The Importance of Transparency

Politics is about the free and open discussion of ideas.  While much of the focus is often on disagreement, a healthy community should welcome varying views about the best path to get to our shared common goals.  But when there are disagreements over process or even the end point, it is particularly important that ideas are shared openly and fairly.

In the 2012 election cycle, there was a shadow group from Arizona that dumped millions of dollars into California's political cycle in order to defeat Proposition 30 and support Proposition 32.  They created the group in order to hide who was really funding their political activities.  California's Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) stepped up and sued them for not publicly disclosing their funding sources and filing the appropriate reports.  Fortunately, California law is clear and the group was found in violation. 

Currently in Berryessa, there is a small group of people who are intent on undermining the district's attempt to raise revenue the Board and District believe is desperately needed to bring our facilities up to 21st century standards, ensure a safe and secure learning environment, and offer modern technology to our students.  There is nothing wrong with legitimate debate about whether or not the district needs the community to provide this investment and the best way to structure any bonds.  However, this group of individuals began leaving leaflets on cars in front of schools and placing ads in local newspapers without any identifying information.

The materials contain unknown group names such as "Blue Ribbon Commission on Public Education" and "Coalition Advisory Committee on Fiscal Reform."  State campaign law says that such groups must file paperwork with the state so that interested parties can find out who is funding them, if they are advocating for or against ballot measures or candidates.  

When no such paperwork was found, I filed a private complaint with the FPPC to try to shed light on these groups.  The FPPC has informed me that the anonymous nature of these groups' activities would be a violation of California election law once there is an actual ballot measure placed on the ballot.  Since the Board has not yet decided whether to place a bond measure on the ballot, there is no transparency required by any groups campaigning against the district.  They encouraged me to refile my complaint once the district takes action to place a bond on the ballot, if anonymous political activity continues.

While there may not yet be any violation of the letter of the law, there is no question that the spirit of the law has not been met in this case.  I will continue to advocate for transparency in all political activity in our community.  I welcome all public discussion of the issues surrounding the district's need for a bond measure, but the public should know who is behind all sides of the debate.

Kevin Costello Explains Why Berryessa Needs a New Bond

At this week's Board Meeting, community member and retired teacher/counselor Kevin Costello gave an impassioned speech about the district's need for a bond measure.  He ran out of time to complete the entire message, so I am posting it in its entirety here.  Thanks Kevin for always being there for the students of Berryessa. 

"I have been serving the district continuously since 1975 as a teacher, counselor, and now a community member.  I am currently serving on the Measure W oversight committee and the steering committee for the new bond measure.  When I retired, Jack Owens said he had one more gift for me after he gave me the bell...  He gave me a ream of paper representing all the grievances I filed against the district.  If the district was doing something wrong I was there to challenge the status quo and when it is doing something right I'm there to stand by her and that's why I'm here tonight.

"I support your efforts to pass a new bond to improve the infrastructure of our aging schools and bring more security and upgrades to enhance the learning of our children.  When I transferred to Morrill in 1991 I found that the school was in poor shape...  Original carpets still there from 1972, all the classrooms were in need of paint.  The water from all the spickets ran a rusty color.  There was no gym so no home games as the indoor basketball court was in the multi-use room and too small.  We'd get hand me down furniture from companies that went belly up for our library and offices.  

"Then, a couple of years later my wife transferred over to Morrill from Vinci Park with her principal and a couple of others.  Now my wife was a new teacher mentor and so when the new teachers came at the beginning of each new school year well we'd jump in and paint their classrooms with an off-white color of hope.  (One year we got 6 new teachers so I got pretty good with a paint roller.) The principal asked me to build a couple of walls in the library to make a computer lab.  Did I mention that the roof leaked for a number of years on those worn out old brown carpets?   

"Finally the district decided to have a measure G for infrastructure improvement so I got on the committee and was hopeful that finally we would get some needed improvements.  But dog gone it if some community members were opposed to improving our schools for this reason or that.  Well a couple more years passed and the district tried for another bond Measure B and it passed but it cost the community an extra 2 million dollars.  But at least we'd get some needed improvements.  And we did!  We got all fixed up, a new gym, new carpet, fresh paint, heating and air conditioning that worked, and a new roof.  One year our API shot up 64 points!

"Let's fast forward now to 2014 deja vu.  Same players trying to sabotage your efforts to make the schools safer and ensure the future of our children and improve the quality of our community.  

"When I was a counselor a key component was confidentiality.  But you know there is another side to that coin.  Do you know what it is?  It's the duty to warn.  And that's why I'm here tonight.  Look at the private schools Challenger, Merryhill, Milpitas Christian.  All fenced.  Since the Sandy Hook tragedy of Dec. 2012 (14 months ago) there have been another 28 school shootings.

"And in every community they all said "how could this happen here?"  Could it happen here?  It already has.  Do you know you Al Joseph Deguzman is?  He went to Morrill but is best known for being the De Anza bomber.  Even though he was stopped it already happened here.  Do we really have a choice in making our schools safer today?

"Opposition to the new bond will only support the vandals, the thieves, the arsonists, and the intruders that prey upon our open school campuses.  This past year 6 cars were broken into at Noble, a homeless man was using the bathroom at Cherrywood, park users were using the bathroom at Majestic Way and at Summerdale there was an intruder.  

"I would like to invite anyone who is opposed to this new bond measure to sit down with me and the Superintendent and have a few cups of tea.  I'd like to share with them some of the stories I have of protecting our campus at Morrill for 20 years.  I'll tell them about the intruders I've dealt with.  The vandalism I've seen.  I'll tell them about the arsonist I helped apprehend and a number of graffiti cases I solved. 

"I'm tired of our schools being sitting ducks.  Tired of our teachers getting their cars ripped off while they are teaching our children, tired of having our trees cut down, our classrooms, burned, our roof tops the campsites of the homeless, our metal stair railings stolen in the middle of the night.  I'm tired of the graffiti that our children must see after a long weekend or school break.  I'm tired of homeless men panhandling parents in our parking lots as they drop students off, I'm tired of the lame excuses used by intruders when they speak to the police about why they were on our campuses.  Book 'em Dano.  There should be a no tolerance law for intruders so they spend at least one night in jail thinking about their poor judgement.  

"The times we live in dictate adding a blanket of security to our schools and providing what's needed to ensure our students can compete with the rest of the global community.  

"Finally, there are community watchdogs and puppy dogs.  

"Watchdogs
 - Sit and listen to the pack for long periods of time
 - Respected by the pack and usually win elections easily
 - Keen observers with one eye always fixed on the big picture
 - Know the culture of their community
 - When they act it's decisive
 - They engage in oversight as a matter of routine

"Puppy Dogs
 - Come late and leave early
 - Nip at the watchdogs to gain attention
 -  Usually have a singular focus
 - Don't know the whole culture of their community
 - When they do act it is usually rebuked
 - Find fault with oversight but never serve on oversight committees

"I hope this community appreciates the great watchdogs they have, and I hope that the community comes together and wises up about the culture that preys on our schools, and I hope the community acts in a decisive way to build up our schools and our community.  We can do this and we should do this.  

So community wake up, wise up, and stand up for our schools and support this needed Bond Measure."

Stragetic Plan

After several years of talking about developing a long-term strategic plan for the Berryessa School District, the Board held a one-day retreat in early December to put together a plan with three-year goals for the district.  The retreat included a broad cross section of community members and district employees.  We spent the day brainstorming about the strengths and weaknesses of the district, developing three-year goals and then working in small teams to create a 6-month action plan. 

The Board officially approved the Strategic Plan at our Jan. 21 meeting and the goals have been disseminated out to the school sites so that everyone is aware of the primary objectives for the district.  Each month, the Board will receive a report on progress toward the 6-month objectives and the entire Strategic Planning group will reconvene in May to review the results, adjust the goals, and develop the next action plan.

The first exciting outcome from the retreat was a modernization of the district's Mission Statement.  We continue to focus on developing lifelong learners, but the statement now includes a nod to the 21st century and the global nature of our society.  We are proud to live in as diverse a community as Berryessa, which is a microcosm for the entire world.  All our students need to be prepared not just for college and career, but to be contributing members of an ever shrinking world.  Therefore, our new Mission Statement reads:

Berryessa Union School District provides all students the skills to become lifelong learners and successful 21st century global citizens.

We formulated 5 key 3-year goals for the district, which I hope you agree capture key things that will make our district successful in achieving our mission and improving the educational outcomes for the students we serve.  The five goals are:

1. Ensure a safe learning environment
2. Enhance proficiency in the 4 C's: communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity
3. Enhance technology
4. Provide professional development for all staff
5. Increase parent and community involvement and education

Each of these broad goals is supported by a 6-month action plan to get the district on its way to being successful.  The full strategic plan with the action plans is posted on the district website.  These plans include detailed timelines and names of those responsible for implementation.  I look forward to regular reports from the district on how well each of these plans is being implemented.

Local Control Accountability Plan Testimony

California Governor Jerry Brown and the Legislature took bold action in 2013 to change the way funds are allocated to school districts.  The so-called Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) allocates additional money above baseline for targeted disadvantaged students.  One of the exciting things about the new funding model is that it provides flexibility to local school boards to tailor services to the local needs of students in their districts.  Rather than proscribe the way the supplemental money is spent, as traditionally done through categorical programs, districts are supposed to be able develop district- and school-wide programs that work best for their students' needs.  School boards will then be accountable for the success of their programs.

The legislation left it up to the State Board of Education (SBE) to develop spending regulations to guide districts through the process of creating a Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP).  The Berryessa Union School District is sending out surveys and holding constituent meetings to gather input as we develop the LCAP for the 2014-15 school year.  As the SBE develops the regulations, they are under lots of pressure to put restrictions on the ways districts can spend their money.  This may end up taking much of the local control back from school boards.  

Next week, SBE is holding a hearing to gather input on the spending regulations.  Since I am unable to be in Sacramento on Thursday, I sent the following letter to SBE today in place of providing personal testimony.

January 9, 2014

President Michael Kirst and Members
California State Board of Education
1430 N. Steet, #5111
Sacramento, CA  95814

Re: January Meeting Agenda Items 20 & 21: Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)

Dear President Kirst and Members of the State Board of Education:

As a member of the Berryessa School Board, I am very excited about the promise of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF).  The flexibility afforded districts to spend resources as they see fit allows local priorities to be met and makes the board more accountable to local stakeholders.  Our district takes very seriously the requirements that LCFF planning needs requires a focus on equity and transparency.  We held a discussion at our December Board meeting to discuss plans for developing a Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) that meets the needs of our very diverse district.  

The process is beginning right away, with meetings being held at school sites and with other stakeholder groups in the district, to make sure that the plan reflects the needs of our students and families.  We will be surveying parents and members of the community and involving all constituents in the process.

One of the best parts of the spending regulations as proposed is that they allow districts to decide how best to serve their own students.  Districts will be held accountable for results without being proscribed on how to spend added resources.  In addition, LCFF allows for the development of both district- and school-wide programs and services.  Both are important in promoting student achievement and success.  There are many different educational models that can achieve good educational outcomes, and it should be left to local districts to decide the best way to allocate the money to achieve those outcomes.  

Thank you very much for the opportunity to share my comments with you and for your thoughtful approach to developing the spending regulations that govern the implementation of LCFF.  

Sincerely,
David Cohen
Trustee, Berryessa Union School District

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.