February 2010 Archives
In the 2010-11 school year, freshman from outside the local service area will be required to live on campus during their first year of study.
The announcement was made late last week as part of the university's plans for its admission targets and strategic focus.
"There will be some exceptions for those who must live on campus," Cal Poly spokesman Tim Lynch said. "Those are married people, veterans or religious causes that require them not to live in coed dorms."
The awards, which recognize individuals and organizations for significant contributions made to public education in the county, have honored those supporting and in public education for the past 19 years.
Nominations for the Education Medal of Honor can be made in six categories: Volunteer in Action/Community Volunteer; Volunteer in Action/Service Group; Partners in Education/Small Business or Franchise; Partners in Education/Corporation; Excellence in Education/Education Professional; and Excellence in Education/Student Alumni.
The nomination forms also can be downloaded from the County Schools' Web site at www.sbcss.k12.ca.us/superint/
From State Superintendent's desk:
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today designated six California schools as model middle grades schools in the Schools to Watch™-Taking Center Stage (STW™-TCS) program.
"Middle school can be a difficult time for students as they mature socially, physically, and academically. These six model middle grades schools are making great progress in improving academic achievement, meeting the needs of their students, and making changes that are leading to further student success," said O'Connell.
"All the hard work of the students, their parents, teachers, and administrators are paying off and I congratulate them all and hope that other middle schools can learn from their successful practices."
Scott noted that getting into a community college class is becoming tougher than ever as course sections are expected to be reduced in the 2010-11 school year if funding levels remain the same or are cut even further.
"We are aware that in cutting course sections, access has been severely impacted for tens of thousands of students throughout the state," said Scott.
"Unfortunately, we will never be able to accurately account for all of the students who had to either put their college dreams on hold or abandon them altogether because they couldn't get the classes or training they needed."
Veterans, who live in San Bernardino County and missed graduating from high school because of their military service in World War II, the Korean War or the Vietnam War, may be eligible to receive their high school diploma.
Since performing arts courses are considered electives, students have to make up their required courses, usually physical education, at a later time.
The Upland Unified School District Board of Trustees on Tuesday approved allowing teachers and the principals at Upland High School to implement a program that will help students meet their required physical education criteria through performing arts classes.
The adult school had been working with an annual budget of $1.2 million. The district board cut $1 million from the annual budget for the next two years, effectively ending the adult school operation next year. The board did leave $250,000 annually for high school students making up credits to earn their diplomas.
"Unfortunately, we will no longer be able to serve the adult population," board member Michael Calta said. "While we would want to use it as an adult school, in these difficult times, this was a way to focus on our core mission to serve K-12 students."
"It's lively," said the Los Osos High School senior. "It looks more like a real college."
Making sure black students such as Jackson get a taste of college experience is one of the goals of the "A Man/A Woman" event on Wednesday at the college.
A pledge from David and Joan Lincoln announced Wednesday is earmarked for the Claremont University Project, "a future consortium of graduate schools representing different religious traditions."
"Joan and I are particularly pleased with the idea of creating a multi-faith university that reflects the power and potential of the 'Golden Rule', which the many faith communities have in common," said David Lincoln, a CST trustee since 2003.
"We believe the outcome of this kind of education will be respect among religions and the ability to better address global problems where religious collaboration and cooperation are needed to reach solutions and repair the world."
Upland Unified School District officials are working to close a $15 million gap over the next two years as a result of reduced funding from the state.
To address the gap, Upland Unified is considering an increase in K-3 class sizes to 29 students per class from 24. This could result in 32 full-time teaching positions being cut: 27 from multiple subjects, three from elementary physical education and two elementary music positions.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today announced 17-year old Alejandra Bañuelos Santana of Rancho Cucamonga was awarded a 2010 Ruta Quetzal-BBVA scholarship from the Ministry of Education of Spain.
"Congratulations to Alejandra, her parents, Alta Loma High School, and Denise Funk, her Advanced Placement Spanish literature teacher," said O'Connell. "Earning this prestigious scholarship is quite an honor and a feat considering the student must fill out the application in Spanish.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced the appointment of Bonnie Reiss as Secretary of Education and participated in her swearing-in ceremony. Click here to read the Governor's announcement of the appointment on Tuesday. The following photo was taken in Santa Monica, California. |
Claremont Unified's elementary and intermediate intervention programs that have been typically offered during the summer vacation months fell victim to district budget cuts, school officials said.
The enrichment program will be offered to K-8 students this summer at Condit Elementary and El Roble Intermediate schools.
School board members are expected to meet in closed session at 7 p.m. The open portion of the meeting is expected to begin at 7:30 p.m. in the board room of the district's Education Center, 800 S. Garey Ave.
The Upland Unified School District and principals at the high school are looking at ways to allow students involved in marching band, color guard, pep squad and various dance classes to become exempt from taking additional physical education classes.
State laws requires high school students to take two years of physical education. Students in some performing arts classes are required to make up a class, such as physical education, at a later date.
They would be distributed equally to all instructional areas and would be mailed March 15, said Devon Freitas, assistant superintendent of human resources for the Claremont Unified School District.
The board will announce the number of layoff notices at its March 4 meeting, Freitas said.
"Definitely, there will be layoffs," she said. "But it's determining how many there will be and organizing the seniority list."
"This is a tremendous accomplishment for our ROP and shows that our students are receiving high-quality instruction and guidance in their career technical education," County Superintendent Gary Thomas said.
County Schools ROP serves 16 districts countywide with an enrollment of nearly 18,000 students covering 125 career technical education courses of instruction.
The 19th annual San Bernardino County Education Medal of Honor recognizes individuals and organizations for significant contributions made to public education in the county.
Pomona holds off issuing 328 layoff notes to teachers but sends them to 143 administrative employees
The school board members voted Wednesday night 4-0 to issue the notices informing administrators and others working for them they may be released at the end of the current school year. The 143 represents all administrative employees in the district.
However, action on a separate proposal calling for issuing notices to 328 certificated employees was postponed.
Certificated employees include teachers and others such as counselors, school nurses and school psychologists.
Board members deadlocked, 2-2, to reject the certificated proposal. Board members Roberta Perlman and Jason Rothman voted to reject the proposal with board President Richard Rodriguez and board member Andrew Wong in opposition.
Press release:
Ten high school students with great ideas and $1,000 will each be undertaking projects including building organic gardens, producing model environmental houses and initiating pilot programs for sustainable lunch trays in their school cafeterias after being selected as this year's Planet Connect grant winners.
Planet Connect (www.planet-connect.org), created in partnership with The Weather Channel, offers environmentally minded teens job and volunteer opportunities, information on careers and universities and social networking capabilities allowing them to share success stories and environmental tips with peers around the country and the world.
The National Environmental Education Foundation, in partnership with The Weather Channel, announced today that Kevin Dumler, a junior, is among 10 students nationwide awarded a grant to complete an environmental project.
Kevin will work alongside the Campus Environmental Club to create a composting program at the high school by recycling cafeteria food garbage and using the recycled materials in the gardens and flowerbeds planted around the school's campus.
Diane Wood, president of the National Environmental Education Foundation, praised the innovative projects, including environmental model homes, unique irrigation systems for organic gardens, recycling programs and litter awareness campaigns.
Press release from State Supt. desk:
SACRAMENTO -- State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today announced that California will participate in the Migrant Student Information Exchange (MSIX) system.
"One of the most difficult challenges students of migrant families face is maintaining a continuum of education services because of the itinerant nature of their lives," said O'Connell. "This too often results in migrant students falling behind their peers academically. The Migrant Student Information Exchange system is one vital step toward providing continuity in the migrant students' educational experience to enhance their academic success."
Migrant students often change schools, school districts, even cross state lines during the year, because their families are seeking temporary or seasonal work in the agricultural, fishing, and dairy industries.
District officials said the cuts aren't out of want but rather necessity. The board has already had to cut about $27 million last year because of the state budget crisis.
District Superintendent Wayne Joseph recently presented the board with budget cut recommendations that include a possible increase to class sizes from kindergarten to third grade, the possible loss of transportation, the replacement of high school librarians with library techs, and the elimination of elementary music teachers.
Proposed cuts, which must approved by the school board, may also result in about 65 full-time employees receiving layoff notices, most of whom would be teachers.
Associate Superintendent R. Keith Beeman's contract with Chino Valley Unified School District was set to expire in June and was not renewed, district officials said.
Beeman submitted his resignation on Tuesday to the district.
On Monday, he was named one of six finalists for the superintendent position at Billings Public Schools. The school district is the largest in Montana with 30 schools and 16,000 students.
The board's preliminary cost-saving proposals for the 2010-11 budget included reductions or eliminations of sports, counselors, a young-mothers program, school days as well as certificated librarians.
The options include negotiated and non-negotiated reductions that were recommended by a budget committee, which is comprised of district teachers, parents and classified staff representatives.
"We recognize that the governor's proposal may be adjusted due to unstable estimates," Chaffey Joint Union Superintendent Mat Holton said. "We will continue to work with the budget committee and the associations to determine or revise these proposed cuts and establish additional cuts as needed."
Two California State University campuses, San Diego State University (SDSU) and San José State University (SJSU), received a combined total of nearly $10 million in U.S. Department of Labor grants for education, training, and placement services in partnership with the health care and biotechnology industries.
The awards will benefit unemployed and dislocated workers and veterans by providing access to online job search assistance, skills assessment, immersion training, education programs, and on-the-job training.
"These grants allow San Diego and San José State to match the skills training needed in today's high-tech economy with the workers who will benefit the most," said CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed. "These grants will create and sustain jobs in the short-term and help sustain California's economic recovery for the future."
Instead of sleeping in or going to the beach on what was a typical day off from school on Monday, the team's nine students were in their coach's second-floor classroom strategizing for the state AcaDec competition on March 12-15 in Sacramento.
Chaffey High defeated 29 high schools in the Academic Decathlon for San Bernardino County schools that concluded earlier this month. They were also victorious in 2009.
"I've talked about how extremely proud I am of you, but as your head coach, my job is going to get you to the next level," head coach Steven Mercado said.
"We need to pick it up on scholastics ... we're going to state now. We're not trying to eclipse Redlands or Chino, you're trying to beat state."
Information courtesy of University of La Verne:
While the opening day of classes for Fall Semester 2010 is still more than six months away, students' interest in attending the University of La Verne has already reached a fever pitch.
Dean of Admission Chris Krzak has announced that applications from individuals applying for traditional-age undergraduate study at La Verne is up more than 150 percent from a year ago and have already surpassed the university's previous best mark.
"For years we've heard others say that La Verne is a 'best kept secret' among colleges and universities. Well, these numbers are a tangible indication that the secret is out," said Krzak, "While an increase in applications doesn't necessarily translate to an increase in enrollment, it is definitely a step in the right direction. And we're not done. We're still accepting applications, so for those prospective students who haven't yet applied, we welcome and encourage you to do so as soon as possible."
Superintendent Wayne Joseph's proposed cuts, which will have to be approved by the school board, may result in about 65 full-time employees receiving layoff notices. The pink slips will mostly be sent to teachers.
"As you know, the board recently made budget reductions to the tune of $27 million and, at the time, we knew we might be back here because of different things going on with the state, and sure enough we're back again," Joseph said.
The cuts were announced Wednesday as part of Joseph's budget proposal at a budget study session.
- 43,839 - Chaffey High of Chaffey Joint Union High School District
- 41,977 - Redlands High of Redlands Unified
- 41,575 - Chino Hills High of Chino Valley Unified
- 39,414 - Rancho Cucamonga High of Chaffey Joint Union High School District
- 37,385 - Arroyo Valley of San Bernardino City Unified
"I wish I could (say) positive things about the budget but it is still a problem in our state and as a result schools are going to be impacted," Thomas said Wednesday.
"I believe this coming year, 2010-11, will be the toughest year. School boards are going to be taking some real hard looks at core programs, and I think for our 420,000 students they're going to be looking at crowded classrooms, fewer programs in the arts and athletics and fewer services like tutoring, nursing and counseling."
Thomas said depending on how the state budget evolves, tough cuts to K-12 education will occur, which is problematic at a time when public schools are in desperate need of stable funding.
After suffering some $17 billion in cuts statewide during the past two years, Thomas said this may be the most difficult budget year yet for K-12 education.
Despite major budget streamlining last year, Chino Valley Unified School District board members decided to add $350,000 for athletic transportation this school year because of possible liability issues.
Still, board members asked district staff in August to look into other ways of providing athletic transportation at lower cost.
Dan Mellon, the district's risk-management director, recently presented finance proposals to the board on behalf of the district's high school athletic directors.
The study finds that black and Latino students enrolled at charters - schools that are publicly funded but independently run - are more likely to be isolated with classmates of their same race.
"We are seeing a lot of charters as segregated as schools in the old South that were the target of the civil-rights movement," said Gary Orfield, co-founder of the Civil Rights project.
School board members last week approved the retirement of more than 100 teachers along with a number of counselors, school administrators and district-level administrators.
Among those retiring will be Pam Lopez, district assistant superintendent of business services and chief financial officer, along with Emmett Terrell, deputy superintendent of administrative operations.
Superintendent Richard Martinez said Friday he would hold off on filling the vacancy left by Terrell's departure.
"Our hope is we can share that responsibility," Martinez said.
The three days classes will be canceled are March 29, April 26 and May 17.
The district's teachers and classified unions voted last week to approved the reduction in days, and the dates were released Monday.
"District administrators do not have to vote, but they will be taking those three days off as well," said Don Bertucci, Chaffey's assistant superintendent of business.
The Chaffey Joint district - which includes schools in Montclair, Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga - expects to save $2.1 million, Bertucci said.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today announced 349 California teachers became National Board Certified Teachers (NBCT®s) in November 2009.
The prestigious award of achievement was granted by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS®).
"Congratulations to these educators who have demonstrated their passion and skill for teaching by earning this prestigious distinction," said O'Connell. "NBCTs are leading the way to prepare students for success in the competitive global economy."
National Board Certification is a voluntary assessment program designed to recognize great teachers, reward them, and increase their skills. While state licensing systems set basic requirements to teach in each state, NBCTs have successfully demonstrated advanced teaching knowledge, skills, and practices.
The certification process typically takes between one and three years to complete. As part of the process, teachers build a portfolio that includes student work samples, assignments, videotapes, and a thorough analysis of their classroom teaching, including evidence of fairness, equity, and access in meeting student needs. Teachers are also assessed on their knowledge of the subjects they teach.
The office will resume its normal hours of operation, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., on Feb. 16.
During the 2008-09 school year, an accounting error caused Rolling Ridge and Doris Dickson elementary schools to offer less instructional time than required for their fourth- through sixth- graders. The shortfall was about 170 minutes over 34 days, officials said.
But another waiver could mean that students would again be required to attend an additional 34 days of school over two years - a challenge considering that parents might not be willing to send their children back to school, and that some of the students no longer attend those schools, officials said.
"My hope is that they would reduce the penalty," Superintendent Wayne Joseph said. "I don't see our parents right now saying, "Yes, I'll let my kid go back to school for 34 more days over the next two years."'
The district extended the 2008-09 school year for Dickson and Rolling Ridge last June in an effort to avoid the multimillion-dollar penalty, but the state Board of Education rejected the effort, citing low attendance.
Assemblyman Curt Hagman, R-Chino Hills, has sponsored a bill that would let the district off the hook for the penalty. A similar bill last summer stalled in the state Senate.
Lawmakers in January passed legislation to make California eligible for a chunk of the more than $4billion Race to the Top grant program. But if local districts want to see any of that money, they'll have to reach an agreement with local teachers unions to start judging teachers based, in part, on student test scores.
Teachers' unions have historically opposed any move to link teacher evaluations to student performance, and observers are pessimistic that many unions will go along this time.
"It's not reflective of the teacher's teaching skills because you have to understand that students are different and there are different types of learners," said Tyra Weis, president of Associated Pomona Teachers.
"Some kids are not good test takers, so should that be the way you evaluate a teacher?"
From music to math, social science to the French Revolution, about 450 students will push their brains to the limit today at the 27th Academic Decathlon at Arroyo Valley High School.
"You're always going to be nervous before a competition," said Wil Jacobsen, AcaDec contender and Chaffey High School senior. "But it's crunch time, right now. It's all about study, study, study. Study, study, study."
Chaffey High School decathlon head coach Steven Mercado puts students to the test with a mock Super Quiz on the French Revolution on Feb. 4, 2010 in Ontario."Glen has been a wonderful public servant during his tenure as Secretary of Education. From helping California win landmark reforms to improve our schools and make us highly competitive for President Obama's Race to the Top funding competition to his work on my first-in-the-nation Digital Textbooks Initiative, Glen has given this position his all and I thank him for his dedication. I wish Glen all the best as he leaves his post to spend more time with his family."
Dr. Thomas was appointed Secretary of Education on Jan. 21, 2009.
SACRAMENTO - California State Secretary of Education Glen W. Thomas today issued the following statement after resigning as Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Secretary of Education.
"It has been a pleasure and a privilege to serve as Secretary of Education. Under the Governor's leadership, we have accomplished more than some people thought possible. His bold leadership gave California the most significant education reform legislation in a decade, and we now have the first-in-the-nation free digital textbook initiative as a direct result of his vision." Thomas said.
"It has been the highest honor to serve the Governor, but family is always first priority. My 96-year-old mother is not well. Twenty-four years ago I cared for my father, and I told my mother that when the time came I would do the same for her. I am therefore stepping down to tend to my mother. I thank the Governor for this opportunity to serve the people of California."
The supplies will be distributed among the county's 33 school districts through a partnership between the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools and Feed The Children, a national non-profit organization.
"These backpacks and supplies should bring some smiles to students' faces," County Superintendent Gary Thomas said. "We are very appreciative of Feed The Children for its efforts on behalf of our students. This is a wonderful gesture."
The backpacks and supplies will be given to districts to distribute to their homeless students by Feb. 9.
Brenda Dowdy, coordinator of the County Schools' Homeless Education program, said the donations are helpful, although homelessness for students countywide is a much bigger issue.
"Countywide, we've been able to identify more than 19,000 homeless students," she said. "It doesn't matter the district or the school site. Homeless students are concerns for every area of our county."
Feed The Children, based in Oklahoma City, Okla., is an international relief organization that supplied more than 133 million pounds of food and supplies to children in the United States and in 34 foreign countries last year. For more information about the group, visit its Web site at www.feedthechildren.org.
For more information on the County Schools' Homeless Education program, contact Dowdy at Brenda_dowdy@sbcss.k12.ca.us or by phone at (909) 386-2634.
Today, Congressman Joe Baca, D-Rialto, introduced legislation to ensure that schools across America have physical education programs that meet nationally recognized minimum requirements.
The Physical Education to Create a Healthier Nation Act would require that all public schools provide for minimum requirements of physical education time for all students. The bill requires elementary schools to have at least 150 minutes of physical education per week for students.
For middle and high schools, it requires at least 225 minutes of physical education per week for students. The mandated physical education levels are those currently recommended by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE), a non-profit association dedicated to quality in physical education and sport.
"The rate of childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years - and obesity related health care now costs our nation over $147 billion annually," said Baca.
"We must implement preventative policies that will create a fit future for our children, and stop the public health epidemic that obesity has become. Greater emphasis on physical activity, nutritional education, access to healthy foods, and changes to our sedentary culture are all critical to solving this crisis. I am proud to introduce this bill to begin addressing part of the solution to the obesity epidemic."
The Physical Education to Create a Healthier Nation Act amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, by linking Title I funding received by local school districts to the implementation of a physical education curriculum that meets the requirements of 150 minutes of activity per week for elementary students, and 225 minutes per week for middle and high school students.
The legislation also includes provisions to ensure students with disabilities follow a physical education plan that corresponds to their Individualized Education Plan (IEP).
As Chairman of the Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition, Rep. Baca has been a leading advocate for increasing access to nutritious foods through federal feeding programs like SNAP (the food stamp program), the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program, and the Commodity Supplemental Foods Program.
"It is terrifying that right now, we are raising the first ever generation of Americans to have shorter life expectancies than their parents," Baca said.
"And with obesity related costs expected to hit $1 trillion annually by the year 2030 - we need to realize that if left unchecked, this health crisis can literally bankrupt our nation. This legislation is an important first step in recognizing the seriousness of childhood obesity, and working towards preventative solutions that makes America a happier, healthier nation.
he California State University is inviting students, faculty, alumni, employees and friends of the system to become bloggers and share their university story.
The CSU Voices and Views blog will highlight personal stories on a range of topics including educational quality, access for students, the impact on California, and environmental sustainability. Readers will be able to discuss the entries through moderated comments.
The first submission is a video blog by CSU Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer Jeri Echeverria. In the video, Echeverria discusses the CSU Graduation initiative and shares her own story as a first-generation college student.
Later this month, the CSU anticipates several entries by participants in the Super Sunday program and CSU African American Initiative.
Please visit the site for
the latest entries at http://blogs.calstate.edu/
The following Alta Loma Junior High students won at the school's spelling bee on Jan. 29:
7th grade: Natalie Murray, Brynna McGlothlin, Dylan Moinian, Kenya Payne and Theresa Chang
8th Grade: Stefania Castaneda, Sara Jurado, Talyssa Tardiff, Amanda Miller and Brittany Besnyl.
