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.
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.
Geographic Lead Agencies
Valley to Coast Collaborative (VALCO) 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
About
VALCO Geographic Lead Team
John Mendiburu, Ed.D;
Associate Superintendent
Local & Statewide Initiatives
jomendiburu@kern.org
(661) 636-4168
Our County Partners
Lisa Gilbert, Ed.D.
Deputy Superintendent, Instructional Services
John Mendiburu, Ed.D.
Associate Superintendent Local & Statewide Initiatives
Desiree VonFlue
Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services
Kimberly Graham
Management Analyst, Geographic Lead Support
Heather Richter, Ed.D.
Administrator, Continuous Improvement Support
Krista Herrera, Ed.D.
Administrator, Professional Learning and Student Support
Lee Martin
Executive Director of Kern County Consortium SELPA
Brad Huebert
Senior Director, Curriculum and Instruction
Annie Sharp, Ed.D.
Director of Differentiated Assistance
Corey Greenlaw, Ed.D.
Executive Director, Accountability Compliance and Grants
Christina Borges
Executive Director, Special Education
Joy Bratton
Director, 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
Rocio Ortiz
Director II, Special Projects
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
Ellen Barger
Assistant Superintendent, Curriculum & Instruction
Lauren Aranguren
Director, Equitable Learning Systems
Steven Torres
Director, School and District Support
Ray Avila, Ed.D.
SELPA Executive Director
Rachel Fauver
Director, School and District Support
Sibel Goksu
Data Analyst
Anne Roundy-Harter, Ed.D.
Director, Leadership Support Services
Lisa Salas Brown
Associate Superintendent, Educational Services
Emily Mostovoy-Luna
Assistant Superintendent, SELPA
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
Regina Reed
SELPA Director, Personnel Development
Regan Bynder
Coordinator, Early Childhood Programs