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Castro Valley Unified School District
Superintendent's Newsletter |
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The Superintendent's Newsletter is one of several e-newsletters designed to keep parents, staff, and the community informed about the Castro Valley Unified School District. Each school also publishes a newsletter to provide timely and useful information. If you cannot find the information that you seek, please contact the District Office (510.537.3000) or your School Office.
As a district, we are committed to transforming our Vision into a daily reality for every student.
We will ensure a safe, culturally responsive, and rigorous learning environment where all students are engaged and supported to achieve and succeed in a global society.
To focus our work, we strive for Student Success, Nothing Less!
I always enjoy opportunities to interact with students in their classrooms, staff on the school campuses, parents at school events, and community members wherever our paths cross. Please take the time to stop and talk with me to share your ideas, concerns, or questions. If you don't see me in the community, please email me at jnegri@cv.k12.ca.us.
If you wish to subscribe to other e-newsletters (Board Meeting Agenda, Board Meeting Highlights, Budget Update and LCAP Update), you may do so on the district website (lower right) as well as read the archived newsletters. Check both the district and school websites regularly for current news and information.
Sincerely,
Jim Negri
Jim Negri, Superintendent
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November Election: Board Election
On November 4th, the voters went to the polls and elected Gary Howard and Dorothy "Dot" Theodore to four-year terms. Mr. Howard was first appointed to the Board of Education in August 2012 to replace Trustee George Granger. Mrs. Theodore was elected to her first term on the board. The term of office for both trustees begins on December 5, 2014. Mr Howard and Mrs. Theodore will take their Oath of Office at the board meeting on December 11, 2014. Congratulations to both Dot and Gary!
Board President Janice Friesen will be leaving the board after 25 years of dedicated service to the students, staff, parents and the Castro Valley community. We sincerely thank Mrs. Friesen for her commitment and dedication to public education as a member of the Castro Valley Board of Education and in her roles with the California School Boards Association (CSBA). Her last meeting as Board President was on November 13, 2014. (See the agenda.)
At the Annual Organizational Meeting on December 11th, the board will elect its officers, appoint board members to committees and assign trustees as liaisons to other organizations.
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November Election: Proposition 2
On Election Day, voters approved Proposition 2, which establishes a rainy day fund budget for California and activates Senate Bill (SB) 858. Unfortunately SB 858 potentially creates negative consequences for school districts' budgets. SB 858 places a cap on the amount of district reserve funds when certain economic conditions are met. Reserves are one-time funds that should not be used to fund ongoing expenses. Due to the fiscal prudence of the Board of Education over the years, the district has been able to use reserve funds during the past five years to maintain programs (e.g., K-3 class size reduction) and minimize budget cuts.
The California School Board Association (CSBA), California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO), Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) and most other educational organizations have opposed the cap on district reserves and have called for a repeal of SB 858. Read the CSBA Q & A here and view a graphic representation of the impact of SB 858.
At the board meeting on November 13th, the board passed a resolution urging the Legislature to repeal SB 858. Read the resolution here. The board also considered a resolution calling for a constitutional vote to close the commercial tax loophole in Proposition 13. Homeowners currently pay 72% of the property tax while commercial property owners only pay 28% due to the loophole. Read the resolution here. The board took no action on this item and requested more information from staff. Watch for updates in the Budget Update newsletter.
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Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
In August 2014, the Alameda County Office of Education (ACOE) approved the district's 126-page Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) that the Board of Education approved in June 2014. The LCAP is a three-year plan based on the Local Control Funding Formula (LCAP) and must be updated annually.
Approximately 1000 parents, staff and community members participated in over twenty meetings to provide input and/or completed an online survey. The meetings and survey generated over 3600 individual comments to provide direction of the development of the LCAP.
The District LCAP has six goals:
- To ensure that all students graduate "college and career ready" through the full implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS)
- To ensure a positive learning environment with appropriate facilities to support student learning and high quality teaching
- To ensure that all students experience a rigorous and culturally responsive learning environment and graduate demonstrating "college and career" ready" knowledge and skills
- To empower parents to be actively engaged in their students' education and decision-making processes by providing timely information, and encouraging parents to demonstrate their support for student learning and for the importance of graduating "college & career ready"
- To empower non-English speaking parents to access the educational system, be actively engaged in their students' education and decision-making processes
- To ensure that all students are actively engaged and supported through a safe, culturally responsive and rigorous learning environment
The goals are focused on improving school learning and achievement. Each goal is accompanied by a set of action steps that are in this chart.
The State Board of Education, based on input from school districts and the public, has revised the LCAP template for 2015-2016 and established reporting guidelines. Additionally, ACOE has developed a webpage with useful LCAP resources.
The District LCAP Steering Committee will be reconvening this year to evaluate progress on the Year 1 LCAP Goals and develop the Year 2 action steps. Watch for details in the LCAP Update newsletter.
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Teacher of the Year: Sharon Carlos
In October, the Alameda County Office of Education (ACOE) honored the Teachers of the Year from across the county. The event is a wonderful celebration of the excellent teaching that is taking place throughout Alameda County. See the photos and videos from the event here.
Sharon Carlos, 4th grade teacher at Vannoy Elementary School was the Castro Valley Unified School District Teacher of the Year. View her interview here.
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Changes at Castro Valley High School
In August, I informed the community that the CVHS Principal Mary Ann Valles had accepted a district office position with the Hayward Unified School District. We were very fortunate to have Leslie Rothwell, former principal at both CVHS and Vannoy as well as the Director of Student Services, start the year as the Interim Principal, but the number of days that she could work was limited by the state retirement system.
After interviewing several candidates, Blaine Torpey was appointed as Interim Principal for the remainder of the year. Mr. Torpey previously was an Assistant Principal at CVHS and has served as Summer School Principal, Energy Educator and lead teacher at Redwood High School. The district will be interviewing this spring for a permanent principal. To backfill Mr. Torpey's position, Ruben Mata, formerly a counselor at CVHS, was appointed as the Interim Assistant Principal.
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Alameda County Meeting: Safety, Sidewalks, Roads, Walking and Biking
In the past month, there have been two meetings regarding the safety of citizens, including our students, as they walk, bike and drive in Castro Valley. The first meeting was the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) meeting that discussed the sidewalk project for Anita Avenue, a major access street for Castro Valley Elementary School. While everyone agrees on the need to improve the sidewalks and Anita Avenue, Alameda County does not have funding at this time to complete any projects. A bike lane on Somerset Avenue and its impact on traffic and residents was discussed as well as the dangerous traffic situation at Redwood and Proctor Roads (e.g., speeding, lack of concern for pedestrians, illegal turns and parking), which creates problems around Proctor Elementary School. These issues will be discussed by the MAC at future meetings.
The second meeting was the Walk/Bike Castro Valley Town Hall meeting sponsored by Supervisor Nate Miley. After a panel of experts on streets, traffic, biking, walking and health, the public had 90 minutes to provide input to Supervisor Miley. Measure BB, which passed on November 4th, will provide additional funding to support programs like Safe Rides to Schools and improved roads. Supervisor Miley committed to having a working committee established by the end of the year. Watch for details.
At both meetings, the public asked for both the CHP and the Alameda County Sheriff's Office to enforce the existing laws to ensure safety for all. These issues will be coming back to future meetings.
On November 12th at 6:00 p.m. at the Castro Valley Library, there was a public meeting with the Department of Public Works to discuss the renovation of Santa Maria Avenue from Lorena Avenue to Wilson Avenue. This project has to potential to create a traffic disruption around Castro Valley High School. An update will be reported in a future newsletter.
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November 2014
Vol. 5 Issue 2 |
| from the Superintendent | |
As we prepare for Thanksgiving, I am always reminded that we have so much for which to be thankful. As a district, we are thankful that our students come to school prepared and willing to learn. We are thankful that our parents and community support our schools in multiple ways that enahnce and enrich the learning expereince of our students. We are thankful that our certificated, classified and administrative staffs come to work every day committed to ensuring the success of every student. I am honored to serve as superintendent of this outstanding district.
For the 2014-2015 school year, we are focused on fully implementing the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The CCSS are a change for students, staff and parents. (Watch this three-minute video for an overview of the CCSS.) The district has been providing professional development for our teachers. To assist parents and staff with the transition to the CCSS, the district has posted resources on the district website. This spring, students will take the Smarter Balance Assessments (SBAC). SBAC examples are also posted on the webpage.
Implementation of the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) is another focus of the year. (See the article in this newsletter.)
Staff has been working with Dr. Sharrocky Hollie and Dr. Darrick Smith on culturally and linguistically responsive teaching and learning to close the acheivement gap that exists between the various student subgroups. This work is consistent with the District Equity Plan and the LCAP goals to ensure that every student graduates college and career ready.
As I write this column, the country is honoring our many veterans who gave so much to ensure that we have the rights and privileges that we have today. My father was part of what Tom Brokaw termed "The Greatest Generation." These individuals survived the Great Depression and fought World War II, and came home to build a great country. We all owe all of our veterans a debt of gratitude.
Have a wonderful holiday season with family and friends.
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Our Foundations
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The district is very fortunate to have outstanding parent and community support. Besides the PTA/Parent Clubs and Booster Clubs at schools, the following foundations support our students, staff, and schools.
Check their websites for information on events, ways to become involved, and how to donate.
Thank you for supporting our foundations. You are making a difference for our students.
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Our Schools
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Each school maintains a website that contains a wealth of information. I encourage you to check out the website to learn about what our schools are doing.
Don't have a student in K-12? Check out Adult and Career Education for a wide range of interesting and valuable classes for adults. We are all life-long learners.
Pre-School
Elementary Schools
(K-5)
*Transitional Kindergarten
Middle
Schools
(6-8)
High
Schools
(9-12)
Life Long Learning
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