School Notebook

State senate approves education bill

2009-11-05T00:09:17Z

The state senate approved a bill Tuesday that would make California more competitive for federal Race to the Top funds. Senate Bill X5 1 would also allow students at under-performing schools to transfer out of their districts and seek to eliminate the cap on the number of charter schools in the state. The bill now moves on to the Assembly.

In a statement released Wednesday, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell (who recently said he won't make a run for governor) applauded the legislation's passage.

"Race to the Top presents California with an unprecedented opportunity to boldly reform our public education system so that we can improve student academic success and further our efforts to close the achievement gap," O'Connell said. "While last night's Senate approval of this bill is a major step forward, we should not lose sight of the hard work that remains ahead of us to win the Race to the Top. I look forward to working with the California State Assembly to gain approval of this measure."

Here's more on the bill from the Sacramento Bee.

Steffen leads Torrance school board race. Molina, Rojas lead in Centinela Valley

2009-11-04T05:00:31Z

Maritza Molina, Hugo Rojas and incumbent Rocio Pizano are leading the race for three open seats on the Centinela Valley Union High school District Board of Trustees.

With nine precincts reporting, Molina leads Frank Talavera with 51 percent of the vote, Rojas leads Rudy Salas with 57 percent of the vote and Pizano leads Susie Diaz and Jessica Felix with 43 percent of the vote.

In Torrance, Mark Steffen, Al Muratsuchi and Michael Wermers are leading with one precinct reporting.

Steffen has 25 percent of the vote, Muratsuchi has 24.5 percent and Wermers has 17 percent. Kathleen Wood is coming in with 14 percent, G. Rick Marshall has 11 percent and Sameer Bhavnani has two percent.

Kevin Bellenfant, who dropped out early in the race, has six percent of the vote.

Tomorrow is Election Day

2009-11-03T00:31:32Z

Voters in six South Bay school districts are set to go to the polls Tuesday to elect members of their governing boards.

Here's a list of districts and candidates:

Centinela Valley Union High School District: incumbents Rocio Pizano, Rudy Salas and Francisco Talavera; challengers Susie Diaz, Jessica Felix, Maritza Molina and Hugo Rojas.

Hawthorne School District: incumbent Nilo Michelin; challengers Nadia Barrera, Eugene Krank and John Vargas.

Hermosa Beach City School District: no incumbents; Carleen Beste, Jack Burns, Jake Pike, Sienna Tucker and Ray Waters.

Lennox School District: incumbents Maribel Amaya, Marisol Cruz and Maria Verduzco-Smith; challengers Rose Joseph, Juan Navarro, Humberto Rivera and Sonia Saldana.

Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District: incumbents Barbara Lucky and Malcolm Sharp; challengers Karen Hunter Bird, Anthony Collatos, Heather Haddon Matson and Gregory Royston.

Torrance Unified School District: incumbents Albert Muratsuchi and Mark Steffen; challengers Sameer Bhavnani, G. Rick Marshall, Michael Wermers and Kathleen Wood.

Polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

More information is available online at lavote.net

Report: Stimulus saved or created nearly 19,000 school jobs

2009-11-03T00:24:17Z

Of the 325,000 school jobs across the country White House officials said were saved by federal stimulus funds, 18,878 positions were either retained or created in California. About 15 percent of those positions were classified, non-teaching staff, 84 percent were certificated positions and one percent were vendors. All said, California received more than $4 billion for education.

Report: Stimulus saved teachers, schools

2009-10-31T18:38:02Z

Turns out, most of the jobs coming out of that $787 billion stimulus bill signed into law last February were in education. More than 325,000 school jobs were either created or saved, and most belonged to teachers, according to data released Friday by the White House. The Federal Stimulus Package allocated more than $100 billion for education.

Swine Flu closes 600 schools

2009-10-28T21:00:17Z

From the Associated Press:

Across the country schools are closing by the dozen as officials say they're being hit so hard by swine flu that they feel shutting down for a few days is the only feasible option.
The U.S. Education Department says at least 351 schools were closed last week alone -- affecting 126,000 students in 19 states. So far this school year, about 600 total schools have temporarily closed.

The number of closures this year appears on target to surpass the roughly 700 schools closed last spring when the swine flu outbreak first hit. Flu season hasn't peaked yet, and each day more schools are closing.

The superintendent of Connecticut's Middletown Public Schools says a middle school closed for the rest of the week after 120 students stayed home sick Monday.

Hermosa schools: McCurdy named to board, swine flu cases reported

2009-10-15T17:56:45Z

Two cases of H1N1, the virus formally known as swine flu that made international headlines in April when it first surfaced in rural Mexico, have been verified in the Hermosa City School District, Superintendent Bruce Newlin said at a board meeting Wednesday.

School officials from each of the district's schools, Valley and View, have reported a case.

"We're not anywhere close to closing schools," Newlin said. "We are aware of what's going on and watching it very closely. This is flu season, and every case of flu is not going to be swine flu. But we're watching (these cases) very carefully so we can take steps that when cases do show up we can verify them and then make recommendations to families in the community. "

H1N1, which caused a stir for its ability to strike the young and apparently healthy, has been reported in 34 schools and linked to 57 deaths in Los Angeles County.

On Tuesday, county health officials told the Daily News that some senior citizens may be immune to the virus if they had been exposed to similar strains before.

Hermosa school board President Linda Beck and member Greg Breen said they would like to see flyers sent home to parents notifying them of the cases, just as a precaution.

"If you've got kids that have been diagnosed, then everybody knows about it," Breen said. "It seems to me that communicating accurate facts is better than the rumor mill communicating inaccurate facts."

According to county recommendations, letters to parents typically don't go out unless there is a cluster of five cases in one class, said district business manager Angela Jones.

"What we don't want to do is start a panic," Newlin said. "We are trying to keep a balance between keeping people informed and not creating a stampede."

Enrollment up

Enrollment in the district has reached 1,244 students, up 6.1 percent from the previous year.

"You get the picture, by looking at those numbers, that we can reach 1,500 to 1,600 students in the near future, which raises all kinds of other questions regarding capacity issues," Newlin said.

There are 175 students in the first grade - up from 156 the previous year. The growth equates to 19 students, or a full class.

"Enrollment has continued to grow, and that has been helpful in offsetting (budget) cuts," Jones said.

McCurdy appointed to board

After a discussion that lasted 20 minutes, board members unanimously appointed Cathy McCurdy to fill the seat Barbara Zondiros vacated after the sudden illness of her husband. McCurdy is a former board member, and was first elected in 1991. She vacated her seat in 2007.

" The institutional memory that Cathy brings is quite valuable," Beck said. "I feel there is a need for contintuity, and that is why I support Cathy at the present time."

In November, the seats currently occupied by Beck, Breen and Lance Widman will be up for election.

The board interviewed six candidates to fill the vacant seat.

Schwarzenegger signs, vetoes education bills

2009-10-13T22:35:45Z

A day of recognition commemorating the life of a slain gay-rights activist and a bill linking student achievement with teacher evaluations were among the 478 pieces of legislation signed Sunday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Senate Bill 572, introduced by State Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), calls for May 22 to be acknowledged as a special day of remembrance to commemorate the life of San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk. It will not be a state holiday; schools and government offices will remain open. Public schools, however, will be encouraged to conduct "suitable commemorative exercises."

The piece of legislation was protested by several family rights groups, and the governor vetoed a similar bill last year.

Milk and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone were shot and killed by former Assemblyman Dan White on Nov. 29, 1978. Milk's life and the the events surrounding the killings were documented in the recently released bio-pic "Milk." In July, President Obama awarded Milk the Presidential Medal of Freedom. May 22 is Milk's birthday.

Schwarzenegger also signed Senate Bill 19, which allows student achievement data to be tied to teacher evaluations and makes California eligible to apply for up to $4.5 billion in Race to the Top funds. The bill was authored by State Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto).

"My goal was to make this a non-issue as quickly as possible," Simitian said in a statement. "Now, California can compete for our fair share of federal funding, and make more informed choices for our schools and our kids."

The bill was endorsed by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell.

Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill that, if passed, would have prohibited California State University officials from receiving pay increases or bonuses in years when there are cuts to state funding. The governor also vetoed Senate Bill 84, which would have allocated and guaranteed $400 million in funds for low-performing schools. In a veto message, the governor said the state will distribute federal funds to the schools, instead of state funds.

Centinela Valley school board candidates will debate tonight

2009-10-07T17:13:09Z

Candidates vying for a seat on the Centinela Valley Union High School Board of Trustees will take center stage this evening at 6:30 p.m. in the cafeteria at Lawndale's Will Rogers Middle School. The event is sponsored by the Lawndale Elementary School District PTA and, from what I've heard, all seven candidates plan on attending. There are three open seats on the Centinela Board.

In Area One, recent University of California, Santa Barbara grad Maritza Molina will be facing current incumbent Francisco Talavera. In Area two, incumbent Rudy Salas will be running against Hugo Rojas, a current member of the Hawthorne school board. In Area five, incumbent Rocio Pizano will be running against Susie Diaz and Jessica Felix.

The Centinela Valley Secondary Teacher's Association is endorsing Salas, Talavera and Felix. Elections will be held November 3. Rogers Middle School is located at 4110 W. 154th Street in Lawndale.

Newcomers in PVPUSD race did indeed vote

2009-10-02T19:40:18Z

At an election forum Wednesday night, a question was submitted to moderators that asked two of the challengers running for the Palos Verdes Peninsula school board why they had not voted in past elections in the school district.

The query was based on a review of voting records for Anthony Collatos and Greg Royston, according to the questioner's statement.

Collatos, an education professor at Pepperdine University, appeared slightly dumbfounded in response, saying, "My understanding is that I have voted ... Maybe there was a mistake."

Royston, a business attorney, said that he wasn't sure he was in the district in 2005, and that he had a family emergency in November 2007 and had to leave the country.

The exchange took place at the PV Council of PTAs and the local League of Women Voters forum at the Peninsula Center Library. The debate had some jabs that were a bit nasty between the two incumbents and four challengers, promising a fight that's bound to get messier in the weeks leading up to the Nov. 3 election. Three seats are set to be filled.

Thing is, my own review of voting records yesterday with a representative of the county Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk shows that both Collatos and Royston have in fact voted in recent elections.

Collatos voted in November 2005 and in November 2007. Royston voted in Novermber 2005, but not November 2007. They both also voted in May 19 parcel tax election.

Contrary to the questioner's claim, there is no way to know if a given ballot showed marks for a specific election. Because of the privacy of ballots, all the county can say is whether a voter went the polls or submitted an absentee ballot -- NOT whether the voter participated in, for example, a school board election.

Stay tuned for more coverage.

Cal State Dominguez Hills to host former UN Ambassador today

2009-09-30T16:11:33Z

Here's the release:

California State University, Dominguez Hills will host former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, September 30 in the Loker Student Union, Room 326-327.

Before his departure from the Los Angeles region tomorrow, the former mayor of Atlanta, U.S. congressman and civil rights leader alongside with Martin Luther King Jr. was invited to stop by the South Bay campus to speak to students about ongoing current events and issues affecting our nation. This lecture is open to all students, faculty and staff. There will be time for a question and answer session with Ambassador Young after his brief lecture.

This unique speaking engagement was agreed upon earlier this week, and faculty and staff are encouraged to inform their students about this extraordinary opportunity.
For more information, please contact David Gamboa, Director of Government and Community Relations at CSU Dominguez Hills, at (310) 243-3819.

Two South Bay instructors name LA County Teachers of the Year

2009-09-29T19:05:37Z

Two local teachers were this morning named to the "Sweet 16" as Los Angeles County Teachers of the Year.

They are:

April Mosby, a fourth and fifth-grade teacher at Moffett Elementary School in Lennox School District

Shannon Vaughan, an English teacher at Manhattan Beach Unified's Mira Costa High School

Both have been teaching for at least 20 years.

They were named to the group of 16 teachers by Superintendent Darline Robles, who oversees the Los Angeles County Office of Education. The teachers will advance on to the statewide round to compete for California Teacher of the Year.

Five statewide co-winners will be announced in November,and one of those will be chosen to represent California in the National Teacher of the Year contest next spring.

Protesters arrested at UC regents meeting*

2009-09-16T19:46:34Z

University of California police arrested 14 demonstrators outside a Board of Regents meeting in San Francisco, authorities said today.

The group was protesting cuts to employee salaries, layoffs, and student fee increases.

Each demonstrator was cited for trespassing and unlawful assembly and released.

The Contra Costa Times has more on the incident.

* The demonstrators were mostly UC Union Employees and students may be faced with a 15 percent fee increase. The Associated Press has an update.

School performance scores are in

2009-09-15T18:50:51Z

Many school districts across the South Bay have exceeded performance goals, according to data released Tuesday by the State Department of Education.

The Academic Performance Index, or API, calculates school performance based on student scores on standardized tests.

The top scorers on the API were, once again, Hermosa Beach City, Manhattan Beach and Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified school districts.

Scoring at the bottom was Centinela Valley Union High School District, with an overall growth score of 626, up eight points from the year before.

The State Department of Education reports that 42 percent of schools met the state's target score of 800. Last year, 36 percent of schools hit that target and, overall, schools showed an 8 percent gain in 2008-09. Locally, the biggest gains were made by the Lennox, Lawndale and Wiseburn Elementary school districts.

"More students in California are meeting the challenge of higher expectations," said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell in a Tuesday morning teleconference with reporters.

The department also reported the achievement gap between African-American and Latino students and their white and Asian peers has decreased slightly.

Look for the full story in tomorrow's edition.

"Harvey Milk Day" coming to local schools?

2009-09-14T17:28:31Z

A proposal to honor Harvey Milk with a state-wide day of remembrance has landed on the desk of California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The bill, SB 572, would designate May 22 as "Harvey Milk Day" and calls for public schools to observe the "special day of remembrance" annually.

The bill was proposed by Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, and passed by the state assembly on September 3 by a 45-27 vote. The bill was passed in the state senate by a 22-14 vote.

"(Milk) is an inspiration to people worldwide who believe in fairness and equality and he fought for many of the issues we value today, including access to education, public transportation, affordable housing and protecting the environment," Leno said in a press release after the bill cleared the legislature.

If passed into law, the bill would not require an additional day of school closure.

The Sacramento Bee reported that more than 100,000 people have contacted the governor's office protesting the bill.

A similar bill was vetoed by the governor last September and, since then, several family-rights groups have expressed opposition to the controversial piece of "Gay Day" legislation.

"This is one of the most blatant attempts yet to bypass parents and push homosexual indoctrination on young students," said Brad Dacus, president of the Pacific Justice Institute, a Sacramento-base non-profit, in a statement released Friday. "In an increasingly competitive global marketplace, our youth cannot afford to have classroom instruction time wasted on politically correct propaganda."

In a statement posted on the Web, Randy Thomasson urged residents to contact the Governor to protest the bill.

"For the sake of impressionable children, the Governor now has abundant reason to veto 'Harvey Milk Day' like he did last year," said Thomasson, president of SaveCalifornia.com, an advocacy group.

Harvey Milk was California's first openly-gay elected official and served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Milk and then-mayor George Moscone were assassinated on November 27, 1978 and his life was the subject of the Hollywood bio-pic "Milk." He was born on May 22, 1930.

Throughout his life, Milk advocated heavily for gay rights and once said:

"If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door."