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Water First for Thirst was a special event held at McKinley School in Redwood City.
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Legislators Act Swiftly to
Pass State Budget on Time
Unlike in previous years, the California legislature acted swiftly to pass an on-time spending plan for the state on June 14, 2013. The $96.3 billion budget includes a new Local Control Funding Formula that includes $2.1 billion more  than Governor Brown had originally proposed.
In addition, K-12 schools and community colleges will receive $55.3 billion under the Proposition 98 guarantee, $1.25 billion for Common Core implementation, $250 million in one-time grants for career technical education, $30 million more for existing state preschool programs and $25.8 million for child care.
The Local Control Funding Formula, championed by Governor Brown, will send more money flowing to districts with high levels of students who come from low-income families, who are not proficient in English or who are foster children.
In the final budget, under the new formula no district should receive less funding than they had previously received and some districts, based on their student population, would receive more.
"With this new formula, there are some things we don't know, and particularly how this will play out in practice," notes Denise Porterfield, Deputy Superintendent, Fiscal and Operational Services Division, at the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE).
Several changes that occurred between the May revision and the finalized June budget could have an impact on the County Office and local districts. The Governor's pay-down of the "wall of debt" owed to school districts is a lesser amount than originally forecasted. "This will have an impact on local school districts," notes Porterfield. "The sooner this debt is paid, the more money school districts will have at their disposal in the future." In addition, funds that were promised to compensate for the federal deficit due to sequestration did not materialize in the final budget. Proposed cuts to ROP were of concern but for now ROP funding will be consistent with the prior year's funding, says Porterfield, "But we are still seeking clarity on the spending requirement for ROP."
Two changes that appeared in the May revision and remain in the final budget are still of concern to the County Office. Under the LCFF, funding for county offices across the state will be equalized. This does not take into account the higher cost of living in counties like San Mateo and Santa Clara. The excess property tax fund, currently in the hands of SMCOE as a restricted fund, will now go to the state to pay for state court costs. Last year SMCOE's surplus in that fund was $12 million. Without access to the interest from these funds, SMCOE will face a stagnant budget and will have to make substantial cuts to programs in the years to come.
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The Big Lift Brings Together More Than 100 SM County Leaders
More than 100 San Mateo County community leaders gathered together on May 31, 2013 at the San Mateo Public Library to get a sneak peek at "The Big Lift," a countywide initiative of the Peninsula Partnership Leadership Council (PPLC) with the strategic goal of getting 80 percent of students reading at grade level by third grade by 2020.
Co-hosts for  the day were Congresswoman Jackie Speier; Lenny Mendonca, director at McKinsey & Company and board chair-elect of Children Now; and Emmett Carson, CEO and president of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF).
San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools Anne Campbell shared some facts with the audience about San Mateo County children. Although the county is one of the most prosperous in the nation, currently 42 percent of students are not reading proficiently by third grade, and the percentage rises to 60 percent for Latino, African American and Pacific Islander children. "You may be wondering why children can't read by third grade. What are the schools doing wrong and why don't they fix it?" she asked. "No question we can always improve but the fact of the matter is that 50 percent of our children are not ready for kindergarten when they get there." She then noted the lack of quality preschool for all children.
Erica Wood, Vice-President for Community Leadership and Grantmaking at SVCF, explained the PPLC's strategic plan behind the Big Lift. "We want to create a culture of reading in San Mateo County...and we want to make two key big system changes: provide quality preschool for 3 and 4 year olds and make full-day kindergarten standard." She also described other key levers to give kids "the right start"-- better transitions from preschool to kindergarten, strategies to improve attendance, inspiring summer programs, and engaging families to support their children's learning. "We need a systems response to a systems problem," she noted.
"Too often communities have a lot of problems that are chopped up into pieces and dealt with in silos," said Jane Gardner of Harbour Strategic Consulting, the firm that has helped the PPLC develop the strategic plan behind The Big Lift and organize this community convening. "If you want to have an impact, it's best to have lots of different sectors working together. It can be powerful but difficult to do. For this first event we wanted to get the leadership in the county together to educate them, to get their input and to see if they're in, and they are. The whole room stood up to express their support for this initiative and half of the people in the room volunteered to be strategic advisors, to meet three times a year to get input on the plan, and lend their expertise and knowledge."
"Providing quality preschool for all children, and particularly the underserved, will cost $50 million per year," added Joseph Rodriguez of Harbour Strategic Consulting. "But there are funds out there if the community is willing."
Some of that money could come from Measure A, the countywide tax measure approved by the voters last November, which is designed to provide funds for childcare, health, library services and public safety. County Supervisor and PPLC leader Carole Groom acknowledged that funding for early childhood programs is on the list of options that the Board of Supervisors is considering for Measure A funding. "It was very gratifying to see so many community leaders come together and get behind The Big Lift," she said. "We do need a significant amount of money to put in place programs for the kids who need it most. Our goal would be to fund more than a pilot program."
The 100 community leaders who attended included representatives from local nonprofit agencies, businesses, government officials, clergy, labor unions, school districts, universities and hospitals. Next steps will be to develop a county-wide awareness campaign and convene funders, service groups, and government and business leaders to work together on the key leverage points.
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Students Cry "Water First!" at
Healthy Schools Event
With cheers of "Water first, water first!" students assembled at Henry Ford Elementary School in Redwood City on May 24, and eagerly participated in a field day, focusing on physical activity and healthy living. San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools Anne Campbell greeted the students, and quizzed them with riddles about fruits and vegetables. The PE + program sponsored a "lettuce run" and a "carrot relay," among other activities.
 | | Water First for Thirst was a special event held at McKinley School in Redwood City. |
This event was part of the Healthy Schools Initiative, a program of the Sequoia Healthcare District, in cooperation with the San Mateo County Office of Education, and the San Mateo County Health System. The initiative provides funding and other resources to school districts in southern San Mateo County to implement high quality, coordinated wellness programs.
"The "Water first" cheer is designed as a positive message, a simple step to take in an effort to foster healthy habits among children. "By telling children what to do rather than what not to do, we're giving a positive message and empowering kids," says Pamela Kurtzman, Director, Healthy Youth Initiatives at the Sequoia Healthcare District. "Just cutting down on sugary drinks and drinking more water can be a step towards better health," she notes.
"The event highlights the work of the Healthy Schools Initiative and the messages we've been promoting," says Kurtzman. The partnership with the schools began four years ago, as a way to support critical health services that had been slashed due to the devastating budget cuts of the last 10 years. Through generous funding, the Sequoia Healthcare District has helped school districts to employ school nurses, counselors, wellness coordinators and PE teachers. The Redwood City School District, in addition, put in place water filtration systems and salad bars with a variety of mostly locally grown organic produce in school cafeterias.
One of the most successful programs has been the PE + program. "The PE coaches inspire the kids," notes Kurtzman. "And they blend nutrition education into the PE program."
On May 31, the Sequoia Healthcare District partnered with the Redwood City Education Foundation and Coca-Cola to present Water First for Thirst, at McKinley School, inaugurating their new water filtration system and dispenser that Coca-Cola helped fund with a $50,000 grant. At the event, students received their own re-usable water bottles.
In a continued effort to promote drinking more water, in the fall the Sequoia Healthcare District will be distributing re-usable water bottles in their welcome packets to every child in the Redwood City School District, and re-launching the "Water First" campaign.
The Healthy Schools Initiative is based on a model created by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). This coordinated school health model focuses on the big picture of child health by providing eight components--nursing services; social, emotional and psychological support services; staff wellness; family and community involvement; a safe and healthy school environment; nutrition services; physical activity; and health education. "It's a systematic approach to bringing wellness to schools and supporting the whole child," notes Kurtzman.
"Each school district has different needs and we understand that and try to help where needed," she adds. "The superintendents have been extremely supportive and have embraced this comprehensive approach. That's been the exciting part of this initiative."
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Partnership with SFSU a Win for SMCOE
Last November, Dr. Robert Gabriner, Director of the Educational Leadership program at San Francisco State University (SFSU), approached San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools Anne Campbell with a novel idea. What if doctoral students in the Educational Leadership Ed.D program, which emphasizes equity and social justice, could engage in research and evaluation projects for programs at the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE), and have their research projects serve as their dissertations? This would provide the students with real-world program evaluation knowledge and experience, and would provide SMCOE with useful program evaluation information that would ordinarily come at a significant cost.
And so a unique partnership began with these two educational organizations. On January 14, 2013, several SFSU doctoral students and Gabriner met with Campbell; Deputy Superintendent Dr. Gary Waddell; Mefula Fairley, Director of Compliance, Assessment and Special Projects; and program managers at SMCOE. Dr. Waddell and the program managers provided a brief description of various SMCOE programs and their goals. The doctoral students asked clarifying questions, and then met separately to discuss how evaluation might fit with these programs.
Ultimately three students chose two programs to evaluate over a three-year period. Two students will work together with Fairley on evaluating SMCOE's initiative to reduce suspensions and expulsions, particularly among students of color, in San Mateo County schools. And one student will evaluate Common Core implementation in one school district and the professional development provided at SMCOE under the leadership of Curriculum and Instruction Services Administrator Lori Musso. Each student will also coordinate with an advisor at SFSU to determine the evaluation protocol.
All three doctoral students have prior experience in education. A school principal in Castro Valley, a teacher at Woodside High School, and a curriculum administrator at the Stanford University School of Medicine who was formerly an educator comprise the group.
"These students are all working professionals," says Gabriner. "They demonstrate dedication, working full time and going to school every other weekend for this three-year program. They are all first-year students and are in the beginning stages of these projects and will be refining them over time."
"This partnership is all very new and will certainly evolve as we go," says Fairley, who is administering the effort at SMCOE. "It's a win-win for both organizations. Evaluation services don't come cheaply so for SMCOE it is an investment of time with little cost, and for the students it's a worthwhile experience."
Gabriner adds that he is interested in speaking with any school district personnel in charge of programs in San Mateo County who have a project that could be addressed with the help of the "smart practitioners" who are being trained through SFSU's Educational Leadership Program, which places an emphasis on equity and social justice. He can be reached at gabriner@sfsu.edu.
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Check Us Out on Facebook
The San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE) now has a page on Facebook. We'll be providing frequent upd ates on SMCOE events and education news of interest, adding groups of interest, and linking to other education organizations. Check us out and "like" us today on Facebook!
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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 23 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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