Citizens committee recommends renaming school to Vallejo Adult School – Vallejo Sun

By John Glidden

A special citizens advisory committee recommended that the Vallejo City Unified School District Board of Education rename a school catering to adult learners as the Vallejo Adult School, 10 years after the district changed the name.

The five-person committee appointed by the district to recommend a new name formally presented its recommendation during the Nov. 2 Vallejo school board meeting. The school was previously called the Vallejo Adult School until the district changed the name to the Vallejo Regional Education Center a decade ago. But school board trustees and administrators expressed an interest in renaming the school again in 2021.

Source: Citizens committee recommends renaming school to Vallejo Adult School

Tony Thurmond cruises to reelection as California state superintendent | EdSource

By John Fensterwald

With the power of incumbency and a funding advantage behind him, California Superintendent of Public Instruction handily won election to a second 4-year term on Tuesday.

Thurmond, 53, a former two-term Democratic Assemblyman from Richmond, was leading Lance Christensen by nearly 2 to 1, 66% to 34% with more than half of the vote reported. It was a larger margin than Gov. Gavin Newsom held over his Republican opponent, State Sen. Brian Dahle.

Source: Tony Thurmond cruises to reelection as California state superintendent | EdSource

Fairfield-Suisun trustees to hear updates, review plans for coming year – Daily Republic

By Susan Hiland

Trustees of the Fairfield-Suisun School District on Thursday will hear updates and review proposed changes for the coming year.

Various additions and changes to board policies will be included with the board handbook once approved, along with changes to Board Offices and Board Subcommittee/Joint Committee members for the 2023 calendar year.

The board will take a look at the district’s bylaws and discuss any changes they would like to make. Trustees will also look at the proposed school calendar for the upcoming year. Also up for consideration is a change to the board’s meeting days and times for the year, including the possibility of going to only meeting once a month rather than meeting two times a month.

Source: Fairfield-Suisun trustees to hear updates, review plans for coming year

Fairfield High students explore career paths in culinary industry – Daily Republic

The Fairfield High School culinary program hosted a FIT-DAY presentation Oct. 26 sponsored by the California Restaurant Association.

Students and staff met with community leaders who shared personal stories as to how they got started in the industry. These leaders also discussed the various career paths that brought them to their current roles. Students were taught job readiness skills, team building and soft skills, all of which are fundamental to success in the real world of work.

Source: Fairfield High students explore career paths in culinary industry

Fairfield-Suisun Adult School hosts parenting class graduation – Daily Republic

Thirteen people graduated this week from the Effective Black Parenting Program offered by the Fairfield-Suisun School District.

The course started in last November. A recognition ceremony happened Tuesday at the Fairfield-Suisun Adult School.

This course is a direct result of a recommendation from the Tri-City NAACP requesting that the district offer these classes to the Fairfield-Suisun School District community, according to a district press release. The first in-person program was conducted after two virtual sessions. The free 15-session parenting course is offered to interested families in the community and takes place in the evenings at the Adult School.

Source: Fairfield-Suisun Adult School hosts parenting class graduation

SPI Honors California Blue Ribbon Schools in D.C. – Year 2022 (CA Dept of Education)

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond congratulated the principals of California’s National Blue Ribbon School winners today at an award ceremony in Washington, D.C., calling out the long-term positive outcomes they have created for students during very challenging times. California boasts the largest number of public school National Blue Ribbon winners in the nation. Additionally, Thurmond met with Miguel Marco, principal of Wittmann (Helen) Elementary School in Cerritos, who was honored as one of the nine recipients of the Terrel H. Bell Award for Outstanding School Leadership.

“These California schools have done amazing things to address the education opportunity gap,” Thurmond said. “They are helping us learn, model, and develop refined strategies to scale success and innovation all across our great state. I am so glad the U.S. Department of Education recognized our 29 California Blue Ribbon schools today, and let me also say thank you to our awardees for their persistent hard work in creating a better environment for California students every day.”

Source: SPI Honors California Blue Ribbon Schools in D.C. – Year 2022 (CA Dept of Education)

Vaca schools tap Garcia as assistant superintendent – Daily Republic

The Vacaville School District governing board has approved the appointment of Manolo Garcia, who currently serves as the interim assistant superintendent of Human Resources, to the role of assistant superintendent, Department of Human Resources.

The appointment was announced in a press release and was effective Friday.

Source: Vaca schools tap Garcia as assistant superintendent

Manolo Garcia named new Assistant Superintendent of HR at VUSD – The Vacaville Reporter

The Vacaville Unified School District Governing Board approved the appointment of Manolo Garcia, who currently serves as the interim Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, to the role of assistant superintendent, Department of Human Resources, effective Nov. 4.

“Mr. Garcia brings a wealth of experience to Vacaville Unified School District (VUSD), not just in HR, but also as a former teacher and school administrator. Throughout his career, he has made a measurable impact in expanding recruitment and retention initiatives and improving systems, processes, and customer service throughout the district,” said Superintendent Jane Shamieh. “We look forward to his leadership in continuing our efforts to attract experienced educators and support staff to VUSD.”

Source: Manolo Garcia named new Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources for Vaca USD – The Vacaville Reporter

SPI Celebrates California’s 29 Blue Ribbon Schools – Year 2022 (CA Dept of Education)

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond celebrated the 29 California Blue Ribbon schools being honored this week in Washington, D.C., at the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program awards ceremony. California has the largest number of public school Blue Ribbon winners in the nation. Thurmond met with school leaders on Monday to learn how they are closing opportunity gaps and providing environments where students can achieve high learning standards. He also appointed them to help co-design strategies for learning acceleration and to improve student achievement all across the state.

“Our state sent 29 schools this year to our nation’s capital to receive this prestigious honor—a testament to the students, teachers, staff members, administrators and their families,” said Thurmond. “While we continue to bounce back from the harms of the COVID-19 pandemic, this award illustrates the important work we are doing to go above and beyond in our mission to close the opportunity gap. It’s impressive that 29 schools received this honor, a reaffirmation of the persistence and resilience our educators displayed on behalf of our students.”

Source: SPI Celebrates California’s 29 Blue Ribbon Schools – Year 2022 (CA Dept of Education)

Vallejo school board trustee outspends opponent by 24 times – Vallejo Sun

By John Glidden

Vallejo school board Trustee John Fox significantly outspent fellow Trustee Tony Gross as the two incumbents face off for a single seat in next week’s election after the school district moved to local area elections, according to campaign finance forms reviewed by the Vallejo Sun.

Gross, a retired educator, and Fox, a 3rd grade teacher with the Mt. Diablo Unified School District, are vying to represent the newly created Trustee Area 5, which encompasses Southeast Vallejo, including the Glen Cove neighborhood. Both men were elected to the board in 2018, a year before the district switched to local area elections. Under the new system, trustees must live in the area they represent.

Source: Vallejo school board trustee outspends opponent by 24 times

$58M Approved for Community Schools Support System – Year 2022 (CA Dept of Education)

The California State Board of Education (SBE) today approved $58 million in contracts to build a network of support for community schools—campuses where every classroom is focused on high-quality teaching and learning, every student is connected to the services they need to thrive, and every family is empowered to partner in decision-making.

The $4 billion California Community Schools Partnership Program (CCSPP) is the nation’s largest investment in the success of high-needs students through a whole-child approach. Community schools partner with education, county, and nonprofit entities to provide integrated health, mental health, and social services alongside high-quality, supportive instruction with a strong focus on community, family, and student engagement.

Research shows that community schools can result in better school attendance, better grades and test scores, higher enrollment in college-prep classes, and higher graduation rates.

Source: $58M Approved for Community Schools Support System – Year 2022 (CA Dept of Education)

$10 Million Dual Language Immersion Grant – Year 2022 (CA Dept of Education)

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced that 27 schools and school districts were selected through a competitive grant process to receive up to $400,000 each to expand a current dual language immersion program or establish a new one.

“I applaud these schools for taking the initiative to invest in their dual language immersion programs,” Thurmond said. “Schools with strong dual language immersion programs are proven to promote strong academic performance among students from all backgrounds and, in the end, prepare our students for college and careers in a highly competitive global marketplace where speaking more than one language is a critical skill.”

Source: $10 Million Dual Language Immersion Grant – Year 2022 (CA Dept of Education)