Monthly Archives: April 2014

School Construction and Modernization Projects – Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)

Posted on by

The State Allocation Board (SAB) today disbursed more than $372 million to be used for 105 school construction and modernization projects across 43 school districts, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced.

“These additional resources can go a long way toward creating facilities that meet today’s needs and, in the process, help our schools save money and put Californians to work,” Torlakson said. “Our students deserve every opportunity to learn in schools that are designed for the 21st century.”

Torlakson’s Schools of the Future Initiative (PDF; 1MB) outlined his approach to “21st century learning,” including the construction and modernization of school facilities, utilization of new technology, energy efficiency, and facilities for science and career technology education.

via School Construction and Modernization Projects – Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education).

Fairfield-Suisun trustees eye Orlando, Atlanta, Seattle staff trips – Daily Republic

Posted on by

By Ryan McCarthy

Sending 25 teachers and administrators to Seattle for a two-day conference at the Tulalip Resort Casino would cost the Fairfield-Suisun School District a total of $30,000 for the No Excuses University event.

A report by Roxanne Jablonski-Liu, director of instructional support services for the school district, describes No Excuses University as a network of schools that promotes career and college readiness for all students.

The No Excuses’ website describes Tualip Resort Casino as “one of the premier resorts and conference destinations in the Pacific Northwest.”

via Fairfield-Suisun trustees eye Orlando, Atlanta, Seattle staff trips Daily Republic.

Paperless tech replaces printed Fairfield-Suisun school board packets – Daily Republic

Posted on by

By Ryan McCarthy

The paperless technology BoardDocs is replacing distribution of printed agenda packets in the Fairfield-Suisun School District – a change the district says will save thousands of dollars yearly.

The technology was first developed in 2000 for a Georgia school district.

Documents from the meeting are automatically archived and can be accessed by meeting date or a search feature.

via Paperless tech replaces printed Fairfield-Suisun school board packets Daily Republic.

Grange Grizzlybots, tops in robotics, take on world Daily Republic

Posted on by

By Ryan McCarthy

The team’s pair of 2-foot-long black toolboxes are ready – and so is 13-year-old Samuel Deal, part of the group of builders, designers and programmers at Grange Middle School.

He’s among members of the team that won the state robotics competition in March at Great America in Santa Clara County and who now head to Anaheim, where the world robotics competition takes place April 23-26 at the Anaheim Convention Center.

“I can’t wait to get there,” Deal said.

via Grange Grizzlybots, tops in robotics, take on world Daily Republic.

Kairos’ lease divides Vacaville Unified trustees – The Reporter

Posted on by

By Richard Bammer

After airing some sharply divided opinions, Vacaville Unified School District leaders on Thursday agreed to permit a new K-8 charter school, Kairos Public School Vacaville Academy, to be housed at Elm School, a 65-year-old campus that will need significant renovations.

Trustees approved the agreement on a 5-to-2 vote, with board members Whit Whitman and Jerry Eaton dissenting.

Reading from a prepared statement before casting his vote, Whitman said the school, at 129 Elm St., will require an estimated $2 million to refurbish, in part to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act and school funding requirements under Proposition 39.

via Kairos’ lease divides Vacaville Unified trustees – The Reporter.

Changes at the top for Vacaville schools – The Reporter

Posted on by

By Richard Bammer

The December resignation of a top Vacaville Unified official has led to a midyear churn at district offices and at the district’s continuation high school.

Bill Ewing, formerly principal at Country High, replaced Nicola Parr, administrator of learning support, at the Educational Services Center on Nut Tree Road. And Mike Sullivan, dean of learning support at Vacaville High since 2011, will succeed Ewing at the McClellan Street continuation school.

Superintendent Ken Jacopetti made the announcement at the Thursday governing board meeting. Sullivan begins his first official day at the new job on April 10.

via Changes at the top for Vacaville schools – The Reporter.

Nelda Mundy Elementary invited to apply for Distinguished School – SCOE/Facebook

Posted on by

Nelda Mundy Elementary School is one of 3 schools in Solano County to be invited to apply for Distinguished School status. The California Distinguished School Award identifies and honors those schools that have demonstrated educational excellence for all students and progress in narrowing the achievement gap. In order to be invited to apply for Distinguished School honors, schools must meet a variety of eligibility criteria including designated federal and state accountability measures based on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and the Academic Performance Index (API) requirements. Each school receives a site visit by a team of educators to validate the full implementation of the submitted practices. On March 21st, Nelda Mundy Elementary School received their site validation visit from a team lead by the Solano County Office of Education. After a full day visiting classrooms, validating their signature practices, and interviews with key stakeholders, the Solano County Office of Education made their recommendation that the school move forward in the evaluation process. The California Department of Education will make the final determination and notify the school later this Spring.

via Nelda Mundy Elementary School is one of… – Solano County Office of Education.

Top student spellers from Solano County honored – SCOE/Facebook

Posted on by

Top student spellers from Solano County, from each elementary or middle school in 4th through 6th grades, competed for the title of Solano County Champion Speller. There were 47 Solano County schools participating in this year’s event held at the Nelson Community Center in Suisun City on Tuesday, April 1, 2014.

This year, Vacaville boasts the top elementary speller in Solano County.

Francis Agbayani, a Browns Valley Elementary sixth-grader, correctly spelled “lackadaisical,” besting Hans Romero, a sixth-grader at Solano Middle School in Vallejo, who stumbled on “perseverance.”

via Top student spellers from Solano County,… – Solano County Office of Education.

Congressional art competition open to high school students – Daily Republic

Posted on by

By Adrienne Harris

Local entries for the U.S. House of Representative’s Artistic Discovery Contest will be accepted through the end of this month.

Rep. John Garamendi, D-Walnut Grove, welcomes high school students who live in the 3rd Congressional District to submit their original artwork for judging by a panel of local artists assembled by his office.

The winner’s artwork is featured at a year-long exhibit in the U.S. Capitol alongside winners from other congressional districts throughout the nation. The winner and a chaperone will also receive a pair of complimentary airline tickets to Washington, D.C., for a ceremonial unveiling of the artwork, courtesy of Southwest Airlines.

via Congressional art competition open to high school students Daily Republic.

Fairfield-Suisun City children receive ‘change’ honors – Daily Republic

Posted on by

By Ryan McCarthy

Several children in the Fairfield-Suisun School District were recently honored as part of the “Be the Change” program in an event at Rolling Hills Elementary School.

Brody Westad, a first-grader at Suisun Valley School, is part of the garden cleanup and toy drive at the school. Brynnleigh Travis, a first-grader at Rolling Hills, collects donations for Baskets of Love that help single mothers. She also and donates blankets and pet treats to the SPCA. Nia Riley, a first-grader at Rolling Hills, participates in the Angel Tree program at her church, which provides holiday gifts for children whose parents are incarcerated.

via Fairfield-Suisun City children receive ‘change’ honors Daily Republic.

Raider Moore’s message boosts Fairfield students – Daily Republic

Posted on by

By Ryan McCarthy

The silver and black jersey, 6-foot-1-inch height and 240 pounds of muscle meant Oakland Raider Sio Moore had seventh- and eighth-graders at Green Valley Middle School hanging on what he had to say Friday.

But Moore’s message was focused on books and careers, rather than pro football.

“You can be part of a pack,” he said. “Or become somebody.”

via Raider Moore’s message boosts Fairfield students Daily Republic.

Ready to Run: 7th annual Benicia Run for Education – Benicia Herald

Posted on by

By Keri Lutz

Seven hundred have registered so far for the Benicia Education Foundation’s seventh annual “Run For Education,” which will be this Sunday.

And more are expected to sign up in the next couple days, race director Teresa Zabrek said Wednesday.

“We’re in great shape. We have three more in-person registration opportunities, so we expect a really good turnout,” she said.

The USA Track and Field-certified 5- and 10- kilometer races annually bring running enthusiasts from all over the Bay Area and beyond, Zabrek said.

via Ready to Run: 7th annual Benicia Run for Education fundraiser slated for Sunday.

Vacaville youth takes top honor at county spelling bee – The Reporter

Posted on by

By Richard Bammer

For the second time in as many years, Vacaville boasts the top elementary speller in Solano County.

Francis Agbayani, a Browns Valley Elementary sixth-grader, correctly spelled “lackadaisical,” besting Hans Romero, a sixth-grader at Solano Middle School in Vallejo, who stumbled on “perseverance.”

After each boy went toe-to-toe through more than two dozen words, including one shared slip-up, Francis, standing onstage Tuesday night at the Nelson Community Center in Suisun City, beamed and raised his arms overhead in victory.

The 11-year-old had realized his quest, three years in the making, after losing out twice in the Grace B. Powell Citywide Spelling Bee and last year to Alex Topp at the city and county bees. Agbayani claimed top honors at the 2014 city bee on Feb. 5.

via Vacaville youth takes top honor at county spelling bee – The Reporter.

How Generous Are Public Pensions? – Education Next

Posted on by

By Chad Aldeman

Andrew Biggs has an interesting new report for the American Enterprise Institute investigating the generosity of public-sector pension plans.* He finds that, for the average full-career state worker, traditional defined benefit plans are working quite well and many of these workers are de facto “pension millionaires” because of the amount of money they can expect to receive in retirement.

How does this square with reports from some states that the average pension is quite modest? As we’ve written about for teachers in Illinois and California, the “average” pension is skewed by many employees who qualify for only a very small pension. It’s not accurate to use the statistical average as any indicator of actual payments. To find the typical pension payment, it would be better to look at the statistical median (the midpoint) or even the mode (the most common) amount.

via How Generous Are Public Pensions? – Education Next : Education Next.

Home sweet home – maybe – for Vacaville charter school – Daily Republic

Posted on by

By Susan Winlow

It could be that a new public charter school has found a home in the former Elm Elementary School buildings.

Whether Kairos Public School Vacaville Academy will put down roots in the longtime vacant buildings will be up for approval Thursday at the Vacaville School District school board meeting that begins at 7 p.m. at the Educational Services Center.

If approved, the facility use agreement would be good from the next school year through 2018-19. The agreement would be a shared use in that currently the Solano County Office of Education houses two special education programs on the site as well as the district’s Independent Study Program, and Buckingham Charter Magnet High School uses the play fields.

via Home sweet home – maybe – for Vacaville charter school Daily Republic.

Travis district eyes new high school library – Daily Republic

Posted on by

By Ryan McCarthy

A request to go out to bid for a new library at Vanden High School will be before trustees for the Travis School District when they meet next week.

“It’s kind of the crown jewel of Vanden,” Superintendent Kate Wren Gavlak said of the planned library.

She spoke Tuesday at a budget workshop where trustees were told revenues for the 2014-15 fiscal year are projected to total $42.6 million while expenditures are expected to be $41.7 million.

Michelle Richardson, assistant superintendent for business, said the figures are not finalized for the next fiscal year.

via Vanden district eyes new high school library Daily Republic.

School board welcomes public to workshop on funding – Benicia Herald

Posted on by

by Keri Luiz

The Benicia Unified School District Board of Trustees will meet early Thursday evening for a workshop on the Local Control Accountability Plan, which is tied to how the Local Control Funding Formula is funded.

The workshop will be facilitated by Superintendent Janice Adams, Chief Business Official Tim Rahill and Curriculum Director Marie Morgan.

The Local Control Funding Formula is the new way that California funds school districts like Benicia’s, based on funding per student plus a supplemental grant add-on for English learners, students with socioeconomic disadvantages and foster youth.

The LCCF provides about $6,321 per student, and the funding is based on attendance of the students, not just enrollment.

via School board welcomes public to workshop on funding.

Letter: RoboDogs grateful – The Reporter

Posted on by

Published by The Reporter:

Vacaville High School FIRST Robotics Team 2085, the “RoboDogs,” won second place at the University of California, Davis, Robotics Competition on March 15 as it competed against 54 other teams to earn a coveted spot at the St. Louis World Championships April 23 through 26. Congratulations, RoboDogs!

Adding to its Regional Finalist Award, the RoboDogs also won the Industrial Design Award, sponsored by General Motors, for incorporating superior form and function in its efficiently designed robot that addressed the game challenge Aerial Assist.

via Letter: RoboDogs grateful – The Reporter.

Vacaville youth walking on air after shoe design wins prize – The Reporter

Posted on by

By Melissa Murphy

Sixth grader Gabriel Saenz is a good friend, good at sports and great.

And has three new pairs of shoes that prove it.

A radio contest sponsored by the California Mental Health Services Authority encouraged students in fourth through eighth grade to “stand against stigma” on the Walk In Our Shoes website by designing their own shoe.

After the month-long, statewide sweepstakes, Saenz’s mother, Ginger Saenz was called to let them know he was a finalist and then again when he won the grand prize.

Saenz designed a red Converse-type shoe and was awarded a $200 Zappos gift card and was able to purchase three pairs of shoes, a hat and some socks with his reward.

via Vacaville youth walking on air after shoe design wins prize – The Reporter.

Vietnamese Parents Face Culture Shift With Common Core – New America Media

Posted on by

By Tina Ha Giang,

Before coming to the United States Hanh Le worked as a high school teacher in Vietnam. Despite her background in education, like a lot of Vietnamese parents she says she is confused by the new Common Core education standards.

“I’ve got a general understanding,” says Le, whose daughter is in the seventh grade. Le says she tried to learn more about the new standards – adopted by California in 2010 and set for full implementation this year – but found the existing literature “too difficult.”

Indeed, for Vietnamese parents, many of who are accustomed to the more traditional test-based approach to education, the Common Core poses a variety of challenges.

via Vietnamese Parents Face Culture Shift With Common Core – New America Media.