Monthly Archives: February 2017

Common Core in California likely to continue despite Trump opposition | EdSource

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By Louis Freedberg and Theresa Harrington

Opposition by President Donald Trump and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to the Common Core is unlikely to slow implementation of the new standards in English language arts and math in states like California, where there has been little opposition to the standards.

That is the consensus of education leaders in California from diverse regions of the state, even those in areas of the state where the majority of voters cast their ballots for Trump. One reason is that implementation of the Common Core is well underway in most parts of the state, and reversing its momentum will be difficult, if not impossible, to do.

Voters backed Trump in 26 out of 58 California counties, including Kern County, where Trump received 53 percent of the vote. Kern County Superintendent of Schools Mary Barlow said implementation of the standards in her county is fully underway and “we are seeing a lot of progress.” She noted that despite the pro-Trump sentiment there, “we have had relatively little pushback on the California state standards.”

Source: Common Core in California likely to continue despite Trump opposition | EdSource

School board to hold public hearing on ‘substantially complex’ Measure S projects – Benicia Herald

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By Nick Sestanovich

The Governing Board of the Benicia Unified School District will be holding a public hearing at Thursday’s meeting to set the retention for two Measure S projects at 10 percent because they are considered substantially complex.

Measure S is an initiative approved by Benicia voters in 2014 to provide $49.6 million in bond funding for renovation and upgrades of school facilities. Such projects include upgrading the playgrounds at the elementary schools, fixing the roof at Benicia Middle School, re-painting the exterior at Benicia High School and renovations the stadium at Benicia High, the latter of which is currently in progress.

However, there are two projects that are considered substantially complex: the upgrade of Benicia Middle School’s fire alarm system and solar retrofitting at several of the schools.Per public contract code, retention proceeds that are “withheld from any payment by a public entity and an original contractor, between an original contractor and a subcontractor, and between all subcontractors thereunder, relating to the construction of any public work shall not exceed five percent of the contract price.”

Source: School board to hold public hearing on ‘substantially complex’ Measure S projects

TCU offers scholarships for high school seniors – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

Are you a college-bound high school senior with a good-to-excellent GPA?

Then you may want to apply for one of 20 $1,500 scholarships being awarded by Travis Credit Union.

Besides being a graduating senior, each applicant must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, be headed for a two– or four–year college or university, and be a member of Travis Credit Union in good standing.

Students who live in TCU’s 12-county service region and are not yet members may join the credit union and apply for a scholarship at the same time.

Scholarship applications are available at any branch location or online at Travis Credit Union’s website at www.traviscu.org. In Vacaville, the branches are at 2010 Peabody Road, 11 Cernon St., and 2020 Harbison Drive.

 

Source: TCU offers scholarships for high school seniors

Two remaining ‘cultural proficiency’ sessions at SCOE – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

California has the most diverse public school student population in the nation and it is increasingly “minority majority” in its enrollments — and increasingly Hispanic and Latino, at more than 53 percent for those two groups alone.

Under parts of Gov. Jerry Brown’s Local Control Funding Formula, the state’s 1,000 school districts must devise a plan of action to meet the educational needs for each of the 6.2 million K-12 students in California, where, according to data from the 2000 Census, 60 percent of state residents speak only English, while 40 percent speak another language (either instead of, or in addition to, English).

To that end, the Solano County Office of Education has launched a “cultural proficiency” program to better serve students in an increasingly diverse county, where, essentially, the world has arrived during the better part of the last half century.

Source: Two remaining ‘cultural proficiency’ sessions at SCOE

 

Benicia High grad among runners-up in international marketing competition – Benicia Herald

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By Nick Sestanovich

A Benicia High School graduate was among 20 Cal Poly students honored by state lawmakers on the floors of the Assembly and State Senate recently for taking second place in an international business simulation competition.

“I am humbled to have been recognized by the university and the state for my achievements, and I sincerely appreciate all of the individuals who have helped me get to where I am today,” Marshall Zia said.

Zia graduated from Benicia High in 2013 and initially began taking classes at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the field of quantitative economics, which he said he did not enjoy at all.

“At that time, I was performing extremely poorly in school, and was desperately trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life,” he said.

Source: Benicia High grad among runners-up in international marketing competition

State ed chief says state law protects transgender students – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

Local, state and national educators said the White House decision to rescind protections for transgender public school students does not change existing law.

Their statements come after a joint letter issued Wednesday by top civil rights officials in the federal Justice and Education departments rejected the Obama administration’s position in 2016 that nondiscrimination laws require schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom of their choice.

In a press release, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson reiterated his support for the rights of transgender students and reminded all Californians that state law requires public schools to allow students access to the restroom or locker room consistent with their gender identity.

Source: State ed chief says state law protects transgender students

Vanden robotics squad preps for regional competitions – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

Will Ragnarok — a motorized, whirring, ball-shooting machine that scoots across a floor like a Tasmanian devil — take down the competition in Sacramento and Boise?

A name derived from Norse mythology, the Vanden High School robotics team’s creation certainly looked formidable, that’s for sure, in a practice round earlier this week in a nondescript portable building on the Markeley Lane campus in Fairfield.

Led by president Connor Thrasher, a senior with a 4.74 weighted GPA, the team was within hours Tuesday night of completing its “build season” and required to literally shrink wrap their competition ’bot before facing off against dozens of other teams at the Sacramento and Boise competitions.

Source: Vanden robotics squad preps for regional competitions

Solano County 4-H Clubs hold Presentation Day – The Reporter

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By Dom Pruett

Children from 4-H clubs all across Solano County converged on Tremont Elementary School in Dixon Saturday for the organization’s annual Presentation Day.

The children, most donning the standard white and green 4-H uniform, delivered presentations in the form of demonstrations, displays, illustrated talks, skits, and prepared speeches devoted to topics they selected in front of evaluators, who judged them on their performance.

Source: Solano County 4-H Clubs hold Presentation Day

Bill would allow JCs – including SCC – to issue teaching credentials – Daily Republic

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By Todd R. Hansen

Community colleges have long been a pathway to vocational goals – often the course chosen by those students who see no value in a four-year degree that has no useful purpose for their careers.

And while students who want to be teachers may attend a community college to kick off their academic lives, eventually tradition required they go to a university to get at least a bachelor’s degree and earn a credential.

A bill recently introduced by state Sen. Bill Dodd would allow community colleges, like Solano College, to develop their own teacher credentialing program.

Source: Bill would allow JCs – including SCC – to issue teaching credentials

Trustees OK sale of former Falls Elementary School site – Daily Republic

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By Ryan McCarthy

The 10-acre site of the closed Falls Elementary School on Rockville Road should be sold for at least $1.9 million, Fairfield-Suisun School District trustees decided Thursday.

Sealed bids will have to be submitted by April 13, when the school district would open them and also call for oral bids, a school district staff report said about the property sale.

Roger Merrill, president of the Green Valley Landowner Association, said a Cordelia Fire District station has been at the property for 45 years. Emergency response times would increase sharply if the station cannot continue at the site because of the property sale, he said.

Source: Trustees OK sale of former Falls Elementary School site

$75,000 Rodriguez High prom pact gets OK – Daily Republic

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By Ryan McCarthy

A $75,000 contract for Rodriguez High School to hold its 2018 prom at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco won approval Thursday by Fairfield-Suisun School District trustees.

Superintendent Kris Corey said before the trustees vote – on district contracts that included the Rodriguez High event – that $75,000 is the top possible cost and the final figure will depend on the number of prom tickets sold.

Source: $75,000 Rodriguez High prom pact gets OK

Power of Kindness video contest set to start in Fairfield-Suisun schools – Daily Republic

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By Ryan McCarthy

A video contest about the Power of Kindness will begin Wednesday in the Fairfield-Suisun School District – with a red carpet event at Brenden Theatres in Vacaville to follow, a representative of Solano County Supervisor John Vasquez said Thursday.

Jennifer Hamilton told school district trustees at their meeting that Vasquez and Solano County District Attorney Krishna Abrams will also sponsor a luncheon that will feature the videos, which are planned to be posted on the county and school district website.

Trustees approved a school district resolution supporting the contest.

Source: Power of Kindness video contest set to start in Fairfield-Suisun schools

CA Dream Act Applications Due March 2 – Year 2017 (CA Dept of Education)

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State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson and the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) announced that applications for the California Dream Act are down significantly and urged all eligible students to apply for the program, which allows undocumented students to receive state financial aid for college.

“Please apply right away. The California Dream Act is the key to success in college and 21st century careers. It would be a shame if fear or confusion keeps students from applying for financial aid that they have earned and they deserve,” Torlakson said.

The application deadline is March 2. As of Friday, CSAC had received about 20,000 applications, down from more than 34,000 applications from the prior year. The California Dream Act is unrelated to the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

The California Student Aid Commission has redoubled its efforts to encourage Dreamers to complete the California Dream Act Application,” said Lupita Cortez Alcalá, Executive Director for the CSAC, which administers the California Dream Act. “California’s strength lies in its diversity and we will continue to support and advance our efforts to prepare all California students for academic and economic prosperity.”

Source: CA Dream Act Applications Due March 2 – Year 2017 (CA Dept of Education)

Lower BUSD enrollment projected for next year – Benicia Herald

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By Nick Sestanovich

Benicia Unified School District is projected to have lower enrollment next year, according to a report by Chief Business Official Tim Rahill at Thursday’s school board meeting.Rahill said that in the last five to eight years, BUSD has had stable enrollment with the numbers going up or down just a little bit each year. The exception is the 2016-2017 school year, in which all of the schools had 100 fewer students than the previous year. That amount is expected to dip to 90 fewer students next year.

“We basically have larger classes leaving and smaller classes moving up through the ranks,” Rahill said.

Rahill said the district is working one-on-one with all of the principals to make them aware of the information. He also noted that fewer students would result in smaller staffs at each school site.

“It looks like for next year, there will be some adjustments at the secondary level and working with the principals on their staffing and making sure all of the students fit into the classes, but with less students, there’s less of a need for adjusted staffing.”

Source: Lower BUSD enrollment projected for next year

Kindness contest, proposed budget reductions on Fairfield-Suisun district agenda – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

A Kindness Video Contest presentation, recommended budget reductions for the 2017-18 year, and the sunshining of a classified contract proposal are on the agenda when Fairfield-Suisun Unified leaders meet Thursday in Fairfield.

As they have recently at other area trustee meetings, staff from the offices of Supervisor John Vasquez and District Attorney Krishna Abrams will present information about a contest the two have devised: The Power of Kindness.

The seven-member governing board is expected to approve a resolution in support of the video contest.

In a presentation earlier this month to Vacaville Unified trustees, Vasquez and Tonya Covington, representing Abrams, told trustees that their families had been affected by bullying.

The contest asks students, through video, to illustrate positive behavior and show others the power that kindness can have on their school and community.

Source: Kindness contest, proposed budget reductions on Fairfield-Suisun district agenda

Solano’s top educator receives women’s leadership award – Daily Republic

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By Daily Republic Staff

Solano County Superintendent of Schools Lisette Estrella Henderson has been named the regional winner of the 2017 Outstanding Women Leader Award by the Association of California School Administrators.

Her selection was announced Tuesday.

Henderson took over as the county’s top educator at the start of the new year.

Two others were honored by the group: Darrien Johnson, director of Human Resources for Rescue Union Elementary School District in El Dorado County, and Deborah Bettencourt, superintendent of the Folsom-Cordova School District near Sacramento.

Source: Solano’s top educator receives women’s leadership award

MIT adopts safe haven resolution – Times Herald

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By John Glidden

Joining the Vallejo school district, the Mare Island Technology Academy Board of Directors approved a resolution this week declaring its charter schools as “Safe Haven” zones.

In response to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies many school districts across the state have approved such resolutions to ease the fears of parents and students.

The resolution stipulates that both MIT’s middle and high schools will not release the immigration status of students to federal agencies or other authorities without parental permission or a warrant, court order, or subpena, the resolution states.

Staff at both schools are required to notify the superintendent’s office should any representatives from the Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) come to a school site unannounced to interrogate or take custody of a student, the resolution further states.

 

Source: MIT adopts safe haven resolution

Vacaville Unified leaders approve more than $5.4M in Measure A contracts – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

A million here, a million there, and pretty soon we’re talking real money in Vacaville.

Vacaville Unified leaders on Thursday approved more than $5.4 million in Measure A contracts to upgrade the district’s aging schools — many of them built more than 50 years ago — and to begin work on the long-awaited Will C. Wood High stadium project.

Meeting in the Educational Services Center, the governing board, as expected, OK’d a nearly $4.2 million contract with Lister Construction of Vacaville for building a pad, site work, and a staff parking lot at Vacaville High, which will see in the coming months two new classroom buildings rise on the West Monte Vista Avenue campus.

Work on the first new classroom building is already underway, Dan Banowetz, the district’s director of facilities, noted Friday.

“We’re kind of getting ready to work on both buildings at the same time,” he said. “So, once the summer rolls around, we’ll be getting rid of 15 portables (classrooms) and making room for the new building (on the southwest corner of the campus).”

 

Source: Vacaville Unified leaders approve more than $5.4M in Measure A contracts

2 Fairfield-Suisun musicians earn all-state honors, perform for music educators – Daily Republic

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By Amy Maginnis-Honey

Two local high school students have earned all-state honors and will perform this weekend at the California All-State Music Education Conference in San Jose.

They competed, via auditions, with other high school students across the state.

Quinn Weaver, a Rodriguez High School senior, was selected to be one of 17 members of the high school vocal jazz group.

His musical education began when he was 6 and started with piano. Weaver also plays the tuba and trombone. He studies vocals with Jay Trottier, who brings Handel’s “Messiah” to life every Christmas.

Source: 2 Fairfield-Suisun musicians earn all-state honors, perform for music educators

$75,0000 pact for Rodriguez High prom eyed – Daily Republic

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By Ryan McCarthy

A $75,000 pact for Rodriguez High School to hold its 2018 prom at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco is among contracts that go before Fairfield-Suisun School District trustees Thursday.

Armijo High School has an $11,000 pact for its 2018 prom at the Scottish Rite Center in Oakland.

Associated Student Body funds at the schools pay for the events.

Rodriguez held its April 2016 prom at the Academy of Sciences – an event that carried a $46,000 contract.

Source: $75,0000 pact for Rodriguez High prom eyed