Escalon Unified School District will be hosting three public meetings to inform and consult with community residents regarding the major changes in how schools are funded and held accountable. The meetings are scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 13 for all elementary parents; Monday, Feb. 24 and Thursday, Feb. 27 for El Portal and Escalon High parents. Any and all sessions are also open to the general public.

All meetings will be held at the El Portal Multipurpose Room located at 805 First St., and will begin at 6 p.m.

The focus of the meetings will cover the sweeping educational reforms enacted by Governor Brown and the State Legislature last year.

“These reforms provide Escalon Unified broader flexibility to prepare our students to meet the demands of the new Common Core State Standards,” District Superintendent Ron Costa said in a statement released by the district. “Central to these reforms are the Local Control Funding Formula or LCFF, the Local Control Accountability Plan or LCAP and the new California state tests based on the Common Core State Standards.”

Escalon Unified officials will provide an overview of each reform and share the key elements of the district’s LCAP plan to meet these new educational requirements. Escalon Unified will also be asking for public input regarding the LCAP plan.

Meanwhile, the district also has posted its 2013 Annual Report to the Community from the Citizens Bond Oversight Committee, after making a presentation to the school board at its Feb. 4 meeting.

The report reviews the modernization project that was approved as part of passage of Measure B by voters in November 2012, a $19.5 million general obligation bond for acquiring, constructing and modernizing classrooms and support facilities at school sites throughout the district.

The report offers an up to the minute look at the modernization project, with the first phase due to start in March. It can be viewed at the school district office and is also available on the school’s website, www.escalonusd.org.