Surfside Stories: HBCSD Update

Dive into the first edition of Surfside Stories for the 2024-25 school year, your journey through the heart of Huntington Beach City School District (HBCSD). This year, we’re proud to embrace our theme, HBCSD Empowers, as we celebrate how we uplift and inspire our students, staff, and community. Join us as we share achievements, highlight progress, and connect with you!

In this edition, you’ll find:

Settle in and enjoy this inspiring first edition of Surfside Stories as we continue an empowering journey through the 2024-25 school year together!

We are thrilled to share how Proposition 28 brings exciting new opportunities to our schools! Prop 28 provides dedicated funding for visual and performing arts (VAPA), requiring schools to develop plans that allocate at least 80% of funds toward personnel above and beyond existing programs, including our established music offerings.

Given that many individual school allocations are not enough to hire a full-time credentialed teacher, several of our schools have creatively pooled their funds to provide credentialed VAPA teachers or professional experts. Zero-period electives have been introduced at the middle school level, offering students additional options to explore the arts.

On our elementary campuses, the transformation is already evident. Several schools have established new art studios, and students can now access professional expertise. Hawes and Peterson schools recently introduced professional dance instructors who bring engaging lessons, such as hip-hop classes, into their curriculum. 

We are proud of the creativity and collaboration driving these programs and look forward to seeing how Prop 28 continues to empower our students through the arts!

As part of our commitment to providing students with engaging and innovative learning environments, HBCSD is transitioning to Apple technology. This shift is part of our technology replacement cycle and is designed to ensure long-term sustainability and adaptability as we move forward.

With Measure Q funds fully utilized, we must adopt a self-sustaining approach to maintaining and replacing essential technology, such as interactive flat panels (IFPs), Spaceboards, and student devices. Our schools use various technologies with varying replacement costs, leading to classroom consistency. To address this, we’ve identified the need for a reliable, affordable, and flexible solution that works with any screen or monitor and supports collaborative and interactive learning.

Apple technology has been selected for its ability to meet these needs while preserving touchscreen functionality. This approach also positions us to procure more cost-effective monitors when our current IFPs and Spaceboards end their lifespan. Smith and Seacliff schools are leading the way with the first phase of this implementation this school year.

We acknowledge that transitions like this can be challenging, and we are incredibly proud of the dedication and adaptability shown by our teachers and staff throughout this process. Our team is committed to addressing any issues that arise and supporting our schools as we create a technology framework that is not only sustainable but also enhances every student's learning experience.

We are excited to see how this new chapter in technology will empower our students and teachers, and we will continue to keep our community informed about progress and updates. 

HBCSD has traditionally been a state-funded district, but starting this school year, we will transition to a community-funded model. This change occurs when local property taxes exceed the funding provided by the state, allowing the district to retain the excess property tax revenue. Factors like declining enrollment and rising property values have contributed to this shift.

As a community-funded district, we will rely more on local property taxes for funding, which is expected to generate approximately $3.5 million more than we would receive under state funding. However, it’s important to note that this isn’t “new” money—our approved budget was built with these higher revenues in mind. This additional funding has allowed us to support key priorities, including maintaining smaller class sizes, ensuring technology replacement, building reserves (which are especially important for community-funded districts), and offering competitive compensation.

While this transition is a positive step for HBCSD, it also requires ongoing financial planning. We will continue to closely monitor factors such as enrollment, attendance, and property tax projections to ensure long-term financial stability.

Check out the infographic below for more details, including a comparison of past and future funding.

We remain dedicated to empowering our staff through continuous professional development, ensuring they have the tools and resources to provide learning experiences for our students. This year, our focus has been on targeted training sessions across key areas:

These professional development opportunities reflect our commitment to fostering a culture of learning and growth for both students and staff. We thank the Human Resources department for their invaluable collaboration, ensuring smooth teacher and staff coverage during these essential training sessions.

Together, we continue to invest in our team’s success, empowering them to inspire and impact our students daily. Thank you for being part of this journey toward excellence!

Our safety measures align with recommendations from the Department of Homeland Security and the Orange County Grand Jury. These improvements include fortified perimeters, single-point entries, upgraded surveillance, the Raptor visitor management system, and more.

District safety measures:

This fall, our dedicated Grounds Team completed aeration and fertilization of the front lawns and fields across all district schools, laying the groundwork for vibrant and resilient landscaping in the seasons ahead.

Fall is the perfect time for these vital maintenance activities, as cooler temperatures allow grass to recover from summer wear while preparing for winter dormancy.

These proactive measures not only enhance the immediate visual appeal of our campuses but also set the stage for lush, thriving lawns in the spring. The well-maintained school grounds provide students, staff, and visitors a welcoming and safe environment.

Thank you to our Facilities and Grounds Team for their ongoing commitment to excellence in maintaining our district’s outdoor spaces!