MCOE Mission The mission of Merced County Office of Education, as the educational leader of the Central Valley and trusted community partner, is to transform education and inspire personal, social, and academic achievement of students through collaborative partnerships, accountable leadership and innovative, high-quality programs and services.
We welcome your questions, comments and feedback. Please email us at info@mcoe.org.
632 W 13TH ST MERCED, CA 95341
209.381.6600
WWW.MCOE.ORG
Annual Report Contents
Table of Contents Message from the Superintendent
02
Merced County Office of Education
03
Merced County Schools
04
Graduation Rates
05
Accountability & Achievement
06
Education Budget
07
Our Students
08
Student Special Events
09
Continuous Improvement
10-11
Migrant Education
12
Early Education
13
County-Wide Partnerships
14-15
Camp Green Meadows
16
Virginia Smith Trust
17
MCOE Departments
18
MCE Foundation
19
Education Funding
20
Content Organization by Nathan Quevedo Cover and Design by Hector Ramirez Photography by Dylan McMullen and Nate Gomes Printed at MCOE’s Full-Service Print Shop
MERCED COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
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2019 ANNUAL EDUCATION REPORT
Merced County Schools
Message from the Superintendent
This year, our ninth annual education report spotlights the work MCOE does to provide ongoing support for teachers in classrooms across Merced County and the important work educators across our region do to support migrant students. Our Merced County Teacher of the Year was a migrant student in Central California who benefited from the support offered by the Migrant Education program and she shared her story in one of the videos that accompanies this report. The Migrant program is designed to help support students and families that are constantly moving with the agriculture industry. As migrant workers move from county to county, or state to state, the Migrant Education Program can keep track of children and provide continuous support for both these students and their families. The Migrant Education Program also helps students catch up on school work they miss as their families follow the crop. MCOE serves Madera, Merced and Stanislaus counties, which make up Region 3. The second spotlight of this year’s report is on the work MCOE does with school districts across the county to support teacher development and continuous improvement. MCOE has increased its own staff, thereby creating the opportunity to expand offerings for ongoing teacher development. MCOE’s new Downtown Professional Development Center will provide a large meeting space and several breakout rooms, the PDC will be a hub of teacher professional development in Merced County and the region. By moving professional development downtown, MCOE will bring many guests to the revitalized downtown and help support the energy that makes Merced a city on the rise, but more importantly, makes Merced County a great place to raise children because of the high-quality education available to all. This report also includes MCOE programs and partnerships, along with student demographics, graduation rates, college and career readiness and other indicators of student success across our county. I hope you enjoy this annual report and learn more about education in Merced County.
MERCED COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
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2019 ANNUAL EDUCATION REPORT
To view the videos that accompany this report and a downloadable version, visit: mcoe.org/annualreport
Merced County Office of Education
Merced County Superintendent of Schools
Susan Coston
Assistant Superintendent Special Education
Janet Riley
Assistant Superintendent Business Services
John Magneson
Assistant Superintendent Educational Services
In Merced County, the County Superintendent of Schools is elected to a four-year term and performs a broad range of duties. In addition to leading MCOE and its programs, the County Superintendent serves as an advocate for public education and facilitates public awareness of educational and legislative issues, trends and activities. County Superintendents work collaboratively with school districts to ensure that every student benefits from a quality educational experience, regardless of their circumstances. As the county’s education leader, the County Superintendent promotes and guides collaboration among school districts, higher education, government agencies, community organizations and elected officials to support children, families and schools.
Steve M. Tietjen, Ed.D. Merced County Superintendent of Schools
The Role of the County Office of Education
Eva Chavez
Assistant Superintendent Human Resources
Christie Hendricks
Assistant Superintendent Early Education
Downtown Professional Development Center
County Offices of Education support local school districts by providing services, leadership and oversight. These services include implementing new standards, staff development and training programs and instructional procedures; fiscal oversight and approval of each school district’s Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP); and performing many other services to meet the changing needs of the 20 Merced County school districts. County Offices of Education also provide a wide range of instructional programs, including arts and outdoor education, special education, career and technical education, programs for at-risk youth and instruction in juvenile detention facilities.
MCOE SCH OOLS Atwater Valley Community School 1800 Matthews Ave., Atwater | 209-381-4550 Los Banos Valley Community School 715 West H St., Los Banos | 209-827-5600 Floyd A. Schelby School 6738 N. Sultana Dr., Livingston | 209-394-1800 Merced Scholars Charter School 1850 Wardrobe Ave. Bldg H, Merced | 209-381-5165 A large role of the Merced County Office of Education is providing professional development for educators across the region. In 2019, MCOE purchased the historic Mondo building in the heart of downtown Merced to serve as a professional development center. With seven conference rooms and a large events space downstairs, the PDC will host teacher trainings, student special events, among other community events. MCOE is committed to supporting the revitalization of downtown Merced. MERCED COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
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Green Meadows Outdoor School 77798 White Chief MT. Rd., Fish Camp | 559-642-0122 Merced County Juvenile Court School 2840 W. Sandy Mush Rd., Merced | 209-381-1414
2019 ANNUAL EDUCATION REPORT
Merced County Schools Ballico-Cressey
Snelling-Merced Falls
Delhi Unified
Merced River
Hilmar Unified
Merced City
Gustine Unified
Planada Elementary
Livingston Union Elementary
Le Grand Elementary
Atwater Elementary
Plainsburg Union Elementary
Winton
Weaver Union Elementary
McSwain Union Elementary
El Nido Elementary
Los Banos Unified
Dos Palos-Oro Loma Unified
Le Grand Union High School District encompasses 3 elementary districts
Merced Union High School District encompasses 8 elementary districts
SCHOOL DISTRICT
SUPERINTENDENT
PHONE
Atwater Elementary School District
Sandra Schiber, Ed.D.
209-357-6100
Ballico-Cressey Elementary School District
Bliss Propes
209-632-5371
Delhi Unified School District
Adolfo Melara
209-656-2000
Dos Palos-Oro Loma Joint Unified School District
Justin Miller, Ed.D.
209-392-0200
El Nido Elementary School District
Lori Gonzalez
209-385-8420
Gustine Unified School District
Bryan Ballenger
209-854-3784
Hilmar Unified School District
Isabel Cabral-Johnson
209-667-5701
Le Grand Union Elementary School District
Scott M. Borba
209-389-4515
Le Grand Union High School District
Donna Alley
209-389-9403
Livingston Union School District
Andres Zamora
209-394-5400
Los Banos Unified School District
Mark Marshall, Ed.D.
209-826-3801
McSwain Union Elementary School District
Mike Crass (Interim)
209-354-2700
Merced City School District
Richard “Al” Rogers, Ed.D.
209-385-6600
Merced County Office of Education
Steve M. Tietjen, Ed.D.
209-381-6600
Merced River Union Elementary School District
Richard Lopez
209-358-5679
Merced Union High School District
Alan Peterson
209-325-2000
Plainsburg Union Elementary School District
Kristi Kingston
209-389-4707
Planada Elementary School District
Jose Gonzalez
209-382-0756
Snelling-Merced Falls Union Elementary School District
Alison Kahl
209-563-6414
Weaver Union School District
John Curry
209-723-7606
Winton Elementary School District
Randall Heller
209-357-6175
MERCED COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
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2019 ANNUAL EDUCATION REPORT
COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION Dennis Hanks Chairperson
Area 1
Chris Chavez Vice Chairperson
Area 2
Frank Fagundes
Area 3
Fred Honoré
Area 4
Geneva Brett
Area 5
Merced County schools were incorporated more than 160 years ago in 1856 when the first County Superintendent of Schools, William Nelson, petitioned the Board of Supervisors to divide the county into three school districts. The 1860 census reported a population of 1,141 in Merced County, and in 1863, the County Superintendent reported an enrollment of 267 children and a county schools budget of $1,000. The first high school was established in 1895 with 27 students and two teachers under the administration of the County Board of Education. In 1897, a new high school was completed on the corner of 22nd and M Streets in Courthouse Square. Today, there are 20 school districts with their own Boards of Trustees and Superintendents serving more than 59,000 TK-12th grade students with Steve M. Tietjen, Ed.D., serving as the 29th County Superintendent of Schools.
Graduation Rates CAREER READY All students should graduate from high school ready for college or a career and prepared for life. Students will face high expectations in the real world, and ensuring our schools’ standards have those high expectations is vital to facilitating student success, and to giving families and communities an accurate sense of student progress. It’s critical that we raise the bar so that our students — regardless of socioeconomic status, race, or geographic location — are held to high learning standards that will ensure they have the skills to compete in today’s global, knowledge-based economy. Collaboration and critical thinking are essential to preparing students for the real world.
SCHOOL DISTRICT
Above State Average Merced County public high schools continue to exceed graduation rates in California, with more than 4,100 students donning a cap and gown and walking across the stage in 2019. While the seven school districts listed here all have graduation rates above 90 percent, the Merced County average is at 92.1 percent. This is because of some student groups that are not included in these districts’ data. Special education students, which have a 0 percent graduation rate, make up about 500 12th graders. The Merced County average also includes incarcerated students and court and community school students, which tend to have lower graduation rates. Despite this, the Merced County high school graduation rate continues to remain above the state average. MERCED COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
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GRAD RATES
Delhi Unified
98.20%
Dos Palos-Oro Loma Joint Unified
92.80%
Gustine Unified
93.60%
Hilmar Unified
96.50%
Le Grand Union High
91.60%
Los Banos Unified
95.10%
Merced Union High
94.20%
Merced County Average
92.10%
California Average
88.10%
2019 ANNUAL EDUCATION REPORT
Accountability and Achievement
California Dashboard Positive Performance Levels Outliers RED
(LOWEST)
This system of reports uses a series of state and local indicators to measure student performance.
Local Indicators BASIC CONDITIONS • Parent Engagement • Implementation of Academic Standards • School Climate
State Indicators ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE • Chronic Absenteeism • Graduation Rate • English Learner Progress • Suspension Rate • College & Career Readiness
ORANGE
YELLOW
GREEN
BLUE
(HIGHEST)
California’s accountability system is based on multiple measures that assess how local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools are meeting the needs of their students. Performance on state measures, using comparable statewide data, is represented by one of five colors. The performance level (color) is not included when there are fewer than 30 students in any year. This is represented using a grey color dial with the words ‘No Performance Color’. County offices of education are mandated by education code to provide differentiated assistance to school districts that qualify based on the state’s accountability system. The trigger for qualifying for Level 2 Differentiated Support is met if one or more student groups do not meet two performance standards for two or more state priority areas. As school districts focus on continuous improvement, MCOE works collaboratively with school districts to identify priority areas that will lead to improved outcomes for all students.
To learn more about your school or district, visit: www.caschooldashboard.org
MERCED COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
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2019 ANNUAL EDUCATION REPORT
Seven Merced County school districts were highlighted in 2019 in the first-ever Positive Outliers Report compiled by the Palo Alto-based Learning Policy Institute. The report focused on school districts where students consistently beat the odds and outperformed their peers on state achievement testing. Merced County school districts recognized in the report were Atwater, Delhi, Livingston, McSwain, Merced City, Weaver and Winton school districts. The Winton School District ranked third-highest out of 430 California school districts for the performance of its Hispanic students. This accolade reflects the hard work in these school districts listed and shows they are on the right track to meet the needs of 21st century learners. In the Merced Union High School District, which serves 60 percent of the high school students in Merced County, the percentage of students who demonstrated being prepared on the College/Career Indicator scale is higher than the average for both traditionally underrepresented groups of students, as well as white students, for all six comprehensive high schools. When compared to other similar districts and districts that have historically been highlighted for their innovative practices, MUHSD performs well, with all schools considered positive outliers, performing above average for both underrepresented as well as wellserved students.
Education Budget
How California Schools are Funded
2015-20
MERCED COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS’ BUDGET
$750 Million $700 Million $650 Million $600 Million
2019-20
2018-19
Source: Merced County Office of Education
Totals include Local Control Funding Formula, federal, state and other local funding received through the general fund.
2015-20
Education Makes Up Nearly Half of General Fund Expenditures
MCOE OPERATING FUNDS REVENUE
$120 Million $115 Million $110 Million
K-12 Education $58.7
$105 Million
Higher Education $17.2
2019-20
$90 Million
2018-19
Health and Human Services $40.3
2017-18
$95 Million
2016-17
Corrections and Rehabilitation $12.5
2015-16
$100 Million
Natural Resources $3.5
Source: Merced County Office of Education
Totals include Local Control Funding Formula, federal, state and other local funding received through the operating funds. Operating budget revenue for 2019-20 includes one-time federal funding for Head Start facilities and local loan for acquiring property.
Other $12.0
State Education Spending Per-Pupil
SOURCE: Governor’s Budget, California Department of Finance, January 10, 2019.
Merced County Schools Enrollment
MCOE Staff
2017-18
$500 Million
2016-17
$550 Million
2015-16
In California, the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) provides funds to school districts based on their Average Daily Attendance (ADA) and their Unduplicated Pupil Percentage (UPP). These funds support the general operations of the district, with base grants provided to fund services to all students and supplemental and concentration grants provided to increase and improve services to the targeted students (low income, English learners and foster youth). Total LCFF funding is provided from both the state general fund and local property tax. In addition, school districts receive support for categorical programs, including special education, child care and child development programs, child nutrition programs and preschool. Each of these programs has its own statutory eligibility criteria and budget appropriation.
1
Vermont
$20,540
2
New York
$19,697
3
Wyoming
$18,090
4
Alaska
$17,872
Classified
892
65.2%
2019-2020
59,357
39
California
$10,281
Certificated
293
21.4%
2018-2019
59,222
47
Idaho
$8,677
Management
183
13.4%
2017-2018
58,811
48
Texas
$8,619
TOTAL
1,368
2016-2017
58,271
49
Arizona
$8,335
50
Utah
$7,635
Source: Merced County Office of Education
Source: Merced County Office of Education Source: Education Week Research Center, 2019
MERCED COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
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2019 ANNUAL EDUCATION REPORT
Our Students
Student Demographics California has the largest and most diverse student population in America, with more than 6 million students in just over 1,000 school districts. Merced County has more than 59,000 students in 20 school districts with a majority of Latino students, at just over 73 percent. For the first time, the Los Banos Unified School District became the school district with the largest student population at 11,075. The school district with the smallest student population is Snelling-Merced Falls Union School District with 78 students.
MERCED COUNTY
15.1% 3.2% Enrollment
English Learners
5.4%
5,125
27.5%
2.7%
372
30.9%
Delhi USD
2,581
38.2%
Dos Palos-Oro Loma Joint USD
2,427
22.4%
El Nido ESD
181
74.6%
Gustine USD
1,846
31.3%
Hilmar USD
2,388
21.9%
Le Grand UESD
371
43.4%
Le Grand UHSD
511
16.4%
Livingston USD
2,464
49.0%
Los Banos USD
11,075
28.9%
McSwain UESD
876
10.7%
Merced CSD
11,009
17.8%
Merced COE
1,362
22.3%
177
39.5%
10,523
8.8%
Plainsburg UESD
110
7.3%
Planada ESD
833
54.6%
Snelling-Merced Falls UESD
78
23.1%
Weaver USD
2,871
27.4%
Winton SD
1,981
55.5%
School District Atwater ESD Ballico-Cressey ESD
Merced River UESD Merced UHSD
73.6%
HISPANIC BLACK
ASIAN
OTHER
CALIFORNIA
54.6% 22.9% 7.8% 5.4% 9.3% Source: California Department of Education, 2018-2019
Source: California Department of Education
MERCED COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
WHITE
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2019 ANNUAL EDUCATION REPORT
Student Special Events
Enrichment Outside the Classroom
student special MCOE hosts more than 15 r that are available events during the school yea to high school. Parto students from preschool help students learn ticipation in these events , exposes them about confidence, teamwork s their skills and to new ideas and celebrate re well known comdiversity. Ranging from mo the Spelling Bee and petition-based events like ual and performing Academic Decathlon to vis n’s Opera and arts activities like the Childre ts have many opporChildren’s Concert, studen in Merced County. tunities for special events
From left, Junior High Spelling Bee Wordmaster and MCOE Coordinator Dr. Audry Garza po ses 2018-19 with third place wi nner Samika Judg e, first place winn Nicole Nguyen an er d second place wi nner Luke Almeada .
A Merced County STEM Fair participant talks wit h a UC Merced student the third annual Merce about their projects at d County STEM Fair at UC Merced. The STEM with the UC Merced Pos Fair was held in conjun ter Showcase, where gra ction duate and undergraduat work, giving younger stu e students display their dents an opportunity to collaborate and learn.
Merced High School took the top spot at the 2019 Merced County Academic Decathlon.
with his daughter Patrick McGowan, s named 2019 Stella McGowan, wa r of the Year the Fa Merced County
Mitchell Senior Elementary School in Atwater earned first place for 7th grade at the 2019 Merced County Academic Pentathlon.
gamut of Students participate in the Merced County Mock Trial and learn the defense the as serve can students m, courtroo the in bilities responsi roles and bailiff. and the prosecution attorneys, witnesses, the court clerk and even the MERCED COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
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2019 ANNUAL EDUCATION REPORT
Continuous Improvement
Design A
mong the many roles of a county office of education in supporting school districts is to ensure teachers and school administrators are equipped with the most modern approaches and relevant tools to succeed in our ever-changing world. It’s crucial that educators have a growth mindset that leads to life-long learning and keeping current with curriculum, instruction and assessment, as it relates to policy, programs and process. MCOE’s Continuous Improvement Program provides training and hands-on professional development to educators across Merced County in mathematics, English language arts, history and social science, English language development, technology, STEM, and state and federal compliance. MCOE assists districts with state and federal requirements by providing workshops and site- or district-based support. MCOE also hosts a variety of professional learning networks including the Categorical/English Learner Network, Curriculum Learning Network and LCAP Networks. Through a focus on the four components of Teaching and Learning, Building Leadership Capacity, Cycle of Learning, and Monitoring & Evaluation, as well as by leveraging the expertise of local administrators and teachers, MCOE supports districts and schools as they balance meeting mandated requirements with creating meaningful plans that memorialize their own continuous improvement journeys and lead to improved outcomes for students.
MERCED COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
Focus Impact Stability • • • • •
District Support Professional Development Cross Collaboration Coaching & Mentoring Leadership Capacity Development
Math Hierarchy of Needs Math Literacy Confident, problem-posers and probelm-solvers
Equitable Assessment Feedback and intervention to improve achievement
Student-Centered Instruction Meaningful discourse to promote conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and problem-solving
Mindset & Culture All students can learn, mistakes are normalized
Material Needs Teacher content knowledge, essential standards, curriculum, math tools
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2019 ANNUAL EDUCATION REPORT
Continuous Improvement
Districts that received zero services from MCOE experienced growth similar to the county average. Districts that received significant services from MCOE experienced 3x as much growth compared to the county average.
2018 vs. 2019:
28% 24% 22% 20% 16%
2019
18%
Contracted with MCOE
26%
2018
Percentage met or exceeded standard for Math
A COMPARISON OF YEAR-TO-YEAR GROWTH
MERCED COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
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2019 ANNUAL EDUCATION REPORT
Migrant Education
The Impact with Migrant Families The Migrant Education program believes family empowerment is instrumental to student success. That’s why during the past few years, Migrant Education has sent 30 father-and-son teams and 30 mother-and-daughter teams to a weekend retreat at Camp Green Meadows where they learn about improving intergenerational communication and set up plans for positive discipline and success for college. In 2019, Migrant Education held the first-ever Regional Migrant Family Conference where more than 200 parents from across a five-county region, including San Joaquin and Contra Costa counties, came to Merced College for a one-day conference. Also last year, Migrant Education began a series of family math nights in 13 different school districts where parents learned how to play math games with their children.
Comprehensive Services Migrant Family Housing Centers Madera County Merced County Stanislaus County
MCOE’s Migrant Education Program oversees Region III, which encompasses Madera, Merced and Stanislaus counties. There are nearly 6,500 Migrant Education students in this region.
The Region 3 Migrant Education Program is designed to ensure migrant students benefit from high quality and comprehensive educational programs. Region 3 is comprised of Merced, Madera and Stanislaus counties. The federally funded program helps migrant students face many obstacles in their educational pursuit, such as language barriers, parental engagement and high mobility rates that can cause a lack of stability in their education. The Migrant Education Program’s goal is to guide these students and their families and get them the help they need
MERCED COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
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to succeed. MCOE provides supplemental education and support services to help overcome difficulties, as well as develop their skills and options for the future. Parent empowerment is crucial, and programs like regional advisory committees give parents the opportunity to participate in leadership trainings that help strengthen their role in advocating for and parenting their children. Migrant Education also partners with health clinics, universities and colleges, community agencies, agribusiness, local and national non-profits and more.
2019 ANNUAL EDUCATION REPORT
Early Education
Head Start Expands Services
M
erced County Head Start has seen tremendous growth in the past year, opening new sites in Delhi, Livingston and Merced, while expanding 10 sites to extend to 20 additional full school-day programs. Head Start and Early Head Start provide infant/toddler and preschool services to children ages 0 to 5. Services are also available for pregnant women. Head Start has center-based, homebased and family childcare options available throughout Merced County. Full-day programs have been shown to result in stronger child outcomes and enable parents to attend school, search for work and work part-time, or cover part of the families’ child care needs for those who work full-time and non-traditional schedules. Head Start families benefit from access to a variety of community resources, health and nutrition education programs, diverse parent education programs and other social services to support the entire family. Head Start also welcomes children with disabilities into every classroom.
MERCED COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
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2019 ANNUAL EDUCATION REPORT
County-Wide Partnerships
Creativity, Imagination, Experience Faculty from UC Merced, a Merced County Supervisor, the Merecd County Office of Education and several prominent early education champions have come together to create a learning experience for students across Merced County. The Kids Discovery Station Merced is scheduled to open in 2020 at the MCOE Yosemite Center. The goal of the discovery stations is to give children a space to release and use their creativity and imagination while introducing them to different environments, experiences and information.
EMPOWER Program The EMPOWER Program is operated by MCOE in partnership with the Merced County Workforce Development Board. EMPOWER provides comprehensive services to out-of-school youth ages 18-24 to prepare for and achieve success in college and career. Services provided include vocational assessment, career exploration and planning, career technical education, support services and ongoing mentoring and guidance by knowledgeable and caring staff.
Adult Education Networks The ROP Culinary Essentials program is the newest ROP Adult program. The program is funded by the California Adult Education Program and the local Gateway Adult Education Network with a focus to serve adults. The program, located at the Yosemite Education Center, offers hands-on training in a full kitchen along with internship opportunities in local restaurants. Students can also earn industry certification in food handling.
MERCED COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
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2019 ANNUAL EDUCATION REPORT
County-Wide Partnerships
Excellence in Education Awards
A
teacher, bus driver and teacher induction coordinator received county-wide honors at the 2019 Excellence in Education program presented by MCOE and the Educational Employees Credit Union. Lance Brewster, a custodian/bus driver with the McSwain Union Elementary School District, was named school employee of the year. Rosbelina Ward, a fourth grade teacher at Farmdale Elementary School in the Weaver Union School District in Merced, received the top teacher award and Stacy Shasky, the teacher induction program coordinator at MCOE, received the top administrator award. For the second year in a row, an MCOE employee earned the Administrator of the Year. In its 14th year, the program is open to school districts across Merced County with award categories for teachers, administrators and school employees. There were three nominees for administrator of the year, seven nominees for school employee of the year and eight nominees for teacher of the year.
Lance Brewster
Stacy Shasky
McSwain Union Elementary School District McSwain Elementary School
Merced County Office of Education Educational Services
Rosbelina Ward Weaver Union School District Farmdale Elementary School
At the ceremony, honorees and their guests enjoyed videos produced by Merced Educational Television (METV) in the historic theater along with the announcement of winners in all categories. The winner of the Merced County Teacher of the Year and School Employee of the Year are eligible to move on to the state awards program.
SUMMER READING SUCCESS
Supporting Our Foster Youth In conjunction with public, private and non-profit agencies, MCOE provides services to foster youth across Merced County. MCOE is the only entity in the Merced county that receives funding from the state to operate the county-wide program, which serves about 460 foster youth annually, although that number can fluctuate. The program’s goals are to stabilize foster care placement and enhance academic success. This may involve reducing discipline problems, juvenile delinquency, truancy and student dropout rates. A high percentage of foster youth have special needs and have individualized or tailored educational programs established for them. The Court Appointed Special Advocates of Merced County serve as advocates in education and in the court system.
The Merced County Library partnered with MCOE in 2019 for its annual summer reading program, which was a resounding success. Total countywide participation for the Summer Reading Program soared in 2019 to 20,929 readers, compared to 1,042 readers in 2018. In the first week alone of the 2019 program, participation exceeded total 2018 participation. Program attendance nearly doubled in 2019 with 6,074 compared with 3,462 in 2018. MERCED COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
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2019 ANNUAL EDUCATION REPORT
Camp Green Meadows
— A TRADITION OF —
Outdoor
Education
F
or nearly 60 years, Camp Green Meadows Outdoor School has served students from Merced County and across California in week-long residential outdoor school programs. Students gain hands-on science experiences while exploring and attending classes in the Sierra National Forest that meet the Next Generation Science Standards. A total of 4,336 fifth- and sixth-graders from 21 school districts attended Camp Green Meadows in the 2018-19 school year. Attending with these students were 607 high school students that served as cabin leaders while learning leadership skills and real-world responsibility. These students were accompanied by nearly 200 classroom teachers who participated in Camp Green Meadows’ NGSSbased curriculum. Owned and operated by MCOE, Camp Green Meadows is funded differently than traditional schools and does not receive average daily attendance and relies on funding from MCOE and district participation fees. MCOE’s longterm support for the outdoor school in Fish Camp can be seen in the generations of students that have attended this Merced County tradition and continuing support can be seen in projects like the complete overhaul and rebuilding of the septic system. Projects like this set the stage for Camp Green Meadows to thrive for many more generations. This project laid the foundation for future renovations and growth like the new nurse’s station that is scheduled for construction in 2020. This new structure will give access to students of all abilities at Camp Green Meadows.
4,336
75%
607
TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS SERVED
OF MERCED COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS SEND STUDENTS
TOTAL NUMBER OF HIGH SCHOOL CABIN LEADERS
MERCED COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
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2019 ANNUAL EDUCATION REPORT
Virginia Smith Trust
Virginia Smith Trust
DEVELOPMENT MOVES FORWARD
A
fter several years of preparatory work and studies, the Virginia Smith Trust Board of Trustees applied to Merced County in late 2019 to develop the property near UC Merced to benefit future generations. The VST’s 655-acre parcel located directly south and adjacent to the UC Merced Campus on Lake Road provides an asset with tremendous capability to generate revenue for student scholarships. Currently, the land has more than 500 acres of income-producing almonds, but the potential for further income growth to support scholarship is exciting. The Virginia Smith Trust was established in 1975 in accordance with the will of Virginia U. Smith, who was a Merced resident that spent her life in service to others. Development and sale of the property has been planned as far back as 1998 when the University of California started construction. Buildout of the property is expected to take
4,046
15-20 years, and will result in more than 4,000 dwelling units, creation of a town center to serve site residents along with UC staff and students. The project will offer hiking trails, onsite parks and open spaces, in addition to a wide variety of housing type to meet the needs of all ages and incomes. The sale of the property is expected to generate $100 million in revenue during the next 20 years. Once the entitlement process is complete, its predicted that the Trust could distribute $5 million to $10 million each year to the more than 1,300 annual graduates from high schools in Merced. The VST is working closely with the City of Merced, Merced County and UC Merced, among others, to ensure successful development of the project. The ultimate goal is to maximize the revenue from the VST land so that the mission of Virginia Smith will continue to be fulfilled for generations to come and benefit Merced students.
61.5%
HOUSING UNITS
150,000 SF
ACRES OF PARKS
OFFICE SPACE
UC Merced Lake Road MERCED COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
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2019 ANNUAL EDUCATION REPORT
The Virginia Smith Trust was established in 1975 in accordance with the will of Virginia U. Smith, to award scholarships to Merced graduates deemed worthy, deserving and needy. The trust has awarded nearly $4.5 million in scholarships since 1976.
570,500 SF RETAIL SPACE
MCOE Departments
Business Services The Business Services Department provides accounting, budgeting, information technology, purchasing, maintenance and operation support, facility development, which includes construction services, and transportation, which includes maintenance of a large fleet of vehicles for the MCOE. Additionally, business advisory, financial services, technology services and payroll processing services are provided to the 20 school districts in Merced County, as well as the responsibilities of fiscal oversight through the AB 1200 process. With the advent of the Local Control Funding Formula, the Business Department, in collaboration with the Educational Services Department, reviews and approves the Local Control and Accountability Plans of school districts within the county.
Educational Services The Educational Services Department is comprised of six programs: District Support Services, Student Programs, Migrant Education Program, College & Career, Leadership and Systems and Continuous Improvement. Educational Services offers professional development and technical assistance to all 20 school districts, bringing experts and best practices to the field to support Merced County educators. Programs include: ASSETS After School Program, Camp Green Meadows Outdoor School, Media and Technology services, Teacher and Administrative Credentialing Programs, the North Valley Leadership Institute and Special Events, which operates the Academic Decathlon, among many other county-wide student events. The department also leads Merced County’s Seal of Multilingual Proficiency. Additional programs include: Comeback Charter School, Phoenix Project, CalSOAP, Career and Technical Education, Foster Youth Services Coordinating Program and EMPOWER.
Human Resources The Human Resources Department administers personnel and payroll functions for more than 1,300 MCOE employees across the region. Some of these tasks include employee recruitment and selection, employment-related counseling, leadership development, workers compensation, health benefits, maintenance of employment records, along with negotiating, implementing and administering collective bargaining agreements for represented staff. Human Resources staff also coordinates compensation and benefits for internal staff. The Human Resources department provides fingerprinting services, credentialing advice and credential monitoring for all school districts in Merced County. In addition, the department maintains the countywide substitute teacher list and hosts an annual career expo.
Early Education
Special Education
The Early Education Department provides leadership and professional development opportunities and operates programs that ensure quality early education services to the community. Programs include Early Head Start, Head Start and the Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership grant, where more than 1,100 children and their families receive early care and learning services. The Child Care Resource and Referral services assists families in locating licensed care and early learning services. Other programs include: the California Preschool Instructional Network (CPIN), the Family Resource Center, Caring Kids, Early Connections, Parents As Teachers Home Visiting Program, Caring for Our Black Children, the Merced County Collaborative for Children & Families (LPC), workforce development services for early education professionals and the Quality Counts! Merced County, which provides coaching, training and professional development thus promoting high quality care and early learning for children in all early learning environments.
The Special Education Department provides services for children and young adults, birth to age 22, with special needs. They are served in homes, local schools and schools with specialized classes. Services include: home visits for infants that meet eligibility, early intervention autism services, classes for students with significant disabilities preschool to post-high school, services for students who are deaf or hard of hearing, classes for students with emotional challenges, adaptive physical education services, occupational and physical therapy, itinerant services for students with visual impairment, services for students with orthopedic impairment, speech and language development, nursing and health assistance, behavior support services and school psychologist services. The Merced County Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) ensures that quality special education programs and services are available throughout the region. MERCED COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
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2019 ANNUAL EDUCATION REPORT
MC E Merced
County
Education
F O U N DAT I O N Stacie Arancibia, Executive Director 209-381-6602 | sarancibia@mcoe.org
Merced County Education Foundation The Merced County Education Foundation supports programs and activities that create educational experiences outside the classroom for students in Merced County. The MCE Foundation wants to strengthen and support collaborations and partnerships with MCOE, businesses, foundations, agencies, organizations and families. The Foundation has four areas of focus: Outdoor Education at Camp Green Meadows, Visual and Performing Arts, College and Career Readiness and STEM Education.
Stem Education
Camp Green Meadows
In 2016, in partnership with the Merced County Office of Education, the first Merced County STEM Fair took place and saw 20 projects where students from 5th through 8th grade competed for spots to attend the California State Science Fair. With our partnership, the STEM Fair is thriving due to a new partnership with UC Merced and in 2020 expects nearly 40 projects expanding to allow high school students to participate. After the 2020 Merced County STEM Fair, up to six projects are eligible to move on to the state competition and represent Merced County at the California Science and Engineering Fair.
As part of a generous donation, the MCE Foundation has assisted with providing a summer camp experience for Foster and other disadvantaged youth. These students might not have been covered by the local foster youth program or non-foster youth may have had extenuating circumstances that caused them to miss camp when their class attended. The MCE Foundation works with the MCOE Foster Program, Human Services Agency, schools and private families to find these students and award them a scholarship to attend a week at Camp Green Meadows. This gives students the opportunity to learn and build on their academics, social skills and self-esteem. Work on the septic system was completed in Summer 2019 and construction will begin on the new nurse’s station in Summer 2020.
Visual and Performing Arts The MCEF recently awarded a number of school grants and scholarships for foster youth to local arts programs. The use of these programs makes it more accessible to students in other areas of the county who may not be able to travel to Merced for rehearsals and shows and allows schools to provide more opportunities. The goal is to continue to offer these and many other arts programs to Merced County students to expose them to a wide variety of visual and performing arts opportunities. The MCEF also supports the UC Merced Opera for Children and the Merced Symphony Association’s Children’s Concerts.
College & Career Focusing on college and career readiness will increase our student success rate as well as our local economy. Students need help to explore college and career options, gain employability skills, prepare for advanced education and training, learn new job skills or increase work experience in addition to developing skills for specific fields. An important part of preparing students for college and career is improving literacy of all residents in our communities. Little Lending Libraries have started to pop up in areas that do not have libraries. Merced County Students do the work to build and install these libraries serving a dual purpose in their creation. MCEF is committed to creating access to books in every community.
Learn more about the Merced County Education Foundation and how you can help at www.mcoe.org/foundation Please send your donation to: MCE Foundation, P. O. Box 1, Merced, CA 95344 or give online at: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/mcef
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2019 ANNUAL EDUCATION REPORT
Education Funding
Proposed Education Budget Increase In Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2020-21 budget, he proposed a $2.9 billion increase to education spending. His specific target investments include raising the Local Control Funding Formula by 2.29 percent to account for cost of living increases. This proposed budget would add $900 million to Special Education, which has not had any new ongoing money since prior to the Great Recession. Also earmarked is $300 million to support the neediest low performing schools and an additional $300 million for innovation community school models that support student mental health.
SB 328
In fall 2019, Gov. Newsom signed SB 328 into law requiring many California middle and high schools to start classes later in the morning. The law will require middle schools to start school no earlier than 8 a.m. and high schools to start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. by July 1, 2021. This bill does not include a “zero period,” in other words, a class that is additional to the number of classes required by the local district. Most school districts in Merced County already comply with this bill, while some will have to make minor adjustments to their school day. If you currently drop your child off at school before 8 a.m., it’s a good idea to find out what resources are available for students to use prior to class starting. Many schools have extended library hours in the morning so students can read or complete homework before school starts.
EDUCATION BALLOT MEASURE
There’s just one measure on California’s March primary ballot: A $15 billion school construction bond with a familiar, but confusing name. It’s called Proposition 13, however, it’s not connected to the historic property tax measure from the 1970s often referred to as Prop. 13. The number 13 has simply cycled through, leading to some bewilderment about what’s on the ballot. The bond — the largest state school bond to date in California — will include $6 billion for higher education, split evenly among community colleges, California State University and the University of California. An additional $9 billion will go
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to K-12 schools. For the first time, districts will be eligible for matching dollars for preschool facilities they build or renovate. Districts whose facilities have lead in drinking water, have other pressing health and safety issues or need seismic repairs will get priority for the money. Locally, several Merced County Districts will be able to double local bonds by applying for a receiving state matching dollars for both new schools and school modernization. State school bonds are paid for by state general fund income and local property taxes are not impacted by these state bond issuances. Many of the previous state bonds that were sold have been paid off since the end of the great recession.
2019 ANNUAL EDUCATION REPORT
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