Monthly Archives: May 2015

District staff recommends keeping baby nursery initially targeted for elimination – Daily Republic

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By Susan Winlow

Parenting students who use the district’s child care nursery in the Fairfield-Suisun School District could have a reprieve next year instead of facing the decision of what to do with their children while in school, or whether or not to even stay in school.

Governing board members, unsatisfied in March, sent district staff back to the drawing board because eliminating an at-school child care option for parenting teens wasn’t something they were prepared to do.

Satisfaction made members of the governing board smile Thursday as they heard from several members of a committee that formed to look at what could be done with the child care nursery, other than the prior proposed elimination when Sem Yeto moves to a wing of Fairfield High School next year.

via District staff recommends keeping baby nursery initially targeted for elimination Daily Republic.

New schools supe ‘already energized’ – Benicia Herald

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By Keri Luiz

The new superintendent of the Benicia Unified School District was introduced during a special meeting of BUSD trustees on May 6. Dr. Charles Young will officially begin his new job on July 1.

But first he must finish his fourth year serving as associate superintendent of educational services in the Palo Alto Unified School District.

“I will probably be done there some time in mid June,” Young said Monday in an interview with The Herald.

Then he’ll take a few days “to reflect, get reenergized and be ready to go.”

via New schools supe ‘already energized’.

Student Advocates for Better Discipline, Restorative Practices – Education News

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By Julia Steiny

Xilian Sansoucy was hungry for leadership opportunities when she began her freshman year at Classical High School, an exam school in Providence. “I think it’s exhilarating to present” in public, she said. A friend pulled her into an organization called Young Voices (YV) which specializes in just that, nurturing student leadership. In collaboration with other student organizations, leaders from YV increasingly make themselves known and heard around the state, advocating for issues they’ve agreed are important. Sansoucy took to YV like the proverbial duck to water.

Young Voices’ training begins with gathering their new recruits into student-led workshops where they research a question and share their discoveries. In one of these exercises, Sansoucy’s research on school discipline strategies revealed stark, even startling, differences between discipline at her old school, a private independent, and her new one, very much a public school. She explains that as an Asian-American, she chose Classical for its student diversity and “to get opened up to the real world.” Part of that real world is Classical’s traditional discipline system that relies primarily on suspensions and detention to control behavior.

via Student Advocates for Better Discipline, Restorative Practices.

Pay raises, boost in school lunch prices on FSUSD agenda tonight – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

When Fairfield-Suisun Unified leaders meet Thursday night in Fairfield, they are expected to approve a three-year pay contract for several school district employee groups and approve an increase in school lunch prices, the first such increase in five years.

After separate public hearings for each contract, the seven-member governing board likely will OK a 3.75 percent salary increase for classified, or school-support, employees in Chapter 302 of the California School Employees Association (CSEA), for the Mutual Organization of Supervisors, and for the district’s Management Association.

The pay hikes will be retroactive to July 1, 2014, and will be in force through June 30, 2017, with contract “reopeners” slated for January 2016 and January 2017.

via Pay raises, boost in school lunch prices on FSUSD agenda tonight.

Travis trustees OK summer transition-to-English program for Spanish Immersion students – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

Travis Unified leaders on Tuesday approved a summertime transition program for, possibly, some 50 primary-grade students in the Cambridge Elementary Spanish Immersion program who will be enrolled in English-only classes in the fall, because the SI program has been discontinued.

Sue Brothers, the district’s director of curriculum and assessment, said the program — the details of which were not clear during her presentation at a governing board meeting — will focus on English and mathematics.

A voluntary program, it is intended for students in first- through third-grades, to help them make the adjustment from speaking, reading and writing largely in Spanish to English entirely.

Classes will be held at Foxboro Elementary in Vacaville, for 16 days, three hours per day, depending on the number of families that sign up, said Brothers. Parents will be responsible for their student’s transportation, she added.

via Travis trustees OK summer transition-to-English program for Spanish Immersion students.

Travis USD trustees OK 3-year wage hike for teachers, school-support employees – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

Travis Unified leaders on Tuesday signed off on a three-year wage-and-benefit agreement with unions representing teachers and classified, or school-support, employees.

But a considerable number of the rank and file in the school district’s classrooms, 26 percent, voted to reject the agreement, the teachers union president told trustees early in the meeting at the Travis Education Center in Fairfield.

The 5,100-student district, which oversees two elementary schools in Vacaville, is on “firm financial footing, but there is still a lot of work to be done,” said Jeanette Wylie, the outgoing leader of the 275-member Travis Unified Teachers Association. Teachers, she added, were seeking more than a 10 percent increase over several years instead of the approved package, which totaled more than 9 percent.

via Travis Unified School District trustees OK 3-year wage hike for teachers, school-support employees.

Markham Elementary teacher harbors ‘high expectations’ of students – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

If she could speak to Vacaville Unified leaders today, the California Day of the Teacher, Roxann Burns would tell trustees that “it’s been a rigorous year.”

Speaking Tuesday in her fifth-grade Markham Elementary portable classroom, she alluded to the ongoing historic change in the way California students are taught: Common Core State Standards, what students should know at each grade level.

An “Air Force brat” born in Laon, France, Burns said the change, including the standardized state tests taken entirely on computers, will challenge teachers and students for several years before they “become proficient.”

via Markham Elementary teacher harbors ‘high expectations’ of students.

Fairfield-Suisun school board to review child care nursery options – Daily Republic

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By Susan Winlow

The child care nursery – a dual component of both the parenting program and the Childcare Career Technical Educational pathway at Sem Yeto High School – is back on the agenda Thursday at the Fairfield-Suisun School District board meeting after staff recommended at the March 26 meeting that it be discontinued to save money and reallocate human resources.

Board members told staff to come back with a plan for continuing the nursery next year, which serves as child care for student parents and a lab for the child care program students.

Sem Yeto is relocating to Fairfield High School next year and the district plans to close the Dover site for a year for repairs and possibly bring back a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school in 2016-17. Staff proposed to bring the child care program over to Fairfield High School, but not the nursery, and no solid plans for an alternative were forthcoming at the time.

via Fairfield-Suisun school board to review child care nursery options Daily Republic.

Neighbors appeal preschool ruling – Benicia Herald

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By Donna Beth Weilenman

Planning Commission to meet Thursday to revisit day care approval

Benicia Planning Commission will hear an appeal Thursday of a decision to allow a large family day care to operate in a home at 579 Cooper Drive.

Interim Community Development Director Dan Marks initially heard a request to open the day care March 10 from Kristi Claverie and her supporters. He also heard objections from neighbors who worried that it would increase traffic on their street and cause other problems.

Acting as the city’s zoning administrator, Marks examined points raised on both sides before deciding March 20 to approve Claverie’s request to provide day care services for up to 14 children.

via Neighbors appeal preschool ruling.

Field Trips: What Students Gain From Having Input Into School Budgets | MindShift

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By Lillian Mongeau, The Hechinger Report

VALLEJO, CALIF. – Taking 175 sixth-graders on two forms of transportation, then leading them on a one mile walk through San Francisco to a downtown science museum is no small task. But it’s one teacher Linda Holt may be doing far more regularly in the coming years. That’s because her school district, in Vallejo, Calif., made the decision last summer to allocate more money to field trips over the next several school years.

via Field Trips: What Students Gain From Having Input Into School Budgets | MindShift | KQED News.

Alternate assessments for special education students delayed | EdSource

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By Laurie Udesky

Some California educators say the state’s students with the most severe cognitive disabilities will not have the same opportunity this spring to have their learning assessed as other students taking the Common Core-aligned assessments.

Approximately 39,000 of the state’s students with cognitive disabilities that are too severe for them to function or live safely on their own are eligible to take the new California Alternate Assessment this spring, according to the California Department of Education. However, some educators are uncertain how well the new assessment will work.

In particular, they say the assessment was developed hastily and distributed to teachers with no time to prepare themselves or their students for it. They also have no assurance that the test will measure what their students are learning in the classroom. They say that’s because the alternate assessment is based on simplified adaptations of the Common Core State Standards that have not been formally adopted by the state and disseminated in advance for teachers to plan their instruction.

via Alternate assessments for special education students delayed | EdSource#.VVI1iWctHGg#.VVI1iWctHGg.

Alliance hosts barbecue to gather ideas for Solano College’s future – Daily Republic

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By Susan Winlow

The smell of a fired-up barbecue grill in front of the cafeteria wafted though Solano Community College on Monday at lunch time as dozens of students and faculty stood in line get free burgers, hot dogs or a vegetarian choice.

The barbecue was a kickoff event for the SCC Alliance; the coming together of the three unions on campus – Solano College Faculty Association, the Operating Engineers/Stationary Engineers Local 39 and the California School Employees Association Chapter 211 – and the Associated Students of Solano College in order to “begin a dialogue and discuss the issues,” according to alliance materials.

via Alliance hosts barbecue to gather ideas for Solano College’s future Daily Republic.

Employee pay hikes, 2015-16 budget on TUSD agenda – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

When they meet tonight in Fairfield, Travis Unified leaders face a busy and wide-ranging agenda.

The five-member governing board is expected to sign off on a three-year wage and benefit agreement with unions representing teachers and classified, or school support, employees.

Trustees also will hold a public hearing about the district’s 2015-16 preliminary budget; consider a proposed new bus fee schedule; and hold a public hearing about the district Local Control Accountability Plan, or LCAP.

Teachers and classified employees will receive a 3-percent raise, effective July 1, for the 2015-16 year, and 1.5 percent for the 2016-17 year. The agreements also call for employee longevity increases and increased district contributions for medical premiums.

The new medical benefit cap for members of the Travis Unified Teachers Association and members of Chapter 454 of the California School Employees Association will be $475 per month, or $5,700 annually, according to agenda information.

via Employee pay hikes, 2015-16 budget on TUSD agenda.

May to bring state budget picture into better focus – Daily Republic

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By Dan Walters From page A11 | May 13, 2015 |

Every state budget cycle has its own narrative, but this year’s version is in a class by itself.

An expanding state economy and a temporary sales and income tax increase are flooding the state treasury with money, at least $4-plus billion more than the current budget assumes, and maybe even $5-plus billion.

Through April – the big month for personal income taxes – extra revenue topped $3 billion, and another larger-than-anticipated surge is expected in June, when quarterly income tax payments are due.

There’s so much money that how to spend it is becoming a political problem.

via May to bring state budget picture into better focus Daily Republic.

2015 Classified School Employees of the Year – Year 2015 (CA Dept of Education)

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SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced the selection of six outstanding classified school employees in recognition of their many contributions to schools and students.

“Classified employees are a vital part of the success of our education system,” said Torlakson. “They are on the job every day to ensure our students get to school on time, receive nutritious meals, and are able to learn in a clean, safe, and well-ordered environment. They are instrumental in helping to build and strengthen an overall positive school climate and culture. To them and their enduring spirit, I offer my congratulations and respect.”

The annual program recognizes six outstanding classified school employees, each representing one of the following categories: Child Nutrition; Maintenance, Operations, and Facilities; Office and Technical Support; Para-Educator and Instructional Assistance; Support Services and Security; and Transportation. This years recipients were chosen from among 101 nominees.

The 2015 Classified School Employees of the Year, who will be honored by Torlakson at a luncheon held May 18 in Sacramento, are: (The information contained in the following biographical sketches was excerpted from their nomination forms.)

Child Nutrition: Raul Torres, Cafeteria Manager, Glick Middle School, Empire Union School District, Modesto,

via 2015 Classified School Employees of the Year – Year 2015 (CA Dept of Education).

Benicia pilot program to link business and education communities – Times Herald

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By Irma Widjojo

The Benicia education community is developing a collaborative project that is hoped to pair businesses and school projects to benefit the future generation

.b-Cubed, a pilot program, was recently introduced as a model to allow special projects developed by Benicia teachers to receive funding from Benicia’s business community.

“Often teachers raise the money on their own,” the Benicia Unified School District Grant Writer Adriene Rockwell said. “This is a way to let them focus on what they do best, teach.”

Still in its early stages, b-Cubed features innovative projects that have been selected by the school and district administrations, which would hopefully be adopted by a local business for funding.

Two of the five pilot projects have been funded by Benicia-based RIX Industries. There is a robotics project at Benicia High School, which created 14 robots, and a World History Class Cold War Simulation, which is a community-wide project that allow the students to experience the paranoia and tension of the Cold War.

via Benicia pilot program to link business and education communities.

High school students study creeks via monitoring program – Daily Republic

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By Kevin W. Green

High school students from Fairfield, Vallejo and Benicia are studying local creeks as part of the Solano Resource Conservation District’s biomonitoring program this year.

The agency is working with 282 high school students to study macroinvertebrates in five creeks in the county, according to a press release from the district.

The program, which is in its eighth year, involves students from Fairfield High School, Jesse Bethel and Vallejo high schools in Vallejo and Benicia High School. The students also participated in restoration work in the Blue Rock Springs Creek Corridor, working with Solano Resource Conservation District restoration staff to help plant 12,000 native grass plugs and 1,200 trees and shrubs, the district said.

via High school students study creeks via monitoring program Daily Republic.

New supe introduced to board, public – Benicia Herald

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By Keri Luiz

The contract for the new Benicia Unified School District superintendent was approved in a special meeting of the governing board of trustees Wednesday, and Dr. Charles Young was introduced to those assembled.

“As we looked at (retiring superintendent) Janice (Adams)’s contract we realized it was eight years ago. A lot of things have changed,” board chair Gary Wing said. “So working with our attorney we brought it up to date, made it current, added the correct language.

“We spent the last five, six days making it current and bringing it forward.”

The contract was unanimously approved by the board.

via New supe introduced to board, public.

Vallejo High School students put on talent show – Times Herald

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By John Glidden

For a brief moment, it was thought that the “Drop the Mic Talent Show” Thursday night at Vallejo High School might be shut down due to the occasional use of profanities by students.

It wasn’t.

Good news for the students who performed, because they had something to say.

Poet Tyler Dudley kicked off the show expressing her fear and anger over the rash of police brutality cases against African-Americans.

During her performance, Dudley asked why police officers double or triple check cars they think may contain drugs, but can’t take the time to check whether they have pulled their Taser stun gun or service weapon before use.

Dudley was referencing several notable cases where law enforcement officials mistakenly used guns instead of their Tasers.

via Vallejo High School students put on talent show.

Employee pay hikes on busy Vacaville school board agenda – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

When they meet tonight, Vacaville Unified leaders will face a busy and wide-ranging agenda.

They will discuss — and likely approve — pay raises for district employees, approve a contract for the district’s designated interim superintendent, and approve an increase to school facilities fees.

Additionally, they will consider a resolution honoring Dean Vogel, a district teacher on special assignment as president of the California Teachers Association, and hear an achievement and intervention report for Buckingham Charter High.

After weeks of negotiations, the district and the Vacaville Teachers Association will consider signing off on a two-year wage and benefit compact that will raise teacher salaries by 4 percent retroactive to July 1 and by another 4 percent next year.

It will mark the first major pay boost for the 680-member teachers union in more than a half-dozen years, when the U.S. economy was mired in the Great Recession.

via Employee pay hikes on busy Vacaville school board agenda.