Honoring Our Volunteers
Elsa Vega of Harriet Eddy Middle School
Elsa Vega was recognized as an Education Partner at the February 15, 2011, meeting of the Elk Grove Unified School District Board of Education.
Elsa first started volunteering at EGUSD when her oldest son entered Foulks Ranch 11 years ago.She was a founding member of Harriet Eddy Middle School's Parent Teacher Action Committee (PTAC) in 2006.As a member of this organization for the past five years, Elsa served as secretary and has been actively engaged in multiple aspects of the school, from fundraising to resource management.
Elsa is currently serving as president of the newly formed Parent Student Teacher Action Committee (PSTAC).As president, she is leading the organization in creating a four-year strategic plan for the school.The strategic plan will focus on academic improvement, as well as community involvement designed to bring parents and community members to the school to help meet the needs of the students.At the same time, the PSTAC will seek to involve Eddy's parents, teachers and students in community events as they strengthen the K-12 community in the Laguna Creek region.
Her husband Rafael also volunteers at Harriet Eddy Middle School. The Vegas have two children - Gabriel, an 11th grade student at Laguna Creek High School and Rafael, an 8th grade student at Harriet Eddy Middle School.
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EGUSD to hold community budget meetings in March
The Elk Grove Unified School District will hold four public meetings throughout March to discuss the state of California's budget crisis and its effect on public education. EGUSD faces a $40 million budget shortfall if Governor Jerry Brown's proposed tax extension measure fails to appear on a special election ballot and pass in June. The district has identified a combination of cuts that impacts all district divisions and schools, as well as one-time dollars. The proposed reductions total almost $35 million, potentially affecting nearly 440 full-time equivalent positions. The public meetings will be held from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the following dates at these locations: March 10, 2011 Sheldon High School Performing Arts Center March 22, 2011 Valley High School Cafeteria March 24, 2011 James Rutter Middle School Cafeteria March 31, 2011 Franklin High School Cafeteria |
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EGUSD elementary schools collect "Pennies for Patients"
Over the past few weeks, students and staff at John Ehrhardt, Florin and Anna Kirchgater elementary schools have been collecting pennies and other spare change to donate to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Pennies for Patients program. John Ehrhardt Elementary School principal Robin Riley promised her students that she would kiss a pig if Ehrhrardt surpassed their goal from the previous year. The students raised over $2,406, which was $889 more than last year. Riley kissed a pig at the STAR assemblies on February 25. Florin Elementary kicked off their collection drive with a motivational assembly led by Tony Asaro, community relations director for the Sacramento River Cats.Florin collected $1,539.69 during their collection drive. Anna Kirchgater Elementary students and staff amassed $4,000 - earning them a special rooftop performance from Principal Larry Quismondo and Vice Principal Peter Lew in chicken and parrot costumes. Since 1994, the Pennies for Patients program has raised millions of dollars in pennies and other spare change with the help of more than 10 million elementary, middle and high school students throughout the country.Funds are collected during a designated three-week period and will be donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to help find cures for blood cancers. For more information on the Pennies for Patients program, click here. |
COHS Culinary Arts Institute to offer cooking classes
The Cosumnes Oaks High School Culinary Arts Institute will offer two cooking classes in March and April. On March 22, Boulevard Bistro's Bret Bohlman will present a class from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Students will learn how to prepare either a brunch item with a sauce or a dinner item with a side dish.The cost is $30 per person. On April 30, Baja Burrito's Colin Sanger will present a class from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.This class will cover enchiladas and salsa - just in time for Cinco de Mayo celebrations.Tapas may be covered as well. The cost is $30 per person. All classes are geared towards adults.Children must be accompanied by an adult. Classes will be capped at 32 people.All classes will meet at the Cosumnes Oak High School Culinary Arts Institute (8350 Lotz Parkway, Elk Grove 95757). For more information or to register, contact Cristin Smith at (916) 683-7670 or crmsmith@egusd.net. |
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Welcome to eguNews, an EGUSD email newsletter published every two weeks. If you have questions about eguNews, you can email communication@egusd.net or call (916) 686-7732.
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The budget released by Governor Jerry Brown for 2011-2012 largely depends on a 5-year extension of the temporary tax increases, which must first be placed on the ballot by the legislature and then approved by voters in a June special election. If the legislature and voters reject the tax extensions, the state would need to cut an additional $9 billion from its budget, which would include large cuts to education, according to finance experts.
The Sacramento County Office of Education is advising school districts to plan for the possible failure of the tax extensions. For the Elk Grove Unified School District, the failure of the tax extensions would mean, at minimum, an additional $40 million in cuts for 2011-2012.The $40 million is on top of $100 million in budget reductions to the district's budget over the past three years.
These reductions are very painful. After three years of budget cuts, it has become increasingly difficult to keep the reductions away from classrooms. Over the past three years, EGUSD has used one-time dollars, including district reserves and federal stimulus money, to keep staff and programs in place for students. Most recently, these one-time solutions have included personal financial sacrifices, such as furlough days and salary reductions, for every employee in the district.
The proposed 2011-2012 budget cuts touch every division and every school site in the district. They include increasing class sizes in kindergarten to 6th grade to a 30:1 student to teacher ratio; raising the ratio of students to certificated personnel by two students at the middle and high schools; eliminating elementary computer teachers; reducing counselors and career technical education teachers; reducing certificated librarians at the secondary schools; converting eight additional year-round elementary schools to traditional or modified-traditional schedules; reducing athletics by 10 percent; reducing administrators and support personnel at the district office; further reductions to supplies; and a health care freeze for all employees. Some of these proposed budget reductions must be addressed in negotiations with our employee associations. They are not all-encompassing but rather provide an illustration of the types of changes that EGUSD may face should the tax extension measures fail.
These cuts address a budget scenario that is wrought with questions, as it is dependent on a special election in June that has yet to be placed on the ballot by California's legislature. As the district looks towards the future - even if the tax extensions pass - it will be necessary to realign resources in order to adjust to a new financial reality with no current end to California's economic turmoil in sight. EGUSD is currently working on identifying the budget cuts that would be needed should the election pass. While the budget reductions will be less, EGUSD faces a structural deficit in subsequent years following three years of using one-time dollars to retain as many positions and programs for students as possible. More information on this second budget scenario will be available in the coming weeks.
The Sacramento County Office of Education has advised school districts that they must send out preliminary layoff notices based on the budget that they would face should the tax extension measure fail. By law, California's school districts are required to send out preliminary layoff notices to certificated staff by March 15, with final notices being delivered by May 15. It has been the district's practice, in consultation with employee associations, to also provide classified staff with notice by March 15.
Therefore, in order to meet both its fiduciary responsibilities and state mandated timelines, the Board of Education took action on February 22, 2011, on a number of resolutions to initiate the legally required steps to notify certificated and classified personnel of potential layoffs for the 2011-2012 school year. The action represents almost $35 million in cuts and the reduction of about 440 full-time equivalent positions.
As parents, our children need your voice in advocating for public education. The decisions that our state leaders make impact your child's education. Please join us in writing to our state leaders about the importance of adequate funding for public education. You can find a list of our district representatives on our website on the Budget Watch webpage as well as more information about the current budget situation at www.egusd.net/news/budget/index.cfm.
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Civil rights speaker Carolyn McKinstry addresses teachers at Sheldon High School
An enthusiastic crowd of 325 people packed the Sheldon High School Performing Arts Center on February 24 for a special presentation from civil rights speaker Carolyn McKinstry. McKinstry shared her story as a survivor of the 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama.
Prior to the explosion in 1963, then 14-year old Carolyn Maull (McKinstry) answered the phone on that fateful morning. A voice on the line said "three minutes." Unfortunately, McKinstry was unaware of prior bomb threats and a bomb subsequently exploded, killing four little girls in the church.
McKinstry's presentation included her reflections of the 1963 bombing as well as her perspective of growing up as an African-American in the segregated South. During the question and answer period, McKinstry addressed other topics, including how she dealt with the depression that she experienced after the bombing, how she felt the U.S. is progressing in national race relations and how the youth of today are making promising strides in regards to racial tolerance. Earlier that day, McKinstry also shared her story and reflections with U.S. History students at Franklin High School.
McKinstry's presentation was offered through EGUSD's Teaching American History grant program under the leadership of curriculum specialist Don Azevada. The program was made possible through the grant program's partnership with the the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and Out of the Box Consultants.
In 2009, the Elk Grove Unified School District was awarded a $1.7 million Teaching American History Grant. The district was one of 19 districts/offices of education in California to receive the grant. The Teaching American History Grant is to be used over a five year period. This is Elk Grove Unified's third Teaching American History grant and is also the first award that will potentially last five years. In 2003, the first three-year award was focused on Colonial American History. In 2006, the district's three-year award grant focused on Civil War History through Immigration at the turn of the 20th century.
The United States Department of Education Teaching American History grant program is designed to raise student achievement by improving teachers' knowledge and understanding of and appreciation for traditional U.S. history. For more information about the Teaching American History program, click here.
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Sixth grade students in Pleasant Grove region meet and mingle
Students in next year's seventh grade class for Katherine Albiani Middle School had a chance to meet one another on February 11 at the second of three mixers.
"The first-ever sixth grade mixer was held at Cosumnes River Elementary and over 70 students from across the region attended the event," said Michael Gulden, principal at Cosumnes River."These mixers are the perfect opportunity for these students - who will all attend Katherine L. Albiani Middle School together next year - to meet each other in a laid back, stress-free environment."
Sixth grade students from Arnold Adreani, Edna Batey, Cosumnes River, C.W. Dillard, Pleasant Grove, Sierra Enterprise and Sunrise elementary schools met at Dillard Elementary to continue the process of getting to know each other before entering middle school at Albiani in the fall. Students participated in games for prizes and enjoyed snacks as they socialized with their future classmates. Albiani leadership students were also on hand to field informal questions about middle school life.
Over 70 students attended the second mixer. The final Pleasant Grove regional mixer will take place at Pleasant Grove Elementary School. The mixers are sponsored by the PTAs.
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Carroll Elementary hosts "read-in" for African-American History Month
On February 15-16, over 35 adult volunteers descended upon Carroll Elementary School to participate in the 22nd National African-American Read-In. These volunteers read books written by African-American writers to classrooms of students at Carroll over a two-day period. Readers included many district staff, including Associate Superintendent of PreK-6 Education Donna Cherry and board members Al Rowlett and Pamela Irey. Carroll Elementary hosted the read-in as an activity to commemorate African-American History Month.
"We hope to make this celebration of African-American literacy part of African-American History Month at Carroll for years to come," said Paul Hauder, principal at Carroll. "Our goal at Carroll is to help narrow the achievement gap by sparking interest and bringing ideas and experiences relevant to our students' own lives. The read-in is a perfect opportunity to help us continue our quest to reach that goal. I also want to extend kudos to vice-principal Freda Robinson for organizing this very successful event."
In 1990, the first African American Read-In was sponsored by the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English. In 1991, the National Council of Teachers of English joined in the sponsorship. The Read-In has been endorsed by the International Reading Association. Over a million readers of all ethnic groups, from 48 states, the District of Columbia, the West Indies, and African countries have participated.
For more information about the National African-American Read-In, click here.
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