Monthly Archives: March 2017

New G Suite Apps to Boost Your Effectiveness | Edutopia

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By Jacqueline Fiorentino and Danielle Orfanidis

We’re fortunate to teach in an era in which 1:1 classrooms—with one device for each student—are increasingly the norm. Still, we’re constantly asking ourselves: Are we utilizing this omnipresent technology to the best of our abilities? How can we be sure that its use supports our students’ academic growth? Let’s face it: A worksheet is still a worksheet, even if it’s stored on Google Drive. Dr. Linda Darling Hammond has found that for technology to be used effectively in the classroom, three key criteria must be met: Learning must be interactive; the technology must be used to explore, design, and create rather than to “drill and kill”; and there must be the right blend of teachers and technology.

Source: New G Suite Apps to Boost Your Effectiveness | Edutopia

New Trump Executive Order Could Lead to a Smaller Education Department – Education Week

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By Andrew Ujifusa

President Donald Trump’s proposed budget for education could lead to significant cuts to staff and various programs, sources have told us. But it’s not the only action on the president’s agenda that could shrink the U.S. Department of Education.

On Monday, Trump released a new executive order that directs each agency leader to submit “recommendations to eliminate unnecessary agencies, components of agencies, and agency programs, and to merge functions” to Mick Mulvaney, the director of the Office of Management and Budget. The recommendations, which agency head must submit to Mulvaney within 180 days, must consider the following factors, according to the text of the order:

Source: New Trump Executive Order Could Lead to a Smaller Education Department – Politics K-12 – Education Week

School board to consider teacher pay raises at Thursday’s meeting – Benicia Herald

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By Nick Sestanovich

A tentative agreement between the Benicia Teachers’ Association (BTA) and the Benicia Unified School District offering salary increases is scheduled to be voted on at the school board’s Thursday meeting.

In November, the BTA declared that it was at an impasse with the district over contract negotiations for pay raises. Bargaining teams had met for six sessions and reached a tentative agreement during a mediation on Friday, March 3. The negotiations will be presented at Thursday’s meeting, and the board will vote to ratify the terms of the agreement.

The agreement is offering a 3.5 percent ongoing salary increase for the 2016-2017 school year.“The percentage increase shall apply equally to all steps and columns of the salary schedule, and shall be used as the basis to establish all other salaries, stipends, hourly rates and payments that are linked to the salary schedule,” the agreement read.

The increase will go into effect on April 1 exclusively for hourly rates, salaries, Ph.D and master’s degree stipends. Other stipend increases would go into effect on July 1.

Source: School board to consider teacher pay raises at Thursday’s meeting

Vallejo school board to meet during special meeting Tuesday – Times Herald

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By John Glidden

Facing a projected budget deficit for at least the next two fiscal years, the Vallejo City Unified School District Board is convening a special meeting Tuesday afternoon to receive information about the district’s financial health.

VCUSD staff is projected the district’s expenditures will exceed its revenues by about $4.7 million for fiscal year 2017-18.

The deficit spending is projected to continue for fiscal year 2018-19, with VCUSD receiving about $147 million in revenues while its expenditures top $150 million.

The board will also receive information about a district plan to slash $3.6 million from the upcoming budget to lessen the deficit impact in fiscal year 2017-18.

Prior to the budget discussions, the board is expected to begin the meeting in closed session to address potential administrative reassignments.

 

Source: Vallejo school board to meet during special meeting Tuesday

Citizen panels overseeing school bonds need help, statewide panel says – Daily Republic

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By Ryan McCarthy

Oversight of school construction bonds – proposed by creating citizen committees in California – is not taking place for the most part, the Little Hoover Commission said in a study.

Independent training is needed for citizens bond oversight committees created in 2000 when the threshold to pass school bond measures in California was reduced from two-thirds to 55 percent, said the study released late last month.

“Bond oversight committees in many communities act simply as cheerleaders for the district, often because members simply do not understand their roles or know what actions they can take,” states the study, “Borrowed Money: Opportunities for Stronger Bond Oversight.”

Source: Citizen panels overseeing school bonds need help, statewide panel says

What We Lose With the Decline of Cursive | Edutopia

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By Tom Berger

The Common Core State Standards, adopted by 42 states and the District of Columbia, call for handwriting instruction in kindergarten and first grade only, and teaching in keyboard skills after that. The standards don’t mention cursive. But 14 states require cursive instruction, and the skill inspires fierce loyalty, with some going so far as to argue that the founding fathers would disapprove of our abandonment of the script—students must learn cursive in order to decipher the intent of the original Constitution, for example—and others suggesting that our very identities are compromised when we can’t create identifiable signatures.

As Alabama state Rep. Dickie Drake, who sponsored a 2016 bill requiring cursive instruction in schools, put it, “I think your cursive writing identifies you as much as your physical features do.”

Source: What We Lose With the Decline of Cursive | Edutopia

Girls draw even with boys in high school STEM classes, but still lag in college and careers | EdSource

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By Carolyn Jones

High school engineering classrooms look a lot different than they did a few decades ago, and it’s not just because of computers. Those classes now have girls. Lots of girls.

Thanks to long-standing efforts by teachers, administrators and nonprofits, girls now make up about half the enrollment in high-school science and math classes. They are scoring almost identically to their male classmates on standardized tests, according to data compiled by the National Girls Collaborative Project, a nonprofit funded in part by the National Science Foundation that aims to increase girls’ participation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math).

Source: Girls draw even with boys in high school STEM classes, but still lag in college and careers | EdSource

Celebrating Dr. Seuss with Nelda Mundy first-graders – Daily Republic

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By Tony Wade

The first-grade class from Nelda Mundy Elementary School were a diverse, wide-eyed bunch and like most kids, if you ask them a series of questions that get them to shoot their hands in the air, they’re hooked.

Me: “Who here likes to read?(hands raised enthusiastically)

Me: OK, put your hands down. Now, who loves to read?(more hands raised enthusiastically)

Me: Hands down. Who is gonna raise their hand no matter what question I ask?

Source: Celebrating Dr. Seuss with Nelda Mundy first-graders

State’s new school “report card” system debuts Wednesday – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

After some field testing, the state’s new school “report card” system, giving parents another way to evaluate their child’s learning environment, will finally debut Wednesday, state officials have announced.

The California School Dashboard, as it’s called, will go live to the general public at www.cde.ca.gov/dashboard.

The public rollout will come nearly nine weeks after the State Board of Education formally approved it, with several changes to be made to strengthen and improve it for the 2017-18 academic year, when it will go into full effect.

Source: State’s new school “report card” system debuts Wednesday – The Reporter

Safety to School poster contest starts – Daily Republic

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By Daily Republic Staff

Elementary and middle school students are welcome to enter the third annual Solano Safe Routes to School poster contest.

The top prize is a new bicycle, with helmet and lock. The second-place winner gets a $100 gift certificate from a local bike shop. The third-place winner gets a $50 gift certificate from a bike shop.

The contest is open to students from transitional kindergarten to eighth grade. The poster should show proper use of traffic safety laws, such as wearing a bike helmet, crossing the street in a crosswalk, or riding a bike with the flow of traffic.

Source: Safety to School poster contest starts – Daily Republic

Benicia WWII veterans share stories at Liberty High School – Benicia Herald

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By Nick Sestanovich

Two World War II veterans from Benicia shared their experiences in Liberty High School’s gym on Thursday morning.

All of Liberty’s students came out to hear Bob Hitchcock and Harold Bray speak, as did Mayor Elizabeth Patterson, Councilmember Mark Hughes, Benicia Unified School District Superintendent Charles Young, BUSD Trustee Diane Ferrucci and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Leslie Beatson. Both men were introduced by Principal JoAnn Severson— whose father had served in World War II— and English teacher Cliff Nelson.

“As an English teacher I was trained to encourage students to find primary sources, and I can’t imagine two more important primary sources for World War II than these two gentlemen who have so graciously offered to bless us with their presence here today,” Nelson said.Hitchcock, now 93, recalled how he was brought into the war through his local draft board and took part in a physical.

Source: Benicia WWII veterans share stories at Liberty High School

Buckingham High among finalists for Gold Ribbon designation – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

Buckingham Charter Magnet High is among six Solano County secondary schools to make finalist status this year in the state’s Gold Ribbon Schools Award program, it has been announced.

The Department of Education reported that 1,008 California secondary schools, including 13 in Solano County, were eligible to apply for the program that recognizes middle schools and high schools for having exemplary programs and practices. (Elementary and secondary schools are recognized in alternating years.)

To qualify for the program’s final phase, schools must meet a variety of eligibility criteria, including state and federal accountability measures.

Source: Buckingham High among finalists for Gold Ribbon designation

Torlakson asks feds to clarify policy on ICE action near schools – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, as part of his efforts to ensure parents and students feel safe at schools regardless of their immigration status, Thursday asked federal law enforcement authorities to explain if they are changing a policy that had avoided immigration actions near schools.

Torlakson wrote a letter to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and requested information if the agency is still following the “Sensitive Locations” guidance, which directs federal agents to generally avoid enforcement activities at schools, school bus stops, college and universities, and other education-related locations.

His letter was prompted by the need to inform school leaders in California, but also by his alarm at an action taken in late February by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents who took Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez, a 48-year-old father of four, into custody after he dropped off one of his daughters at Academia Avance public charter school in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles.

 

Source: Torlakson asks feds to clarify policy on ICE action near schools

Solano Office of Education offers “transition fair” – Daily Republic

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By Daily Republic Staff

Parents with students who have disabilities or are in special education programs, and who are enrolled in middle school, high school or a transition program are invited to attend the Transition Information Fair from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Solano County Office of Education.

More than 40 agencies from Solano County and the surrounding area will be there to provide information about their services. The event is hosted by the Workforce Development Department of the county Office of Education.

Source: Solano Office of Education offers “transition fair” – Daily Republic

Vallejo school board divided over need for meeting – Times Herald

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By John Glidden

Despite electing two new trustees last November, the Vallejo City Unified School District board appears to be still deeply divided.

The division reached a new point during a special Tuesday meeting when trustees Burky Worel and Tony Ubalde briefly participated in a closed session before returning to the main meeting hall.

Board President Ruscal Cayangyang, along with trustees Marianne Kearney-Brown and Bob Lawson continued to meet in closed session with the district’s legal representation.

“I left early because I believe what they were talking about up there should be talked about in open session, not closed session,” Worel said once the regular meeting reconvened.

Source: Vallejo school board divided over need for meeting

On Fairfield-Suisun school agenda: budget report, employee contracts – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

A second interim budget report for the 2016-17 academic year and the “sunshining” of classified employee contracts are on the agenda tonight when Fairfield-Suisun Unified leaders meet.

In her presentation on the budget, Michelle Henson, chief business officer, will tell the seven-member governing board that the district will be able to pay its bills for the remainder of the fiscal year, which ends June 30.

But the district will experience a projected $19 million decrease in its general fund balance, received 1.48 percent and 2.4 percent in cost-of-living adjustments for the 2017-18 and 18-19 academic years, respectively. Expenditures will near the $200 million mark, she will note.

Source: On Fairfield-Suisun school agenda: Interim budget report, ‘sunshining’ employee contracts

Jelly Belly exec shares tips on workplace success with Armijo students – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

Looking ready for work in his striped tie and Dodger blue shirt with a Jelly Belly logo patch on it, John Jamison might be the last person you would expect to disclose that the path to his current job, vice president of retail operations at the giant candymaker in Fairfield, started out “in the projects” of Pittsburgh, Pa.

His parents ended their schooling in the 10th grade, he told some 40 AVID students who gathered late Wednesday morning in the Armijo High library.

Then Jamison, ruddy-faced and amiable, said it was important to “wake up every morning doing what you love — that will mean everything to your life.”

Source: Jelly Belly exec shares tips on workplace success with Armijo students

Vallejo students top county spelling bee – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

Call it the luck of the draw, but David Whitwell correctly spelled “interrupt,” smiling at his success, and Amid Brock Jr. stumbled on “neuropathy,” arguably, a tougher word, then word pronouncer Ken Scarberry declared David the winner of the 2017 Solano County Elementary School Spelling Bee.

As first- and second-place finishers of the 41st annual event, held Tuesday night at the Nelson Community Center in Suisun City, the boys, both students in Vallejo City Unified schools, will next test their spelling mettle at the state championship, May 13, at the San Joaquin County Office of Education in Stockton.

Source: Vallejo students top county spelling bee

Vacaville scholarship application period opens – Daily Republic

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By Daily Republic Staff

The 2017 application period for scholarships at three Vacaville high schools – through the Solano Community Foundation and the Harry and Eleanor D. Nelson Vacaville Endowment Fund – opens Monday.

Graduating seniors at Vacaville High, Will C. Wood and Buckingham Charter Magnet High are eligible.

Seven four-year scholarships of $3,500 each year will be awarded. Additionally, two Auldin Briggs one-year scholarships of $2,500 each will be awarded. One $5,000 Grace B. Powell one-year scholarship will be awarded to a Vacaville High graduate

Source: Vacaville scholarship application period opens

What Happens to Education Spending if the Budget Stays in a Holding Pattern – Education Week

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By Andrew Ujifusa

Right now, the federal budget is flying in circles. It’s operating on a “continuing resolution” through April 28 that essentially holds fiscal year 2017 spending levels at their fiscal 2016 amounts. Trump recently released a very broad outline of his spending priorities for fiscal 2018 that includes a $54 billion cut from domestic agencies—fiscal 2018 starts in October—although we still don’t know how that 10 percent cut in non-defense discretionary spending would specifically impact the U.S. Department of Education.

But where does that leave fiscal 2017 in terms of education spending? And what happens if Congress decides to apply that continuing resolution to the rest of fiscal 2017 through September? With each passing day, that looks increasingly likely.

Below, we examine how a few programs in the Every Students Succeeds Act would be affected if Congress approves a continuing resolution for the rest of the fiscal 2017.

Source: What Happens to Education Spending if the Budget Stays in a Holding Pattern – Politics K-12 – Education Week