By Keri Luiz and Donna Beth Weilenman
Benicia High School Principal Gary Jensen may not be going anywhere after all.
After a lengthy and passionate public comment period at Thursday’s Benicia Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting — in which parents, teachers and others unanimously supported Jensen — Assistant Superintendent Michael Gardner returned from the closed session to report that the board had rescinded its Feb. 16 vote to pink slip or reassign Jensen.
Once upon a time, there was a principal who showed tremendous interest in her students and their families. She was extremely caring and showed genuine compassion when dealing with every student. Every student mattered. We knew we had someone very unique when we spoke with parents of children in the other schools. We didn’t care if she was a “good administrator” in the paper pushing sense and I imagine that if the District had tried to remove her, we would have fought vigorously to prevent it because every student knew that they mattered to her and that’s what was important to us as parents.
via Guest Editorial: Jensen Should Continue as Benicia High Principal.
After a long deliberation in closed session and numerous requests by speakers during public comment, the Board of Trustees of the Benicia Unified School District voted to rescind their vote taken on February 16 to fire Benicia High principal Gary Jensen according to a post on a Facebook page dedicated to keeping Jensen.
By Keri Luiz, Assistant Editor
The quest of concerned Benicia High School staff and parents to preserve the job of reportedly embattled Principal Gary Jensen will continue at Thursday night’s Benicia Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting.
Parent Jill Ray is urging those who support keeping Jensen at Benicia High’s helm to attend the board’s closed session at 6 p.m., when public comments will be heard.
The following is a letter sent to Trustees of the Benicia Unified School District as well as district office personnel by Jill Ray, a parent with three children in Benicia High School, two who have already graduated and one in elementary school.
via Guest Editorial: Did School Board Violate the Brown Act?.
Benicians now have another tool at their disposal to show their support for the embattled principal at Benicia High School, Gary Jensen. A recently launched Facebook page allows people to sign a petition that will presented to the school board at their regularly scheduled meeting this Thursday, March 1 at he district offices.
The latest review of school district budgets across the state shows that a third of public school students attend classes in a district that is in financial jeopardy, and students in Solano County are no exception.
Members of the Fairfield-Suisun School District’s governing board took a huge bite out of next year’s budget to meet a state-imposed mid-March deadline to notify staff of potential layoffs.
Revising alcohol policies, an increase in cafeteria meals prices and concerns about how the state budget continues to affect the Vacaville Unified School District took up the lion’s share of trustees’ time Thursday night during the governing board’s meeting.
via Alcohol, budget top Vacaville Unified School District agenda.
It’s been two weeks since various students, parents and coaches filled the chambers of the Dixon City Council to air discontent with the dismissal of former Dixon High School Troy Hensley at the Dixon Unified School District’s board meeting.
via Dixon High Sports Program Draws Variety of Commentary During ….
Vallejo will have another campus with school uniforms next year.The Vallejo school board unanimously approved Dan Mini Elementary School’s application for school uniforms Wednesday night.
via Uniforms next year for students at Vallejo’s Dan Mini Elementary ….
FAIRFIELD — Solano Community College is looking to appoint someone to a vacant governing board seat once held by James Claffey.
(This is a draft of my shoot-from-the-hip speech made at the School Board meeting on Thursday, February 16th, in favor of keeping Mr. Gary Jensen as Principal of Benicia High School. So many people (parents, teachers and students) had speeches much more eloquent and worthy, but since I don’t have their copies, I humbly submit this as a way to show support for this cause.)
FAIRFIELD — Ghastly. Disgusting. A world of hurt.
All words Superintendent Jacki Cottingim-Dias used Wednesday to describe the Fairfield-Suisun School District’s list of possible budget cuts. As it stands now, the district is $6.5 million in the hole.
The Benicia school board on Thursday will hear a review of the district’s information technology system.
Most of Benicia Unified School District’s computers and servers are considered “vintage,” with three-quarters of the system five years or older, according to staff reports.
via Benicia trustees to review need to upgrade schools’ ITsystem.
By Keri Luiz, Assistant Editor
Turnout for the public comment section of the Benicia Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting is expected to be high Thursday amid plans by parents, staff and others to speak out in support of Benicia High School Principal Gary Jensen.
Vacaville school trustees offered a knee-jerk reaction last week when faced with the realization that the district has no clear policy concerning student exposure to alcohol in off-campus settings. But simply forbidding students from ever being present where beer, wine or other spirits are being served legally to adults isn’t the thoughtful solution that is needed.
Another elementary school will ask the Vallejo school board Wednesday for permission to implement a school uniform policy.Dan Mini Elementary School’s application comes just weeks after the board approved uniforms at Cave Language Academy.
Editor’s note: Several calls to Dixon High School Athletic Director Tom Crumpacker seeking comment for this story were not returned.
Former Dixon High JV football Coach Troy Hensley has hired an attorney to explore the possibility of a lawsuit against the school district for what he calls an unjust firing and improper drug testing of athletes at Dixon High School on the part of Athletic Director Tom Crumpacker.
FAIRFIELD — The Fairfield-Suisun School District has posted the application for its Trustee Area Advisory Committee on its website.
via Fairfield-Suisun school election committee application now online.