By Susan Hiland
Travis School District trustees will soon move into the computer age with a live streaming of meetings.
The board on Tuesday approved the purchase of cameras and equipment to begin live streaming the meetings.
Superintendent Pam Conklin reported the board had expressed an interested in getting information on how much it would cost to live stream the meetings.
Source: Travis school board set to start recording, streaming meetings
By Richard Bammer
“Music is the language of the spirit” it’s been famously said, but it also will be spirited music when longtime Solano Symphony conductor Semyon Lohss and the orchestra accompany three teenage musicians during the annual Salute to Youth concert in Vacaville on Sunday.
The music, to be performed by winners of the 2022 Young Artists Competition, other student musicians and the orchestra, begins at 3 p.m. in the Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre, 1010 Ulatis Drive.
In a press statement, symphony Board President Melinda Ellis said the trio of winners are active music students at Davis Senior High School in Davis.
Source: Talented teen soloists showcased in Solano Symphony concert – The Vacaville Reporter
By Richard Bammer
Call them intellectual champions.
The eight-member Vanden High Academic Decathlon team triumphed Sunday at the North Bay region competition, besting 16 other Bay Area teams.
With a first-place finish, the Travis Unified students have been invited to go on to another test of wits, memory and know-how by representing Solano County at the state competition March 24 to 26 in Santa Clara.
Their latest winning performance at Solano Community College in Fairfield was a no-surprise effort. After all, Vanden squads have won the county competition 22 times in as many years and the California championship during three of those years.
Source: Vanden Academic Decathlon winners: ‘High-caliber kids,’ adviser says – The Vacaville Reporter
By Richard Bammer
Student scholars at Fairfield’s Vanden High walked away Sunday with bragging rights and medals around their necks for their triumph at the Academic Decathlon for the North Bay region.
Winning first place overall, the Travis Unified students have been invited to go on to compete and represent Solano County at the state competition. Campolindo High School took second and also can proceed to represent Contra Costa County at state. Third place was awarded to Basis Independent Silicon Valley Charter from Santa Clara County.
Source: Vanden whiz kids triumph at Academic Decathlon for North Bay region – The Vacaville Reporter
By Susan Hiland
Vanden High School took first place Saturday overall in the North Bay Region Academic Decathlon.
The team is invited to go on to compete and represent Solano County at the state competition.
Also going to the state competition is Campolindo High School, whose team took second overall. They will represent Contra Costa County at state. Third place was awarded to Basis Independent Silicon Valley Charter from Santa Clara County.
Source: Vanden High School takes first at North Bay Academic Decathlon, heads to state
By Susan Hiland
Trustees of the Travis School district last week received information about how students are faring both academically and socially, along with an update of what the district is doing to help both students and their parents.
Sue Brothers, assistant superintendent of Educational Studies, presented an update Tuesday on the midyear Local Control and Accountability Plan.
Brothers covered student performance and district progress on both school board goals and state-mandated Local Control and Accountability Plan goals in the areas of basic services, family involvement, student social-emotional wellness and academic achievement.
Source: Travis trustees hear high, low points of student progress, well-being
By Susan Hiland
Travis School District trustees on Tuesday approved a change in the graduation requirements starting with the Class of 2024.
Specifically, the governing board removed the health course graduation requirement.
The reason the district was considering this change is because many students and families have stated the students wanted to take additional electives courses but the schedule didn’t allow for it, according to a staff report.
Tiffany Benson the director of Curriculum and Instruction, gave part of the presentation.
Source: Travis board backs changes to graduation requirements
By Susan Hiland
The Travis School District is looking to make a change to graduation requirements starting with the Class of 2024.
Specifically, the governing board on Tuesday will consider removing the health course graduation requirement.
The reason the district is considering this change is because many students and families have stated the students wanted to take additional electives courses but the schedule didn’t allow for it, according to a staff report. Removing this requirement will offer an opportunity for 11th grade students to take an additional class, including advanced studies and courses for remediation.
Source: Travis school board considers change to graduation requirements
By Susan Hiland
Two new trustees at the Travis School District wasted little time Tuesday in placing their stamp on how the district is governed by questioning what could have been routine approval of the board’s Governance Handbook.
Matthew Bidou, who won his seat in the Nov. 8 election and was sworn into office Tuesday, questioned several parts of the handbook and wanted to discuss them further at a special study session meeting before he felt comfortable signing off on document.
Source: New Travis trustees question board handbook restrictions
By Susan Hiland
Travis School District trustees will likely see some changes in the new year.
The board at Tuesday’s meeting will select a president, vice president and clerk. Trustees will also will select representatives to the Solano County School Boards Association and the Travis Regional Armed Forces Committee.
Superintendent Pam Conklin will serve as board secretary.
The changes will take effect immediately after the election.
Source: Travis school board considers course changes, meeting dates for coming year
By Nick Sestanovich
Vanden High School’s location just 2 miles from Travis Air Force Base and within a district largely comprised of military families means it is far from uncommon for students to consider military careers after graduation.
As medical science and Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) students learned Monday, there are many jobs available, even for those who are just looking into the medical field. That lesson came courtesy of Maj. Gen. Michael Talley, commanding general and commandant of the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence in San Antonio — and a former Vanden student himself.
Talley talked to students in the school’s library about his time at Vanden, the path that took him to his current role and the different types of medical jobs available within the military.
Source: Vanden students get visit from Army medical commander – The Vacaville Reporter
By Todd R. Hansen
Vanden High senior Marissa Jelardi was thinking about joining the Air Force after graduation, but after listening to U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Michael J. Talley on Monday, she may see her career path looking a bit more green.
Jelardi, a Vacaville resident, said she has been interested in becoming an emergency technician of some kind since she was in middle school writing about her future. Maybe that was because her stepmother was an EMT, turned dispatcher, but whatever the spark, she likes the idea of being directly involved in emergency response.
Going to school so close to Travis certainly made the possibility of being an Air Force medic an option.
Source: Former Vanden High student-turned-general tells students, ‘Go Army!’
By Susan Hiland
The Travis School District is holding its own financially amid declining enrollment projections, trustees were told this week in an update on the district’s budget.
Chief Business Officer Gabe Moulaison on Tuesday presented the school board with the 2022-23 First Interim Report and budget projections for the current school year.
The data was from July 1 through Oct. 31 with updates due to changes that were made after the Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 185, the Education Omnibus Trailer Bill that sets statewide school spending for the year.
Source: School board OKs Travis district’s updated financial report
By Susan Hiland
Travis School District trustees heard an update Tuesday on two special tax districts that between them hold nearly $10 million in taxpayer money.
Chief Business Officer Gabe Moulaison gave the presentation on the Community Facilities Districts No. 1 and No. 2 Special Tax Annual Reports.
There are 1,775 residential parcels for which a building permit has been issued as of June 1 for Community Facilities District No. 1, according to the report.
Source: Travis trustees hear update on finances of special tax districts
By Susan Hiland
Travis Unified Chief Business Officer Gabe Moulaison on Tuesday presented the district board the 2022-23 First Interim Report and budget projections for the coming year.
The data was from July through Octo. 31 with updates due to changes that were made after the Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 185, the Education Omnibus Trailer Bill.“We aren’t seeing a ton of changes,” said Moulaison.
Source: Travis trustees approve updated First Interim Report
By Kimberly K. Fu
Election Day has come and gone, but results for races in Solano County are not yet set.
Why? Because there’s still thousands of ballots left to count.
According to the Solano County Registrar of Voters office, outstanding Vote-by-Mail ballots total 35,821 while outstanding provisional ballots number 1,671.
On Wednesday, staff focused full bore on processing ballots. An estimated 15,000 were ready to be counted while 13,000 more were ready to be verified.
Source: Unofficial Solano election results are in; more to come – The Vacaville Reporter
By Susan Hiland
Chief Business Officer Gabe Moulaison gave a presentation to the Travis school board on Tuesday night on the Community Facilities Districts No. 1 and No. 2 Special Tax Annual Reports.
According to the report, there are 1,775 residential parcels for which a building permit has been issued as of June 1 for Community Facilities District No. 1.
The total annual special tax to be collected within CFD No. 1 for the fiscal year 2022-23 is $1.051 million.
By Todd R. Hansen
Jack Flynn held a majority lead over incumbent Jonathan Richardson for the Trustee Area 5 seat on the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District board.
As of Wednesday, Flynn had tallied 963 votes, representing 51.5% of the ballots cast, while Richardson had 907 votes (48.5%), the Solano County Registrar of Voters Office reported.
The unofficial result is with all 10 precincts counted, but with mail-in and provisional ballots left to count.
Source: Schools election picture coming into focus after Day 2 of count
By Todd R. Hansen
Navy Rear Admiral Leonard “Butch” Dollaga on Wednesday took a tour of the Mare Island shipyard, and visited some Junior ROTC students at Vanden High School.
Dollaga, chief of Legislative Affairs for the Navy, grew up in Vallejo and graduated from Hogan High School.
“The more you interface with your people, the more you train them, the more effective they will be. Just trust those people,” Dollaga told the nearly two dozen cadets of the Vanden Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training program.
Source: Vallejo native Rear Adm. Dollaga visits Mare Island, Vanden High
Drama students at Vanden High School are busy setting the stage for a one-act play early next month that offers audiences a pair of separate short performances.
“Hard Candy” is a one-act comedy about people interviewing for a job who are willing to do anything – bribery, nepotism, blackmail, seduction and even an attempt at mind control – to get to the top of the corporate ladder.
Vanden drama teacher Jerald Bolden said students in the Drama 1 and Drama 2 classes will also present two other short stories.
Source: Vanden students prep to open award-winning ‘Hard Candy’