January 2011 Archives
Author: Debbie Pfeiffer Trunnell , Staff Writer
In January, the San Bernardino City Unified school board denied the petition for Optimo Preparatory Academy, a proposed charter school focused on preparing students for college. It also denied the Le Ta'iala International Language Immersion Academy.
Such denials are becoming more common at a time of budget cuts and concerns over the long-term future of charters, advocates for charter schools said.
San Bernardino Unified is not alone in its reluctance to approve the new schools.
Such denials are becoming more common at a time of budget cuts and concerns over the long-term future of charters, advocates for charter schools said.
San Bernardino Unified is not alone in its reluctance to approve the new schools.
Continue reading Saying no to charter schooling.
POMONA - Taking care of a pet turtle requires responsibility.
But housing 71 rare or endangered turtles, tortoises and frogs smuggled into California - and are evidence in a court case - demands a whole lot more effort.
A Cal Poly Pomona biology graduate student as well as a instructor are the caretakers of the 71 exotic animals allegedly smuggled into the United States by two Japanese men earlier this month.
Federal prosecutors said the turtles, tortoises and frogs were hidden in snack and food boxes in a suitcase confiscated Jan. 7 at Los Angeles International Airport. Animals in care
Biology grad student Cassandra Stepp-Bolling, from Cal Poly Pomona, looks over a group of Indian Star tortoises from India and Sri Lanka, which can cost over $600, Tuesday January 18, 2011 on campus. Will Lester/Staff Photographer
But housing 71 rare or endangered turtles, tortoises and frogs smuggled into California - and are evidence in a court case - demands a whole lot more effort.
A Cal Poly Pomona biology graduate student as well as a instructor are the caretakers of the 71 exotic animals allegedly smuggled into the United States by two Japanese men earlier this month.
Federal prosecutors said the turtles, tortoises and frogs were hidden in snack and food boxes in a suitcase confiscated Jan. 7 at Los Angeles International Airport. Animals in care
Biology grad student Cassandra Stepp-Bolling, from Cal Poly Pomona, looks over a group of Indian Star tortoises from India and Sri Lanka, which can cost over $600, Tuesday January 18, 2011 on campus. Will Lester/Staff PhotographerCheck out a photo gallery of the species at DailyBulletin.com
WALNUT - A Mount San Antonio College Board of Trustee will be one of 21 people appointed to the California Community Colleges Students Success Tasks Force that will be in charge of making sure students do not just attend college but complete it.
The task force - selected by the community college's Board of Governors - includes academic, research and business leaders from across the state.
The delegates, including Mt. SAC's Manuel Baca, were announced last week at the California Community College's January meeting.
The task force - selected by the community college's Board of Governors - includes academic, research and business leaders from across the state.
The delegates, including Mt. SAC's Manuel Baca, were announced last week at the California Community College's January meeting.
Continue reading Mt. SAC trustee named to education task force .
Author: Monica Rodriguez Staff Writer
During a recent evening, a large room in the La Verne Community Center became a make-believe convention center hosting the 2011 Bonita Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Convention.
Eleanor Marshall, 15, project manager for We Engineer Entertainment, was among the twelve mock companies consisting of Bonita High School freshmen.
Marshall spoke enthusiastically to prospective customers about her team's multimillion-dollar amusement park ride called Bed Time Stories.
"It's a great ride," she said. "It's approximately five minutes (long). It's never boring."
Eleanor Marshall, 15, project manager for We Engineer Entertainment, was among the twelve mock companies consisting of Bonita High School freshmen.
Marshall spoke enthusiastically to prospective customers about her team's multimillion-dollar amusement park ride called Bed Time Stories.
"It's a great ride," she said. "It's approximately five minutes (long). It's never boring."
Continue reading Bonita students design amusement park rides.
Author: Neil Nisperos Staff Writer
CHINO HILLS - The Chino Valley Unified school board on Thursday made $14 million in cuts, which included employee layoffs and pay cuts.
But the board of education decided to delay taking action on an additional $8.7 million in cuts recommended by Superintendent Wayne Joseph.
The Chino Valley Unified School District faces a potential $31.5 million deficit and has spent the past month considering cuts to close the shortfall.
Even with $14 million gone, another $11 million in cuts must still be considered by the board, officials said.
Assistant principal secretary Cindi Garcia and her fellow AP secretaries from Chino Valley Unified high schools plead with board members to save their jobs from cuts on Thursday night. Photo by Neil Nisperos/Staff
Continue reading District cuts $14 million in positions, and services.
Author: Neil Nisperos Staff Writer
More than 300 seniors from Chino Valley Unified's four main high schools cost the district thousands of dollars when they participated in a spontaneous ditch day last week.
District officials, already reeling from layoffs of employees and cuts to services because of a predicted $31.5 million budget shortfall, said 353 of the 757 seniors absent on Jan. 11 were unverified or unexcused.
Cost of those ditch day absences, compounded with those excused absences, totaled about $21,340 in lost state funding. In contrast, the 112 senior absences on the day before, most of which were excused, cost the district $3,157.
press release
The San Bernardino County Board of Education is soliciting names for two new school sites in Apple Valley and San Bernardino that are scheduled to open during the summer.The Apple Valley facility is located at 18415 Nakash Road and will serve early education students with special needs in the Desert/Mountain Region of San Bernardino County. The San Bernardino site is located at 244 S. D St. and will serve as a community day school.
Continue reading County Board seeks name nominations for new schools.
press release
Registration is open for the fourth WesternU Preview Day on March 5 highlighting health education opportunities offered at Western University of Health Sciences.
Preview Day, held in and around WesternU's Health Education Center (HEC), 701 E. Second St., Pomona, will provide potential students the opportunity to get more information about a health professions program of interest, hear about the admissions process, learn about financial aid, see curriculum firsthand, discover how to become a competitive applicant, and meet current students and faculty.
Continue reading Registration opens for WesternU Preview Day.
The state's universities are once again on the chopping block as California's new governor proposes to axe their budget by $1 billion by the next school year.
Facing a projected $28 billion deficit, Gov. Jerry Brown released his 2011-12 state budget Monday that calls for a total $1 billion reduction for the California State University system and the University of California campuses.
The proposition is a best-case scenario because it assumes an extension of temporary tax increases, which are due to expire at the end of the fiscal year in June, according to CSU officials.
Facing a projected $28 billion deficit, Gov. Jerry Brown released his 2011-12 state budget Monday that calls for a total $1 billion reduction for the California State University system and the University of California campuses.
The proposition is a best-case scenario because it assumes an extension of temporary tax increases, which are due to expire at the end of the fiscal year in June, according to CSU officials.
Jennifer Capuccio-Maher/Staff Photographer
Continue reading Proposed cuts to hit students in pocketbook .
Author: Monica Rodriguez Staff Writer
POMONA - Layoff notices were mailed out Thursday to six Pomona Unified School District employees who make up the district's capital facilities staff.
District school board members voted 3-1 Wednesday evening to issue the notices. Board member Roberta Perlman voted in opposition while member Richard Rodriguezabstained.
Superintendent Richard Martinez said the layoffs represent what will be an on-going savings of $700,000 a year for the district which will have to cut $27 million to have a balanced budget for the 2011-2012 school year.
More than 500 students at Windrows Elementary School in Rancho Cucamonga were treated to an anti-bullying assembly with a twist last Friday.
The assembly was put on by "The Bully Dudes" Keith Berger and David Prather, whose message is to address the very serious subject of bullying through a series of thought-provoking vignettes, according to the website.
The assembly was put on by "The Bully Dudes" Keith Berger and David Prather, whose message is to address the very serious subject of bullying through a series of thought-provoking vignettes, according to the website.
Jennifer Capuccio-Maher/Staff Photographer
Continue reading R.C. students get anti-bullying message .
RANCHO CUCAMONGA - Chaffey College students have plenty of reasons to worry before classes start next Tuesday. They have to secure funds for those expensive textbooks and figure how they can squeeze into an already full class.
But on Tuesday, they also wondered whether the Legislature will pass a budget proposal that calls for a $10 increase per unit for community college students.
That would mean an extra $170 added to the $442 Pomona resident Diane Butler is paying for her classes this spring.
"It would be a struggle," said Butler, who has been unemployed since 2008. "I would still continue because it's my solution."
Continue reading Price hikes loom large: Teachers, students decry budget plan .
RANCHO CUCAMONGA -- If you're not making a difference, you're doing nothing.
That was the message sent to hundreds of Rancho Cucamonga High School students on Tuesday during a Teen Truth Live assembly.
"Our main focus is to have students realize how important it is to tell the truth and not to hold it in," said J.C. Pohl, the emcee of the assembly.
"They have the power to be the difference at school, home and the community."
Pohl -- who admits he's a filmmaker and not a motivational speaker -- challenged students to watch and discuss bullying through film footage shot by high school students across the nation.
Continue reading Student bullying: Teen learn value of kindness.
By Connie Llanos, Staff Writer
The Los Angeles Unified school board is expected to officially appoint John Deasy - the district's current No. 2 - as superintendent on Tuesday, according to district sources.
Deasy was recruited last year from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and was being groomed as the likely successor to Superintendent Ramon Cortines, who announced he was retiring this spring.
Cortines had already vacated his office for his deputy superintendent, so the move was widely expected. Terms of Deasy's contract, including salary and length of term, were still being negotiated. He is expected to take office 90 days after the contract is signed, which board members expect to happen by Tuesday.
LAUSD Deputy Superintendent John Deasy is poised to take the No. 1 spot. ((Michael Owen Baker/staff photographer))
Continue reading LAUSD board poised to appoint John Deasy as new superintendent.
Local elementary and high school educators let out a sigh of relief as the governor's proposed budget temporarily spares them from another round of cuts, but the same can't be said about higher education.
A combined $1.4 billion in cuts will be felt by the University of California, California State University systems and community colleges as a result of Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed 2011-12 state budget released Monday.
The governor has also proposed a $10 per unit fee increase for the community colleges.
"This announcement will likely stir concerns statewide among faculty, staff and students alike on how we will mitigate the impact of the projected cuts. Over the coming days and weeks, we will have a better sense of what the proposed budget means for Cal Poly Pomona," said Cal Poly President Michael Ortiz.
A combined $1.4 billion in cuts will be felt by the University of California, California State University systems and community colleges as a result of Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed 2011-12 state budget released Monday.
The governor has also proposed a $10 per unit fee increase for the community colleges.
"This announcement will likely stir concerns statewide among faculty, staff and students alike on how we will mitigate the impact of the projected cuts. Over the coming days and weeks, we will have a better sense of what the proposed budget means for Cal Poly Pomona," said Cal Poly President Michael Ortiz.
Continue reading Budget plan spares K-12, for now.
Author: Wes Woods II, Staff Writer
CLAREMONT - The resignation of Claremont Unified School District Superintendent Terry Nichols will be on the agenda for tonight's special school board meeting.
Nichols, Claremont Unified's superintendent since July 2009, resigned last month to take a similar position with the Duarte Unified School District.
Liz Jefferson, assistant to the superintendent, said besides the vote to accept Nichols' resignation, other items on the agenda included authorizing the board to retain a professional search firm to find an interim superintendent and conduct a search.
Nichols, Claremont Unified's superintendent since July 2009, resigned last month to take a similar position with the Duarte Unified School District.
Liz Jefferson, assistant to the superintendent, said besides the vote to accept Nichols' resignation, other items on the agenda included authorizing the board to retain a professional search firm to find an interim superintendent and conduct a search.
Continue reading Claremont district to discuss action of superintendent.
MONTCLAIR - The foundation has been set for a $10 million, two-story building at Montclair High School.
District officials on Thursday hosted a ground-breaking ceremony for the 32-classroom building, which will be built on the southeast portion of the campus.
"I think this building will be a step forward in our education," said senior Valerie Camacho, Montclair High's Associated Student Body president.
"Even though I won't be here when it's complete, I think it shows how much our district cares for us and how they want us to succeed."
District officials on Thursday hosted a ground-breaking ceremony for the 32-classroom building, which will be built on the southeast portion of the campus.
"I think this building will be a step forward in our education," said senior Valerie Camacho, Montclair High's Associated Student Body president.
"Even though I won't be here when it's complete, I think it shows how much our district cares for us and how they want us to succeed."
Jennifer Maher/Staff Photographer
Continue reading Montclair High hosts ground breaking for new facility .
It has been quite the first week for Tom Torlakson, whose new job will no doubt provide for a bumpy ride.
On Thursday, he declared a state of emergency for state schools.
"We face huge challenges in California," Torlakson said. "Yet we also have incredible opportunities to make the investments that restore our state to its rightful place as a leader in public education and to bring 21st century learning to every school and hold ourselves accountable for the dollars we spend and results we achieve."
Author: Neil Nisperos , Staff Writer
CHINO - The Chino Valley Unified school board went against the district superintendent's urging to take immediate action on budget cuts and instead put off a decision.
The board Thursday night delayed any action after employees, at risk of paycuts or layoffs, asked officials to look hard to find other ways to deal with a potential $31.5 million deficit.
Superintendent Wayne Joseph had earlier identified a $12.5 million list of cuts and urged the Board of Education not to delay in reducing the budget deficit.
The Board of Education has scheduled an additional budget discussion during a 5 p.m. study session Thursday at Woodcrest Junior High, 2725 S. Campus Ave., Ontario. The next board meeting in which action could be taken will be at 7 p.m.
California's new Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson can't call in the National Guard, but he can declare a state of emergency for the state's schools.
Torlakson made the declaration at a Thursday morning news conference because economic conditions have placed public education in the state in dire straits, he said.
"There's simply no other way to describe it: This is an emergency," Torlakson said.
"Every day, teachers, school employees and principals are performing miracles, but the $18 billion in cuts over the last three years are taking their toll. We have 174 districts teetering on the financial brink. If this isn't an emergency, I don't know what is."
Torlakson made the declaration at a Thursday morning news conference because economic conditions have placed public education in the state in dire straits, he said.
"There's simply no other way to describe it: This is an emergency," Torlakson said.
"Every day, teachers, school employees and principals are performing miracles, but the $18 billion in cuts over the last three years are taking their toll. We have 174 districts teetering on the financial brink. If this isn't an emergency, I don't know what is."
Continue reading State school chief declares emergency in education .
Author: Neil Nisperos , Staff Writer
CHINO - Chino Valley Unified board members will be asked tonight to make $12.5 million in cuts to deal with its dire budget situation.
The proposed cuts include the elimination of clerical positions, school counselors, nurses as well as the elementary school music program and school transportation.
Work-year reductions for district directors and coordinators, occupational therapists, psychologists and program specialists will also be considered.
Superintendent Wayne Joseph made the recommendations to the school board on Tuesday at a budget study session at the district offices in Chino.
The proposed cuts include the elimination of clerical positions, school counselors, nurses as well as the elementary school music program and school transportation.
Work-year reductions for district directors and coordinators, occupational therapists, psychologists and program specialists will also be considered.
Superintendent Wayne Joseph made the recommendations to the school board on Tuesday at a budget study session at the district offices in Chino.
Continue reading Chino Valley board to consider steep budget cuts tonight .
LA VERNE - It's no secret school districts are clutching on to their supplies - even their schools - in the days leading up to Monday's release of Gov. Jerry Brown's budget plan.
Bonita Unified, which includes schools in San Dimas and La Verne, is no exception. The school district has cut its budgets by $13 million since the 2007-08 school year. District officials expect to shave off between $4.5 million and $5 million in its 2011-12 school year budget.
Superintendent Gary Rapkin on Wednesday provided a snapshot on the district's budget struggles in recent years and what locals should expect in the upcoming months.
Bonita Unified, which includes schools in San Dimas and La Verne, is no exception. The school district has cut its budgets by $13 million since the 2007-08 school year. District officials expect to shave off between $4.5 million and $5 million in its 2011-12 school year budget.
Superintendent Gary Rapkin on Wednesday provided a snapshot on the district's budget struggles in recent years and what locals should expect in the upcoming months.
Continue reading Rapkin stresses good in tough times for Bonita Unified School District .
ONTARIO - When Chaffey College introduced online classes a decade ago, enrollment started slowly.
Over time, however, the college has seen a vigorous interest in the Internet classes, so much so that they now fill up quickly.
"The proliferation of online ability and the attractiveness of working your school schedule around your life really allowed students to take advantage of these courses," said Laura Hope, Chaffey College's dean of instruction support.
Over time, however, the college has seen a vigorous interest in the Internet classes, so much so that they now fill up quickly.
"The proliferation of online ability and the attractiveness of working your school schedule around your life really allowed students to take advantage of these courses," said Laura Hope, Chaffey College's dean of instruction support.
Continue reading Chaffey College online classes among other growing curriculum .
