Lagunitas opts out

[Susan Harman <susanharman@igc.org>]

CalCARE is working closely with Lagunitas board members to spread their protest.

Susan

0000,3333,CCCCLagunitas district targeted over refusal to force testing

3333,3333,3333Rob Rogers

Article Launched: 02/27/2008 05:28:25 PM PST

Tired of being penalized for their refusal to comply with requirements for
standardized testing, Lagunitas School District officials say they may refuse
federal funding rather than accept state sanctions.

"How in the world are we going to force children to take this test? In order to
comply, we'd have to tie children to their seats," said Denise Santa-Cruz Bohman,
president of the Lagunitas School District board, which has considered turning
down federal funds for several years. "We believe parents have the right to opt
out of this test if they so choose. That's how we got to where we are."

On Wednesday, the state Department of Education placed Lagunitas on a list of 97
California schools that have failed to meet required goals for improvement for
the past three years.

"Students who have persistently lagged behind have suffered too long and they
need our help right now," said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who recommended
moderate to severe penalties for half of the schools on the list and said he
would support using $45 million in federal funds to help all 97 improve.

His decision made California the first state in the nation to enforce the
penalties proposed by the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Lagunitas made

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the list of failing schools because many of the district's parents have
consistently refused to allow their children to take the state's Standardized
Testing And Reporting exams.

Although state law allows parents to opt out of the STAR exams, the federal No
Child Left Behind Act requires 95 percent of a district's students to take part
in state testing. About 60 to 70 percent of Lagunitas students take the test,
Santa-Cruz Bohman said.

Schools that fail to show improvement for three or more years face a range of
punishments from the state, from having to adopt a state-written curriculum to
placing the district in receivership.

In Lagunitas' case, the punishment is likely to be less severe, said Laura
Wagner, administrator of intervention assistance for the state Department of
Education.

"Because of the nature of the situation, Lagunitas will only be required to look
at why it got into program improvement and help itself get out," Wagner said. "It
doesn't have problems nearly as egregious as those in at least 89 other
districts."

Yet Santa Cruz-Bohman said her board will likely forego an annual $40,000 in
federal Title I funds rather than accept the state's judgment. The district board
will meet March 6.

"Title I funds go to a particular early reading intervention program, and this
just means that we'd replace those funds from our general fund," Santa-Cruz
Bohman said. "It's a bite, but it's a bite we'll have to deal with."

At least six other California districts have been penalized for failing to
participate in state testing, Wagner said, though she knew of no other district
considering withdrawal from federal funding.

"We're proposing resources for those districts in program improvement," Wagner
said. "Lagunitas probably wouldn't get much, but it would get some to address the
reasons it's in program improvement."

Should the Lagunitas board decide to decline federal funding, it would do so at a
time when the district is already facing significant cuts to state funds.

"This (decision to give up federal funding) wouldn't cause us to issue layoffs.
The governor's budget, on the other hand, may," Santa Cruz-Bohman said. "I don't
think that will happen this year, but we can't be sure until we see where the
cuts are."

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