Schools help families enroll in Covered California, Medi-Cal | EdSource

By Jane Meredith Adams

With huge numbers of California children still uninsured, schools are beginning to take the lead in letting families know that affordable health care coverage is available.

In school libraries and courtyards from Sacramento to Los Angeles and beyond, trained enrollment counselors have been invited to set up folding tables, commandeer desk space and corral parents before the Feb. 15 sign-up deadline for Covered California, the state’s online health insurance marketplace created under the federal Affordable Care Act.

And the outreach will increase. Under a new state law, all California schools must include in their 2015-16 enrollment packets information about options for health care coverage and how to get help with the sign-up process. The law, Assembly Bill 2706, authored by Roger Hernández, D-West Covina, is intended to reduce the number of children who are eligible for health insurance subsidies but remain uninsured.

via Schools help families enroll in Covered California, Medi-Cal | EdSource.

Vallejo schools welcome a new school resource officer – Times Herald

By Irma Widjojo,

Vallejo schools have a new addition.

It’s not a new teacher or student — but an officer.

Nearly seven years after the program was scraped in 2008 due to budgetary issues, Vallejo police Officer Craig Long has been named the city’s School Resource Officer as of the beginning of the year.

Long, 29, has been with the department for a little less than a year, hailing from the El Cerrito Police Department, where he was a full-time patrol, and later traffic, officer since 2011.

He said when the application for the program opened up, he took the opportunity.

“I thought it’d be challenging, but it’ll be worthwhile,” said Long, who is also a U.S. Marine Corps captain and soon-to-be father.

via Vallejo schools welcome a new school resource officer.

Hearing on teacher contract proposal on TUSD agenda tonight – The Reporter

By Richard Bammer

A public hearing about the district’s initial contract proposal for contract talks with teacher union representatives, “sunshining” the initial contract proposal from the district’s school-support employees, and changes in school meal policies are on the agenda when Travis Unified leaders meet tonight in Fairfield.

The 275-member Travis Unified Teachers Association seeks a pay hike similar to the one recently accorded to Superintendent Kate Wren Gavlak, who last year received a nearly 11 percent salary boost after having no raises since 2007.

In their sunshine proposal, the rank and file from Chapter 424 of the California School Employees Association, which represents the district’s classified, or school support employees (bus drivers, office clerks, custodians, librarians, etc.), will likely also seek a raise that matches the teachers’ request. To “sunshine” bargaining proposals, as required by state law, gives the public a chance to see the topics upon which each side intends to bargain.

via Hearing on teacher contract proposal on TUSD agenda tonight.

Robodogs ready their ’bot for pending competitions – The Reporter

By Richard Bammer

The calendar hanging on a wall in Phil Jenschke’s crowded classroom, home of the Vacaville High “Robodogs” robotics team, tells an insistent tale, if not an inexorable fate: the reality of a project deadline.

Today there are seven days left for the 27 team members, frosh to seniors, to finish their robot for entry into two regional robotics competitions, and each passing day on the calendar has been X’d in red or blue inks for all to see.

The six-week “build season,” when students have to design, build, program, fabricate and test a working “ ’bot” for the competitions — March 26 to 28 at the University of California, Davis, and April 2 to 4 at San Jose State University — is coming to an end.

via Robodogs ready their ’bot for pending competitions.

Officials react to supe’s retirement – Benicia Herald

By Donna Beth Weilenman

“Dedicated.” “Deeply knowledgeable.” “A pleasure to work with.” There are the words past and present Benicia officials used to describe Janice Adams, the superintendent of Benicia Unified School District, who announced recently she plans to conclude her 41-year career in education at the end of the current school year.

“Janice has been a pleasure to work with and is always very kind and considerate,” said Mike Dotson, director of Parks and Community Services, echoing the sentiments of many.

Dotson said his department worked closely with Adams on the city-BUSD joint use agreement and liaison committee, high school playing field renovations and the Every 15 Minutes program against impaired driving.

via Officials react to supe’s retirement.

Educators unveil Google apps as new way to teach, engage students – The Reporter

By Richard Bammer

Many Vacaville Unified classrooms may soon look like those described by a Fairmont Elementary teacher and a digital education specialist.

Speaking Thursday to the governing board, Carolyn Thomas, a fifth-grade teacher at the Marshall Road campus, and Dawn Marsh said Google technology will allow students to “create and collaborate” and that a pilot Fairmont program “has shown great promise.”

The program, as unveiled by the two women during a computer-aided slide presentation in the Educational Services Center, is expected to expand schoolwide and districtwide. Cooper and Callison elementaries will be the next schools to pilot Google Apps, they said.

Marsh pointed out that the apps — Google docs, slides, forms, web sites, graphics and annotations and more — are free learning tools for the classroom. Additionally, they are accessible on any electronic device with an Internet connection at home or school, anywhere, on a laptop, tablet or smartphone.

via Educators unveil Google apps as new way to teach, engage students.

Most area school districts fall below state average of vaccine exemptions – The Reporter

By Richard Bammer

All but one Vacaville-area public school district fall below the statewide average of student exemptions to vaccinations, or 3.3 percent, The Reporter has learned.

The data comes as state schools chief Tom Torlakson on Friday urged California parents to vaccinate their children in the wake of continued reports of measles outbreaks nationwide — including a case in Vacaville involving a child under the age of 5 — a disease track that began in December at Disneyland in Anaheim. It also comes as two state senators plan to introduce a law to end a controversial “personal belief exemption,” which allows parents to refuse to vaccinate their children.

In Vacaville Unified, some 125 students, or 1 percent of an estimated 12,500 students, are unvaccinated against mumps, measles and rubella (MMR), said Danielle Storey, the assistant superintendent of educational services.

via Most area school districts fall below state average of vaccine exemptions.

Friends of the Dixon May Fair offer college scholarships – The Reporter

The Friends of the Dixon May Fair will award a total of $12,500 in college scholarships to Solano County students enrolled in a California university or community college and who are majoring in agriculture or an agricultural-related field. The deadline to apply for the scholarships is 5 p.m., March 1. The Friends will award four scholarships for those enrolled in a four-year college, and three scholarships for those enrolled in a two-year college. Over the last 14 years, they’ve awarded $142,000 in college scholarships to Solano County students pursuing an agricultural-related career.

The top student in the four-year college category will receive the $3000 Ester Armstrong Memorial Scholarship, memorializing the former Dixon May Fair chief executive officer. Three other scholarships, at $2000 each, will be given in the four-year college category. For two-year college students, the awards are: the Jack Hopkins Memorial Scholarship of $1500; and two scholarships at $1,000 each.

via Friends of the Dixon May Fair offer college scholarships.

Mundy runners hit stride in 100 Mile Club – Daily Republic

By Marcus Lomtong

The rain causes a lot of issues for some people. For about 70 children at Nelda Mundy Elementary School, it just might have made things more fun Friday, but it certainly didn’t stop them.

Children who attend Nelda Mundy have been running three times a week since November in the 100 Mile Club after school, all for the goal of reaching 100 miles ran in one school year. Club members were out running Friday like they always do, staying semi-dry under the awnings.

There was a mix of smiles on the children’s faces, along with determination for those who had their target set on some important milestones for the session, but none were down about the weather because they had other things in mind.

via Mundy runners hit stride in 100 Mile Club Daily Republic.

Players draw inspiration from classmate’s quest to beat cancer – Daily Republic

By Amy Maginnis

Calista King is often described as a quiet and studious young woman.

The 15-year-old Buckingham Charter Magnet High School sophomore carries a 3.7 grade point average and lists her favorite subjects as pre-calculus, chemistry and engineering design. She loves Japanese anime, Marvel Comics and anything historical.

Her own history will include her efforts to survive a cancerous brain tumor.

The news was delivered Oct. 29 after months of severe migraines and nausea. Surgery and radiation followed. The young woman has completed 30 radiation treatments and is taking a breather to let her body recover and let her celebrate her 16th birthday.

via Players draw inspiration from classmate’s quest to beat cancer Daily Republic.

Vallejo school board approves agreement with CSEA union – Times Herald

By John Glidden

The Vallejo school board unanimously approved a tentative agreement Wednesday night with the local chapter of the California School Employees Association, which represents non-teacher employees of the Vallejo City Unified School District

Per the agreement, the district will increase its contribution to health and welfare benefits by $200 for various health plans, retroactive to July 1, 2014. For the 2015-16 fiscal year, each cell on the CSEA salary schedule will receive a $2,500 per year increase, effective July 1, 2015.

According to a staff report, the estimated cost for the 2014-15 fiscal year will cost the district more than $736,000 and $2,500,000 for the 2015-16 year.

CSEA President Michael Rhodes addressed the board before the vote, thanking the district for working to help the members of the union.

via Vallejo school board approves agreement with CSEA union.

Vacaville trustees hear governor’s ‘basic message’: Committed to education – The Reporter

By Richard Bammer

Vacaville Unified leaders on Thursday heard an update on Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed $165 billion state budget for 2015-16 and “the basic message,” the district’s chief business official said, reflects a collective opinion that the national and state economies continue to show strength.

Meeting in the Educational Services Center, the seven-member governing board listened as Jane Shamieh told trustees that the “governor is committed” to boosting the bottom line for the nation’s largest public school system, with nearly 6.2 million students.

Quickly moving through her computer-aided slide presentation, saying trustees may have heard such data before, she noted that state revenues are robust, “even without the added boost provided by Proposition 30, the 2015-16 state revenues would be the highest ever.”

via Vacaville trustees hear governor’s ‘basic message’: Committed to education.

VCS fourth-grader, Jepson seventh-grader earn top honors at citywide spelling bee – The Reporter

By Richard Bammer

A Vacaville Christian School fourth-grader and a Jepson Middle School seventh-grader on Wednesday were crowned top word masters at the end of the 41st annual Grace B. Powell Citywide Spelling Bee in Brenden Theatres.

Spelling with ease words such as “hallucinogen,” VCS student Lilly Trinh claimed victory in the elementary division of the 2015 event, named after a former Vacaville High principal and sponsored by the Vacaville Rotary Club.

Trinh, who received a plaque and $150 for her effort, topped a field of more than 40 spellers. In early rounds she correctly spelled “illegible” and “parcel,” and will move on to the 39th annual Solano County Elementary bee March 31 in Suisun City. If she wins there, she will be eligible to compete at the California Elementary spelling championship April 18 at the San Joaquin County Office of Education in Stockton.

via VCS fourth-grader, Jepson seventh-grader earn top honors at citywide spelling bee.

College works with deficit amid positive 2015-16 budget news – Daily Republic

By Susan Winlow

Budget concerns still plague Solano Community College in the form of a structural deficit but the proposed influx of money from the governor’s preliminary 2015-16 budget is a bright spot in the institution’s struggle toward a true balanced budget.

Yulian Ligioso, the college’s vice president of finance, gave a short presentation this week to the college’s trustees, updating them about 2014-15 and giving them a preview of 2015-16.

Thus far this academic year, more money has been spent than anticipated, pushing the deficit spending from $1.4 million to $1.9 million and leaving an end-of-the-year reserve sitting just slightly above the minimum desired 5 percent. It’s a decline from the 6.23 percent projected in the 2014-15 budget.

via College works with deficit amid positive 2015-16 budget news Daily Republic.

Middle school sports back in Fairfield-Suisun – Daily Republic

By Marcus Lomtong

It’s been more than five years since local middle schools have had organized sports. That competitive drought has now come to an end.

The Green Valley Middle School boys and girls basketball teams faced off Thursday against the Public Safety Academy in a double-header on Green Valley’s home court, and to the people in the gym it couldn’t have been more important for the students and community alike.

The atmosphere inside the gym resembled that of the famous “Cameron Crazies,” which is the energetic student section for the Duke University basketball teams, only this crowd was filled with middle school students, teachers and family members.

via Middle school sports back in Fairfield-Suisun Daily Republic.

State budget, Google apps, discipline report on VUSD agenda tonight – The Reporter

By Richard Bammer

By Richard Bammer

An update on Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed $165 billion budget, a presentation about Google apps, the appointment of a Measure A Citizens’ Oversight Committee, and the district’s discipline data are on the agenda when Vacaville Unified trustees meet tonight.

The district’s chief business official, Jane Shamieh will update the seven-member governing board about the governor’s budget, first unveiled on Jan. 9, and how it affects K-12 education in the California, by far the nation’s most populous state, with more than 6 million public school students.

Shamieh, who participated in a School Services of California budget workshop last month in Sacramento, will tell the board that the national and state economies continue to show strength.

In agenda documents, she said state revenues are robust, “even without the added boost provided by Proposition 30, the 2015-17 state revenues would be the highest ever.”

via State budget, Google apps, discipline report on VUSD agenda tonight.

Update on district office’s roof, SEIU contract on DUSD agenda tonight – The Reporter

By Richard Bammer

An update on the district’s administrative offices, which suffer from weak roof trusses, and approval of a tentative contract between the district and school-support employees are on the agenda when Dixon Unified leaders meet tonight in Dixon.

District administrators, currently temporarily housed in Dixon High offices on College Way, face a financial decision regarding longtime district offices on South First Street, where some roof trusses are broken, rendering parts of the building unsafe to inhabit.

In a late-December interview, Superintendent Brian Dolan said the fate of the building, built in 1978, would be the subject of several board meeting discussions, as district officials mull over several options. Those choices include selling the building as is, an unlikely prospect, since mortgage companies almost certainly will not loan cash for a structurally unsound building; fix the roof, a repair bill that likely will top six figures, and return to the refurbished office spaces; fix and sell the building, which the district purchased in 2002 for nearly $1 million but still owes $210,000 on the mortgage; or rehabilitate old Dixon High on East C Street and move in there.

via Update on district office’s roof, SEIU contract on DUSD agenda tonight.

County names new assistant director of Health and Social Services – Daily Republic

By Kevin W. Green

Sandra Dalida has been named as the new assistant director of Health and Social Services, Solano County officials announced Wednesday in a press release.

She begins work Monday, joining the county’s largest and most comprehensive public service agency.

Dalida will help administer a $289 million budget and provide oversight to the department’s programs that serve the people of Solano County, the release said.

“We are pleased to welcome Sandra to the Health and Social Services team,” Jerry Huber, director of Solano County Health and Social Services, said in the release. “Her commitment to ethics, excellence and empowerment will serve to increase access for clients to programs and services we support in the community.”

via County names new assistant director of Health and Social Services Daily Republic.

Change to middle school roof project hikes cost – Benicia Herald

by Keri Luiz

Mitchell Stark, Benicia Unified School District bond director, will ask school board trustees on Thursday to consider and approve a final change order for the Benicia Middle School roof project that increases the cost of the project by more than $20,000.

The board awarded the $581,415 contract for the middle school roof project on June 19, 2014 to Go Green Inc. The contract includes a 20-year warranty from the materials manufacturer, Metracrylics, along with a two-year contractor warranty.

Stark wrote in a report to the board that during the course of construction several unforeseen conditions arose that required additional work by the contractors, including installing materials to provide a better slope to the existing roof surface for water flow to the gutter and draining systems, ventilation screens at rebuilt soffits, new metal coping and patching of stucco because of water intrusion.

via Change to middle school roof project hikes cost by more than $20K.

Pre-K Pays Off By Lowering Special Ed Placements : NPR Ed

By William Huntsberry

Attending state-funded prekindergarten substantially reduces the likelihood that students will end up in special education programs later on, according to a new study by researchers at Duke University.

The study examined 13 years’ worth of data from students enrolled in More at Four, a state-funded program for 4-year-olds in North Carolina. By the third grade, the researchers found, children in the program were 32 percent less likely to end up in a special education program. Children who were part of Smart Start, a health services program, saw a 10 percent drop. Combined, the two programs accounted for a 39 percent reduction.

via Pre-K Pays Off By Lowering Special Ed Placements : NPR Ed : NPR.