Finalist for County Superintendent of Schools announced
 Jon R. Gundry, currently the Superintendent of the Pasadena Unified School District, has been selected as the sole finalist to be the next Santa Clara County Superintendent of Schools, with official approval expected at the regularly scheduled board meeting on July 16.
The Board is in the process of negotiating an employment contract with Mr. Gundry, with an expected start date of August 1.
This announcement comes after Board President Leon Beauchman and Board members Grace Mah and Joseph Di Salvo recently conducted a site visit with Superintendent Gundry and members of his staff, Board and community leaders.
"We are very excited to have Superintendent Gundry join us in Santa Clara County. He brings a wealth of experience, both at the county office level as well as from a district perspective. Jon's collaborative and thoughtful management style is well-suited to serve the County Office staff, local districts and the community at large. The Board was also impressed with his ability to address the challenges of an ethnically diverse community and his focus on ensuring that all students are acquiring the essential 21st century skills needed to succeed in school and in college," said Board President Leon Beauchman.
"On behalf of the Board, I also want to acknowledge and thank the Search Committee for its commitment and contribution to the process, and Interim Superintendent, Dr. Mary Ann Dewan for her dedication in guiding the organization during this period of transition," Beauchman said.
Gundry has served as Superintendent of Pasadena Unified, a district of 18,000 students, since he was appointed by the Board of Education in July 2011. He has over three decades of experience as a teacher, principal and instructional leader.
"I am honored to be selected for this position and to join the team at the Santa Clara County Office of Education. The Board and the office have undertaken the most important work there is and that is to meet the needs of our most at-risk students, and to hold the highest expectations of all our districts and schools in serving students well," said Gundry.
Before his tenure with Pasadena Unified, Gundry served as Deputy Superintendent of the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) from 2008 to 2010. Gundry was appointed Interim Superintendent of LACOE in September 2010. As Chief Executive Officer for LACOE and Secretary of the County Board of Education, he was responsible for the financial and academic success of 80 school districts serving over two million children, with $16 billion in school district funding.
Prior to joining LACOE, Gundry served in the Houston Independent School District beginning in 1982. He has a Bachelor's Degree in English and Spanish from Northern Arizona University and a Master's Degree in Education Administration from Houston Baptist University.
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Summer Common Core sessions aim to cultivate global competence in students
 This month the SCCOE's Curriculum Leadership Council (CLC) is conducting its annual Summer Institute, centered around the theme of Cultivating 21st Century Global Competence for All Students.
With sessions delving into the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and English Language Arts/Literacy, Next Generation Science Standards, English Language Devleopment Standards and the ELA/ELD Framework, exploration will be through the lens of 21st century learning, with an emphasis on rigorous instructional practices, hands-on learning and integration of content areas as they relate to real-word applications.
A roster of experts are featured throughout the summer institute, including Dr. Kate Kinsella, adjunct professor at San Francisco State University's Center for Teacher Efficacy, and Michael Funk, Director of the California Department of Education's After School Division.
The 200 teachers in attendance will receive up to two credits of study for attending the CLC Summer Institute, with 15 hours of instruction equal to one credit in either Common Core - Math, Common Core - ELA or Common Core - Science.
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SCCOE departments bring home multiple Telly Awards
 The SCCOE's Media and Communications department, in conjunction with teams from Multilingual Education Services and Human Resources, has been awarded four Telly Awards for excellence in film and video productions. This year, over 12,000 entries were submitted from all over the world.
SCCOE staff received the following awards:
2014 People's Telly Bronze Award: Paraeducator: The Backbone of the Teaching Team - Internet/Online Programs, Segments, or Promotional Pieces - Program or Webisode
2014 People's Telly Bronze Award: Paraeducator: The Backbone of the Teaching Team - Internet/Online Video - Video
2014 Bronze Award: Shaping our Global Future: The Role of Multilingualism - Internet/Online Programs, Segments, or Promotional Pieces - Education
2014 People's Telly Bronze Award: Shaping our Global Future: The Role of Multilingualism - Internet/Online Video - Video
Founded in 1979, the Telly Awards is the premier award honoring outstanding local, regional and cable TV commercials and programs, video and film productions and web commercials. Winners include companies, agencies and organizations fo all sizes, from large multinational media companies to local production houses. To view the complete list of winners, visit the Telly Awards website.
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Student creativity shines at annual Young Artists Showcase
 The SCCOE's 18th annual Young Artists Showcase was held on Thursday, June 19, honoring 22 students from 11 school districts across the county.
Dr. Mary Ann Dewan, Interim County Superintendent of Schools, opened the event with a keynote address focusing on the County Office's commitment to arts education for all students, particularly as it relates to other disciplines, including science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) instruction.
 Special recognitions were given to Los Altos High School, Freestyle Academy and Palo Alto High School for their participation in individually curated exhibits at the SCCOE's Ridder Park office building.
A three-member panel, including Dr. Robin Love from San Jose State University and Jeff Bordona of the San Jose Museum of Art, judged nearly 300 submissions representing artists from kindergarten through 12th grade.
 "Without student voices, creativity and imagination, there is an absence of color, texture and perspective in education," said Esther Tokihiro, Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator for the SCCOE. "I congratulate all of our honorees for their intitative, ambition and passion in entering this competition, and hope that they continue to show the world their unique vision."
All artwork will join the SCCOE's permanent art collection, which is currently being cataloged and curated into new galleries throughout the Ridder Park campus.
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EPIC program launches this fall
 The SCCOE's Inclusion Collaborative is happy to announce a new credentialing program for Education Specialists, Education Preparation for Inclusive Classrooms (EPIC).
Interested participants have three courses of study to choose from, each beginning in fall 2014: Preliminary Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE), Preliminary Moderate/Severe and the Clear Education Specialist Induction Program.
For more information, please visit the Inclusion Collaborative online and refer to the EPIC FAQs.
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Board approves Rocketship appeal
Here's a summary of some of the actions taken by the Board at its June 4 and 18 meetings:
- Approved an appeal from Rocketship Education to open an elementary school in Alum Rock Union School District;
- adopted the SCCOE budget for fiscal year 2014-15, as well as the SCCOE's Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP);
- recognized Sung Park, Teacher of students with severe disabilities at Milpitas High School, as Employee of the Month for June; and
- recognized Osvaldo Santiago, a student from San Jose Conservation Corps and Charter School in East Side Union High School District, for excellence in academic achievement and community service.
The Board of Education is the elected governing body of the SCCOE. Its seven members serve four-year terms and are elected by different regions of the county. Learn more about the members, and view their meeting schedule, agendas and minutes.
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Since 1852, the Santa Clara County Office of Education has provided vital services and resources to the county's 31 K-12 public school districts and more than 250,000 students. The COE strives to provide advocacy and leadership on education issues, student programs that are models of excellence and indispensable services to schools and community partners. The COE is commited to serving, inspiring and promoting student and public school success.
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