Eureka Union School District

ADA  (Average Daily Attendance)
School districts receive funding based on this number, which represents the average daily attendance in school between the beginning of the year and mid-April.

API (Academic Performance Index)
This is a score between 200 and 1000 determined by STAR test results for all students in a District.  A score of 800 is considered a minimum goal for all schools. Every year since the API was developed, Eureka USD has had the highest score in Placer, Sacramento, Yolo, El Dorado or Nevada County.

CAC (Community Advisory Committee)
A CAC is an advisory group of parents and educators who meet to raise awareness and educate people on special education issues.

CAHSEE (California High School Exit Examination)
This is a test that California high school students have to pass to receive a high school diploma.  The test is broken into two sections, English-Language Arts and Mathematics.  Students must pass both sections and they have several opportunities to take the examination.  A small number of special needs students are exempted from passing the test.

Categorical Funding
This is restricted federal or state funding that can only be spent on specific programs and specific students and can’t be transferred to other funds for other uses.

Challenge 21
The Eureka Union School District plans and trains staff members to effectively address the core California Content Standards and to address the set of skills and concepts that will be necessary to successfully apply those skills in college and the evolving careers of the 21st Century.

Charter school
A public school that serves as an alternative option for students.  Some charter schools are run by school districts while others are independent, although they must be sanctioned by and work through a school district or county office of education.

Class size
The number of students in a particular teacher’s class in elementary school or in a particular period class during junior high school.  Class sizes in the Eureka Union School District have been consistently lower than statewide averages or than most neighboring districts.

College Preparedness & Career Readiness
The Eureka Union School District plans and trains staff members to effectively address the core California Content Standards and to address the set of skills and concepts that will be necessary to successfully apply those skills in college and the evolving careers of the 21st Century.

COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment)
This adjustment represents the percentage increase that a district receives on a portion of state funding to cover all increases in costs to the district, including longevity or service increases for employees, increases in utilities and transportation, increased cost of services for special education and any raises that are agreed upon with employee groups.

CPI (Consumer Price Index)
This index, which is taken regionally, statewide and nationally, represents the difference in the consumer cost of goods.  Typically, the comparison is made by comparing the annual change in the index.

DIS (Designated Instructional Services)
Related services such as adaptive PE, audiological services, deaf and hard of hearing services, speech and language services, visually handicapped services, physical therapy and occupational services that may be part of the IEP of a special needs student.

ESF (The Eureka Schools Foundation)
ESF was developed almost twenty years ago by parents in the community in an effort to maintain and expand enrichment programs and support a variety of valued programs in the Eureka Union School District.  They contributed over $500,000 to District programs last year.

ESY (Extended School Year)
The IEP's of some special education students indicate that they need their services to continue for some portion of the summer.

EUCO (Eureka Union Classified Organization)
This is the organization that represents all classified employees during negotiations and grievances.

EUTA (Eureka Union Teachers Association)
This is the union, affiliated with the California Teachers Association, that represents certificated, non-management staff during negotiations and grievances. They negotiate the contract that determines working conditions and salaries.

504 Plan
Students who do not qualify for special education services may still require some assistance to fully participate in the educational program and that assistance can be described in a 504 Plan.

Furlough days
These are days are removed from an employee’s work year, and pay. Some districts have replaced up to five student days with furlough days when schools are closed to reduce salaries and save money.  One or more of the three teacher staff development days can also be furloughed.  EUSD has not taken this action so EUSD students still attend school for 180 days per year and teachers still receive three days of staff development and training per year.

GATE (Gifted and Talented Education)
This is a statewide designation for students who demonstrate very high abilities.  The district receives some additional funding to enhance the program for these students.

Granite Bay High School
The boundaries for Granite Bay High School are identical with the boundaries for the Eureka Union School District so all students who live within those boundaries can attend Granite Bay High School.

IB Program (International Baccalaureate)
An IB program, such as the one available at Granite Bay High School is an internationally recognized program that offers a very high level educational program built on critical thinking skills and heightened global awareness.

IDEA (The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act)
IDEA is a federal law that lays out the guidelines and requirements for serving students with disabilities.

IEP (Individual Education Plan)
An individualized Education Plan is developed by educators and parents to meet the specific needs of each student who has qualified for special education.

Interdistrict transfers
Students who transfer from a school in one school district to a school in another district.  For many years the Eureka Union School District has had between two and three hundred more students transfer in than transfer out of the district.

Intradistrict transfers
Students who transfer from one school to another in the same district.

LEA (Local Education Agency)
Each school district and each county office is considered a Local Education Agency.

Magnet school
A public school within a district that is identified with a specific focus that sets it apart from other schools in the district, such as a technology or performing arts magnet school.

PCOE (Placer County Office of Education)
PCOE, which has headquarters in Auburn, provides specialized special education classes for students with severe needs or students with specialized needs such as programs for the deaf or blind.  PCOE must approve all district budgets and negotiated agreements.  They also provide a variety of professional development opportunities for teachers and administrators and hold meetings to inform districts about changes in state policies.

PLC (Professional Learning Community)
A group of educators who work together to enhance their own professional effectiveness and to enhance the learning and engagement of students.

PTC (Parent Teacher Clubs)
Each school in the Eureka Union School District has a Parent Teacher Club that works directly with the school to  provide support in the classrooms and across the school through volunteer time and fundraising.

Reserves
The amount of funding in a District budget that is not identified to be spent on a particular program or service during the budget cycle.

Revenue limit
The unrestricted general funding a district receives per student (per ADA) from the state of California.  This doesn’t include categorical funding.

Rigorous curriculum
The Eureka Union School District strives to have both a rigorous curriculum that meets and extends beyond the California Content Standards, but also a rigorous development of the skills, attitudes and concepts necessary for college preparedness and career readiness.

Roseville Joint Union High School District
The Eureka Union School District is a K-8 district that is one of three K-8 districts that feed into the Roseville Joint Union High School District.

SARB (School Attendance Review Board)
This board meets to review cases of students whose attendance is not meeting expectations.  Parents are expected to appear with their children to clarify and then resolve any issues that have prevented a student from attending school as required by law.

SARC (School Accountability Report Card)
Each school in California is required to develop a School Accountability Report Card with specific details about the students, teachers, programs and assessment results for that school.

School Board
Representatives elected to serve three-year terms as trustees on the Board of Education.  They meet at least monthly to develop policies, approve a district budget, approve curriculum and act on hiring and releasing of employees.

SELPA (Special Education Local Plan Area)
A SELPA coordinates with school districts and County Offices of Education to provide a continuum of programs and services for disabled individuals from birth through age 22.

SST (Student Study Team)
This is a team of regular classroom teachers and specialists who meet with parents to address concerns if a student is not progressing successfully.

STAR Tests (State Testing And Reporting)
The California state assessment system that includes a variety of different assessments that are given in grades two through eleven each year.

STAR Education (Science Theater Art Recreation)
STAR Education is an agency authorized to provide before and after school care and some after school enrichment classes and programs at several schools in the Eureka Union School District.

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics)
These are focus areas for schools that are working to improve education for students in these four key areas of the curriculum.

SWAT Team (School Wide Assessment Team)
A team of teacher specialists who conduct screening assessments for all students at the beginning of the year, and at the end of each trimester. These screenings provide data to the teachers to inform instruction and to determine which students need intervention support and/or enrichment, essentially making sure that all students are on track with where they need to be.

Student Days
California students typically attend school 180 days per year, unless districts have reduced the number of days by using up to five furlough days, which could reduce students to 175 days per year.  Eureka USD maintains a full 180-day school year for all students.