School bond measures big items on November ballot – Vallejo Times Herald

By John Glidden

Both the Napa Valley College Board of Trustees and the Vallejo City Unified School District are hoping that Measure E will be popular with local voters come this November.

Each district placed a Measure E bond on their respective local ballots. VCUSD’s Measure E is a $239 million general obligation bond, which will be used to upgrade district school sites. Napa County voters, meanwhile, will have an opportunity to make a decision about Measure E, a $198 million general obligation bond, to help repair and renovate Napa Valley College classroom facilities.

via School bond measures big items on November ballot – Vallejo Times Herald.

Citizens for Vallejo group endorses Worel and Loughmiller – Vallejo Times Herald

By John Glidden

The political action committee Citizens for Vallejo has officially endorsed Vallejo City Unified School District Board of Education candidates Burky Worel and Shelee Loughmiller.

“It is time for better accountability from school board trustees, and Loughmiller and Worel are committed to improving transparency with students, teachers and the public,” said Paul Norberg, CfV Treasurer and retired chief financial officer, in a CfV press release.

“I welcome the endorsement,” said Worel by phone Friday morning. “I’m glad people are endorsing me for school board.”

Worel also said that his campaign has received “broad support across the board.”

via Citizens for Vallejo group endorses Worel and Loughmiller – Vallejo Times Herald.

Jerry Brown approves loan program for undocumented students – The Sacramento Bee

By Alexei Koseff

Gov. Jerry Brown has signed legislation creating a new loan program for undocumented students in California’s public universities.

Senate Bill 1210, by state Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, would make available $9.2 million for University of California and California State University campuses to administer loans to students who are in the country illegally. These students, who are ineligible for federal financial aid and most private loans, often face a gap in funding their education – an estimated $5,000 to $6,000 at UC and $3,000 at CSU, according to Lara’s office.

via Jerry Brown approves loan program for undocumented students – Capitol Alert – The Sacramento Bee.

Solano College trustees to discuss new 4-year-degree law – Daily Republic

By Susan Winlow

Trustees at Solano Community College on Wednesday will discuss passage of a new law that will allow California community colleges to offer four-year degrees.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 850, authored by Sen. Marty Block, D-San Diego, over the weekend as an answer to an estimated demand of more than 1 million four-year degrees by the year 2025. Currently only the University of California and California State University systems offer public four-year degrees. More than 20 states nationwide currently allow community colleges to offer four-year degrees.

via Solano College trustees to discuss new 4-year-degree law Daily Republic.

Benicia school board incumbent wants to continue what he started – Vallejo Times Herald

By Irma Widjojo

Steve Messina said he wants to continue what he, and the rest of the board, began by seeking re-election for a seat in the Benicia Unified School District Governing Board.

Messina, 64, isn’t a stranger to public positions, having served on the Benicia City Council for a decade, including eight years as mayor from 1999 to 2007. He was elected into the board in 2009.

“There are some things I would like to help,” he said.

One of the most important things, he said, is the allocation of the $ 49.6 million general bond, which was passed in June by voters and is to be used for renovations and repairs on facilities in the district.

via Benicia school board incumbent wants to continue what he started – Vallejo Times Herald.

Benicia school board longest serving member seeks another term – Vallejo Times Herald

By Irma Widjojo

Rosie Switzer is the longest-serving trustee in the current school board, and she’s not done yet.

Switzer, 68, is seeking reelection for her third term on the Benicia Unified School District Governing Board.

“I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I don’t feel like my work’s finished with the board,” she said.

Switzer was born in Benicia and grew up in Vallejo since she was 5 years old.

Before serving on the board, Switzer was a teacher for the district for 35 years, before retiring in 2004. She now serves as the board president.

via Benicia school board longest serving member seeks another term – Vallejo Times Herald.

Incumbent offers finance, data-based expertise to Benicia school board – The Reporter

By Irma Widjojo

Although Morgan, 50, has been making decisions as a trustee, this year would be his first campaign.

Morgan was appointed to the Benicia Unified School District Governing Board last year, replacing Dana Dean, who resigned following her appointment to the Solano County Board of Education.

His appointment was made after the board interviewed six applicants at a special meeting.

“I think what I bring to the board is that I’m unique in that I bring a focus on bringing discipline and basing it on data,” Morgan said.

The incumbent has worked for the Charles Schwab Corporation in San Francisco since 1999. He began his law career as a prosecutor in the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office.

via Incumbent offers finance, data-based expertise to Benicia school board – The Reporter.

Benicia school board challenger utilizes decades of education experience – The Reporter

By Irma Widjojo

With more than three decades of education experience under her belt, Diane Ferrucci said the move to run as a school board candidate feels natural.

“I’ve recently retired, but I haven’t lost my love and passion for education,” Ferrucci, 65, said.

The Benicia woman is the only challenger on the November ballot for a seat in the Benicia Unified School District Governing Board. Three seats are up for election this year.

Ferrucci’s career in education began in Benicia as an eighth-grade history and English teacher at Benicia Middle School before becoming the school’s vice principal. She then took an administrator position at the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District, where she remained for 14 years before retiring this year.

via Benicia school board challenger utilizes decades of education experience – The Reporter.

VUSD trustee candidate Roach to hold reception Wednesday – The Reporter

By Richard Bammer

Vacaville Unified trustee candidate Deloris Roach will hold a community outreach reception on Wednesday at fuso Italian restaurant in downtown Vacaville.

Commonly called a “meet-and-greet,” the event, titled “Building Pride in Our Schools,” will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the 535 A Main St. restaurant.

Among other things, the reception will feature a presentation by Roach, a small-business owner and former East Bay school district trustee, on school district issues and how the community can help, followed by a question-and-answer session. Refreshments will be served. The public is invited and donations are encouraged; however, no one will be turned away, she said in a written statement.

via VUSD trustee candidate Roach to hold reception Wednesday – The Reporter.

Assist-A-Grad adds new scholarship – Daily Republic

By Susan Winlow

The Assist-A-Grad Scholarship Foundation will add a new scholarship to its roster with the inception of the Charlotte Toon Memorial Scholarship.

Toon was a longtime board member in the Assist-A-Grad foundation and worked in the Fairfield-Suisun School District for more than 30 years before retiring. She died in April at the age of 92.

The first award will be given to a senior in the graduating class of 2015. The foundation is in need of contributions to the scholarship.

via Assist-A-Grad adds new scholarship Daily Republic.

School trustees express disappointment over test results – Daily Republic

By Susan Winlow

There was a pregnant pause from Fairfield-Suisun School District board members after Marie Williams, the director of secondary education, and the three high school principals finished a presentation Thursday on proficiency scores for Fairfield, Armijo and Rodriguez high schools, and it was asked if there were any board comments.

Trustee Pat Shamansky bit the bullet and didn’t mince words when she launched into her thoughts about the adequate yearly progress proficiency percentages in math and English-language arts that are based on the California High School Exit Examination. They were recently released by the California Department of Education.

via School trustees express disappointment over test results Daily Republic.

Country High program teaches girls soft, life skills – Daily Republic

By Susan Winlow

Apalonia Carges is a newly minted high school graduate and about to head out and find her first job.

She sat Wednesday in a classroom at Vacaville’s Country High School – her last “class” of her high school career wasn’t even mandatory, yet she was there; like she had been for the better part of the past year.

Carges, 20, and dozens of other girls take part in a voluntary program called Soroptimists Teaching and Empowering for Personal Success, or STEPS. It’s the brainchild of Desiree Ramos, a member of the Vacaville Soroptimist group.

via Country High program teaches girls soft, life skills Daily Republic.

Banned Books Week brings censorship to forefront – Daily Republic

By Susan Winlow

The children’s book series “Captain Underpants” and John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men” have something in common. So do the teen favorite “The Hunger Games” and “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley – a book written almost 100 years ago.

All four are included on the banned or challenged book list, which means that it’s been outright banned in a library or school or it’s been challenged by a person or group that made viable attempts to remove the book from a curriculum or library because of a variety of things such as sexual explicitness, profanity or being unsuited for a particular age group.

via Banned Books Week brings censorship to forefront Daily Republic.

Math decoded in fun, exciting ways at Alamo Elementary – The Reporter

By Richard Bammer

Alamo Elementary parent Kymberly Hawkins sat next to her son, second-grader Max Hawkins, who manipulated glue stick, scissors, colored oval-shaped paper cut-outs, and paper cupcake baking cups.

In the school’s multipurpose room, they sat at a table dubbed “Growing Equations,” one of 10 stations Wednesday evening at the South Orchard Avenue campus that were part of Family Math Night.

Max’s mission for the moment: Choose a number (he picked 11) and note four to six expressions that equaled it. 15 minus 4 was one, 13 minus 2 another, and so forth. He wrote them on several “petals” that he cut out, then splayed them out to create flower. Then it was on to another table — no time to waste during the 90-minute event that began at 6 p.m. — where he and others learned more details about shapes at “Pattern Blocks”; learned which numbers belong to certain geometric shapes in a simple equation at “Finding the Unknowns”; and learned what operation is performed when a letter is right next to a number in algebra (answer: multiplication).

via Math decoded in fun, exciting ways at Alamo Elementary – The Reporter.

Why Students Leave STEM | Edutopia

By Ainissa Ramirez

There was a recent report PDF, 1.6MB that put out some alarming data about the attrition of students in STEM college courses. The numbers say that 48 percent of bachelors degree students who entered STEM fields between 2003 and 2009 have left. Many people are striving to understand the cause for the attrition, particularly for students of color and women. According to a White House report PDF, 1.1MB, it seems that students leave STEM because of the uninviting atmosphere, difficult weed-out classes, and STEM courses that do not show their relevancy.

via Why Students Leave STEM | Edutopia.

Trio of Vacaville USD trustee candidates hold meet-and-greet tonight – The Reporter

By Richard Bammer

Three candidates running for seats on the Vacaville Unified’s governing board will host a community meet-and-greet event tonight in Vacaville.

The event, from 5:30 to 7:30 and open to the public, will be at Mission on the Hill, 1300 E. Monte Vista Ave.

The three candidates — who share a common platform of classroom-center decision-making and safety, among other things — are Jeremy Jeffreys, a teacher at Green Valley Middle School in Fairfield and a member of the Vacaville Public Education Foundation board of directors; Judi Ruggiero, a U.S. history teacher at Vanden High in Fairfield; and Tracee Stacy, publisher of Prime Time Living magazine and also a member of the VPEF board.

via Trio of Vacaville Unified School District trustee candidates hold meet-and-greet tonight – The Reporter.

Enrollment of Homeless Students Hits New Record in U.S. Schools – Education Week

By Evie Blad

There were a record 1,258,182 homeless students enrolled in American public schools during the 2012-13 school year, a nearly 8 percent increase from the previous year’s levels, new U.S. Department of Education data released this week show.

Homelessness in schools has increased dramatically in recent years, children’s advocacy organization First Focus Campaign for Children noted in a news release.

“The new data means that a record number of kids in our schools and communities are spending restless nights in bed-bug infested motels and falling more behind in school by the day because they’re too tired and hungry to concentrate,” First Focus President Bruce Lesley said in a statement.

via Enrollment of Homeless Students Hits New Record in U.S. Schools – Rules for Engagement – Education Week.

Draft History–Social Science Framework – Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)

SACRAMENTO— State Superintendent Tom Torlakson announced today that California is moving forward to improve the way educators teach history and social science by gathering public comment on a new framework.

“By updating the framework, California is making sure students benefit from the latest methods of teaching history and social sciences,” Torlakson said. “Learning these subjects helps students understand and shape the world around them, which will better prepare them for college and careers.”

The draft History–Social Science Framework for California Public Schools, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve (Framework) will provide guidance for teachers, administrators, and parents on how to implement a curriculum, based on content standards in the classroom. The draft covers more recent historical events, reflects changes in the law since the last framework was adopted in 2001, and helps educators teach the critical analytical skills students need for 21st century careers.

via Draft History–Social Science Framework – Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education).

High school progress report a mixed bag for Fairfield schools – Daily Republic

By Susan Winlow

The California Department of Education released an abbreviated form of results for state-administered tests in high schools taken last year, showing an increase in proficiency rates in English-language arts and math at Rodriguez and Armijo high schools, but a decline in both for Fairfield High School, including a 7 percent drop in English-language arts.

Usually released along with academic performance index numbers, the state only released the Adequate Yearly Progress numbers for the upper grades because of the phase-out of No Child Left Behind, which ended this past year, and the institution of the new Common Core state standards and their California testing component, Smarter Balanced assessments.

via High school progress report a mixed bag for Fairfield schools Daily Republic.

School candidates field questions from African-American Alliance – The Reporter

By John Glidden

Sitting behind the dais in the council chamber at City Hall Monday night, five of the six Vallejo City Unified School District candidates fielded tough questions from the African-American Alliance.

Questions ranged from the candidates’ official stance on Measure E to how the candidates, once elected, would improve safety at school sites. For most of the forum, each candidate was given a specific question to answer.

“I support having school resource officers on campuses,” said incumbent trustee Hazel Wilson.

via School candidates field questions from African-American Alliance – The Reporter.