Watch this short video clip here: http://www.thedaily.com/page/2011/02/09/020911-news-education-day1-3-6/

What do you think?
Is our education system broken?

Fillmore Unified School District

FILLMORE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT SPECIAL MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2011
5:30 P.M. – CLOSED SESSION 6:30 P.M. - SPECIAL MEETING 627 SESPE AVENUE, FILLMORE, CALIFORNIA

AGENDA
The public may review or request a copy of support materials provided to the Board Members where the word materials appears.

5:30 p.m.
A. CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG
B. ROLL CALL
C. PUBLIC COMMENT ON CLOSED SESSION AND NONAGENDA ITEMS, PETITIONS
This is the time and place to address the Board. State law prohibits the Board from acting on issues not included on the agenda; however, requests may be made for discussion of specific topics at subsequent meetings.
D. CLOSED SESSION
The Board of Education will meet from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. to consider matters appropriate for Closed Session in accordance with Government Code Sections 3549.1, 54956.7 through 54957.7 and Education Code Section 35146. If the Board does not complete Closed Session discussions at this time, the Board may adjourn to Closed Session at the end of the regular meeting. DISCLOSURE OF ITEM(S) TO BE DISCUSSED IN CLOSED SESSION School District Pupils (Education Code 35146)
o Expulsion Case Number 10-11-09 Labor/Negotiations (Government Code 54957.6)
o Update; Direction to District Negotiators (Jeff Sweeney, Mike Bush, Todd Schieferle, Margaret Chidester) for negotiations with the Fillmore Unified Teachers Association (FUTA), the California School Employees Association (CSEA), Confidential Employees, and District Administration. Personnel Matters (Government Code 54957)
o Public Employee Discipline/Dismissal/Release
E. RECONVENE TO OPEN SESSION Any Action From Closed Session School District Pupils (Education Code 35146)
o Expulsion Case Number 10-11-09 Public Employee Discipline/Dismissal/Release: Government Code section 54957
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the Superintendent's Office at (805) 524-6038. Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the district to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting. [In accordance with Government Code 54961 and Board Bylaw 9320(a).]

6:30 p.m.
F. CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG
G. CLARIFICATION OF AGENDA AND TIME ALLOCATIONS FOR DISCUSSION ITEMS
H. PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS AND NONAGENDA ITEMS, PETITIONS
This is the time and place to address the school board. State law prohibits the Board from acting on issues not included on the agenda; however, requests may be made for discussion of specific topics at subsequent meetings.
6:45 p.m.
I. ACTION CONTINUED »

SARC (School Accountability Report Cards) are available for the 2009-2010 school year. According to the California Department of Education (http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/sa/) " California public schools annually provide information about themselves to the community allowing the public to evaluate and compare schools for student achievement, environment, resources and demographics"

Each District is required to have the reports available for parents. Here is a link to the reports online: http://www.fillmore.k12.ca.us/index.aspx?NID=216

What do you think? What grade would you give your local school? Post your comment here?
What looks good? What do you think should be improved?

Folks can request a print out of their schools report from the District. Forms should be available at each school, although according to recent information from the District attorney (see information this week in the Gazette) the District must respond to any written request that is presented. I would assume that the written request must be clear and legible so that the District knows what is being requested. But they must respond to an email request, and a particular form is not necessary. Although it might make it easier for District staff to respond to the request.

Johannes Van Tilburg

THOUSAND OAKS, CA. - Los Angeles architect and planner Johannes Van Tilburg will discuss his work related to the slowly developing Light-Rail and Subway Transportation System at 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 22, at California Lutheran University.

The free Artists and Speakers Series presentation on “Building Along the Boulevards in Our City: Transportation as a Catalyst for Development” will be held in the Roth Nelson Room.

Van Tilburg was one of the first to design for, and invest in, Santa Monica’s fledgling Third Street Promenade, now a landmark of urban renewal and a redevelopment model for cities nationwide. He is a member of the board of directors of the Bayside District, a volunteer organization overseeing the Third Street Promenade.

An 11th generation architect/builder, Van Tilburg was born in the Netherlands and graduated from the College of Arts and Architecture in The Hague. He immigrated to the United States in 1965 and founded Johannes Van Tilburg and Partners, Architects, AIA, in Westwood in 1971. The success of the firm led to the 1992 founding of Van Tilburg, Banvard and Soderbergh, Architects (VTBS Architects). In the same year, Van Tilburg was elected to the College of Fellows, American Institute of Architects.

A nationally recognized pioneer in mixed-use urban design, land planning, and the creation of livable communities, VTBS Architects has won design, planning and beautification awards from the AIA, building associations, and local and state civic agencies. VTBS is based in Santa Monica with offices in San Jose and Denver.

Van Tilburg is strongly committed to the greater Los Angeles community, to education and to the arts. Among other initiatives, his firm designed the first AIDS Hospice in the City of Los Angeles, pro bono, for Barlow Hospital. Van Tilburg continues to teach as a visiting lecturer in the architectural departments of USC, UCLA, Harvard University Graduate School of Design and the Southern California Institute of Architecture. He recently was appointed as Honorary Consul of The Netherlands for the Los Angeles office.

The Roth Nelson Room is located on Mountclef Boulevard between Olsen Road and Memorial Parkway on the Thousand Oaks campus.

For more information, e-mail Christine Sellin at csellin@callutheran.edu

Here is an excerpt from this blog post on the Students First website, click the link to see the full post

http://www.studentsfirst.org/blog/entry/teachers-bear-the-brunt-of-uncer...

by Ma'ayan Weinberg "Teachers bear the brunt of uncertainty"

All across the country, from California to Rhode Island to New York, budget cuts threaten the jobs of tens of thousands of teachers in the worst round of potential layoffs in decades. Just last week, it was announced that Providence, Rhode Island, for example, would send termination notices to each of the district's 2,000 teachers—a preemptive measure against a $40 million budget deficit. Meanwhile, Cleveland, Ohio projects laying off 20 percent of its teachers.

Meet Ma'ayan Weinberg, a third year high school teacher in Los Angeles, who has become accustomed to the annual spring ritual of budget cuts. Since stepping foot into the classroom three years ago, she has received a pink slip every single year. She managed to avoid losing her job because she teaches math, a difficult to staff subject. Here, she describes the threat of layoffs that are predicted for this year in not only in Los Angeles, but in districts nationwide.

During my first year as a teacher, I received a Reduction in Force (RIF) notice. As our school district faces budget shortfalls, they have turned to laying off teachers in the past years to cut spending. RIFs are used to notify teachers that they may not have a position in the coming school year. As a secondary math teacher, my RIF was later rescinded because the position is difficult to staff, but not before I saw the devastating effects of RIFs on not only my school, but my students.

I work in Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) at a particularly challenging school, which suffers from high teacher turnover and a very young staff. As a result, more than half of our teachers received a RIF notice in any given year; meanwhile, other schools in the same district lost only one or two.

The first effect came with the first round of RIFs. We explained to our students what was happening, that we might not be able to return to the school next year. Our kids do not understand the seniority system. They could not understand why we would be let go when other teachers that did not teach were allowed to stay. In their minds, you are fired for not doing your job, not for being the last to get the job. The confusion was heartbreaking.

The second blow came the following year when teachers who did not want to be in our school were pushed in to fill the vacant positions. These were sometimes teachers who had made a conscious decision to no longer work in the classroom. After the RIFs, our open positions were their only option. At our school, you have to want to be here. You have to love the kids. That second year, students came to me upset because their teacher had no interest in them, did not want to teach them, and at times did not even show up to school for weeks or months at a time. .. continued on: http://www.studentsfirst.org/blog/entry/teachers-bear-the-brunt-of-uncer...

I was unable to attend this study session but luckily the Gazette was able to send the big camera to record it.
(minus a few minutes at the beginning) : Please post any comments or questions.
And remember that the second Budget Study Session is set for Tuesday, March 8th at 6:30,

I"m still waiting for the new Board members to request a review and evaluation of District Administrative compensation packages. Here are some items in the video that I think are highlights:

In this video we hear Assistant Superintendent Mike Bush state for the worst case Budget scenario it would mean "hardly any cabinet, hardly any District Office staff, hardly any site administration, very high class [size], probably every third or fourth night clean, once every two weeks cutting grass, it's radical." Later in his presentation he states that the District needs to evaluate it's Administrator to Student ratio at the High School, which is now (due to declining enrollment, many at 11th & 12th grade) at 325 students per administrator. "That is at Piru levels" he states. The middle school is at about 800 students per admin. "It's something we need to look at" he suggests.

After Bush completes his presentation, Board Member Tony Prado asks "What are the other Districts doing to raid other Districts?" Here Prado is referring to those families who choose to leave FUSD for other Districts. Some we know leave because their children require special services that they struggle to get in Fillmore but are welcomed in Moorpark or other districts with space. Some families are concerned with the low academic performance of FUSD schools and exercise their legal right to leave the District to attend a better school. Bush correctly responded "The main thing to attract people from other Districts is to have a quality program." He hit the nail on the head with that one. Can you imagine? Students leaving a district to go to a better program? It's pretty hard to imagine that. I do apologize for my sarcasm there. But this is what many parents have been saying for several years. It is likely to take more than a brand new track to lure students to Fillmore, or convince them to stay. It may actually take a budget crisis for FUSD to realize the importance of having a quality program to attract students. A big issue with District run schools across the country is that they have always had an automatic stream of students. The quality of their program didn't matter. Student would come to their schools because they were the only option. Now parents are waking up. They have school choice. District of choice. They can take their child out of district, or out of their service area to other public schools that are better for their child. It seems that there may be a silver lining to this budget crisis, that Districts, including FUSD will get improve their programs and will work harder to provide the quality education that is a legal (and I think human) right of every child. I wish I would have been there because I would have applauded Bush's statement.

Some other items of interest:
The recommendation is to "overnotice" and then in May will have a better idea about what is going to happen.
Bush recommends that the Board approve a budget planning on a $340 per ADA reduction, with enough reduction in staff to be able to handle the $640 per ADA reduction that is a possibility.
One furlough day saves the District $118,000 which is roughly the same as increasing class size at the high school and reducing teaching staff by two teachers. Currently the high school is overstaffed by two teachers, by reducing teaching staff by two, it would increase class size by two students.

I wonder about the resources that are going elsewhere, for example, according to District reports provided during school Board meetings, the District paid $22,162.23 in legal fees just for the month of January 2011. How do those attorney's serve the students in the District? How are those legal services vital to a quality education? What kind of environment is being created that requires a district to pay such high legal fees? Just asking.

Fillmore Unified School District

FILLMORE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2011
5:30 P.M. – CLOSED SESSION 6:30 P.M. - REGULAR MEETING 627 SESPE AVENUE, FILLMORE, CALIFORNIA

5:30 p.m.
A. CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG
B. ROLL CALL
C. PUBLIC COMMENT ON CLOSED SESSION AND NONAGENDA ITEMS, PETITIONS
This is the time and place to address the Board. State law prohibits the Board from acting on issues not included on the agenda; however, requests may be made for discussion of specific topics at subsequent meetings.
D. CLOSED SESSION
The Board of Education will meet from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. to consider matters appropriate for Closed Session in accordance with Government Code Sections 3549.1, 54956.7 through 54957.7 and Education Code Section 35146. If the Board does not complete Closed Session discussions at this time, the Board may adjourn to Closed Session at the end of the regular meeting. DISCLOSURE OF ITEM(S) TO BE DISCUSSED IN CLOSED SESSION School District Pupils (Education Code 35146)
o Expulsion Case Number 10-11-07
o Expulsion Case Number 10-11-08 Labor/Negotiations (Government Code 54957.6)
o Update; Direction to District Negotiators (Jeff Sweeney, Mike Bush, Todd Schieferle, Margaret Chidester) for negotiations with the Fillmore Unified Teachers Association (FUTA), the California School Employees Association (CSEA), Confidential Employees, and District Administration. Personnel Matters (Government Code 54957)
o Hiring, Evaluating, Discipline, Dismissal
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the Superintendent's Office at (805) 524-6038. Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the district to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting. [In accordance with Government Code 54961 and Board Bylaw 9320(a).]
6:30 p.m.
E. RECONVENE TO OPEN CONTINUED »

Here is a short post regarding the events in Wisconsin and America's teachers. This posting received over 40,000 comments on facebook. What a hot topic. What do you think?
She mentions the movie "Waiting for Superman" and that it makes claims that bad teachers are responsible for low test scores, I do not agree that the movie made that claim, but it is true that teachers and their unions seem to be under attack recently. Why do you think that is?

Here is a link to the posting on CNN's page: http://articles.cnn.com/2011-02-20/opinion/ravitch.teachers.blamed_1_bad...

And here is a link to that posts Author Diane Ravitch being interviewed on NPR: http://www.npr.org/2011/02/28/134134735/Op-Ed-Rage-Simmering-Among-Ameri...

And one more link to an older story with Ravitch, who was an advocate now turned critic of No Child Left Behind: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124209100

Camarillo, Calif., Feb. 25, 2011 – CSU Channel Islands (CI) President Richard R. Rush today announced a $100,000 grant from Verizon to the Henry L. “Hank” Lacayo Institute for Workforce & Community Studies (HLI).

Verizon’s contribution will fund HLI programs that will enable CI students to directly contribute to the growth of small businesses throughout the region through consulting assignments – applying, in a real-world setting, the business and technology skills learned through their entrepreneurial studies coursework. Students will assist small-business owners by analyzing their business plans, management, and technology needs.

The grant will also provide scholarship assistance to underserved students pursuing business and social science degrees.

“We are pleased to have an opportunity to collaborate with Verizon in developing these types of vital partnerships that will benefit both our local business community and CI students through scholarships, said President Rush. “Verizon’s support of the HLI will enable faculty and students to research and provide valuable information to local small businesses.”

Additionally, the grant will help to establish the Verizon Telecommunications & Conservation Lab (TCL), which will serve as a green operations model to aid small businesses in implementing eco-friendly practices. It will advance Verizon’s commitments to environmental sustainability through energy conservation, hardware recycling, and emphasis of new technologies aimed at more efficient and environmentally sound practices.

“Verizon’s intent is to challenge students to find new ways to foster economic growth and instill a sense of environmental stewardship throughout the region,” said Tim McCallion, president of the West Region for Verizon. “We consider this grant from Verizon to be an investment in our community’s economic vitality and the development of its future leaders.”

About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands (CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research.

About Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, NASDAQ:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving 94.1 million customers nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers innovative, seamless business solutions to customers around the world. A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 194,000 and last year generated consolidated revenues of $106.6 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

According to a story printed over the weekend, the non profit organization CalAware conducted an audit of Districts across the state. Many did poorly. FUSD received an "F", and it was noted that FUSD in fact did not respond at all to requests for information. School Districts are in fact required by law to respond to requests for public information. Here is a link to the article in the Ventura County Star: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/feb/24/school-district-public-access-rat...

What has been your experience in requesting information from FUSD?

Bethany College has named 179 students to its fall 2010 Academic Dean’s Honor Roll. To be recognized, a student must be full-time with a semester grade point average of at least 3.50 on a 4-point scale for the fall semester.

Honored students, their class standings for the fall 2010 semester, and their hometowns are as follows:

Fillmore, Calif.: Jacob Arroyo, junior.

Ava Kaufman

Heart transplant recipient Ava Kaufman, of Fillmore, is shown speaking to students at Fillmore High School, two weeks ago. Kaufman underwent the life-saving surgery in February 2009 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles. Kaufman encouraged the young audience to think about the virtues of organ donation.

CSEA’s Board of Directors Passes Resolution to Denounce Gov. Walker’s actions The California School Employees Association stands firmly in support of the peaceful assembly of firefighters, teachers, school employees, nurses, students--union and non-union alike--who are fighting the union-busting antics of Governor Scott Walker and his anti-worker cronies.

Governor Walker has proposed elimination of meaningful collective bargaining rights for public employees. The Governor’s so-called “Budget Repair Bill” would limit collective bargaining for most state and local public workers, allowing them to negotiate over wages only. Nearly 200,000 union members – including home healthcare workers and University of Wisconsin faculty and academic staff who only recently won those rights – would be affected.

“Governor Walker is an extremist who is targeting the very people who educate children, provide a safe environment for children and keep communities safe”, said CSEA President Allan D. Clark. “We must speak out as labor and as Americans.”

Wisconsin has become the CONTINUED »

Hello,

If you or your friends are interested in our hybrid homeschool program, please attend one of our information days:

VENTURA Charter School Homeschool Information Afternoon
Tuesday, March 15
4:00-5:30 pm
The Gooden Center at St. Paul's
3290 Loma Vista Road, Ventura

BRIDGES Charter School Homeschool Information Evening
Wednesday, March 23
7:00-8:30 pm
BRIDGES Charter School
1139 Windsor Drive, Thousand Oaks

You will be able to learn all about this exciting new program that has been so popular. The program offers the best of both worlds: The opportunity for you to homeschool your student and still be a part of our nurturing school community.

We offer two choice days, during which your student can attend as many, or few, of our enrichment classes, as he/she chooses. This semester, we have such exciting classes as Drama, Spanish, LEGO Robotics, Language Arts, Cooking, Ceramics, SMArt (science/math/art) and more.

We have credentialed, highly-qualified teachers who support our families and offer many choices of curriculum. We are publicly funded, non-profit and tuition-free.

Come learn more about our program and talk to our teachers and some of our currently enrolled families. For more information please email Claudia at bridges.ventura.charter@gmail.com or call her at (805) 300-3157.

Independent Travel Study class provides a personalized academic program based on actual or virtual trip
A free seminar called Independent Travel Study for Educators at CLU (California Lutheran University) on five Thursdays from March 1,to March 31 from 7:00pm to 8:00pm. The seminar addresses how educators can obtain professional development or salary advancement units through independent travel study by taking actual or virtual trips using the computer.

Discussions include Education Code 44579 requirements and tax deductions under the current law H.R. 3838. Presented by Dr. Lynnette Shifman, a teacher with over 40 years in the field of education.

Those not able to attend the seminar can obtain seminar information by emailing Dr. Lynnette Shifman: teacher_continue_ed@yahoo.com.

For additional information, contact the CLU web site: http://www.callutheran.edu/education/programs/cpe or email: teacher_continue_ed@yahoo.com ( Free seminar and information provided)

Jack O’Connell and CI President Richard Rush

Camarillo, CA. - Former State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jack O’Connell, will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (L.H.D.) from CSU Channel Islands (CI) during their Commencement ceremony scheduled for Saturday, May 21, at 9 a.m.

“We are extremely pleased to present Jack with an honorary doctorate degree during our upcoming Commencement ceremony,” stated President Richard R. Rush. “We would not be here today, providing a top-notch education to thousands of students throughout our region and state, were it not for Jack’s authoring the legislation that helped establish this university.”

O’Connell played an important role in the creation of CSU Channel Islands and in supporting its growth and development. In 1997, O’Connell authored SB 623, which approved the transfer of the former Camarillo State Hospital to the California State University system. In 1998, O’Connell’s second senate bill, SB 1923, was approved by Governor Pete Wilson to facilitate the financing and support of the transition for the 23rd and newest campus of the California State University system. O’Connell’s subsequent support of the University during the following budget process enabled CI to begin building the academic infrastructure that led to the University’s opening in 2002.

Jack O’Connell said, “I am deeply flattered to be recognized with this honorary degree from CSU Channel Islands. As a product of the California State University system, I feel like I have come full circle in my educational and service career – working for the great state of California and Ventura County. By providing a foundation for students seeking a public, higher education, it will enable them to successfully contribute to our state.

"CSU Channel Islands is so fortunate to have the visionary leadership of Dr. Rush and his remarkable team who have worked hard to make CI the institution it is today."

In 2003, a variety of materials from O’Connell’s tenure in the State Senate and Assembly legislative period were donated to CSU Channel Islands’ John Spoor Broome Library to initiate an archival collection. Most recently, he supplied documents related to his recent position as State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Some of his collection is partially opened to the public now with complete processing of the documentation expected by 2014.

O’Connell was born in Glen Cove, New York. In 1958, he moved with his family to Southern California, where he attended public schools. O’Connell grew up in Oxnard and graduated from Oxnard High School. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from California State University, Fullerton and earned his secondary teaching credential from California State University, Long Beach. O’Connell returned to his high school alma mater to teach government classes.

His political career began with his election to the Santa Barbara County School Board. Starting in 1982, he served six terms in the California Assembly representing the Central Coast-based 35th district and was then elected to two terms in the State Senate, serving the 18th district. He was elected as State Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2002 and overwhelmingly re-elected in 2006.

About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands (CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research.