AUSD Superintendent and Board President Testify in Sacramento

Arcadia Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Joel Shawn and AUSD Board of Education President Cung Nguyen traveled to the State Capitol to advocate for Arcadia students on Thursday. The two were among hundreds, including Gov. Brown, from all over California who testified and shared their thoughts and concerns about the new Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) before the State Board of Education ultimately approved regulations for the new funding model.

“It was important for us to make the trip and express our thoughts on behalf of the district and our community,” said Dr. Shawn. “We needed to let the State Board know that any further restrictions on the LCFF could hurt us as a district and what we want to accomplish for our students. Knowing the mutual trust between our community and the district, it was important that the regulations allow this new funding to truly give as much local control as possible.”

Despite recent revisions to the LCFF regulations, and some groups wanting further restrictions for school districts, the State Board unanimously approved what will be temporary regulations. The State Board will be begin the process of adopting permanent regulations before the LCFF takes effect on July 1, 2014.

AUSD Board President Cung Nguyen also expressed why he felt testifying before the State Board was of great significance.

“We are a very high-performing and unique district that has been able to accomplish great things over the years despite massive budget cuts,” he said. “We need flexibility to be able to continue providing one of the best public educations in the country. We can’t afford a one-budget-fits-all mentality.”  

“The LCFF provides additional money to districts with higher amounts of low-income students, English learners, and foster children,” explained Dr. Shawn. “We aren’t a district that will yield a windfall of new funds like other districts will, so we need the local control to

budget accordingly with the best interests for all our students. I’m pleased the State Board decided against further restrictions for now, and do appreciate all its hard work on this challenging new budget formula. This trip was important for us to let them hear the voice of Arcadia in Sacramento.”