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Valley to Coast Collaborative (VALCO) is a Geographic Area within the System of Support, consisting of the County Offices of Education of Kern, Fresno, Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura. This group is committed to collaboratively building our capacity, and sharing best practices and resources to support LEAs. Our collaborative is collectively committed to improving outcomes for all students, with a specific focus on improving outcomes for Students with Disabilities.

  • Kern County Superintendents of Schools Logo
  • Fresno Office of Education Logo
  • Los Angeles Office of Education Logo
  • San Luis Office of Education Logo
  • Santa Barbara Office of Education Logo
  • Ventura Office of Education Logo

Our Purpose


The 7 Geographic Lead areas will work together to support the following goals for all counties. The Lead Agencies will also connect COEs to the other initiatives within California’s System of Support.

  • Support the continuous improvement of student performance within the state priorities across student groups, as defined in EC sections 52060 and 52066.
  • Address the gaps in achievement between student groups, as defined in EC Section 52052.
  • Improve outreach and collaboration with stakeholders to ensure that goals, actions, and services, as described in school district and COEs Local Control and Accountability Plans, reflect the needs of the community, especially for historically under-represented or low-achieving populations.
  • Serve as a facilitator, resource connector, and capacity builder for COEs.

California System of Support


The overarching goal of California’s System of Support is to help LEAs and their schools meet the needs of each student they serve. It is focused on building local capacity to sustain improvement efforts and to address disparities in both opportunities and outcomes.

California’s System of Support provides three levels of support to LEAs and schools. The first level, general assistance, is made up of resources and supports that are available to all LEAs and schools. The second level of assistance, known as Differentiated Assistance, is targeted support that is available to LEAs that meet the eligibility requirements. The third level of support, Intensive Intervention, may be provided to LEAs that are identified as having persistent performance issues and a lack of improvement over four consecutive years.

Level 1

Support for All - Various state and local agencies provide an array of support resources, tools and voluntary technical assistance that all LEAs may use to improve student performance at the LEA level and narrow gaps in performance among student groups across the LCFF Priorities.

Level 2

Differentiated Assistance - County Superintendents, the California Department of Education, and the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence provide differentiated assistance by working with LEAs and COEs to address identified performance gaps among student groups.

Level 3

Intensive Intervention - The Superintendent of Public Instruction may require more intensive supports for LEAs and/or schools with persistent performance issues and a lack of improvement over a specified time period.

Valley to Coast Collaborative (VALCO) Theory of Action


Theory of Action

Outcomes

Long Term Outcomes
By December 2025, VALCO DA Eligibility for SWD will decrease by 5%, as measured by Dashboard Status from December 2022 AND by December 2025, VALCO SWD Graduation rate will increase by 5%, as measured by SPPI #1 from December 2022.

Intermediate Outcome
By February 2024, VALCO SWD Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) participation will increase by 5%, as measured by 2022 SPPI #5a status.

Short Term Outcome
VALCO will provide 4 Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) Professional Learning offerings for site and district leaders by December 2023.

Our Impact

Statistics

About


VALCO Geographic Lead Team

name
John Mendiburu, Ed.D;
Superintendent of Schools
jomendiburu@kern.org
(661) 636-4168
name
Lisa Gilbert, Ed.D;
Deputy Superintendent, Instructional Services
ligilbert@kern.org
(661) 636-4631
name
Kimberly Graham;
Administrator - Local, Regional, and Statewide Systems of Support
kigraham@kern.org
(661) 636-4671

Our County Partners

Kern County Superintendents of Schools Logo

John Mendiburu, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools

Lisa Gilbert, Ed.D.
Deputy Superintendent, Instructional Services

Desiree VonFlue
Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services

Kimberly Graham
Administrator - Local, Regional, and Statewide Systems of Support

Lee Martin
Executive Director of Kern County Consortium SELPA

Candi Huizar
Director II-Equity and Inclusion

Cole Sampson
Administrator-Professional Learning and Student Support

Jonathan Gage
Management Analyst-The Learning Network

Lourdes Boucher
Division Administrator School Community Partnership

Melvin Thomas
Director II-Special Education Local Plan Area

Russell Sentes
Deputy Superintendent-Local Inniatives and Innovation

Fresno Office of Education Logo

Lori Wilson
Director of Systems and Leadership/CASC

Brad Huebert
Senior Director, Curriculum and Instruction

Romy Chachere
Director of Student Services

Annie Sharp, Ed.D.
Director of Differentiated Assistance

Corey Greenlaw, Ed.D.
Executive Director, Accountability Compliance and Grants

Joy Bratton
Director, Special Education

Los Angeles Office of Education Logo

Dr. Jovan Jacobs
Dr. Jovan Jacobs-Director of Special Education

Matthew Roper, M.Ed., M.C.J
Coordinator II-Division of Special Education

Ruben Valles
Chief Academic Officer

Danielle Mitchell
Director III, Curriculum & Instructional Services

Rachelle Touzard
Director I, Student Support Services

Dina Wilson
Director III, Accountability, Support and Monitoring

Carol Higa
Director II, Specialized Services

Jessica Conkle
Director I, Curriculum & Instructional Services

Sonya Smith, Ed.D.
Director III, Student Support Services

Astrid Gonzalez
Director I, Accountability, Support & Monitoring

Alicia Garoupa
Chief of Wellness & Support Services

Deborah Pandullo
Inclusion Coordinator III, Special Projects

Jessica Conkle
Director I, Curriculum & Instructional Services

Tina Cunningham
Project Director

San Luis Office of Education Logo

Joe Koski, Ed.D.
Executive Director, Educational Support Services

Melanie Crawford
Director, Continuous Improvement & Support, Educational Support Services

Stacy Summers
Director, Program Monitoring, Categorical Support, and Data Analysis, Educational Support Services

Amber Gallagher
Executive Director, SELPA

Santa Barbara Office of Education Logo

Ellen Barger
Assistant Superintendent, Curriculum & Instruction

Lauren Aranguren
Director, Equitable Learning Systems

Ray Avila, Ed.D.
SELPA Executive Director

Rachel Fauver
Director, School and District Support

Anne Roundy-Harter, Ed.D.
Director, Leadership Support Services

Shawn Carey
Director, School and District Support

Tiffany Carson
Director of School and District Support

Noelle Barthel
Coordinator II-Division of Special Education

Ventura Office of Education Logo

Cynthia Frutos
Director of Assessment & Accountability

Lisa Salas Brown
Associate Superintendent, Educational Services

James Koenig
Director, Local District Support Services

Phoebe Moore, Ed.D.
Director, Local District Support Services

Brett Taylor
Director, Local District Support Services

Leticia Ramos, Ed.D.
Director, Instructional Support Services

Joanna Della Gatta
SELPA Director

Regina Reed
SELPA Director, Personnel Development

Regan Bynder
Coordinator, Early Childhood Programs

Kerry Newlee
SELPA Director-Technical Support and Transition