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Sheldon J. Reber, Public Information Officer

PLAs are discriminatory – Daily Republic Letters

With regard to the column by Solano Community College’s superintendent and president, Jowel C. Laguerre (July 14, “Solano College considers PLA pros, cons”), I personally have sat in on some of these meetings concerning project labor agreements.

Union and nonunion companies all agree that there is a need for further education for the trades at the private, high school and college levels. From the sound of the column, if a PLA is not passed, the union would not be very involved in this furthering of education for the future labor pool. This thought is rather foolish due to all of the training centers that the unions have in Fairfield alone and the labor pool involved for future membership.

via PLAs are discriminatory Daily Republic.

An Overview of the Local Control Funding Formula: Legislative Analyst’s Office

The LCFF, enacted as part of the 2013-14 budget package, establishes a new uniform funding formula and a new system of academic accountability. The formula replaces revenue limits and most categorical programs with uniform base rates for all pupils and provides significantly more funding for English learner and low-income students. The new system of academic accountability requires school districts and charter schools to publicly report how they will use the funds provided under the formula, as well as establishes a new system of support and intervention support for underperforming school districts and charter schools. While the transition to the LCFF begins in 2013-14, it will take several years before all provisions are fully implemented and districts and charter schools are fully funded to formula targets. Moreover, a number of key decisions have yet to be made regarding the implementation of the new fiscal and academic accountability provisions.

via An Overview of the Local Control Funding Formula.

Ed. Dept. Leaders Say Special Education Offers Lessons for All – Education Week

By Christina Samuels

Washington

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, along with federal leaders who oversee special education, told a conference of special education leaders and parents of students with disabilities that their experiences can help guide a number of national initiatives, including expanded preschool and preparing students for college and work.

The audience was gathered here for the yearly IDEA Leadership Conference. Duncan, repeating the administration’s focus on creating a $75 billion federal investment in state-run preschool, said that preschool can help reduce the number of students enrolled in special education.

via Ed. Dept. Leaders Say Special Education Offers Lessons for All – On Special Education – Education Week.

What Data Does U.S. Department of Education Collect? Stand By – Education Week

By Michele McNeil

UPDATED

For the real edunerd in us all, mark your calendars for November—that’s when a new searchable website is expected to debut that catalogs all of the data the U.S. Department of Education collects, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.

Of course, this is the federal government we’re talking about, so don’t hold your breath on November.

via What Data Does U.S. Department of Education Collect? Stand By… – Politics K-12 – Education Week.

Ernest Kimme: In need of qualified substitute teachers – The Reporter

By Ernest Kimme

Vacaville Unified’s school board had an obscure item on its recent agenda. The district applied to the state for a CBEST waiver for substitute teachers.

Yawn.

Yep, it’s one of those boring but important items we occasionally read about. Substitute teachers, you see, are supposed to take and pass the California Basic Educational Skills Test.

via Ernest Kimme: In need of qualified substitute teachers – The Reporter.

In Attendance Awareness Month, Don’t Forget Your Superintendent! « Attendance Works

We’re hearing great things from communities across the country about what they’re doing to mark September as Attendance Awareness Month. The Salt Lake City area already has secured a public service announcement from Utah Gov. Gary Herbert. Del Ray Beach, Florida, is working with a local arts school on a jingle for their “Rise ‘N Shine” campaign and coordinating with the local Chamber of Commerce to give mini-grants to schools for attendance incentives. Grand Rapids, Mich. and Palm Beach, Florida are planning forums on attendance. You can read all about it on the Attendance Awareness Month map.

via In Attendance Awareness Month, Don’t Forget Your Superintendent! « Attendance Works.

Pre-Kindergarten Academy gives kids a leg-up on school – Daily Republic

By Barry Eberling

FAIRFIELD — About 25 children, ages 4 and 5, sat in a Sheldon Elementary School classroom learning their letters on a day that featured “S” and Sammy the Snake.

“I’m a special snake who loves to sings solos,” teacher Mary Ann Michelon read from a book. “Sometimes I’m silly.”

The children had embarked on a four-week push to get ready for kindergarten.

via Pre-Kindergarten Academy gives kids a leg-up on school Daily Republic.

Foster youth team advocates for others in care – Daily Republic

By Susan Winlow

FAIRFIELD — Tanya Ortega just graduated from high school and is beginning college in the fall.

She is also working.

As a foster youth, the 18-year-old has bucked the statistics that show fewer than 60 percent of foster youths graduate from high school and fewer than 5 percent finish college. Fewer than 50 percent are employed.

via Foster youth team advocates for others in care Daily Republic.

Suisun Schools Reap the Benefits of Reallocated Redevelopment Money – Suisun City Patch

Posted by (Editor)

Nearly $100-Million originally allocated for Solano County local Redevelopment Agencies has instead flowed into accounts of public entities in Solano County since Gov. Jerry Brown abolished Redevelopment Agencies two years ago.

Redevelopment agencies financed their activities through a share of the increases in property tax realized over the life of a project area, money that is now being divided among other public entities.

via Suisun Schools Reap the Benefits of Reallocated Redevelopment Money – Schools – Suisun City, CA Patch.

Vacaville school playground set on fire – The Reporter

Investigators are calling suspicious a fire that damaged a jungle gym and slide early Saturday morning at the old Elm School in Vacaville.

At 1:30 a.m., Vacaville police dispatchers received a call about a structure fire at the school, 123 Elm St. When firefighters arrived, they discovered a plastic slide and the plastic coating on the jungle gym on fire, Battalion Chief Steve Bowman said.

via Vacaville school playground set on fire – The Reporter.

‘Run, hide, fight’ new mantra for schools in post-Newtown environment | EdSource Today

By Jane Meredith Adams

Traditional school safety techniques had students huddling in locked classrooms and waiting for rescue if danger approached during school hours. But tragic lessons in Newtown, Conn., and Columbine, Colo., have given rise to new recommendations from the U.S. Department of Education for keeping students safe: Run away and hide, they say. Or if you have to, fight.

via ‘Run, hide, fight’ new mantra for schools in post-Newtown environment | EdSource Today.

Congress Urged to Expand Opportunities for African-American Boys – Education Week

By guest blogger Gina Cairney

Tracy Martin, the father of the African-American teenager who was shot and killed last year in an incident that renewed national debates over race relations, urged members of Congress to improve the educational opportunities of black boys.

Nationwide, statistics show that African-American boys tend to have poorer educational outcomes than their white peers. An Education Week report found such students are disproportionately affected by school discipline policies, effectively funneling them into “school-to-prison pipelines.”

via Congress Urged to Expand Opportunities for African-American Boys – Rules for Engagement – Education Week.

Two weeks in and only one person has pulled papers for school board race – The Dixon Tribune | Facebook

Brianna Boyd, Editor

Solano County is two weeks into its declaration of candidacy period for the November election and so far, only one person has pulled paper to run in the Dixon Unified board of trustee race, where three seats are up for grabs.

Caitlin O’Halloran, a founding board member of Dixon Montessori Charter School and a current district director for Senator Lois Wolk, pulled her papers on July 16, the day after the declaration period opened and less than a week after she declared her candidacy with a kick-off party. She has not yet returned her papers.

via Two weeks in and only one person has… – The Dixon Tribune | Facebook.

Vacaville schools trustee Larry Mazzuca resigns post – The Reporter

By Richard Bammer/ RBammer@TheReporter.com

Longtime Vacaville Unified School District trustee Larry Mazzuca will resign his post, effective Aug. 12, less than two years after being re-elected to the district governing board.

In a one-page letter to board president David McCallum, Mazzuca on Thursday wrote that he had bought a home outside of Vacaville, precluding his service as a trustee, his term of office ending in 2016.

via Vacaville schools trustee Larry Mazzuca resigns post – The Reporter.

Obama Stumps for Education Spending, Pre-K – Education Week

By Alyson Klein

President Barack Obama used a high-profile speech on the nation’s economic future today to bolster his administration’s case for investing in education programs. This will be a hot issue as Congress crafts the spending bills for fiscal year 2014, which starts on Oct. 1. Those spending bills will give lawmakers an opportunity to stop “sequestration”—a series of across-the-board cuts to federal education spending slated to go into effect.

“If you think education is expensive, wait until you see how much ignorance costs in the 21st century,” the president said in prepared remarks released in advance of the speech at Knox College in Illinois. “If we don’t make this investment, we’ll put our kids, our workers, and our country at a competitive disadvantage for decades.”

via Obama Stumps for Education Spending, Pre-K – Politics K-12 – Education Week.

Advocates: Start spending new money now on high-needs students | EdSource Today

By John Fensterwald

Two dozen organizations advocating for disadvantaged students wrote county and school district superintendents and charter school administrators Wednesday, reminding them that the new funding formula directing more money to low-income kids and English learners is now the law even though the initial regulations for the system are months away. The message: Start spending money on your high-needs children this year; don’t make commitments that might encroach on future obligations to these students.

via Advocates: Start spending new money now on high-needs students | EdSource Today.

Solano library effort readies kids for new standards – Vallejo Times Herald

By Marie F. Estrada/Times-Herald staff writer

Monique Liguori, of the Suisun Wildlife Center, spoke in a gentle voice and said, “shh” to calm the excited crowd before her. When children in the front row quieted, a volunteer brought out a tiny owl, exciting the crowd once again.

“This is Milo, but I have to let you guys know, he isn’t a baby, he’s just reeeally small.”

Except for the children too young to understand the presentation, all in the audience were captivated by the owls, snakes, and Pogo the possum.

via Solano library effort readies kids for new standards – Vallejo Times Herald.

VUSD School board to hold closed session today – The Reporter

In a closed session, new Vacaville Unified School District Superintendent Ken Jacopetti and district trustees will hold a special governing board workshop today in Vacaville.

Jacopetti will join the board in a goal-setting discussion and review the superintendent evaluation process with Phil Quon, a former school superintendent and an associate with Leadership Associates, a Southern California-based executive search firm.

via School board to hold closed session today – The Reporter.

Solano Community College renovations underway – The Reporter

Several Solano Community College district buildings are undergoing upgrades in various areas, it has been announced.

In addition to the solar panels parking lot projects, workers at the main Fairfield campus, at 4000 Suisun Valley Road, will be renovating its Administration Building 600, on the east side of the property. Officials estimate the work will be done in 17 months.

via Solano Community College renovations underway – The Reporter.