Trustees honors Crescent teacher as tops in district – Daily Republic

By Bill Hicks

The Fairfield Suisun School District Board of Trustees recognized the district’s Teacher of the Year for the 2019-20 school year Thursday as part of the board’s meeting.

Crescent Elementary second-grade teacher Louise Craig was honored as the district’s top teacher, having been honored along with more than a dozen other school site teachers of the year throughout the district just prior to revealing the districtwide choice.

Not only inspirational to her students, Craig serves as an inspiration for people looking to make a change in life. She had not planned on becoming a teacher but got into the profession at the age of 40, working 17 years as a teacher – many of those coming at Suisun Elementary School.

Source: Trustees honors Crescent teacher as tops in district

National Human Trafficking Awareness Month – Year 2020 (CA Dept of Education)

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond today recognized January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Human trafficking is a pandemic that crosses all demographic, racial, and socioeconomic lines.

According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, California had the highest number of reported human trafficking incidents in the country in 2018, and sex trafficking is the leading type of trafficking in the state.

“Vulnerability is the one thing that all trafficked victims have in common,” said Thurmond. “School campuses provide opportunities for predators posing as friends and peers to prey on students—especially homeless, foster, and LGBTQ youth—who may be experiencing instability, isolation, alienation, and bullying. It is imperative that the entire school community knows how to recognize the signs of human trafficking, has prevention and intervention tools in place, and utilizes available resources to protect students from being victimized.”

Source: National Human Trafficking Awareness Month – Year 2020 (CA Dept of Education)

Travis schools trustees to meet Tuesday – Daily Republic

By Daily Republic Staff

Travis School District trustees will consider adding 10 courses to the Vanden High curriculum when they meet Tuesday in the Travis Education Center.

The courses are Advanced Drama; Advanced Placement Environmental Science; Astronomy (semester); Fitness and Conditioning (semester or year); Forensic Science (semester); Genre Studies (semester); Intermediate Drama; Keyboarding and Word Processing (semester); Physics, Engineering and Technology; and Weight Training (semester or year).

The Parent Involvement Policy for Golden West Middle School is also on the agenda.

Source: Travis schools trustees to meet Tuesday

LCFF Workgroup to Increase Transparency in Process – Year 2020 (CA Dept of Education)

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond today announced that he has convened a group of educational partners to discuss ways in which the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) accountability system is providing districts with flexibility to lend support to focus areas that need extra support in order to improve student outcomes. This system was implemented to replace 40 years of categorical programs, which failed to close achievement gaps. The recently released 2019 California School Dashboard shows that LCFF, which recognizes that many factors contribute to improving student outcomes, is working: test scores are up, graduation rate is at an all-time high, and the suspension rate is at a historic low.

The workgroup, which met once in late 2019 and will meet again next week, consists of educational partners from organizations such as the California Association of School Business Officials, Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, School Services of California, California State Parent Teacher Association, Association of California School Administrators, Public Policy Institute of California, Education Trust West, California School Boards Association, members of the California State Legislature, and school district and county office superintendents. The purpose of the workgroup is to gain insight from key stakeholders on ways to improve the process and to ensure that it is truly serving the students it was intended to provide additional support to by showing improvements in student outcomes in those specific student groups.

Source: LCFF Workgroup to Increase Transparency in Process – Year 2020 (CA Dept of Education)

State supe cites Fairfield school for ‘exemplary arts’ education – The Reporter

By Richard Bammer

It’s unclear if the TK-8 students of Oakbrook Academy of The Arts in Fairfield, a school of choice that emphasizes visual and performing arts, will make it to Carnegie Hall.

They may practice, practice and practice, but the State Department of Education has already acknowledged that Oakbrook does a first-rate job of teaching the arts.

State schools chief Tony Thurmond on Tuesday announced that Oakbrook was selected for the California Exemplary Arts Education Award.

Source: State supe cites Fairfield school for ‘exemplary arts’ education – The Reporter

FSUSD Wants Your Input! – Daily Republic

By Time Goree

The Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District is updating the 3-year educational plan, also known as the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP).

We are holding two community meetings to gather input. Parents, students, staff, and community members are encouraged to attend either meeting to provide input regarding programs and services to better meet the needs of our students. No RSVP required.

Source: FSUSD Wants Your Input!

Public Safety Academy cadets bone up on forensic sciences – Daily Republic

By Todd R. Hansen

It takes about two weeks for dermestids to clean the flesh and soft tissue away from the bones of a full skeleton.

That is if the beetles are kept warm, fed and healthy and, well, loved.

Colleen Milligan, a forensic anthropology professor at California State University, Chico, and co-director of the on-campus Human Identification Lab, shared case studies Monday from the lab’s work with about 120 cadets at the Public Safety Academy in Fairfield.

Source: Public Safety Academy cadets bone up on forensic sciences

Benicia High students win App Challenge for Fifth Congressional District – Benicia Herald

By Editor

Congressman Thompson announces 2019 App Challenge winners; Winners selected by local tech experts

Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) announced that Kai Rush and Benji Ryujin have been selected as the 2019 App Challenge winners for the Fifth Congressional District for their app Space Trace. Kai and Benji are seniors at Benicia High School and competed against more than a dozen other app designers in this year’s challenge. They were selected by a group of local technology experts.

Source: Benicia High students win App Challenge for Fifth Congressional District

The saga of Vallejo’s oldest school – Times-Herald

By Brendan Riley

Vallejo was booming in 1857 when a four-room public school was built at the corner of Carolina Street and Sonoma Boulevard. Now, 163 years later, students still attend classes there — but Lincoln Elementary School’s days may be numbered.

Public schools have been at the downtown Carolina Street location longer than any other site in Vallejo. That history, however, may not overcome the stark reality of decreasing enrollments and funding woes faced by the city’s school system.

Source: Brendan Riley’s Solano Chronicles: The saga of Vallejo’s oldest school – Times-Herald

FSUSD board trustee wants to take service to county supervisor level – Times-Herald

By Nick Sestanovich

After 13 years as senior pastor at St. Stephen CME Church in Fairfield and nearly 10 years as a trustee on Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District’s Governing Board, Rev. David Isom is seeking to continue his community service on a bigger level. He is running for a seat in the 5th District of the Solano County Board of Supervisors.

“I believe that Solano County needs a supervisor who really is concerned about the people,” he said. “I believe that this is an extension of the services that I’ve been providing to my county, specifically the kids of the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District.”

With incumbent Supervisor Skip Thomson announcing that he would not seek another term this past summer, Isom saw a chance to bring his service to the board.

Source: Fairfield pastor, school board trustee wants to take service to county supervisor level – Times-Herald

School board approves tentative agreement with union – Times-Herald

By John Glidden

With no comment, the Vallejo school board unanimously approved a tentative agreement during Dec. 18 meeting with the California School Employees Association (CSEA).

The new agreement with the non-teaching district employees will cost the Vallejo City Unified School District about $997,442 as members receive a two-percent salary increase and a one-time $500 bonus.

The agreement also includes an arrangement for the district to cover the dental plans for all CSEA members and their families starting in January.

Source: School board approves tentative agreement with union – Times-Herald