APPENDIX C: Sonoma County LCAP Analysis

In order to assess the degree to which the major school districts in Sonoma County have utilized their Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) resources to support enrolled foster youth, a review was conducted of the Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs) of four districts. Consistent with a pattern that has emerged across the state, these four districts dedicated significant resources to programs that can support foster youth but are designed to support a broader population of students. These include school climate and discipline approaches, attendance eforts, and expanded academic and social-emotional programs. The degree to which these programs reach and efectively serve foster students varies greatly. However, within these four LCAPs we did identify a few foster youth-specific initiatives. Below are some of the highlights from each of the LCAPs.

SANTA ROSA CITY HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT • Hiring of school counselors to provide case management to foster youth and help them develop individualized learning plans to support school connectedness and academic achievement. • Dedicated funds to expand wraparound services, including behavioral health, mental health, and restorative justice, for students and families. • Partnering with community based organizations and Sonoma County to provide therapists to expand social work services, including behavioral health counseling and other mental health services, to support struggling students. • Dedicated funds to support the development of informal education plans for foster youth in conjunction with the Foster Youth Liaison.

PETALUMA CITY SCHOOLS/ JOINT UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT • Expansion of multi-tiered systems of interventions for students in need. • Resources to support summer school programming for struggling K–11 students. • Funding for the Family Resource Center at McDowell Elementary to provide assistance to parents and families in need. • Hiring of Guidance Specialists to provide individual and small group support to students most in need.

HEALDSBURG UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT • Bolstering collaboration with the Foster Youth Liaison and/or foster parents to identify social/ emotional and/or academic counseling needs of foster youth and to provide individualized services. • Adding a K–8 School Psychologist and implementing the Toolbox Program to focus on and address social/emotional barriers to learning.

WEST SONOMA COUNTY UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT • Granting access to a supplemental summer school program for students in need of further support. • Providing “special population intervention classes” for foster youth. • Implementing strategies to support parent engagement to strengthen support system for foster youth.

THIS REPORT WAS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH GENEROUS FUNDING FROM THE THE WALTER S. JOHNSON FOUNDATION, THE MAY AND STANLEY SMITH CHARITABLE TRUST, AND THE COUNTY OF SONOMA FAMILY, YOUTH, AND CHILDREN’S SERVICES DIVISION.