May 15, 2013
The Honorable Jay Hansen
Board of Education Member, Area 1
Sacramento City Unified School District
5735 47th Street
Sacramento, CA 95824
Dear Mr. Hansen,
Thank you for the opportunity to meet to discuss our concerns about funding for
Crocker/Riverside Elementary School.
We are writing to provide follow-up information regarding how Crocker/Riverside’s funding
compares to other schools with similar demographics. The continued lack of funding has
impacted equal access to technology for students and teachers and has made the site council
process--mandated by statute in Education Code Section 52852 and 64001 to promote
collaborative planning between all stakeholders (principal, teachers, staff and parents)—
irrelevant.
District’s Funding Methodology Has Resulted in Disproportionate
Cuts to Crocker/Riverside
While other schools in Sacramento deservedly have access to Federal and State funds,
according to the District’s Bulletin on 2012-13 Title I and Economic Aide Allocations, to meet
the needs of their disadvantaged students, English learners and special education students,
Crocker/Riverside and schools with similar demographics have very few options other than the
$51 per student for operational costs as stated on page 119 of the SCUSD 2012-13 Budget Book.
The four schools that have similar racial and ethnic compositions to Crocker/Riverside
are: Phoebe Hearst, Alice Birney, Caleb Greenwood, and Theodore Judah Elementary Schools.
(See the next page for chart and graph.)
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Racial/Ethnic Composition
Black or African
American
American Indian or
Alaska Native
Asian
70
% of Students
60
50
40
Filipino
30
Hispanic or Latino
20
Native Hawaiian/Pacific
Islander
White
10
0
Two or More Races
Racial/Ethnic Composition
Site
Black or
African
American
Crocker/Riverside
Phoebe Hearst
Birney (K-8)
Greenwood (K-8)
Genevieve Didion (K-8)
Theodore Judah
LDV (K-8)
Lubin
Sutterville
Matsuyama
2.2
8.9
9.9
6
8.3
5.7
7.7
11
7.8
18.6
American
Indian or
Alaska
Native
0.6
1.2
1.9
2
0.5
0.7
1.2
0.9
0.7
0.4
Asian
8.6
11.2
4.9
3.6
28.2
2
7.6
6.7
16.7
30.8
Native
Two or
Hispanic Hawaiian/
Filipino
White More
or Latino Pacific
Races
Islander
0
20.5
0.3
56.9
10.7
2.5
22.5
1.4
44.9
7.4
1
20.4
0.4
56.6
4.9
1.6
22.5
0.9
57.5
5.6
2.5
21.2
1.1
26.1
11.9
0.7
28.4
0.2
52.6
9.7
0.7
31.3
0.3
43.6
7.6
0.7
30.6
0.4
42.3
7.4
0.9
24.2
1
43.4
5.2
3.1
22.5
2.1
15.5
7
Below is an overview of other populations of students typically used to apportion funding:
socio-economically disadvantaged, English learners, and students with disabilities.
In this sample, the school with the least number of socio-economically disadvantaged
students is Genevieve Didion at 18.6%, then Crocker/Riverside at 19.1%, Phoebe Hearst at
25.7%, Alice Birney at 28.6% and finally Theodore Judah at 29.7%.
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For Students with disabilities, Phoebe Hearst has the lowest percentage with 1.6%,
followed by Sutterville at 7.8%, Crocker/Riverside at 8.6%, Matsuyama at 8.9% and David
Lubin at 9.6%.
Other Populations
50
45
40
% of Students
35
30
Socio-economically
Disadvantaged
25
English Learners
20
15
Students w/Disabilities
10
5
0
None of these schools qualify for Title I funding as they do not meet the District’s 50%
threshold requirement, but some of the schools qualify for EIA LEP/SCE funding. (See chart
on page 4.)
The EIA Funding Comparison chart illustrates that even among non-Title I schools, in other
words, relatively “low poverty” schools, there is a vast variation in funding levels.
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EIA Funding Comparison
$70,000.00
$60,000.00
$50,000.00
$40,000.00
EIALEP
$30,000.00
$20,000.00
EIASCE
$10,000.00
$-
Why the Loss of the School/Library Improvement Block Grant Funds
Was Critical
It was devastating to Crocker/Riverside’s school site budget when we lost the School/Library
Improvement Block Grant Funding (SLIBG) funding because it is a “flexible categorical
program” and one of the few funding sources for which Crocker/Riverside is eligible to receive.
Sacramento City Unified School District still receives SLIBG funding. The District received
$3,374,444 of SLIBG for the 2012-13 school year, according to the California Department of
Education website, but chose not to allocate this funding (that we know of) to a school site.
(Click on the link for the Schedule of the 2012–13 Apportionments XLS to view the allocations
made to SCUSD and other school districts across the state.)
As you will see on the next page, Crocker’s school site budget took a big hit from 2009 to the
present and reflects the $50,000 loss of the SLIBG. While District funding (excluding salaries)
decreased by 60% at Crocker/Riverside over the last 4 years, the student population has
grown 30% from 2005-06 to the present. The District’s overall funding to Crocker/Riverside
declined from a high of $84,346 in 2008-09 to $35,306 in 2012-13. Meanwhile, our student
population has increased from 452 students in 2005-06 to the current enrollment of 670
students.
The previous SLIBG funding supported:
.475 FTE instructional aide
.20 FTE bi-lingual aide
And funding for the lease on the Apple MacLab.
Currently, the only funding that Crocker/Riverside receives from the District is the $51 per
student that is allocated to all elementary schools for operating costs (supplies and materials,
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copier rental, library books…etc) regardless of other funding sources received. (Source: page
19 of the SCUSD 2012-13 Budget Book.)
Equal Access to Technology for Students and Teachers
This lack of funding continues to not meet the needs of our students, teachers or cover the
most basic expenses to operate the school, much less address the upcoming technology
demands as detailed in the California Department of Education’s implementation plan and
computer adaptive testing by 2014-15 for the Common Core State Standards.
As stated on page 3 of State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson’s Report on
Common Core State Standards, Systems Implementation Plan for California
October 2012
“…the new CCSS require significant student collaboration, fluency with
multimedia and technology, and the development of strong complex reasoning,
problem solving, and communication skills.”
Like parents and educators throughout the District, we all want our students to have equal
access to technology opportunities already provided at other school sites. It is clear that access
to technology in the school setting will become more and more important as California fully
adopts the CCSS.
Crocker/Riverside Operating with Late-1990’s Technology
Washington Elementary and other elementary schools throughout the District are outfitted
with interactive SmartBoards and projectors are ceiling mounted and hard wired for safety.
Neither of these exist at Crocker/Riverside. Teachers have to put their projectors on tables in
the middle of the room, eating up valuable floor space. Basic white boards are still in use.
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SmartBoards and ceiling mounted projector at a
local elementary school within SCUSD.
Typical projector and basic screen in a Crocker/Riverside classroom
At Ethel Baker Elementary, the principal, assistant principal and all teachers were issued IPads
and a MacBook. Each of the 6th grade classes have iPad carts.
At Crocker/Riverside’s library which also acts as a make-shift computer lab, the 29 monitors
are powered by (9) 8-to-10 year old desktop computers that are cobbled together running
Windows XP, released in 2001. According to a recent report by the Smarter Balance
Assessment Consortium, which the California Department of Education is a member, the
report recommends:
“While the online assessment will be able to run on Windows XP in 2014–15,
districts are strongly urged to consider a transition plan to migrate units off of
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Windows XP, as it will be a non-supported OS by April of 2014 according to
Microsoft. (page 6 of report)
Crocker/Riverside has one mobile MacLab that was purchased in 2009-2010, the last year we
had SLIBG funding. The MacLab is shared by all intermediate grades or approximately 10
classrooms with approximately 33 students each.
Photos of Crocker/Riverside’s outdated computer lab which shares space with the
library.
Site Council Process Is Not Funded
Although Crocker/Riverside has a Site Council, it is in name only because there are no funds in
which to carry out the original intent and purpose of this mandated entity. As page 2 of the
District’s Site Council Handbook states:
“…the SSC (School Site Council) is charged with the responsibility of developing
a program that is responsive to the needs of every student in the school.”
The Site Council represents an important process that brings together all parties to
improve the educational quality at each school site. At Crocker/Riverside, the Site
Council process is meaningless because of the lack of District funding.
As stated earlier, the site budget for Crocker/Riverside for 2012-13 is $35,306. This will
cover the cost of paper, cleaning supplies, copying machine maintenance/contracts and
that is it. (Because of a one-time infusion of $20,000 in the fall of 2012, the school was
able to cover the cost of the MacLab lease and other supplies.) This extra $20,000 is not
indicated in the public SCUSD 2012-13 Budget Book.
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Debunking the Misconception That Budget Cuts Don’t Hurt
Crocker/Riverside
It is easy to sometimes make false assumptions that a community can simply “fundraise their
way” to provide equal access to technology--so critical to full implementation of the Common
Core Curriculum--or to provide supplemental tutoring services to children who are struggling
in reading or math.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau website, the 95818 zip code, which includes the Land
Park/Curtis Park/Upper Land Park neighborhoods, is not in the top 25 wealthiest zip codes in
the Sacramento/SCUSD area, but ranks 26th out of 37 overall with a median household income
of $59,042. Granite Bay is ranked #1 at $127,637 per household. (See the chart for Median
Household Incomes on page 9.)
When compared to other zip codes in the Sacramento City Unified School District—East
Sacramento (95819 zip code) is ranked #1 at $80,323 (#18 overall), Pocket/Greenhaven area
(95831 zip code) is ranked #2 at $67,008 (or #23 overall), Land Park/Curtis Park/Upper Land
Park (95818 zip code) is ranked #3 at $59,042 and the Rosemont area (95827 zip code) is
ranked #4 in Sacramento at $52,762 (or #27 overall.) The median household income for the
state of California is $57,287. (Source: U.S. Census)
While most residents of these “top 4” Sacramento zip codes, when compared to other
struggling areas such as Oak Park and Meadowview, are faring relatively well, the 95818 zip
code does not have the level of resources as in other parts of the Sacramento region, such as
Granite Bay, El Dorado Hills and Folsom areas.
It is unrealistic to assume that the Crocker/Riverside community, an elementary school of 670
students and their families, can raise enough money to provide adequate funding for
operational costs, services, programs and technology that is currently not funded by the
District.
(See Page 9 for Chart of the Median Household Income by Zip Code.)
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The District’s Budget Methodology Is Flawed and Does Not Meet the
Needs of All Students
It is our strong conviction that the current budget methodology for high performing schools-such as Crocker/Riverside, Phoebe Hearst, Genevieve Didion among others--is seriously
flawed and has created an “upside down” inequity in which the highest performing schools are
not provided the most baseline funding levels to offer an equitable education to all students.
As is stated in SCUSD’s Strategic Plan: Putting Children First:
“Strategic Plan 2010 - 2014 represents Sacramento City Unified School District’s
ongoing effort to improve the education we provide to every student in every
classroom so they can meet the challenges of our 21st century world.” (from page 3 of
the Strategic Plan)
“Students would come to school every day expecting to be challenged, no matter their
ability level or background. (from page 5 of the Strategic Plan)
At Crocker/Riverside, teachers, staff and parents embrace these ideals, but we have to receive a
baseline of funding to meet the needs of all students and provide the education they are
entitled. Because Crocker/Riverside is the lowest funded elementary school in the district,
below are some of the unfortunate outcomes.

There are children, who regardless of income or other status, are below proficient in
language arts and/or math and receive no tutoring or other services provided by the
District.

Students who are economically disadvantaged and are performing at a below proficient
level receive no tutoring or other services by the District compared to students at other
schools who receive Title I funding.

There is not equal access to technology—not only for economically disadvantaged
students who may not have access to computers at home, but for all students.

Our teachers lack access to technology in the classroom that has been provided to their
peers at other school sites.

Schools that are not “GATE centers” do not receive any funding to meet the special
needs of this student population.
We respectfully request that the District take into account the actual needs
of the students instead of whether a school site meets a “required
percentage” of students in identified categories (low-income, special needs,
or English language learners) to “trigger” funding.
Don’t all students, at all schools deserve a fair chance to
reach their full potential?
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Requests – Meeting with District’s CFO & 2013-14 School Site Budget
As the school board member who represents Area 1, we request to meet with you and the
District’s Chief Financial Officer to discuss the school site budget for the 2013-14 school year.
As a preview, below are the requests that we believe are essential to meet the needs of all
students at Crocker/Riverside, especially for the following populations of students:





the 95 children who qualify for the Free and Reduced Lunch Program
the 45 students who receive Language Arts tutoring (PTA funded)
the 20 students who receive math tutoring (PTA funded)
the 55 students below proficient in ELA & the 58 students below proficient in math on
the 2012 STAR test
and the 141 identified GATE students.
As stated on the District’s website:
The District’s instructional programs for Gifted and Talented students are based on the
principles that all students have potential and should have equal opportunities to
develop their individual capabilities, interests, and needs. We believe that students
should receive specialized learning opportunities which are relevant, rigorous and
well-rounded.
Below are the requests for Crocker/Riverside:

The School Board on May 16, 2013 will conduct a public hearing on the receipts and use
of Tier III funds for fiscal year 2013-14. Since Crocker/Riverside does not qualify for
Tier I funding, we request that the District restore the School/Library Improvement
Block Grant (SLIBG) money that was swept from the school’s budget in 2010-11. The
District has indicated that it is transferring $3,374,444 of the SLIBG into the District’s
unrestricted general fund. (Budget Code: Resource 0000.)

Governor Brown’s Revised Budget includes $170 per child for Common Core
implementation above and beyond other funds already allocated. We request that the
full amount be available to each child in the school district.

SmartBoards installed in each of our 21 classroom. There are SmartBoards located at
closing elementary school sites, for example Washington Elementary. We request that
the SmartBoards and other computer hardware be relocated and installed at
Crocker/Riverside during the 2013 summer with no purchasing cost to the
District.

Projectors ceiling mounted in all classrooms. Again, no purchasing cost to the
District.

A school site budget that would cover the cost of all basic operations of the school.

Funding for a pull-out reading tutor and math tutor to help our struggling students.
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
Funding that would provide programs to address the needs of our GATE students.

Upgraded network to ensure consistent connectivity to the Internet in all classrooms
and throughout the school campus.

Computers that meet the needs of the Common Core curriculum and assessment
requirements.
Please let us know if you have any questions. We look forward meeting with you in the near
future on this matter.
Sincerely,
Anne Hawley
President
Crocker/Riverside PTA
Cristi Harris
President-Elect
Crocker/Riverside PTA
PTA 2012-13 Executive Board
PTA 2013-14 Executive Board
Vice President
Cristi Harris
Vice President
Beth Morris
Treasurer
Paul Riches
Treasurer
Paul Riches
Auditor
Patrick Kuske
Auditor
Patrick Kuske
Communications Director
Angela Jackson
Communications Director
Sarah Michaels
Corresponding Secretary
Lisa Travis
Corresponding Secretary
Lauren Keene
Financial Secretary
Wendy Mikacich
Financial Secretary
David Wiest
Historian
Marcy Gutierrez
Historian
Wendy Mikacich
Recording Secretary
Lisa Batturaro
Recording Secretary
Missie Fish
Room Parent Coordinator
Beth Morris
Room Parent Coordinator
Wendy Flanagan
Parliamentarian
Kirsten Rolleri
Parliamentarian
Colleen Johl
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