FAIRFIELD — Ghastly. Disgusting. A world of hurt.
All words Superintendent Jacki Cottingim-Dias used Wednesday to describe the Fairfield-Suisun School District’s list of possible budget cuts. As it stands now, the district is $6.5 million in the hole.
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Days after signing a bill restoring $248 million in school bus funding for the rest of this year, Gov. Brown has done an about-face and also agreed not to eliminate school bus funding in next year’s budget. Instead of cutting other parts of the K-12 budget to make room for $500 million in home-to-school transportation, Brown has chosen to commit some of the new taxes that he’s asking voters to approve in November for that purpose.
via Bus money back for next year, too – by John Fensterwald – Educated Guess.
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President Obama has long been a champion of community colleges and he demonstrated that commitment Monday, when he traveled to Northern Virginia Community College to release his 2012-13 budget proposal, which calls for an $8 billion program to train students for jobs in high-demand industries.
via Low college transfer rate linked to high school – by Kathryn Baron.
The Solano County Office of Education (SCOE) presented a workshop designed to help parents and guardians support their kindergarten through sixth grade children against the harmful, long-lasting effects of bullying. The workshop was held on February 13. SCOE partnered with the Fairfield Suisun Rotary Club, Kiwanis Club of Suisun City, Fairfield F.a.S.T. Lions Club, and Valero.
via (title unknown).
Bob Russell,
Principal, Solano Middle School
In response to the “Closing the gap” article, (Feb. 2) featuring efforts to close the student achievement gap at our school, I want to thank the event’s participants and planners:
Dr. Ramona Bishop for both presenting a stirring achievement gap message, and then remaining for a full two hours to conclude the event with us; Assistant Superintendent Mel Jordan for his presentation, along with Vice Principal Fetters, regarding, “De-Escalation Techniques”; Christal Watts, president of the Vallejo City Unified School District teachers union, for her presentation of the achievement gap from the perspective of district teachers; Mark Deweerdt, staff consultant for Vallejo, California Teacher’s Association for his presentation encouraging unity between the district, sites and the community as we work togehter to close the gap.
Kenton Raiford, who was bullied in middle school, now witnesses a lot of bullying in his senior year at Jesse Bethel High School in Vallejo, Calif. While bullies get physical sometimes, he says, “It’s more about mental and emotional attacks.”
The Benicia school board on Thursday will hear a review of the district’s information technology system.
Most of Benicia Unified School District’s computers and servers are considered “vintage,” with three-quarters of the system five years or older, according to staff reports.
via Benicia trustees to review need to upgrade schools’ ITsystem.
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is scheduled to appear at at teacher townhall today to pump up the administration’s proposal for a brand new $5 billion competitive grant program to get states and districts to work with teachers, unions, education schools and others to totally retool the teaching profession.
With the clock ticking toward the Feb. 28 second-round deadline for states to apply for a waiver under No Child Left Behind, states are scrambling to glean insight from the first-round results so they can get their proposals in tip-top shape.
via NCLB Waiver Cheat Sheet: How to Win in the Second Round.
SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today unveiled his Career Readiness Initiative, designed to help lower dropout rates and provide graduates with the career readiness skills needed to pursue further education and training, be prepared to enter the workforce, and help the state rebound from its economic recession.
By Keri Luiz, Assistant Editor
Turnout for the public comment section of the Benicia Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting is expected to be high Thursday amid plans by parents, staff and others to speak out in support of Benicia High School Principal Gary Jensen.
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The founder of a network that provides support for gay students and the founders of two effective nonprofits that provide hope and training for at-risk youths in Oakland and Santa Clara County are among the five winners of this year’s James Irvine Foundation Leadership Awards.
via Innovators for youth honored – by John Fensterwald – Educated Guess.
There is a saying that American students are the most tested and the least examined of any in the world. Nowhere is that more true than in California, where students take 35 tests before they hit the SAT and AP exams.
via Viewpoints: For California schools, we need less testing and more assessing.
When Jerry Brown goes into his bunker – or monk’s cell or man-cave – and issues cryptic messages, you know he’s up to something.
California’s governor did it again last weekend during a brief appearance before a state Democratic convention in San Diego.
via Dan Walters: Jerry Brown has a big problem with tax measures.
It is disappointing, to say the least, to learn that Solano Community College, whose staff worked so diligently to get back into the good graces of the accreditation commission, has been returned to “warning” status.
Complications in transferring tax increment money from dissolved redevelopment agencies to schools have created an unanticipated three-month delay and a $900 million funding gap for districts.
via Redevelopment agencies’ exit creates $900 million problem for schools.
Complications in transferring tax increment money from dissolved redevelopment agencies to schools have created an unanticipated three-month delay and a $900 million funding gap for districts.
via Redevelopment agencies’ exit creates $900 million problem for schools.
By Keri Luiz, Assistant Editor
Once again, the Benicia High School Academic Decathlon team has proven it’s among the best in the region.
The team took third place overall and several students nabbed individual medals in the North Bay Regional competition last weekend at Rodriguez High School in Fairfield.
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The biggest challenge facing legislators as they pursue rewriting the state’s teacher evaluation law this year is not how to weed out the worst teachers but how to retain the best. The key to the latter won’t be found in rubrics and value-added test scores but in deeper training for novice teaches and more career options for veteran teachers.
via Building teachers to last – by John Fensterwald – Educated Guess.
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In early March, the State Board of Education will decide whether California will apply for the waiver from the No Child Left Behind law that the federal Department of Education awarded to an initial 10 states on Thursday. While not ruling out that possibility, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson hinted strongly Thursday that he remains inclined not to go there.
via First round of NCLB waivers – by John Fensterwald – Educated Guess.