) bargaining units to share the draft 2026–2027 LCAP and to elicit feedback that could inform additional shifts.

Changes reflected in the adopted LCAP: Certificated (PRPE): the finalized bargained agreement includes a 2% salary increase tied to the addition of one full professional development day, dedicated to training and coaching certificated staff to meet the needs of English/Multilingual Learners, Long-term English Learners, low-income students, and foster youth. Classified (CSEA): the adopted LCAP reflects classified staffing shifts, including moving from six behavior paraeducators to a full-time Student Engagement Specialist model at every elementary school (with increased support at Kermit King and Pat Butler), additional PE paraeducators, a new Georgia Brown Campus Assistant, and athletic support, with library technician hours shifted to Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELOP) funds.

SELPA AND COUNTY CONSULTATION:

What we heard: The consultation reviewed the Mid-Year Board Report and the status of actions and metrics addressing the needs of students with disabilities, confirmed alignment between the LCAP and related district initiatives (e.g., Differentiated Assistance and the Comprehensive Improvement Monitoring process), and confirmed parent-of-a-student-with-a-disability representation on the LCAP PAC (4 of 16 members, 25%).

Changes reflected in the adopted LCAP: Reallocated a vacant EL/SpEd TOSA position to create a Special Education Coordinator to support dual-identified students and ensure IEPs and instructional plans align with Universal Design for Learning principles.

GOAL-LEVEL SUMMARY OF PARTNER INFLUENCE:

The partner feedback summarized above shaped each of the district’s LCAP goals as follows; the specific actions and expenditures are detailed within the analysis of the corresponding goal:

Goal 1 (All Students will be Connected to School and Engaged in Learning): Staff, parent, student, and PAC input on emotional safety and mental health led the district to maintain elementary counseling, increase TK–8 counseling at Georgia Brown, and restructure the Lewis Flamson (Paso Robles Junior High) Wellness Room counselor position. Paso Robles High School SAC feedback on quad supervision, consistent rule enforcement, and positive incentives led to the addition of a Deputy Principal and continued, innovative PBIS implementation. Classified (CSEA) input informed the move to a full-time Student Engagement Specialist model at every elementary school, additional PE paraeducators, and a new Georgia Brown Campus Assistant.

Goal 2 (All Students will be College and Career Ready): Student, PAC, and DELAC interest in electives, CTE, and dual enrollment led the district to expand CTE pathway access and to continue work toward a Paso Robles High School bell-schedule adjustment that widens access to electives, CTE, dual enrollment, and Early/Middle College.

Goal 3 (Every English Learner will Make Progress toward Reclassification Each Year): DELAC and Spanish-language parent input on translation, home–school communication, transportation, and culturally responsive instruction led to a 0.375 Bilingual Translator/Interpreter position, a 0.25 ELD teacher at Kermit King, continued interpretation at all meetings, continued Public Information Officer support to reach the district’s most vulnerable families, continued bus service to the extent staffing allows, and professional development in Universal Design for Learning and English Language Development strategies such as comprehensible input and structured student discourse. The certificated (PRPE) agreement added one professional development day dedicated to serving English/Multilingual Learners, Long-Term English Learners, low-income students, and foster youth.

Goal 4 (All TK–6th Grade Students will Show Growth of 5% per Year in English, Math, and Science): Parent and student priorities for intervention, tutoring, and technology access led the district to maintain two instructional coaches by shifting their funding to District Title I funds, sustain elementary counseling and classroom adult support, and invest an estimated $250,000 in student devices and software with dedicated on-site IT support.

Goal 5 (Liberty High School — Equity Multiplier Focus Goal): The Equity Multiplier input team, Alternative Education leadership, and the Liberty High School SAC identified unmet mental health and basic-needs supports affecting attendance, along with a need to expand CTE pathways, as the primary barriers to graduation and College/Career readiness for English Learners, Hispanic, and socioeconomically disadvantaged students. In response, the district maintained the half-time CTE teacher, expanded mental health services, and continued bilingual paraeducator and bilingual family advocate support. Because Independence High School is no longer eligible for Equity Multiplier funds in 2026–2027, the corresponding Goal 6 has been eliminated.