Monthly Archives: January 2012

Poll: Strong Support for Brown Tax Plan, Opposition to School “Trigger Cuts”

Posted on by

California Progress Report

By Public Policy Institute of California

Strong majorities of Californians favor Governor Jerry Brown’s proposed tax initiative and oppose the automatic cuts that public schools will face if voters fail to approve the measure in November. These are among the key findings of a statewide survey released today by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), with funding from The James Irvine Foundation.

via Poll: Strong Support for Brown Tax Plan, Opposition to School “Trigger Cuts”.

Benicia board opts to join pact on middle school cell phone tower

Posted on by

Benicia Herald

By Keri Luiz
Assistant Editor

The joint-use facilities pact dictating the division of funding for a cell phone tower at Benicia Middle School was approved unanimously Thursday by the Benicia Unified School District Governing Board.

An amendment to the agreement allocates 75 percent of the revenue from the tower’s owner, Crown Castle, to the city and 25 percent to the school district. In exchange, the city continues to take care of the athletic fields of Benicia Middle School.

via Board opts to join pact on middle school cell phone tower.

Brown wants quicker results, fewer tests

Posted on by

The Educated Guess

By John Fensterwald – Educated Guess

Gov. Jerry Brown picked up on a common complaint of teachers, superintendents, and parents in his State of the State address last week: Schools have closed for the summer by the time they get the scores of standardized tests that students took the previous spring. At that point, the results are a lot less useful.

via Brown wants quicker results, fewer tests – by John Fensterwald – Educated Guess.

UC picks Richmond for Lawrence Berkeley lab campus

Posted on by

SFGate: Education

Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory has chosen to build its new research facility on the Richmond shoreline, a move that could rank the city with Livermore and Berkeley as a new hub for scientific innovation.

The lab’s new campus will bring in more than 800 jobs, attract spin-off enterprises and generate millions of dollars in tax revenue that could transform the city of 100,000 residents.

via UC picks Richmond for Lawrence Berkeley lab campus.

Jerry Brown’s budget ups the stakes over California education

Posted on by

SacBee — Dan Walters

The state budget contains hundreds of specific provisions but none is bigger, more complicated, more politicized, more emotional – or more important – than the 30 or so billion dollars that it spends on K-12 education.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/24/4209665/dan-walters-jerry-browns-budget.html#mi_rss=Dan%20Walters#storylink=cpy

via Dan Walters: Jerry Brown’s budget ups the stakes over California education.

Education Expected to Take Turn in State of the Union Spotlight

Posted on by

Politics K-12

by Alyson Klein

Education is one of four areas President Obama will focus on during his State of the Union address tonight night, according to this Associated Press story. The big question is: What will he say?

In giving this election-year State of the Union speech, Obama may brag about some of the steps his administration has taken on education, including creating the Race to the Top education redesign competition, and offering states wiggle room under key parts of the No Child Left Behind Act if they agree to take-on the administration’s reform priorities.

via Education Expected to Take Turn in State of the Union Spotlight.

Higher taxes, little relief

Posted on by

The Educated Guess

By John Fensterwald – Educated Guess

Gov. Jerry Brown will have a heck of a time persuading voters to raise taxes by $6.9 billion to benefit schools if he can’t get the education community excited about it first. And so far it’s proving to be a hard sell.

District officials do fear the downside if Brown’s tax proposal fails, but they don’t see a lot of upside if it passes. Many feel like they’re being used by Brown and his administration, who are characterizing a general temporary sales and income tax increase as a tax for K-12 schools and community colleges.

via Higher taxes, little relief – by John Fensterwald – Educated Guess.

Thirtieth Anniversary of Coming to America

Posted on by

President’s Blog

Posted by Jowel Laguerre

January 18 marked the thirtieth year of my arrival in the United States.  Arriving in Kansas in the dead of winter, I experienced cold that I never knew existed, not even in a freezer, and never thought I could endure.  Thirty years has taught me many valuable life lessons.  The opportunities I was shown and of which I have availed myself have transformed my views, my interests and my outlook on life, education, family, country, poverty, wealth, life and death.  Among many immigrants and international students, I was one of the luckiest.

via Thirtieth Anniversary of Coming to America.

New Autism Definition Could Exclude Many From Diagnosis

Posted on by

On Special Education

by Nirvi Shah

A proposed new definition of autism could exclude many people now classified as having the disorder.

News reports from around the country say that the definition of the disability is being reassessed by a panel appointed by the American Psychiatric Association. The group is wrapping up work on the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which The New York Times reports is the manual’s first major revision in 17 years.

via New Autism Definition Could Exclude Many From Diagnosis.

Finances dominate Vacaville school board discussion

Posted on by

Google Alerts – “Vacaville school board”

State funding for the 2012-13 academic year took up the lion’s share of Thursday’s Vacaville Unified School District meeting, but the current year’s budget also came in for some scrutiny in an annual interim report.

Detailing the report, required by state law, Kari Sousa, interim assistant superintendent of business and administrative services, said the district posted $79 million in revenues, $87 million in expenses, but started out the year, beginning July 1, with $17.6 million as a beginning balance, leaving an ending balance of $10.7 million.

via Finances dominate Vacaville school board discussion.

Vacaville High School robotics team building for the future

Posted on by

Google Alerts – “Vacaville High School”

With a nod to Gen. Douglas MacArthur for re-casting one of his famous quotes: In the science and engineering classrooms and auditoriums of friendly strife are sown the seeds that, on other days in other rooms or labs, will bear the fruits of America’s technological victories.And a whole lot more, said Phillip Jenschke, the engineering-robotics and drafting teacher at Vacaville High School.

via Vacaville High School robotics team building for the future.

Solano College puts program discontinuance review on hold to focus on learning outcomes

Posted on by

Google Alerts – “Solano Community College”


Solano Community College staff involved in programs undergoing a lengthy review for possible discontinuance can breathe a sigh of relief — at least for now.Solano College President Jowel Laguerre announced he put the “program discontinuance review” process on hold to allow the school to focus on “student learning outcomes.”

via Solano College puts program discontinuance review on hold to focus ….

Vacaville residents enraged by failed plan for new school

Posted on by

Google Alerts – “John Niederkorn”

Enraged by a plan to build homes on an 11-acre site originally set aside for a school, Vacaville’s North Village residents railed Thursday against developers hosting a community meeting.

The anger failed to dim throughout the hourlong gathering, with an audience of up to 60 residents claiming they were duped by North Village Development, Inc., and Seeno Homes. At the very least, they were misled, some acknowledged, saying that salespeople as recently as this week told them that a school would “absolutely” be built in their community. That belief, it seems, had led many to buy North Village homes.

via Vacaville residents enraged by failed plan for new school.

Vallejo school board to review budget, anti-bullying program

Posted on by

Google Alerts – “Jesse Bethel High School”

The school board will see Wednesday just how much Gov. Jerry Brown’s new budget plan could affect the Vallejo City Unified School District.In a familiar scenario, Brown is again relying in part on voters approving tax measures to close a $9.2 billion deficit. Should voters fail to pass the new taxes, a “trigger cut” will be pulled, resulting in $2.4 billion less for education.

via Vallejo school board to review budget, anti-bullying program.

Dixon’s Brian Dolan endorsed for schools post

Posted on by

Google Alerts – “Dixon Unified School District”

The public has spoken.That is, at a Dixon Unified School District board meeting Thursday, when some half-dozen speakers urged trustees to draw up a contract for interim superintendent Brian Dolan, instead of relying on a costly search process, and name him superintendent.

via Dixon’s Brian Dolan endorsed for schools post.

Benicia schools brace for further cuts amid declining student enrollment

Posted on by

Google Alerts – “Benicia schools”


BENICIA — The Benicia school board could lose $1.8 million if proposed state taxes don’t materialize this fall.Reacting to Gov. Jerry Brown’s recent budget proposals, Tim Rahill, chief business officer at the Benicia Unified School District, also told the school board Thursday that district staff was actively seeking other funding sources for programs such as childcare, which could also receive cuts.

via Benicia schools brace for further cuts amid declining student ….

New committee hopes to introduce Dixon teens to local career opportunities

Posted on by

Dixon Tribune’s Facebook Notes

Brianna Boyd

With high school graduation less than six months away, many teenagers in Dixon are focused on their future, contemplating their possible careers and plans and where they may be a year from now. While some may remain in Dixon, others are convinced they have to leave town in order to find that ideal career.

The Dixon Chamber of Commerce’s newly formed Education Committee wants to change that mindset. The 10-member committee, comprised of business owners, schools officials and parents, hopes to foster communications between the business and school communities, and introduce Dixon teenagers to local career opportunities.

via New committee hopes to introduce Dixon teens to local career opportunities.

CA Jacobs students excel in national math competition

Posted on by

Dixon Tribune’s Facebook Notes

Brianna Boyd

Math has always come naturally for Bradley Immel and his friend Jeremy Cristobal. The two CA Jacobs Middle School seventh graders like that there is always a definite answer in math, and enjoy the challenge that comes with solving each problem.

Their advanced skill level is not only recognized at CA Jacobs, but on a national level as well. Bradley and Jeremy, as well as eighth grader Jaret Wedow, scored within the top 5 percent in the nation on the American Math Competition 8 exam.

via CA Jacobs students excel in national math competition.

Skip to toolbar