Statement from the Board of Trustees Correcting a Mischaracterization of MVUSD Student Academic Achievement

As the Board of Trustees for Moreno Valley Unified School District, we neither support nor oppose any candidate in the June primary election. However, we believe that voters have a right to accurate information about their public schools, and that Moreno Valley Unified students and staff, who are consistently achieving at increasingly higher levels, are deserving of the respect and pride of their community. We are dismayed, therefore, to see our schools and students inaccurately described as “under-performing” by some involved in the coming election, and feel compelled to set the record straight. Far from under-performing, Moreno Valley schools have a 10-year record of consistently improving API scores, with eight schools now above the state target API of 800, another five schools within just 20 points of that mark, and a district API score of 745. Recently, the State of California announced that Moreno Valley Unified’s drop-out rate has decreased and our graduation rate has climbed a remarkable 15.3 percent in just three years, by far the greatest increase made by any school district in Riverside County. In fact, our graduation rate of 81 percent now exceeds both the state and national averages. MVUSD staff and students continue to win praise and awards at regional and state competitions, and next month, two of our students will compete at the national level; our athletic teams have won league championships and even a state title; one of our middle schools, Landmark, has done so well at closing the academic achievement gap that it is being honored in Washington, D.C., next month as a national School to Watch; and the MVUSD Class of 2014, set to graduate next month, has been offered tens of millions of dollars in scholarships by colleges and universities across the nation, including some of America’s finest. We believe Moreno Valley Unified has begun a renaissance of sorts, and we are creating an upward spiral of student success. This is being recognized by the County Office of Education and by our neighboring school districts. Rather than being mischaracterized by some for political gain, this improved student academic achievement should be recognized and celebrated by all stakeholders in our own community, as well.