2020 Bonar Street, Room 329, Berkeley, CA 94702
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Kelly Detorres, Expanded Learning Interim Manager
Email: kellydetorres@berkeley.net
Sharmila Wright, Administrative Assistant II
Phone: 510-644-6202 | Email: sharmilawright@berkeley.net
Kristian Overbey, Student Assessment Specialist
Phone: 510-486-9364 | Email: kristianoverbey@berkeley.net
BUSD Categorical and Special Projects Department
We facilitate, advocate and coordinate foundational support for the supplementary services that enhance the equitable opportunities for our focal students and school communities. We do this in services of BUSD’s priorities:
- Excellence: We support programming to deliver intervention to identified student groups and promote professional development and career pathways.
- Equity: We ensure that state and federal resources for focal students are used to direct support and accelerate learning.
- Enrichment: We provide expanded opportunities through our before, during, and after school educational and enrichment programs to connect learning and extend the school day.
- Engagement: We connect and engage with students and families, providing information about resources and enlisting input for the review and development of BUSD’s plans and initiatives.
Categorical & Special Projects Departments
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| BUSD provides two core afterschool enrichment programs, BEARS and LEARNS. These programs are available to BUSD parents, with priority placement given to families who require care and meet income, as well as other demographic requirements. | The Garden and Cooking Program provides an immersive learning environment, integrated into the academic day, where students can cultivate essential life skills, develop nutritional awareness and make connections to classroom curriculum through hands-on experiences in gardening and cooking for preschool through high school students | The BPAR program provides a continuum of support, helping teachers at all stages of their careers. The BPAR panel oversees this support. This program is a unique collaboration between BFT and BUSD administration. Please see Sections 15 and 18 of the BFT/BUSD Contract and the following slides for more information. |
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| The Teacher Induction Program (TIP) is a two-year job embedded program where participating teachers meet weekly with a trained mentor to earn a clear credential. | BPACT is a grant program offering financial assistance to classified employees pursuing a teaching credential. | The Classified Professional Development Coordinator oversees professional development programs, events, and activities for the Distict’s classified support staff. The mandated and compliance training for teachers, administrators and support staff is all managed by the Classified PD Coordinator. |
Meet the Team
| Name | Position |
| Kelly Detorres | Interim Manager, Expanded Learning |
| Sharmila Wright | Administrative Assistant (sub) |
| Ben Goff | Garden & Cooking Supervisor |
| Katy McCarthy | TSA, Teacher Induction |
| Brazil McIntyre | After School Program Supervisor |
| Kristian Overbey | Student Assessment Specialist |
| Paula Phillips | Classified PD Coordinator |
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
On December 10, 2015, President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), reauthorizing the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and replacing the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the 2001 reauthorization of ESEA.
Districts and schools use “evidence-based interventions” under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). This shift was designed to help increase the impact of educational investments by ensuring that interventions being implemented have proven to be effective in leading to desired outcomes, namely improving student achievement.
- Title I; Improving Academic Achievement: To ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging State academic achievement standards and state academic assessments.
- Title II, Part A; Supporting Effective Instruction: To provide grants to State educational agencies, local educational agencies, State agencies for higher education, and eligible partnerships to increase student academic achievement.
- Title III; Language Instruction for Limited-English Proficient Students (LEP): To ensure that limited-English proficient (LEP) students, including immigrant children and youth, attain English proficiency and meet the same challenging academic content and achievement standards that other students are expected to meet.
- Title IV, Part A; Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE): To provide federal funds to improve students’ academic achievement by increasing local educational agencies, schools, and local communities capacity.
Local Control Accountability Plan
The Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) is a tool for local educational agencies to set goals, plan actions, and leverage resources to meet those goals to improve student outcomes. The LCAP is BUSD’s three-year strategic plan to meet the needs of our students, staff, and schools. Funding is provided to BUSD based upon affected student groups, based upon the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) and is coordinated with the BUSD district budget.
For additional information and LCAP resources, please consult the CA CDE.
To view BUSD’s current LCAP and current information, please view the BUSD Local Control webpage.
The Parent Advisory Committee (PAC)
The purpose of the Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) formed to provide a forum for consulting Berkeley Unified School District parent representatives on the LCAP required of all school districts in California.
Program and Block Grant Plans
Educator Effectiveness Block Grant
One-time funding provided to county offices of education, school districts, charter schools, and state special schools to provide professional learning for teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, and classified staff in order to promote educator equity, quality, and effectiveness.
Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P)
The Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P) provides funding for afterschool and summer school enrichment programs for transitional kindergarten through sixth grade.
Expanded Learning Opportunities Grant (ELO-G)
The purpose of the Expanded Learning Opportunities Grant (ELO-G) is to extend instructional learning time for the 2021–22 and the 2022–23 school years by increasing the number of instructional days or minutes provided during the school year, providing summer school or intersessional instructional programs, or taking any other action that increases the amount of instructional time or services provided to pupils based on their learning needs.
Learning Recovery Block Grant Interim Expenditure Report
The Learning Recovery Emergency Block Grant (LREBG) was established in response to the emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to assist schools serving pupils in the long-term recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, including addressing pupil learning, mental health, and overall well-being. School districts are required to make the interim report publicly available on the website.
