 | | Featured Article | | The Seal of Biliteracy will recognize students who graduate proficient in two or more languages. |
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Governor's Budget Proposal - A Challenge For K-12 Education Funding
On January 10, 2011, Governor Jerry Brown announced his much anticipated budget proposal to address California's $25 billion structural budget deficit. Brown's plan calls for cutting $12.5 billion from the budget and extending $12.5 billion in temporary taxes currently set to expire in June 2011.
What  will the impact be on schools? The Governor acknowledged that schools have suffered the brunt of budget cuts over the last several years, so he tried to avoid imposing further cuts to schools. However, under his plan, schools will sustain additional budget reductions, including: an increase in K-12 deferrals to almost $9 billion, reduction of Proposition 98 funding by $2 billion and withholding of a statutory 1.67% COLA that will cost schools almost $1 billion.
Sparing education from further cuts is predicated on the State Legislature agreeing to put an initiative on the June 2011 ballot asking voters to approve a continuation of temporary taxes for five years, including the vehicle license fee, that are set to expire in June. If placed on the ballot, the initiative would require a simple majority vote in order to pass.
Schools also received some welcome news from the Governor. His proposal includes extending flexibility provisions for two more years, providing dollars for enrollment growth, and funding ongoing mandates.
"The Governor acknowledged that K-12 education has taken a disproportionate share of the cuts in the past few years," notes Denise Porterfield, Deputy Superintendent, Fiscal and Operational Services, at the San Mateo County Office of Education.
Read more about the budget proposal here.
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Say Thanks to Your Local School
Board Members
Have you thanked your local school board members recently for all their hard work? There's no better time to say thanks than during the month of January, School Board Recognition Month.
School board members play a vital role in the local governance of public schools but at times it can be a thankless job. Being a school board member means devoting many hours to attending meetings and events, wading through district budget documents, analyzing student test score results, adopting policies and advocating for public education. But this January, the month designated by the National School Boards Association and the California School Boards Association as School Board Recognition Month, school boards around the county and across the U.S. will be recognized for their dedication. At the County Office of Education, Superintendent Anne Campbell will issue a special resolution commending the San Mateo County Board of Education at the January 19 board meeting.
Learn more about the San Mateo County Board of Education here. . |
Seal of Biliteracy Program Comes to San Mateo County
"Biliteracy" was the buzzword of the day at a recent workshop held at the San Mateo County Office of Education. Dr. Laurie Olson, a noted expert in issues regarding English language learners and a board member of Californians Together, a statewide coalition of parents, teachers, education advocates and civil rights groups committed to securing equal access to quality education for all children, was the featured speaker. About 70 school district personnel, school board members, site administrators, teachers and parents from around the Bay Area attended the regional workshop to learn about the Seal of Biliteracy Program.
The Seal of Biliteracy is an award given by a school, school district or county office of education to students in recognition of their attaining proficiency in two or more languages by high school graduation. Elementary and middle schools, as well as elementary school districts, can give "Pathway Awards" for pre-k to eighth-graders that will set them on the road to achieving the Seal of Biliteracy in high school.
The San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE) is now in the process of developing a plan and a timeline for implementing a Seal of Biliteracy that would be awarded by the County Office. The first step will be establishing criteria for the award. "Administrators and teachers at the workshop were excited about the program," notes Denise Giacomini, Coordinator of English Learner programs at SMCOE. "The award shows the importance of learning languages. The hope is that businesses and college admissions officers will see the value of bilingualism, and the value of this seal, too."
Learn more about the Seal of Biliteracy program here.
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Science, Math and Technology Fair Displays Student Talent
More than 300 student-created science, math and technology projects will soon be on display at the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos, as part of the annual San Mateo Science, Math and Technology Fair. The projects, created by students in fifth through twelfth grade from throughout San Mateo County, are in the following categories: technology, engineering, materials; biological; behavioral, health, social; physical; earth, space, environmental; and mathematics.
If you have expertise in any of the categories mentioned above, your help is needed. You can judge on Tuesday, Feb. 1, or Thursday, Feb. 3, or both evenings. The time commitment on both nights is from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. A buffet dinner and orientation/training sessions are held before the judging.
The schedule of events for the Fair is as follows:
Project check-in: Jan. 30 -31
Project Judging: Feb. 1
Open House: Feb. 2
Finalist Interviews: Feb. 3
Awards Ceremony: Feb 4
The public is invited to see these amazing projects at the Open House on Wednesday, February 2, from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Winners from the San Mateo County Fair go on to the Bay Area and State Science Fairs. There are also a number of special awards presented by groups such as San Mateo County Environmental Services, League of Women Voters, Association of Women Geologists, Applied Bio.
For further information, contact April Cherrington, Mathematics Coordinator, San Mateo County Office of Education at acherrington@smcoe.k12.ca.us or 650-802-5359.
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About the San Mateo County Office of Education
The San Mateo County Office of Education provides a variety of instructional, business and consulting services to the County's twenty-three public school districts, charter schools, the Community College District, and County Office of Education staff.
Believe In Tomorrow: Think Green Today
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