Category Archives: School Board – Solano County Office of Education

Last week for candidates to join Solano school district trustee races – Daily Republic

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By Todd R. Hansen

The four incumbents and two challengers for seats on the Fairfield-Suisun School District board of trustees have filed candidacy papers, the county Elections Office reported Monday evening.

This is the last week to file for anyone interested in running for a position on 10 school or two college district boards.

Fairfield-Suisun school incumbents Joan Gaut, in Trustee Area 2, and John Silva, in Trustee Area 6, each faces a challenger. Leslie Unverferth, a real estate agent, looks to unseat Gaut, while Ana Petero, a teacher, wants to replace Silva.

Incumbents Bethany Smith, in Trustee Area 1, and Judi Honeychurch, in Trustee Area 3, are thus far unchallenged.

Source: Last week for candidates to join Solano school district trustee races

Education incumbents across Solano quick to declare re-election bids – Daily Republic

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By Todd R. Hansen

All five incumbents up for re-election on the Solano County Board of Education have taken out their declaration of candidacy papers, while 12 incumbents on school district boards and three incumbents on the Solano Community College District board have, at the very least, taken out papers as well.

However, there are also 11 school board vacancies in five districts, including all four seats up for election with the Vacaville School District, as well as the lone Solano County seat up for election on the Los Rios Community College District board.

Source: Education incumbents across Solano quick to declare re-election bids

County Office of Education Ready to Meet the Needs of Students with Received Funds from Travis Credit Union | East County Today

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Recently, Travis Credit Union launched and implemented a $1 million philanthropic initiative, which will disbursed to local organizations working to provide COVID-19 related relief to non-profits primarily focused on services in the areas of education, youth/family, food banks, and small business support.

The Contra Costa County Office of Education (CCCOE) was named as a recipient of this initiative, along with nearly 100 other non-profits in the counties of Contra Costa, Napa, Solano, Merced, and Yolo.

In determining the donation amount allocated for each agency, Travis Credit Union considered the organization’s total size, scope of service, statement of immediate needs, as well as all facets of support being offered to local individuals and families impacted by COVID-19. Receiving $30,000 from the initiative, CCCOE has begun identifying how best to support their students and educators during the Covid-19 outbreak.

Source: County Office of Education Ready to Meet the Needs of Students with Received Funds from Travis Credit Union | East County Today

Senator taps Vallejo civic leader as Woman of the Year – Daily Republic

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By Daily Republic Staff

Vallejo resident Peggy Cohen-Thompson was chosen as the 2020 Woman of the Year by Solano County’s state senator.

Cohen-Thompson was recognized for her service as president of the Solano County Board of Education, as well as being a longtime advocate of African-American businesses and a civic leader in Vallejo, according to a press release from Sen. Bill Dodd’s office.

She has been a schools trustee since 2014.

Source: Senator taps Vallejo civic leader as Woman of the Year

‘Too early’ to decide if schools will open again or not, SCOE says – Daily Republic

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The Solano County Office of Education issued a statement Wednesday saying it is too early to determine when schools might reopen.

The statement was a response to an opinion suggested Tuesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom, positing that schools statewide might not reopen for the remainder of the school year.

Officials with the Solano County Office of Education acknowledged the rapidly changing and critical circumstances that prompted Newsom to make the suggestion, but affirmed the decision of opening and closing schools remains the responsibility of local districts and administrators.

Source: ‘Too early’ to decide if schools will open again or not, SCOE says

SCOE Mourns Longtime Trustee Douglas ‘Doug’ Ford | Dixon, CA Patch

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By Maggie Avants

Solano County’s education community is mourning the loss of Dixon resident and longtime Solano County Board of Education Trustee Douglas “Doug” J. Ford, who died Thursday, Feb. 14 at the age of 87 following a long battle with cancer.

“Our hearts overflow with sadness at Doug’s passing,” Solano County Superintendent of Schools Lisette Estrella-Henderson said Wednesday in a news release. “He was very passionate about education, especially career pathways and biotechnology.”

Source: SCOE Mourns Longtime Trustee Douglas ‘Doug’ Ford | Dixon, CA Patch

Doug Ford, former SCOE trustee and Reporter columnist, dies – The Reporter

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By Nick Sestanovich

Doug Ford, a former Air Force lieutenant colonel, Solano County Board of Education trustee and Reporter columnist, died in his Dixon home Thursday after a battle with prostate cancer. He was 87.

Ford was born in Georgetown, Ill., in 1931 but moved to Tillamook, Ore., with his family when he was 3. It was there that he developed a lifelong interest in aviation when his father took him to see a Soviet aircraft that had flown over the North Pole from Moscow to Vancouver, Wash., in 1937.

Ford began building model airplanes and earned his private pilot’s license in 1950. He was accepted into the Air Force’s Pilot Training Program in 1951 but was moved over to the navigator training program after failing to pass the vision test. He retired from the Air Force in 1979, having reached the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Source: Doug Ford, former Solano Board of Education trustee and Reporter columnist, dies – The Reporter

Four SCC trustees sworn in for four-year terms – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

Four members of the Solano Community College board of trustees were sworn in for new four-year terms late last year, it has been announced.

Returning to the board are Area 2 trustee A. Marie Young, representing a sector of Vallejo; Area 4 trustee Denis Honeychurch, representing Fairfield, parts of Vacaville, and Travis Air Force Base; and Area 6 trustee Dr. Sarah Chapman, also representing parts of Vacaville.

Newly elected Area 1 trustee Karimah Karah also took her oath of office at the Dec.19 meeting. Karah, representing Vallejo west of Interstate 80 and Mare Island, won her race to earn a board seat. She replaces Pam Keith, who had served since 1994 and declined to run for re-election.

Source: Four SCC trustees sworn in for four-year terms – The Reporter

Solano schools office readies applications for board vacancy – Daily Republic

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By Daily Republic Staff

Anyone who wishes to represent Trustee Area 4 on the Solano County Board of Education can apply with the Office of Education.

The deadline is 5 p.m. Nov. 30.

Trustee Area 4 is comprised of central and western Fairfield and Suisun City.

The vacancy has been created with the pending departure of Mayrene Bates, who resigned her position for personal reasons effective Dec. 29 or upon the appointment of her replacement. The appointee will hold the office until Nov. 3, 2020, when the final two years will be filled by election.

Source: Solano schools office readies applications for board vacancy

2019 Solano Co. Student Art Faire- Suisun City, CA Patch

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By Susan C. Schena

The 2019 Solano County Student Art Faire, open to the public, is set for Saturday, May 18, 2019 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the McCormick Hall at the Solano County Fairgrounds, 900 Fairgrounds Drive in Vallejo, according to the Solano County Office of Education.

“Some of the best 4th- through 12th-grade artists will showcase their artwork and the new location will allow for more masterpieces to be on display,” the agency said.

Students must submit their artwork through their schools for consideration for display at the Art Faire exhibit, and schools must register to participate, plus indicate the anticipated number of art pieces, by Dec. 14, officials said.

Source: 2019 Solano Co. Student Art Faire: Dates & Deadlines | Suisun City, CA Patch

After previous denial, SCOE trustees OK Elite Charter petition – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

What a difference nine months apparently make for a charter school petition.

The Solano County Board of Education on Wednesday voted 5 to 2 to overturn the Aug. 1 denial of the ELITE Charter School petition by the Vallejo City Unified School Board.

The action by the seven-member county governing board comes after it denied in January a previous ELITE petition for a countywide charter school and after the Aug. 20 appeal of the VCU decision to the county board by petitioner Ramona Bishop, a former VCU superintendent; and after a Sept. 17 public hearing at SCOE offices in Fairfield.

Bishop’s latest petition was for a single K-12 school, an independent charter, in Vallejo, and, with the vote, will be aligned with — or fall under the jurisdiction of — the county district.

Source: After previous denial, Solano County Office of Education trustees OK Elite Charter petition – The Reporter

Nominees Sought For ‘Operation Recognition’ In Solano County | Dixon, CA Patch

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By Susan C. Schena

The Solano County Office of Education is participating in “Operation Recognition” which honors U.S. veterans and Japanese-American citizens who were unable to continue high school due to wartime circumstances by awarding them with high school diplomas.

In the 1940s, ’50s, ’60s and’ 70s, thousands of young men and women left high school and home to join the U.S. armed forces in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Also during World War II, many Japanese-American citizens were interned in relocation camps across the United States, district officials said.

California Education Code section 51430 authorizes retroactive awarding of high school diplomas to eligible veterans and persons detained in internment camps during World War II — individuals unable to finish high school and receive diplomas.

Source: Nominees Sought For ‘Operation Recognition’ In Solano County | Dixon, CA Patch

SCOE board denies Rocketship charter appeal – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

Solano County Office of Education leaders voted unanimously Wednesday to deny the appeal of a Vallejo charter school petition at a time of increasingly intensive debate over the role of charter schools in the state.

The 7-0 decision, coming nearly five weeks after a public hearing about the appeal, occurred during a regular trustees meeting in the county schools headquarters on Business Center Drive in Fairfield.

In many ways, the vote to deny the appeal from Marie Issa Gil, whose petition to form Rocketship Vallejo Elementary Charter School also was denied June 20 by Vallejo City Unified trustees, came as no surprise.

At the June school board meeting, VCU administrators described Gil’s document as “deficient in many key respects” and offered “an unsound educational program,” the latter phrase almost always resulting in denial of a charter petition by a school district or its appeal to a county board or the state Board of Education in Sacramento.

Source: Solano County Office of Education board denies Rocketship charter appeal

Benicia Democrats endorse Birdseye, Dean in local races – Benicia Herald

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By the Editor

At its Tuesday meeting, the Progressive Democrats of Benicia interviewed candidates for the Benicia City Council and Solano County Board of Education. Club members cast their votes and announced the results on Wednesday.

Of the three candidates running for City Council, Planning Commission Chair Kari Birdseye and former Councilmember Christina Strawbridge. Ultimately, Birdseye narrowly edged out Strawbridge in the votes and received the club’s endorsement.

“The Progressive Democrats of Benicia are proud to endorse Planning Commission chair Birdseye,” group officials wrote.

Source: Benicia Democrats endorse Birdseye, Dean in local races

Vacaville, Travis school board races set – Daily Republic

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By Ian Thompson

Five people are running to fill three seats on the Vacaville School District governing board this fall.

Two incumbents, Michele Dally and John Jansen, will campaign along with Khala Hastings, Michael Silva and Kristina Bell.

Bell was the last candidate to file Wednesday before the filing period closed. Thomas Kutz had pulled papers, but chose not to run.

Travis School District’s Trustee Area 1 got a single candidate for an open seat when Adrian Saiz filed for office Wednesday. Four candidates seek two Area 2 seats. They are incumbent Riita DeAnda, Janet Forbes, Russ Barrington and Vinh “Devin” Ma.

Source: Vacaville, Travis school board races set

School board races coalesce as filing deadline nears – Daily Republic

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By Ian Thompson

School board races in Fairfield, Vacaville and Suisun City are taking form as the candidate filing period for some of the seats is set to close Friday.

The races now range from the Vacaville School District, where five people are looking to run for three available seats, to one of Travis School District’s trustee areas where no one is yet running.

Mayrene Bates and Dana Dean are expected to run unopposed to keep their Solano County Board of Education trustee area seats since they are the only ones who have filed for their respective seats.

Source: School board races coalesce as filing deadline nears

Vallejo charter school petitioner’s appeal on SCOE agenda – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

A public hearing on the appeal of a Vallejo-based charter school petition, previously denied by the city’s education leaders two months ago, an update on the Local Control Accountability Plan, or LCAP, and a Patriot Day resolution are on the agenda when Solano County Office of Education trustees meet tonight in Fairfield.

The seven-member governing board will hear from Marie Issa Gil, whose petition to form Rocketship Vallejo Elementary Charter School was nixed by Vallejo City Unified trustees on June 20, after district staffers characterized the petition as “deficient in many key respects.”

SCOE governing board members will “consider the level of support for the petition by teachers employed in the school district, other employees of the school district, and parents,” according to agenda documents.

Former Suisun police chief pulls papers for council race – Daily Republic

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By Ian Thompson

Former Suisun City police chief Tom Alder entered the race for Suisun City council this week, pulling candidate papers on Wednesday.

Alder had last considered running for the City Council in 2010, saying he has long been a resident of the town and government experience.

He joins a field of candidates who have pulled papers to run for council that includes Thomas Kamin, Wanda Williams and incumbents Jane Day and Mike Hudson.

It’s still a two-way race between Suisun City Councilwoman Lori Wilson and incumbent Mayor Pete Sanchez for Sanchez’s seat.

Source: Former Suisun police chief pulls papers for council race

Solano County school board member declines re-election bid – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

His has been a life of service, in the U.S. Air Force, as a teacher, as a Reporter columnist, and as a longtime Solano County Office of Education governing board member.

But Dixon resident Doug Ford, who represents rural District 6 on the county school board, has announced that he will not, after 17 years as a trustee, seek re-election in November.

With a caveat, however:

If no one declares their candidacy by the Aug. 10 filing deadline at the county Registrar of Voters, “Then I’ll run” and file by the close of business on that day, he said during a brief interview Friday to confirm his intentions.

If he is the sole candidate, Ford will be automatically re-elected; but, he noted, he will have the remaining board members search for a replacement shortly after he begins a fifth term.

Source: Solano County school board member declines re-election bid

Solano County Office of Education leader to mull over interim budget – Times Herald

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By Richard Bammer

Solano County Office of Education leaders likely will approve the 2017-18 second interim budget report when they meet tonight in Fairfield.

By law, California school districts must issue two annual budget reports for their current fiscal year, usually by mid-December and mid-March, to let state officials know that they can pay their bills.

In her overview, Becky Lentz, director of internal business services, will tell the seven-member governing board that Gov. Jerry Brown continues to predict a recession “but the timing is unknown.”

Additionally, cuts to federal programs are expected and so are changes to the Affordable Care Act, passed in 2010 during the Obama administration and intended to constrain healthcare costs. SCOE, which administers community and court schools and some special education programs, among others, is experiencing declining enrollment in its Alternative Education program, Lentz will add.

Source: Solano County Office of Education leader to mull over interim budget