Monthly Archives: August 2014

College finalizes police department takeover, OKs bond plan – Daily Republic

Posted on by

By Amy Maginnis-Honey

The Solano Community College governing board voted unanimously Wednesday to have the Sheriff’s Office take over its campus police department.

The annual cost is estimated at more than $980,000. The majority is salaries for five full-time employees and an additional 8.296 part-time hours. The board had three proposals to ponder ranging from $607,497 annually to the one they approved. The mid-range proposal would have cost $815, 360.

The agreement expires on June 30, 2017, unless terminated, or extended, prior to that.

via College finalizes police department takeover, OKs bond plan Daily Republic.

Three VCUSD candidates earn endorsement of Democratic committee – Vallejo Times Herald

Posted on by

By John Glidden

After being recommended by the United Democrats of Southern Solano County, Shelee Loughmiller, Burky Worel and John Lewis have received the full endorsement of the Solano Democratic Central Committee.

Each is a candidate for the Vallejo City Unified School District Board of Education during the November elections.

“They (the Solano Democratic Central Committee) are awesome,” Lewis said with a laugh.

Lewis said that he has always been pro-union, even during his days when he worked for the U.S. Department of Labor.

“I’m glad to get the endorsement,” Worel said.

via Three VCUSD candidates earn endorsement of Democratic committee – Vallejo Times Herald.

New Vallejo High School principal excited about her job – Vallejo Times Herald

Posted on by

By John Glidden

A smile grew on Roxanne Brown-Garcia’s face Tuesday afternoon as she spoke about Vallejo High School’s wall-to-wall career academies and her overall expectations for the school.

Brown-Garcia is in her eighth week as principal of Vallejo High.

“What we (Vallejo High School) are trying to do is build up children for college and career-ready opportunities,” she said.

Brown-Garcia said that she has built pedagogical stance on two principles, which she intends to implement during her time as the principal of Vallejo High School.

“Children are extremely resilient,” she said. “So for me, if I lead through the framework of resiliency theory, I have a better chance of helping my staff understand how strong and courageous my children and families are.”

via New Vallejo High School principal excited about her job – Vallejo Times Herald.

Vacaville school board candidates sound off during forum – Daily Republic

Posted on by

By Susan Winlow

Transparency.

It’s an election buzzword and it floated around often during a two-plus-hour forum Tuesday night at Will C. Wood High School for the nine candidates vying for four seats on the Vacaville School District board of education.

The candidates are incumbents David McCallum, Shelley Dally, Whit Whitman and Chris Flask, and challengers Jeremy Jeffreys, Tracee Stacy, Judi Ruggiero, Deloris Roach and Shawn Windham. Flask and Windham are running for a two-year seat vacated by a former board member who resigned. Flask was appointed to take the provisional seat until the upcoming election. The next two years will finish out the original seat.

via Vacaville school board candidates sound off during forum Daily Republic.

SCC board likely to endorse VUSD bond measure – The Reporter

Posted on by

Vacaville Reporter Posted:

Trustees meet tonight in Fairfield

Solano Community College trustees likely will endorse Vacaville Unified’s proposed Measure A, a $194 million bond slated for the November ballot, when the school’s governing board meets tonight in Fairfield.

The trustees will also be asked to approve a memorandum of understanding between the district and the Solano County Sheriff’s Office, allowing the SSO to provide police services throughout the district.

The district is expected to pay around $980,392 annually to the SSO, according to the proposed contract. This amount will include a service area manager/lieutenant sheriff at $184,207, who will work from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Fairfield main campus.

via SCC board likely to endorse VUSD bond measure – The Reporter.

Students With ‘504 Plans’ More Likely to Be White, Enrolled in Non-Title I Schools – Education Week

Posted on by

By Christina Samuels

Students receiving accommodations under Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act—a law that predates the Individuals with Disabilities Act and creates a more expansive definition of disability than the IDEA—are more likely to be white, male, and enrolled in a school that is not eligible for Title I funds, according to an analysis of U.S. Department of Education data published in the Aug. 7 edition of the Journal of Disability Policy Studies.

(Note: The abstract of the study, linked above, gives an incorrect summary of the racial breakdown of “504 plan” students. The lead author of the study said in an interview that the abstract will be corrected.)

Students covered under Section 504 could have a variety of disabling conditions, such as cancer, epilepsy, diabetes or mobility impairments. The overall percentage of students who are given accommodations under Section 504 is small, however; about 1 percent of all students, according to the 2009-10 Civil Rights Data Collection.  This compares to about 12 percent of all students who are covered under the IDEA.

via Students With ‘504 Plans’ More Likely to Be White, Enrolled in Non-Title I Schools – On Special Education – Education Week.

CCSS Toolkit for Educators – Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)

Posted on by

SACRAMENTO—Educators and school districts now have a new free toolkit to help them spread the word about how the Common Core State Standards are remodeling California’s education system to better prepare students for college and careers, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today.

“As students and teachers head back to school they will be experiencing exciting changes in California education, including a new way of teaching and learning through the Common Core,” Torlakson said. “Now educators have additional help in dispelling the mystery and concerns of families about this transition with a new communications toolkit created with the help of several major education groups in the state.”

“Explaining Common Core to Californians: A Communications Toolkit” is an online resource created with the help of the California Department of Education, State Board of Education, Californians Dedicated to Education, California County Superintendents Educational Services Association, California State PTA®, California School Boards Association, California Teachers Association, California Federation of Teachers AFT/AFL-CIO, Association of California School Administrators, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, and the nonprofit FrameWorks.

via CCSS Toolkit for Educators – Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education).

School’s in: Trustees to talk wells, fees, more – Benicia Herald

Posted on by

By Keri Luiz

It’s back-to-school time, and the first meeting agenda of 2014-15 for the Benicia Unified School District Board of Trustees reflects that reality.

As part of Thursday’s full agenda, the board will discuss multiple issues, from the final version of the Local Control Accountability Plan to a plan to provide for the district’s water needs by digging wells.

After months of input, workshops, planning, meetings and a public hearing, the LCAP was approved on a 4-0 vote with Trustee Andre Stewart absent at trustees’ final meeting of the 2013-14 school year in June.

The LCAP is part of the BUSD budget process and includes three sections: student outcomes, student and parent engagement, and conditions of learning. It is required to be in place for the district to receive state Local Control Funding Formula LCCF funding.

via School’s in: Trustees to talk wells, fees, more.

Vallejo High football team stuffs backpacks for students – Vallejo Times Herald

Posted on by

By John Glidden

Pencils and paper and backpacks! Oh my!

Like a well-oiled machine, members of the Vallejo High School football team worked Monday to fill more than 3,000 black and white backpacks with an activity workbook and a packet of supplies, filling the hallway of Vallejo High School’s Bottari Gym with a few dozen boxes.

“The backpacks will go to every first- and second-grader in the Vallejo City Unified School District,” said Hazel Wilson, a member of the VCUSD Board of Education. “Also, every student at Highland Elementary School will get a backpack.”

Wilson said that this is the eighth year the VCUSD has worked with the CC Sabathia PitCCh In Foundation.

Sabathia is a pitcher with the New York Yankees baseball team and is a graduate of Vallejo High School.

via Vallejo High football team stuffs backpacks for students – Vallejo Times Herald.

Editorial: Back to school requires adjustments for all – The Reporter

Posted on by

Vacaville Reporter Posted:

No one is ready to call summer over, but it is mid-August and around here calendars are saying school is back in session.

Classes in Dixon and Vacaville unified school districts started last week. On Wednesday, schools in the Travis Unified School District open their doors. Classes have also already begun for the fall semester at Solano Community College and its campuses in Fairfield, Vacaville and Vallejo.

Having school back in session makes for a number of readjustments — for parents, students and their communities

Drivers need to be prepared for changes in traffic congestion and parking.

The formerly leisurely 8 o’clock commute to work will get a little busier, particularly around elementary schools and high schools, with hundreds more cars on the road in a community that has all but forsaken the school bus transportation.

via Editorial: Back to school requires adjustments for all – The Reporter.

Higher ed is embracing goals of Common Core | EdSource

Posted on by

By Jacqueline King

Most attention to the Common Core State Standards has focused on the continued political backlash against the standards and the status of implementation in schools. As we look ahead to next spring when students will take assessments that indicate whether they are on track to college and career readiness, we are seeing some attention begin to focus on the role of higher education (see New America’s paper on this topic and a story from the Hechinger Report). Unfortunately, the takeaway from these sources and others is that higher education has mostly been watching from the sidelines and that it has been difficult in many places for K-12 and higher education to overcome decades of entrenched habits and work productively together.

via Higher ed is embracing goals of Common Core | EdSource.

2015 United States Senate Youth Program Letter – Letters CA Dept of Education

Posted on by

2015 UNITED STATES SENATE YOUTH PROGRAM

I am pleased to announce the fifty-second annual United States Senate Youth Program USSYP. Sponsored by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation, the California Department of Education CDE coordinates this competition for outstanding seniors or juniors who are interested in pursuing careers in public service. All public and private high schools in the state are invited to nominate up to two seniors or juniors to participate in this worthwhile opportunity.

Four finalists, consisting of two delegates and a first alternate and second alternate, will be selected by the CDE from the statewide applicants to be California’s USSYP representatives. The delegates will participate in a week of intensive study of the federal government as guests of the United States Senate from March 7–14, 2015, in Washington, D.C. The Hearst Foundation will pay all expenses for the delegates, including transportation, hotel, and meals. In addition, each of the delegates will receive a $5,000 college scholarship from the Foundation. Alternates attend the events in Washington only if the delegates are unable to participate.

via 2015 United States Senate Youth Program Letter – Letters CA Dept of Education.

Zombies on the move – to raise scholarship cash – Daily Republic

Posted on by

By Amy Maginnis-Honey

Ilay Padilla underwent a major transformation Friday afternoon. In a matter of a few minutes, the high school student went from human, to not-so-human – as in the walking dead.

Ilay is vice president of Teens Achieving Change Through Service, one of the groups involved with the Aug. 30 Zombie Run to raise money for scholarships.

When asked in jest if he had a dinner date to follow the makeover, Padilla’s response was, “She’s going to have to like me for me.”

Derek Wadsworth, Taylor Rainey and Salma Srour are members of the Fairfield Youth Commission. They, too, have a role to play in the “run-for-your-life” run. Rainey was part of the group that did a “test run” last year at the Police Activities League center.

via Zombies on the move – to raise scholarship cash Daily Republic.

Vacaville teachers union sets trustee candidate forum – The Reporter

Posted on by

By Richard Bammer

In 11 weeks, Vacaville voters will make important choices in the governing of the city’s schools.

To that end, the Vacaville Teachers Association has set Tuesday for its first and only Vacaville Unified trustee candidate forum at Will C. Wood High.

In a question-and-answer format, the two-hour event begins at 6 p.m. in the Catwalk Theatre on the 998 Marshall Road campus.

Seeking four open seats, the nine candidates — who likely will face questions not only about their qualifications but also about support for or against Measure A, the $194 million bond measure on the Nov. 4 ballot — are Michele “Shelley” Dally, incumbent; David McCallum, incumbent; Whit Whitman, incumbent; Chris Flask, incumbent; Jeremy Jeffreys; Judith Ruggiero; Tracee Stacy; Deloris Roach; and Shawn Windham.

via Vacaville teachers union sets trustee candidate forum – The Reporter.

Have a care: School’s in session – Daily Republic

Posted on by

By Daily Republic

The lives of tens of thousands of Solano County children and teens and their parents change this week and next with the start of the 2014-15 academic year. The habits of local motorists should change as well.

Classes began this week in the Fairfield-Suisun School District, at Solano Community College and in Vacaville and Rio Vista. Classes begin next week in the Travis School District.

There are an estimated 425,000 people who live in Solano County, based on U.S. Census Bureau data. A bit more than 17 percent of the county’s residents are older than 5 and younger than 18. That’s around 72,250 children who are of school age.

The numbers match well with state figures.

via Have a care: School’s in session Daily Republic.

Safe routes to school starts students off safely on the right foot – Daily Republic

Posted on by

By Tracy Nachand

It is back-to-school time and motorists need to be extra alert as more children are afoot. Solano Transportation Authority’s Safe Routes to School program works with local schools, parents, students, public health staff, engineers and law enforcement to promote safely walking to school.

Families want their children to start off the year ready to learn. A good way to get a head start at school (after a healthy breakfast) is to encourage children to walk to school every morning. Studies show that walking or riding a bike or scooter to school daily actually improves scholastic performance.

Physical activity boosts children’s energy level, revs up their brains and helps them settle down to study. Teachers notice their students arrive more alert and ready for class. Local parents who have walked their children to and from school have realized unexpected benefits, too – they are losing weight and getting more fit!

via Safe routes to school starts students off safely on the right foot Daily Republic.

Smashin’ back-to-school fashion at Suisun Valley Elementary – Daily Republic

Posted on by

By Amy Maginnis-Honey

The first day of school fashion at Suisun Valley Elementary School ran the gamut from denim to dresses.

First-grader Noelle Rawlinson decided to start the new school year in her favorite dress, which featured “Hello Kitty.” She paired it up with some leggings, a floral headband and hair clip with pink strands attached to it.

“She always wanted to wear that dress,” said mom Jenn Rawlinson. “She loves ‘Hello Kitty.’ ”

Maile Swisher made her debut at the school in blue denim capris with neon stars. The kindergartner topped it off with a pink T-shirt. It brought back memories to her mother, Teresa Montes, who remembered wanting to look like a princess on her first day of school.

via Smashin’ back-to-school fashion at Suisun Valley Elementary Daily Republic.

Teachers set candidates forum for Vacaville schools hopefuls – Daily Republic

Posted on by

By Amy Maginnis-Honey

Nine candidates for the Vacaville School District board of education will answers questions at a 6 p.m. Tuesday candidate’s forum.The event is in the Will C. Wood High School Wildcat Theatre, 998 Marshall Road.

Four seats are open on the board. Michele “Shelley” Dally, David McCallum, Horace “Whit” Whitman, Jeremy Jeffreys, Judith D. Ruggiero, Tracee Stacy and Deloris Roach are competing for three four-year seats. Christopher Flask and Shawn Windham are vying for a short-term seat.

“Four out of seven is a majority,” said Moira McSweeney, president of the Vacaville Teachers Association, in a press release. “These people can have a very large effect on the future of our schools and the future of our schools affects everyone in Vacaville.”

via Teachers set candidates forum for Vacaville schools hopefuls Daily Republic.

Franklin Middle School students to receive backpacks and supplies – Vallejo Times Herald

Posted on by

By John Glidden

What’s better than getting a free backpack for the first day of school? A backpack filled with school supplies.

Such is the reward for more than 700 Franklin Middle School students when school begins next Wednesday.

The backpacks will be stuffed with various schools supplies — the kind of supplies students will need throughout the school year.

The backpack project is being sponsored by Bridgeway Church.

“It’s one of those projects where it doesn’t matter who you are,” said Scott Nalley, pastor at Bridgeway Church. “Each student will get a backpack.”

via Franklin Middle School students to receive backpacks and supplies – Vallejo Times Herald.

Children get star treatment on first day of school – Daily Republic

Posted on by

By Amy Maginnis-Honey

One-by-one, the children who attend Solano Christian Academy walked through the front door and down a red carpet complete with track lights and a red velvet rope.

Cameras snapped pictures. Fairfield Mayor Harry Price shook their hands and welcomed them to the first day of school. A photographer took them aside for even more pictures.

There was a sense of deja vu for children such as eighth-grader Morgan Hearn. He’s attended the school since preschool and has been part of the red carpet walk since its inception three years ago.

“It’s pretty cool,” he said. Morgan was more interested in catching up with friends he hadn’t seen over the summer than dealing with paparazzi.

via Children get star treatment on first day of school Daily Republic.