Common Core is Here!

If you have a school-age student, you may have noticed that education strategies have changed a little bit this year.  Teachers in the Berryessa School District are embracing the transition to the new Common Core standards.  These standards have been adopted by 45 states in order to allow for consistency no matter where families move during their children's school years.  

The main purpose of Common Core is to help students become college and career ready by being "robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers."  The standards stress critical thinking and promote a conceptual understanding of math and language arts material.  That is why the standards in math, for example, ask for more than learning and repeating techniques, but also the ability to explain why techniques and methods apply to different kinds of problems.  

Common Core standards stress Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, and Critical Thinking.  When I visit classrooms, I see students working on group projects and utilizing team learning.  I see teachers drilling down to make sure students truly understand the context of what they are learning.  In the long run, this kind of learning will better prepare our future adults to be successful in whatever endeavors they choose.

Changing standards will require a new way of evaluating student performance.  Starting with the 2014-2015 school year, students will take computer based assessments that are able to adjust the level of the questions on the fly, depending on how students perform during the test.  This will allow a more accurate and thorough evaluation.  

Implementing these new Smarter Balanced Assessments requires a robust technology infrastructure since tests will no longer be done using #2 pencils, but will instead require a computer for each student.  The State of California has decided that this year should focus on preparing students for the new testing next year.  Therefore, the state has suspended STAR testing for the current school year.  Schools will pilot the Smarter Balanced Assessment instead. 

There are many resources available online to learn more about Common Core standards.  The Curriculum Corner offers a simple summary of Common Core Standards.  The California Department of Education website provides an overview of Common Core and details of the state standards.  And you can take a pilot Common Core test on your own computer at Smarter Balanced's site.

Time to Invest in District's Infrastructure

The schools in the Berryessa School District are all more than 35 years old, and a few are more than 50 years old.  As a result, our students spend their days in outdated facilities.  Some of our school libraries are too small and some schools don't have a true stage for performances.  The electrical systems are unable to handle modern demands.  In some cases, fuses blow when more than 2 computers are plugged in at the same time.  Our plumbing needs an overhaul.

Other key pieces of the infrastructure are beginning to fail.  Last year, Sierramont Middle School's boiler shut down during the coldest part of winter, and the district had to spend nearly $200,000 for temporary and permanent fixes.  Last week, the power went out in a portion of Vinci Park Elementary School for an hour.  There are leaky roofs in the district office.  The district's central kitchen is small and the lack of modern equipment limits the kinds of meals we can serve in our school cafeterias.

Our maintenance team does a great job keeping things working, but a time comes when major upgrades are in order.  In addition, the maintenance yard is so old that it isn't a safe place to work.

The integration of 21st century technology into our schools requires modernization of the electrical systems and internet backbone and new models on how to structure classroom learning.  We started the process of upgrading our internet infrastructure a few years ago, and used a series of bonds and loans to finance it.

Becoming more energy independent will save the district money from our general fund.  Installing solar can reduce our monthly energy bill, freeing up resources to pay for critical classroom needs, as well as ensure that our salaries are competitive with other districts in Santa Clara County.

Addressing all of these needs will require the community to invest in our schools.  That is why the School Board is considering placing a bond on the ballot in 2014.  Polls show that we have strong support from the community to address all of the things I outlined above.  Anyone who cares about educating our children and has been watching the state of California school support knows that this investment is necessary.

Bond money could not be used to augment our general fund, as the money would be earmarked for facilities upgrades and additions.  Given all the unfunded needs in our classrooms, we have not been able to set aside the money needed to make these upgrades.  The modest parcel tax that property owners pay in the district augments our classroom funding, but is unavailable for infrastructure spending.

There is a misperception floating around that because we are a declining enrollment district, we don't need to invest in our schools.  While our district has gotten smaller by about 200 students, that is no reason to deny the 7,800 who remain the best possible facilities so that they can become a key part of the 21st century economy.  And the large amount of development occurring in Berryessa, particularly at the flea market, means that it is likely we will be serving even more students in another decade.

It is time to make important infrastructure investments in our schools.  Our Berryessa children deserve nothing less.

Science Camp and Other School Activities

There has been a lot of confusion reigning since AB 1575 was adopted this year, codifying into California's Education Code the rules governing how schools collect fees from students.  The rules were required after a lawsuit (Jane Doe and Jason Roe v. The State of California) found that California was illegally allowing students to be denied opportunities in school based on their ability to pay fees.  The lawsuit reaffirmed the principle that public schools must afford an equal opportunity for all students to participate in anything related to the educational mission.

A great summary of the issues raised by AB 1575 can be found in an EdSource report written in March of this year.  Many school districts reacted with abundant caution earlier this year when evaluating how to proceed with various programs that cost money and that couldn't easily be covered out the districts' general funds.  For example, how will schools pay for all the supplies needed by students in the classroom, musical instruments needed for band, uniforms for PE and sports, and enrichment trips by clubs and music programs?  There was some temptation to cancel programs rather than risk being on the hook for all the money that used to be collected from students.

One thing has always been clear.  It is still ok to ask those participating in school activities to make donations and raise money to help fund them.  But is it ever ok to simply charge people to participate?

A management advisory published by the California Department of Education helps clarify this questions, providing a list of 20 things for which a district CAN charge, including Science Camp and Field Trips.  It is ok to charge students for their participation in these activities, as long as no student is denied participation if they are unable to pay.  Therefore, it will still be necessary to raise money in order to cover the students who will not be able to cover their own costs.  (Anyone who would like to make a donation to their neighborhood school in order to cover  those students who can't afford to pay, please visit the school office and ask them how.)

One of the most memorable activities for 5th graders in the Berryessa School District is Science Camp.  Each of our schools sends 5th graders for a week at one of the local outdoor science camps.  Most schools attend Walden West in the beautiful redwood forest above Saratoga.  As our elementary schools prepare for this year's trip, they can continue to charge students as they have in the past. 

It is very important that our students continue to be afforded the educational opportunities of music, PE, science, and field trips as part of a well-rounded school program.  I will continue to work with the Board of Trustees and district administration to make sure that we find a way to continue to offer all of these programs.

Celebrating our Students and Preparing for the Future

It is always wonderful to spend the second week of June celebrating the promotion of our 5th graders to middle school and our 8th graders to high school.  They have such pride as they walk across the stage to collect their certificates, knowing that they have much to look forward to in life.  Their futures are even brighter now that Governor Brown and the California legislature have agreed on a budget that finally treats education as a top priority.

Last week's state budget includes an exciting new method for funding K-12 schools in California.  The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) gives local school districts more flexibility on how money is spent and allocates higher levels of funding for school districts with large numbers of disadvantaged students, including English-language learners, foster youth, and those from low-income households.  The final budget includes a higher base grant than the Governor had proposed in May, and helps get schools on track to recover to pre-recession funding levels.  The budget also includes $4 billion to pay back deferrals owed to school districts, along with $1.25 billion in one-time funding to support the implementation of Common Core standards, which schools must implement in 2014. 

What does all this mean for the Berryessa School District?  We are still waiting to get the final numbers, but this week the Board approved a budget that includes income that is more than $2.5 million above the level from 2012-2013.  Once all the additional funding added this month by the legislature is taken into account, there could be another $1 million in income for our district.  

The budget is good news, and means that we can begin to rebuild the programs that have been cut to the bone over the past decade.  The Board will reconvene on July 16 to review (with our new Assistant Superintendent of Fiscal Services) the updated budget numbers and begin to discuss our priorities for adding services that are so desperately needed in our schools.

One thing is clear.  Our teachers must get a raise so that they can be adequately compensated for the tremendous work they do and so that our district can remain competitive with others in our region.  I am confident that we will find a way to provide a salary increase for all our staff in the coming year.  I also look forward to having discussions on making sure we have adequate support in the following areas: counseling services; in-school suspension programs in our middle schools; campus security; custodial and maintenance support; library services; and modern information technology.

I am very pleased that we took a modest but important step this week to improve customer service in our school offices by instructing the district to add an hour of time to our school clerks.  It is our secretaries and clerks that serve as the public face of our schools, manage all school data, deal with children and parents who come into the office, and help students who are injured or sick.  Our schools have been understaffed for that past few years as a result of our need to very conservatively manage our district's budget.

I hope everyone enjoys their summer.  The Board will be hard at work to make sure the district is prepared to provide the best education possible in the coming school year.

Filling the School Board Vacancy

Two weeks ago, our Board colleague David Neighbors submitted his resignation and left the Board of Trustees.  State law dictates that we have 60 days to either call an election or appoint a replacement.  As a special election to elect a new board member would cost the district $250,000 and the result would only fill the term for 12 months, until the November 2014 election, the Board decided this week to go through an appointment process to identify and select a member of the community to fill the vacancy.

An application is available today.  Anyone who is interested can pick it up at the District Office or download the application from the district website.  Applications will be due back to the District Office by Friday, April 5. 

The Board has decided that if there are more than 5 applicants (there were 17 when we filled a vacancy in 2007), we will convene a committee made up of employee representatives and members of the community to interview the candidates and recommend a set of 5 to interview with the Board.  If there are 5 or fewer applicants, the Board will hold a meeting on April 23 to interview all the candidates and have a discussion about them.

If a committee is involved, they will make their recommendation by April 29 and the Board will meet and interview the 5 finalists on May 6.  Either way, the Board will make a final decision by May 6.  The new Board member will then be seated in time for the May 21 Board meeting and will take part in the development of the 2013-2014 school year budget and our Strategic Planning process.

How Does the Sequester Affect Berryessa?

If you are paying attention to the political events happening in Washington, you are aware that automatic cuts in the federal budget (known as "sequester") happened today.  While it would have been better for Congress to take a more targeted approach to cuts, balanced with additional revenue, our district fortunately does not rely too heavily on federal money.

There have been a few stories published about the impact of the sequester cuts on education.  In the aggregate, California faces about $250 million in cuts.  This is mostly in Title I and Special Education funding.  The overall result of this level of funding reduction is outlined by John Festerwald here. 

Festerwald's column explains how these cuts do not hit schools right away.  Since all funding for the current school year has already been committed, sequester cuts won't be felt by districts until the 2013-14 school year.  That means there is still time for Congress to join with the President to undo these cuts and find other ways to adjust federal spending levels.  I spoke with Congressman Mike Honda, who represents Berryessa in Washington, and while he is uncertain how this will play out, he is hopeful that the sides will come together to make a deal now that the actual sequester cuts are being implemented.

The Berryessa School District currently receives about $3.7 million of federal funding for Title I and Special Education.  This about 7% of our total budget.  The sequester will cut education funding by about 5%.  That means the total effect on our district's budget would be less than one-half of one percent.  While a reduction of $250,000 in federal funding would certainly impact our budget, it is far less than the cuts our district has dealt with in each of the past 6 years due to state budget shortfalls.

We should all advocate for Congress to *increase* school funding, not decrease it.  Making these cuts is exactly the wrong thing to do at a time when economic growth is of paramount importance.  At the same time, these cuts are no reason to panic about our district's ability to continue it's progress in improving the education of Berryessa's children.