RUSDLive

MLK Day Activities

2012-01-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

Well the walk and the company was great on the Walkathon from Stratton Center to the MLK Statute downtown and then to RCC. It was great this year, in addition to City Officials to have a great representation from our high schools. I saw three, but there may have been more. Both ML King and Poly had their colors on. I know that Principal Painton and Activities Director Porter were there with a number of students -- though their blue didn't stand out well from the MLK March blue.

I know that there were a number of teachers and other staff there along the way -- and it was great to see them and their support. I believe that this was Dr. Beaty's 19th march which is consistent with the 19th year of this event along with Mayor Loveridge's 19th walk as well.

Attached are some of the photos I got along the way.

Martin Luther King, Jr Day

2012-01-16T06:56:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a great weekend. Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. I hope you get a chance to engage in the activities of the day in downtown Riverside. I am planning to be part of the 19th annual Walkathon that starts at the Stratton Center.

I know the students from each of our High Schools that serve on the Student Advisory Group are planning to be there with a number of their colleagues. It should be a great walk. See you there.

Conundrum?

2012-01-06T07:15:00.000-08:00

So this past week I had the opportunity to read USA Today and found a most interesting set of articles that were juxtaposed on the same page (6A) on opposite sides.

On the one side, there is a description of a major and growing problem with schools and people that are trying to "cheat" their state test for the purpose of appearing "good" rather than being concerned about the primary mission of schools: student learning. The most egregious example cited being the Atlanta Public Schools in Georgia. I am not sure why it would be a surprise that when there is extraordinarily high focus and penalty / reward of test results -- that people can and do try to beat the test in in unethical, immoral ways.

The interesting part was that right next to this article was another that brought us up-to-date on the whereabouts and achievements of Michelle Rhee, former Chancellor of the Washington DC Public School. The curiosity is that Ms. Rhee continues to propose more "high stakes testing" as a great solution, while there is some evidence that under her short administration in DC there is substantial evidence on an unusually high rate of "erasures" -- which is commonly a sign of "extra" help on state assessments.

Juxtaposition???

When will we start talking about an improved learning? Clearly assessment is important IF we don't forget that this is about the learning of students, not passing tests. The other part of this conundrum is that most of our state assessments are minimalist and very narrow -- leaving out other important arenas of learning such as: history, science, music, fine arts, etc.

So what did you learn over the holiday break?

Welcome Back!!

2012-01-04T07:15:00.000-08:00

Welcome back, I hope you all had a great and restful holiday. I had some good time with family.

However, I also am aware that while many of us were resting and relaxing, there were those that were working very hard and were very focused. Representing all the great value-added and performing arts programs in RUSD, we had Mr. Charles Gray and the King HS Kingsmen Band representing us in Arizona at the New Year's Fiesta Bowl Parade. Not surprisingly, the King Band once again showed themselves well. You can see them here on You Tube from the local ABC news channel (go to 11:30 on the tape).

Bottomline, the Kingsmen walked away with all the honors and the Grand Championship. Congratulations and thank you for all your hard work.

Be Careful What You Wish For...

2011-12-16T07:12:00.000-08:00

So since it came out last week, I have understood that there is a wrinkle in the Governor's proposed $7 Billion tax initiative for November 2012. While the promise is that all of this $7 Billion will go to schools (and we would like that), the reality is that there is lots of internal shifting and the best you could anticipate actually receiving is $2 Billion. Further, it looks to me that the real "winner" in this scenario is the state that is shifting money and responsibilities.

As you can tell, I am having trouble explaining this -- however, I did find a good and credible explanation that I will share with you. It is found at the Thoughts on Public Education blog. Or here is the web address: http://toped.svefoundation.org/2011/12/15/jerry-browns-cagily-worded-initiative/

On another more optimistic note, my best wishes to you and yours for this Holiday Season.

Better, but not so good

2011-12-15T07:04:00.000-08:00

So we have the results of the declaration of the “mid-year triggers” by the Department of Finance (DOF) which works for the Governor. The news is that the DOF projections are better than the LAO (Legislative Analyst Office) and the State Controller. That’s good news and shows that we are only short about 1/2 of the money that the Governor and Legislature projected out of thin air this past June -- we are only $2 Billion short rather than $4 Billion.

The impact of the shortfall falls predominately on Community Colleges and CSU systems across the state -- which is not so good news. In my view, continuing to whittle away at our higher education system has huge long-term impacts as it ultimately diminishes our economic capacity in the state at a time when we need more that we ever have before.

Beyond that, the primary impact on K-12 schools is the total elimination of transportation funding. While that is a hit to all of us and does directly impact our schools, students, and communities -- it is disproportionate. Transportation funding was built on a historic base rather than on a proportional ADA base. As such, based on history, some got more, some got less.

Within 24 hours LAUSD announced publicly their intention of filing a lawsuit against the Governor and state for their mid-year actions. Part of this issue is that the fact that LA has court-ordered desegregation busing -- and now the funding has vanished along with all the other transportation funding.

Before we get too thankful about all of this, we should also know that the Governor has essentially stated in his comments, “don’t worry it will get worse in 2012-13.” And then in a curious move he went on to say that he is intending in his January budget projection to include as stable revenue his $7 Billion initiative for new taxes (Nov. 2012 ballot). While we certainly like the idea of new revenue, I don't like the idea of expecting something before there is much evidence of it's existence (kinda' like expecting to get a bonus next year before there has been any commitment to such).

All of this again feels like "kicking the can down the road" and expecting that something wonderful will happen in our economic world without involving us in the process. From my view and that of others, this only further complicates and compromises that future.

Following Up on Sal Khan

2011-12-12T07:14:00.000-08:00

First of all my thanks to whomever pointed it out and apologies for misspelling Mr. Khan's name. One of you pointed it out, and I appreciate the correction.

For those of you that are interested, I am including the URL for the speech Khan gave in San Diego. This is the same presentation our Board of Education saw. There is lots of other stuff there, so... my recommendation is that you slide the video slide across to 34:30 and then sit back and enjoy the next hour.

URL: http://aec.csba.org/Programs/Sessions/~/link.aspx?_id=F3D6849A2B3F4D95B660FF55B1863849&_z=z

You should also know that this video will be archived in this spot until December 31, 2011. Therefore, it is imperative that you and others that may be interested look at this prior to that time.

Enjoy!

Yah But

2011-12-09T05:30:00.000-08:00

It was pointed out to me recently that the opposite of “YahBut” is “What If” – which is a rather interesting idea. Actually, we have a school in RUSD that is discussing what happens, if we replace the word “can’t” with “how” – which is a similar idea.

“What if” – allows us to dream a bit, even in the face of tough circumstances (or outstanding opportunities?). Potentially, we may through this process "see" connections and possibilities that were not immediately obvious otherwise.

So in a crazy way here might be some “what ifs”:

What if 2d became 3d?
What if we were focused on learning rather than teaching and testing?
What if we built ideas rather than tore them down?
What if we doubled the college completion rate of all of our students in Riverside?
What if we gave each other the benefit of the doubt rather than am allegation of dissonance?
What if we doubled our math performance at all grades in RUSD?
What if our students had access to high-quality learning 24 hours per day for everyday of the year?
What if “YahButs” were replaced with what ifs half of the time?
What if California led the nation in educational innovation?
What if the U.S. led the world in the production of ideas and thought-leadership?
What if?

So "what if" I am wrong about this "what if" stuff and the real question should be "how?"

December 15th is Getting Close

2011-12-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

The budget drama continues with all the focus being on the “mid-year trigger.” In an earlier post (November 17^th) we reported that the State Controller stated that we weren’t making the revenue as projected by the 2011-12 California budget. Just prior to Thanksgiving, we received similar notification from the non-partisan LAO (Legislative Analyst Office) with similar information.

So it appears that in the middle of this month the Department of Finance (DOF) will declare that such is necessary.  It would also appear that it will actually happen and there will be budget reductions for both K-12 and institutions of higher education in California.  As the Governor himself stated two months ago, “This year, for the first time in a long time, we passed a no-gimmicks, on time budget. Why would we undermine the plan that has earned widespread respect and helped stabilize California's finances?”

More recently, Assembly Speaker John Perez publicly stated that it is unlikely there will be any significant changes, or attempts to change, the budget cuts required should the DOF’s December 15 revenue projections fall below the $4 billion in new revenues.

"The only way to avoid those triggers is to get revenue," Perez told KQED’s John Myers. "And that's not going to happen, because none of the members of the minority party have shown a willingness to engage in that kind of conversation."

So what does this mean to RUSD? Specifically, it means a reduction of $10.4 million in our budget for this year. The only way that we can manage that reduction (in the remaining 6 months of the budget year) is to take it out of our reserve – which further complicates creating a manageable budget for 2012-13 without making further reductions to an already emaciated system.

What is becoming more interesting by the day and the looming potential of a "mid-year" trigger is the real testing of the concept of "too big to fail." Recently Dan Walters of the Sacramento Bee publicly talked about the potential problems of one our neighbors in San Diego (SD USD -- 2nd largest school district in the state). I keep hoping (not a good strategy) that we will have leadership in Sacramento and we will realize that there is a REAL problem AND that we will create a plan to get us out of this interminable mess.

Truly FREE education?

2011-12-05T05:30:00.000-08:00

Last week, I wrote about the article I happened to find about India and how potentially they will put a mobile computing device in the hands of every Indian student. What would that mean for us?

This week, I had the occasion to see and hear Sal Kahn discuss the generation and vision of his Kahn Academy. What is so striking to me is that he believes that he can offer learning and ultimately high quality education for FREE. Further, he is getting lots of support from foundations, etc.

When Kahn talked to us he appears to be making a very different set of assumptions than we normally hold in American public schools. As an example, he stated his propositions as:

School no longer needs to be age-based as learning is not a respecter of age per se.
The assignment of grades in a classroom for student performance begin to lose relevance as the issue is not the grade but the learning that makes the next learning possible.
Ultimately this Kahn application and other applications will “crumble the textbook industry overnight”
Learning should be based on achievement not the amount of time students spend in a chair or desk.
As stated by Kahn, “For the ever decreasing cost of education you can get a pretty good education ...you can have the same educational option as Bill Gates kids” [BTW – Gates children utilize the Kahn Academy resources].

All of this would suggest a truly different paradigm for our schools and students.

I suppose that while his ideas are rather outlandish, his data would support that he is actually accomplishing his goal to some degree. He reports that currently:

The availability of 3,000 videos now – and found at Kahn Academy
A use rate of these videos (primarily math …but growing including art history) is at 3.5 million separate users per month
Each day students complete 2 million exercises on this website

Sal Kahn via a Google grant and others is expanding his program and videos to include 10 languages other than English. He is currently prepping for deploying this opportunity to India in the very near future

So what do you think?

Guest Blogger

2011-12-02T10:46:00.000-08:00

EQUAL ACCESS TO COLLEGE PREPARATORY CURRICULUM

by Dr. David Haglund

It may surprise you to learn that more than one million high school students in California – upwards of 50% -- attend schools that do not offer sufficient courses for admission to state schools, the so-called A-G curriculum. The California Student Bill of Rights Initiative, a project of Education Forward, seeks to remedy this inequity in access through an initiative slated for the November 2012 ballot.

While many California students suffer from a lack of A-G coursework, low-income and minority students suffer most. Latino and African American students graduate high school, complete A-G courses and go to college at rates significantly below average. These students are also more likely to live in low-income neighborhoods, a geographic factor that essentially determines their future: California’s existing public education system creates barriers that prevent students from attending schools or taking online courses outside of their district of residence.

Students can currently attend publically-funded virtual charter schools, but even this opportunity is geographically restricted – students can only attend these schools if they reside in a county contiguous to the one in which the school is based. In the age of the Internet, why are we still limiting students’ educational opportunities based on geography?

The California Student Bill of Rights Initiative addresses this problem directly by utilizing technology to break down the barriers between students and the educational opportunities available to them. Under this proposed law, students will be allowed to take online courses offered by districts other than their own to complete the college preparatory curriculum. These courses must be accredited and taught by teachers with appropriate credentials.

School funding is currently based on the Average Daily Attendance (ADA) formula, which gives schools money based on attendance regardless of educational outcomes or student needs. The Student Bill of Rights Initiative restructures the school financing system so that ADA money can be appropriated to schools based on the classes students take – in the classroom or online – a fairly simple modification since ADA is already based on time spent in class.

For some perspective, consider this: In 1966 the young Steve Jobs entered a low-income middle school in Mountain View, California, where he was confronted with gang violence, overcrowding and poor instruction, and he threatened to drop out. His parents scraped together enough money to buy a house just three miles away on the other side of the district boundary, which meant that Jobs could attend a school in a more affluent neighborhood with better educational opportunities. Other kids have not been so lucky. Forty-five years later, the world has been transformed by technology – from the Internet to tablet computers. Innovators like Jobs have fundamentally changed the way we do business, communicate, shop and learn. The California public education system, however, remains stuck in the past.

With the passage of the Student Bill of Rights, California will be one step closer to educational equality across demographic, economic and geographic boundaries. We will be one step closer to giving our kids the chance they deserve to succeed in the highly competitive 21^st century global economy.

Are we nervous yet?

2011-11-28T06:31:00.000-08:00

I don’t know about you, but I am getting very nervous when I look around and see how the world is changing and morphing at warp speed. In the middle of last school year, I saw the soon-to-be elected President of Turkey holding up a Coby android tablet device and saying that in his 4 year tenure ALL 16 million students in Turkey would have such. Then last spring I saw the news reports out of South Korea stating two things:

Seoul would have a citywide free WiFi system that was robust and could sufficiently handle the bandwidth issues
South Korea is planning to have ALL of its students on fully digital textbooks by 2014-15. These textbooks are not just “flat” versions like our hardcopy texts – but rather an enriched version that looks much more like Wikipedia, CK12 Flex Books, or the Houghton Mifflin FUSE products.

Meanwhile, we really haven’t adjusted much in California, other than our reducing commitment / investment in public education. All of that was not too bad, until earlier this month when I came across another news article that talked about India where ¾ of the population makes less than $2 per day. There are efforts to make sure ALL students have an iPad-type device to assist them with high levels of learning. Impossible! Yet the device has been developed, has a name, and sells for less than $50. If all Indian children and students have one of these devices – do you think it will affect us, our competitiveness, our global stature, or our lives?

Triggers and December/January

2011-11-17T06:13:00.000-08:00

The pressing question that many of us in public education in California are facing is what are the current year budget projections AND does the Governor et al “pull the trigger.” As you might recall, when the budget for this school year was passed by the Legislature in the summer, it included what many of us perceived as $4 Billion in revenue that no one could explain. In fact, the budget terms the $4 B as “unallocated revenue income.” The stated plan, was that if the money doesn’t show up (according to either the Legislative Analyst Office or Dept. of Finance report in December), then the state has a Legislative obligation to make mandatory reductions in the budget in the middle of the year – i.e., “pull the trigger”.

So month by month, many of us have been watching the revenue reports to see what is likely to happen – as reductions in the middle of the year are about the worst nightmare that public schools can imagine. As of last week, after 4 months, here is the situation.

John Chiang, State Controller, reports that we are now $1.5 Billion below revenue projections. Additionally, and possibly even more troubling, is the apparent fact that the state has not made it’s promised reduction in expenditures – therefore, we are now $1.7 Billion OVER the budgeted amounts. Obviously, the net effect is a loss to the budget of $3.2 Billion. This is a report of the first 1/3 of the year (4 months), clearly things can improve in the final 2/3; however, if we had to “guess” the next 2/3 one would not be optimistic.

Net effect? More reductions to local school districts either in the mid-year or in the next budget year (2012-13).

Statewide Assessment Measures

2011-11-14T07:32:00.000-08:00

Much has been said about the pro and con of Common Core standards and whether we should or should not be involved. Another piece of the puzzle is that regardless of which set of standards we in California choose – how would we know whether the standards have been achieved or not? This is the assessment question that is currently resolved primarily through the State CST (California Standards Test) examination.

While there are several choices and we have bounced around a bit in California we currently seem committed to what is termed the Smarter Balance option. This assessment package is interesting in that it promises a computer adapted assessment that will pinpoint the competency levels of students to a much higher degree. Additionally, it should provide a much timelier response in results – so that we can actually use them in planning for the subsequent year.

While there remains much to be done with this issue, my understanding is that it is slated for full implementation in the 2014-15 school year (which is NOT far away). Additionally, in an era when we are still trying to make CalPADS work statewide, this assessment will require a substantial upgrade in digital infrastructure statewide – at a time when we all have diminishing budgets.

My apologies again

2011-11-07T16:33:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been a long time …and my sincerest apologies. There has been a lot going on and we are short of key staff members. In any case, a number of you have asked me why I have not been blogging – just ran out of time. I was amazed and embarrassed as I went back and saw when my last posting had been. In any case, I will try to get going again and not drop the ball as I have this fall.

On a timelier note, our Maintenance and Operations (M&O) folks did a tremendous job over this past weekend. As you might be aware, there was a theft of electrical equipment at Fremont Elementary School that left the school in the dark with the potential for attempting to run school without electricity. Through the great efforts of M&O and others, we were able to obtain the parts from the East Coast and get them installed and operational before Monday morning. All of that is evidence of a great team and great commitment to the RUSD students and their learning.

The Anniversary of a Horrific Day

2011-09-09T06:30:00.000-07:00

Sunday will be a special day across the U.S. as we remember (rather than celebrate) 9/11. Most of us have a very clear remembrance of where we were, what we were doing, and the impact that the Twin Towers and other related events had upon us at that time. I was in Caldwell, ID and was delayed getting to work due to some family issues. As a result, I got to hear and see the early reports of the Twin Tower "accident" with a "small plane" colliding with one of the towers. I further saw the on-going saga until I needed to get to my District and deal with the obvious damage control that we all faced across the country. Do you remember ALL flights being immediately grounded and then people trying to figure out how to get home anyway they could? What a horrific day and event!!

The interesting part is that MOST of our students have limited, if any recollection of the issue as they were at best in 1st or 2nd grade, and most were much younger or not even BORN. Therefore, it is important to make sure that our students learn about what happened on that day. We will be blessed on Monday to be able to share with some of our HS students at 3 schools primary witnesses to the event (e.g. Terry Abbott, who was with President Bush on that fateful day along with Riversider Dave Austin, who was one of the early responders). Pearson Corporation has provided learning materials for 9/11 learning (including some very engaging video resources) May we consider the impact of that day and what we should, will, and do differently as a result?

The times of these events at the 3 High Schools on Monday will be

North High School-- 8-8:56 AM (all times are Pacific)

Ramona High School-- 10:06 -11:01

Arlington High School -- 12:51-1:48

and the link to view a live stream of this is HERE

Annual Report

2011-09-07T06:30:00.000-07:00

We have published and you should be receiving the ANNUAL REPORT provided by the Board of Education to our community. I bring this to your attention as this is the second time that we have provided this report in RUSD. As such, you should be aware of a variety of pieces regarding this annual report:

This report is provided in color to enhance its legibility and interest.
The report will be delivered to the homes of parents in RUSD for ease of access.
The report will also be available for community distribution sites (e.g., Chamber of Commerce, local businesses, etc.).
The intention of the Board is to provide an informative report that is also authentic -- and not necessarily a "glitzy" marketing report.
The entire cost of this report is paid for by Altura Credit Union.
We will be providing similar reports every year, as we progress forward.

We hope that this annual report will be helpful to you and inform you of just a few of the things that are happening in our School District. Of course, we continue to provide daily updates on any number of topics through our District webpage at: http://www.rusdlink.org/

NCLB Waiver??

2011-09-02T06:50:00.000-07:00

Over the course of this summer, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan signaled his potential willingness to “waive” some of the requirements for NCLB based on an application, etc. from individual states. This seems to be the solution, rather than the 4-years-late reauthorization of ESEA (i.e., NCLB). AND it seems to feel a lot like the coercive approach they took with Race to the Top [RTTT] – remember sign-on and we will tell you about all the details later. In fact, as I understand this issue, there is once again not a clear definition of what is required to qualify for the “waiver” of the NCLB requirements and sanctions.

The beltway discussion seems to suggest that the requirements would include things like:

continued turn-around of poor performing schools [not bad],
adopting and implementing teacher/adm evaluations based on student test data [this will probably create comment and concern], and
adopting rigorous college / career-ready standards [so is this different than common core standards?].

In any case, California’s Superintendent of Public Instruction [SPI], Tom Torlakson, sent Duncan a letter on August 23^rd to apply for the waiver. The need for the waiver was based on:

a significant number of schools falling into Program Improvement,
“insufficient” funding in California to meet NCLB requirements, and
“NCLB’s flawed accountability system.”

As a result the SPI requests a freeze of all AYP designations and sanctions for THIS year (11-12), and in return we in California will: continue to work on improving schools, and will do something regarding teacher/principal evaluations in regards to data. Torlakson further voices concern that the apparent requirements for the waiver would require a serious commitment without commensurate funding [sounding like RTTT?].

Making Sure It's Done Well

2011-08-30T07:45:00.000-07:00

School began yesterday across the District, but we should also recognize that there were a variety of orientation activities provided at schools across the District on Friday the 26^th. As an example, I attended King HS that has a celebratory way to bring their freshman on-campus and welcome them to their high school experience. It was outstanding and was facilitated by many including their Link Crew that will mentor and support their fellow students throughout the school year.

I was also able to attend the opening of the STEM Academy and the initial orientation for those students. The event was covered by several media sources including a video representation by the Press Enterprise. It was pretty exciting to see one of our two “new schools” launch on Friday.

Our staff across this District is clearly committed to our students and their success. It couldn’t have been better represented than to view the activities (both the ones I saw and the ones I didn’t see) that occurred across the District – before school even started.

First Day of School

2011-08-29T05:23:00.000-07:00

School begins today and there is obviously lots of excitement for lots of different reasons. I know I always love the beginning of the new school year with new students, teachers, staff, and opportunities. Or perhaps it is just a long-standing habitual reaction that I have for this season of the year.

In any case, we are off and running for a new school year that promises to be a good and interesting one. There are obviously many new programs along with a multitude of adjustments in programs across the District. As just a small example we have:

The new program at Bryant Elementary that focuses on arts and innovation
The dual language immersion program expands both to additional grade levels as well as from Washington Elementary to an additional site at Castle View Elementary
Ramona HS is going to a full 1:1 deployment of mobile digital devices
Most of our middle schools are engaged in something similar to what is happening at Ramona HS

The Riverside STEM Academy at Central Middle School

Welcome back and have a great year!!

Dollars to help our Student Programs

2011-08-25T05:31:00.000-07:00

We have been engaged for some time (as are most school districts) with a federal program we refer to as MAA (i.e., Medi-Cal Administrative Activities). The dollars “earned” are based on providing on-going surveys and accounting of the activities of many of our employees. This past year, we believed we were not fully utilizing this resource and therefore increased our efforts. Our staff did a tremendous job and increased the reporting many times. That’s the good news. The bad news is that it takes literally years for the feds to get around to catching up and paying us for what they identified as legitimate costs.

However, as a result of the efforts this year, we are able to release, on a one-time basis, $500,000 back to our almost 50 schools with the intention that the dollars are to support those programs that students and parents used to support with fees (before we changed our policy). Therefore, there are options at those schools to provide a minor amount of money to support such things as: 6^th grade science camp, fieldtrips, Mock Trial, band, athletics, etc.

While this is not enough, it is a start in the right direction and we continue to look for strategies to generate revenues to support these important, valued programs.

Marching Forward to the Mid-Year Decision

2011-08-23T05:24:00.000-07:00

As part of the state budget scenario (which obviously impacts us in RUSD), the Department of Finance must make a determination of whether the anticipated revenues outlined in the state budget ($4 Billion) has in fact materialized. The good news is that nationally, consumer spending and therefore revenues were up across the nation in July. The bad news is that is NOT the case in California, where essentially the first ½ Billion dollars did not show up in July.

Earlier in the month, the State Controller, John Chiang, in his monthly report indicated the loss. However, there were other opinions in Sacramento. This past week, the Department of Finance made a similar statement – indicating that revenue projections were off by 10% in July. Each month such might occur, makes it much more difficult to get back on target. Bottom-line, each month something like this occurs begins to ensure that there will, in fact, be a mid-year budget reduction for school districts and others, as outlined in the “trigger language” of the state budget legislation.

We have understood this concern all the way along. The real issue for us in RUSD, is what will our ultimate funding from the state be and how badly will if effect not only this year but the coming years as well. I think Sacramento needs to develop a real, accountable budget plan and stick to it -- rather than engaging in on-going smoke and mirror accounting.

Congratulations and Thanks!

2011-08-22T05:08:00.000-07:00

I had the occasion to participate in a “Birthday Party” this past weekend at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Riverside. The subject of the occasion was Dell Roberts who was celebrating his 75^th birthday. Actually, I always thought Dell was 29, so I was quite surprised to find out that he was 75!!

Dell clearly gave a vast part of his work life (38 years) to serving the students of RUSD in a variety of roles. I realize that I am the new kid – having been here only 2½ years. However, I can tell you that when I arrived I heard a lot about Dell and his contributions and given time to reflect I can see it was my loss for not having been here to be part of the time Dell spent directly with RUSD. On the other hand, since I have been here (and Dell has not been employed by RUSD), I have seen Dell everywhere throughout the community – always contributing, encouraging, holding people accountable, and mentoring. His contributions did not stop because he was no longer employed by our District. Dell continues to contribute everyday.

My life has been enriched because I have known Dell Roberts and been in Riverside. Happy Birthday, Dell!!

New Stuff

2011-08-19T14:33:00.000-07:00

If you haven’t visited our RUSD website, you should – it’s brand new and quite different than its predecessor!! Not only does it look different it has much greater functionality. I would encourage you to take a look – AND explore a bit. There is a good video explanation of some of the functions that you can find on the tool bar on the right-hand side of the page under Quick Links.

The Calendar also has some interesting functions as it allows you to set up a customized calendar and "see" a combined calendar that represents your interests. Also new to the system is the ability to look up and find various employees in our school district along with their email, position title, and site location.

As we have done before, there continues to be Board agendas, etc. along with videos of the meetings, etc. Also schools are listed separately and can be found with a searchable listing at the top right of the page. When there is a separate school website, that also is listed for reference on the left side of the page.

I understand that there are more things coming, but we hope you enjoy this change and will find it helpful.

The Invisible

2011-08-15T06:33:00.000-07:00

Sometimes as we look about us, we see what we want to see and don’t see some of the realities that face our students. This past year we had 2,165 students that were categorized by the federal government as “homeless.” The amazing part is that represents about 5% of our school population. These are not students and families that we see on the freeway entry and exit ramps, but rather they tend to be invisible throughout the community – constantly on the move looking for both food and shelter for TONIGHT. Those are the ones we know about, there are others where we know less about that in this difficult economic time have had are reversal of fortune and have similar issues though not the same categorization. All these students and families tend to be “invisible.”

So here is the problem, when we don’t have school there is no school lunch or breakfast (provided through federal funds targeted for that purpose), where and how do these students eat? We do have community organizations such as the Assistance League and others that help bridge that gap. But then there is the case of the summer (which is obviously a much larger problem than a mere weekend).

This is where our great Nutrition Services group has stepped in by partnering with the City of Riverside (Parks and Recreation) to provide through a federal program food (lunch) in the parks for many of our students and more. Last year, we served 145, 679 meals to those young people. Applying the lessons we learned from last year, we will serve 280,000 much-needed meals by the end of summer. In the view of the Nutrition Services group, "hunger doesn't take a vacation, and neither do we." I appreciate the intervention provided by the Nutrition Services group in partnership with the City and personally feel blessed to live in such a community and be able to work with such caring, compassionate people.

School Starts Again

2011-08-08T08:44:00.000-07:00

Sorry for my absence during July, but is has been a seriously crazy month with LOTS going on. Of course, that all culminated for all of us with a week of furloughs. For me, I went to the Sierra’s for a backpacking trip – the room rent is cheap, you know.

We were able to have a great trip, but with LOTS of snow and serious water crossings that are unlike what is “normal” for this time of year – but we were all fine and enjoyed the entire week. We exited short of our goal and therefore needed to figure out how to get back to our car, etc. Fortunately, we were saved by our trail angel, Joe, who gave us a ride back to our car. We met Joe on Glen Pass (11,987’) and traveled with him for a day. He was a great young man from Orange County, with whom we enjoyed visiting and chatting.

So what did you do during the furlough time?

Getting back to reality, school starts for students on Monday, August 29th – which is not far away. At the same time there is LOTS going on in Sacramento and locally. It will be a good year, as we have the opportunity to assist our students with their learning and maturation.

State budget impacts on RUSD

2011-07-06T05:50:00.000-07:00

So what does all of this new state budget mean for us in RUSD? Here is my best guess/information as we go forward:

We stick to our original plan/budget. Even if it gets better through this effort (which we certainly hope for), we are still largely funded based on one-time money (like your savings account) and employee furloughs.
We continue to do multi-year projections and utilize the original intent of AB1200 as it was good legislation and has shown a 20 year history of actually working pretty well.
Be ready in January to take an additional mid-year reduction.
Be ready in January to NOT take additional reduction of instructional days (remember we have a NO layoffs for 11-12 …which would include more furloughs).
Smile!!

We have a budget...

2011-07-05T05:45:00.000-07:00

The Governor has signed the budget and it is historically “early.” That’s the good news; the more interesting news is what anybody thinks it might be saying to us and how it will play out. As I understand it from a variety of sources, most, if not all of this legislation was voted on without the Legislative members having copies or certainly having time (should they desire) to read it. I guess Prop 25 works.

The vote on the budget was solely Democratic with no Republican members voting in favor, which raises the question – If we are represented by a Republican, do we have any representation in Sacramento, given the majority party scenario? Not complaining, I just find it to be a very interesting time and set of circumstances.

The earlier budget pieces and parts that we have reported earlier (last week) have changed a bit given the inclusion of special interests in the final negotiations. So the final budget looks something like this – until January when it changes again (mid-year reductions).

K-12 Schools were more or less treated well with no further reductions. There is a slight problem with an additional $2 billion deferral and the prospect of a mid-year reduction, based on not meeting the projected revenue targets.

The budget approval is based on $4 billion in “newly found” money. The two biggest pots seem to be: 1) redevelopment agency funds and 2) taxes on Internet sales. The lawsuits on the redevelopment monies have already started and there has been lots of pushback all the way along from large Internet sales folks (e.g., Amazon).
If we are more than $2 billion short in the $4 billion projection then there is an automatic reduction in funding AND the potential of local school districts reducing the school year by 7 additional days in the 2^nd semester of the school year.
Unlike earlier reports, the reduction moved from 10 to 7 days and is negotiable with local employee groups.
If there were to be a mid-year reduction, it could be as large as $250 per student (reductions are to be proportional). Additionally, it seems to be the intent of Sacramento at that point to eliminate all home-to-school transportation funding to districts.

While transportation certainly impacts RUSD and our families, it really creates major problems in rural areas which can have substantial distances to cover with no other public transit alternatives.

There is also an effort via a November 2012 election to realign funding and sales taxes to the local/county level – and “re-bench” the Prop 98 funding formulas. We will see what this all looks like, but I am sure that it will promise to be interesting.
Probably most interesting of all of this budget adoption are matters related to AB1200 which we have had for 20 years (1991). The budget essentially says that County offices of education that were tasked under 1200 with fiscal oversight – are to disregard multi-year progressions. Under AB 1200, county offices were to make sure districts did not go “broke” and that there was an “early warning system” (i.e., interim reports twice per year). So bottom line, if we put together some “good” estimates of revenue and expenditures for the current 11-12 year, then the county will approve it – and can’t comment about what happens after that.

NEW Deal

2011-06-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

So it is one day later and I am apparently wrong – but still an uninformed, speculating superintendent. Yesterday, according to Sacramento there was a budget deal that was made (2 weeks after the June 15^th deadline). It has been announced but not many details yet – including actual budget language and passage of the measure (THAT’s when we have a budget).

Republicans are not and have not been part of this budget deal, which leaves us wondering what their role is in Sacramento (post Prop 25)? Predictably, they are opposed to the deal, but it doesn’t matter as a majority vote (Democratic) prevails in the matter. Bottom line, this now moves to getting the actual legislation written and approved as law (which is not instantaneous).

What does it say?

Essentially things are better, as they are projecting $4 Billion more in revenue (without an especially strong rationale)
Schools are more or less treated the same as they were this last year (no cuts), though there is a new $2 Billion deferral. There are some other tweaks in there that are long-term -- but that remains to be seen.
The BIG question is posed in January 2012 (6 months away), IF the revenue projections are not as suggested -- THEN there is an "automatic" trigger that potentially reduces schools by $350 per student and imposes a 10 day reduction of the school year without requiring collective bargaining with employees. This really does expose schools -- just a 6 month reprieve.

Stay tuned, it could be a hot 4th of July.

Things are "hot" in Sacramento

2011-06-27T05:18:00.000-07:00

Interesting shift of things as California State Controller John Chiang determined that the Legislature did not reach the Prop 25 threshold and therefore all Legislators don’t get paid – as they didn’t have a “balanced budget.” The reality is that this is new territory as the majority party can pretty much do what they want – though they have to “balance” the budget and that requires arguably some reductions and changes that they may not be interested in making. In the past, there has always been a partisan argument and defense (they won't let us do it!!). However, with Prop 25 they can’t “blame” it on the Republicans as their vote is NOT required and frankly at this point they appear to be somewhat irrelevant.

So bottomline, this looks like it is going to have to be a deal between the Governor and the Democratic party. Meanwhile the Dems and the unions aren’t all that interested in a tax vote (not surprisingly), as all the numbers say it loses and the unions are saying they don’t want to pay for a losing ballot issue. Probably most interesting to me is that with the action of Chiang this really goes back to a “do-over” proposition AND my guess is that no one expected that and therefore it will take several weeks at best to begin to get something together to propose and produce as a California budget. Regardless of the temperature, I am sure it will be a “hot” summer in Sacramento.

But then I am an uninformed, speculating school superintendent. What do you think is going to happen?

We have a budget …but nobody is happy

2011-06-16T10:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, as many predicted, the budget was passed and the Legislators get paid again. But as some would say, this will NOT be the last budget for the year (remember this last year). Not surprisingly, as indicated yesterday in my post, there are all kinds of gimmicks and smoke. Beyond the impacts to K-12 education (both short and long-term), I am really concerned about the Higher Education reductions. This is a serious concern for the long-term health of the state and our economy. How do we grow out of our economic “hole” when we cut off or reduce one of the primary drivers of our economy?

The “fun” in Sacramento yesterday was capped off with references to the “Soprano’s” and a potential fist-fight on the floor of the Assembly. Beyond all the budget trauma and battling which borders on the bizarre, there is an interesting column on the political scenario that surrounds all of this hoopla.

The problem locally is that we have learned we can’t trust Sacramento and need to continue to plan for mid-year reductions and more. Our calculations keep telling us that there will continue to be reductions as the real problem has not been resolved and this is NOT a balanced budget.

P.S. -- In late breaking news, the Governor has vetoed the budget plan ...so now we start all over!!

Budget, want a budget? Here's a budget!

2011-06-15T06:30:00.000-07:00

So today is supposed to be the deadline for the State to adopt a budget (i.e., the Legislature to send such to the Gov). According to Prop 25, the Legislators don't get paid from this point on IF there is no budget. SO, rumor has it that they will begin seriously this morning at 11 am (check it out on CalChannel on the web.

The theory is that since there has been NO bi-partisan agreement, the Dems will just pass a majority vote measure (don't need Rep for that) that puts something in place along with extended revenue measures. Meanwhile, there is hope for an election, etc. to cope with the issue of taxes (which balance the budget). Much like last year, they will adopt a budget and then discover they really don't have enough money in the bank to make it work (remember Sept // Nov of last year?).

To get all of this done:

schools will get more deferrals (schools you can borrow more ...just not get more?)
we will sell State buildings in downtown Sacramento (they don't need them anymore?)
more cuts to higher ed
taking money from First 5
etc.

The Governor then has 2 weeks to sign or veto the budget. Does anyone get the sense that we just moved from the bizarre to crazy?

RTTT – Déjà Vu

2011-06-08T06:51:00.000-07:00

The beat of the federal drums keeps on drumming. Now, we have the 3rd round of Race To The Top (RTTT). But don’t worry you can’t apply. In a recent announcement, the federal Department of Education announced this new opportunity for those that didn’t quite make it previously (California included). Needless to say, the CORE group of 7 school districts is excited and optimistic about the potential of additional funding.

Meanwhile, it seems that there are those in other states and the National Governors Association that are a bit more skeptical. They are concerned for the lack of transparency and the seemingly arbitrary exclusion of almost 30 states from the “competition.” Before this is all over, the federal DOE may be interested in the opinion and support of the National Governors Association, as public education is a states rights issue.

So if we have raced to the top twice before, is this really a race to the TOP?

Graduation

2011-06-06T06:23:00.000-07:00

It certainly was great to see and participate in the 5 graduation/promotion ceremonies this past week. I know that there were others across Riverside as well (though they tell me I only be in one place at one time). It is always great to see students achieve and succeed -- which was surely obvious from these events. My thanks and that of the District and community to all the great teachers and staff that assisted and supported these students in their 13 year journey to graduation. Great job!!

It was also great to see the Publications crew along with their army of students produce the first-ever live streaming of the Arlington HS and Earhart Middle School commencement. I know there were grandparents that, due to physical disability, were not able to attend the Arlington event that could see their students in "real-time." I know that during the Arlington event we had over 200 viewers. You can see these videos along with many other great things on our video site at: http://www.rusdvideo.org/

Here are just a view of my pictures and remembrances from this past week.

Congrats to the Huskies

2011-06-04T06:23:00.000-07:00

Congrats to the JW North Boys Baseball team that won the CIF Championship last night in Dodger Stadium over OC Esperanza. The score wasn't even close at 7-1. Even the OC Register finally gives JW North its due and demonstrates its great to be a Riversider. As outlined in the LA Times this is a team that has grown in its competitiveness and skill. Great job Huskies!!

Future?

2011-06-02T16:21:00.000-07:00

During these times of chaos, the persistent question always seems to be what will it look like when we get to the other side of this recession and we compete in global economy? There are lots of speculative answers, for sure; however, I ran across this interesting blog post from Seth Godin.

The post addresses the issue of libraries and librarians in an age where people increasingly have Kindles, Nooks, iPads, and the like – AND where Amazon now sells more electronic books than hard copy books by a growing number. It also takes a historical look first at the issue, before Godin looks at the prospective issue.

What is your perspective?

Budget?

2011-06-01T06:08:00.000-07:00

The Governor did issue his May Revision which is better than we had hoped but essentially the same as his original budget in January. There was a serious up-tick in the tax revenues ($3 Billion) which they are projecting will sustain itself for the next two years (to $6 Billion). However, the real question is will it be any different than January when Governor Brown issued about the same thing but got nowhere in actually enacting the budget.

My guess is that the Governor is an experienced politician that learned a lot in the January to March sequence and won’t make the same errors again. I think he understands that with Prop 25 he really doesn’t need the Republicans (though he did send the olive branch back in January / February) AND the legislators are motivated differently than before, as failure to enact a budget means they don’t get paid. Further, unlike prior years when it took 2/3 to pass the budget, now it only takes a simple majority (which would suggest there is no longer a Big 5 only a Big 3).

It should be interesting to watch in the next 30 to 60 days to see if it really is different AND successful.

I'm Back...

2011-05-31T05:04:00.000-07:00

Sorry for my absence the last several weeks, but like many of you it has been crazy busy and we are racing to graduation (high school and otherwise). Graduation, of course, is probably the most important event of our school year. This is the celebration of the accomplishment of our students, teachers, staff, and families over the past 12+ years. Not surprisingly, it is typical for families to gather, even geographically distant relatives, for the event and rite of passage. Needless to say, I am looking forward to hearing of the exploits of our students and seeing them march in commencement.

Speaking of which it begins tonight and will progress through the week as follows:

Tuesday at 6 pm

Ramona @ Ramona Stadium

Wednesday at 6 pm

Poly @ Ramona Stadium
Lincoln @ Lincoln

Thursday at 6 pm

Arlington @ Ramona Stadium
ML King @ King Stadium
JW North @ RCC Stadium

Friday at 6 pm

RVS, Summit View, & Raincross @ EOC

See you there!!

May Revision Today

2011-05-16T08:43:00.000-07:00

In all goes according to the theory and schedules from Sacramento, we should have the Governor's May Revision to the Budget today. In every year, that is helpful as it tells us what to expect and therefore what to include in our local budgets, which by law must be totally completed by the end of the year (June 30th). Essentially, the May Revise becomes the source of budget planning as it is the latest "official" information in the absence of a state budget (which last year, you recall, didn't arrive until October).

While there is always an argument of what gets included and how it gets labeled, there is a May report from Ed Source -- which is a long-standing independent voice in California politics and education. The report outlines the impacts of budget reductions on schools. The report is essentially 2 pages and includes a graphic of how dollars are split up between categories in the typical California school district. For purposes of comparison I am including below the same data for the same year in RUSD -- the only distinction is that Special Ed is included with instruction category.

We will look forward to what the Governor has to offer today in his May Revise message.

The Balanced Budget Game!!

2011-05-13T09:48:00.000-07:00

For those that are interested, our best information is that Governor Brown will be delivering his "May Revision" on Monday, May 16th. This is significant, as it begins to outline the Governor's "thinking" after he proposed his initial budget plans in January, and they went astray with the cancellation of the tax extension (State income), as it could not be placed on the ballot.

BEFORE, we hear the Governor's message, I thought you might like to play the budget game and spend OR cut Billions of dollars (actually only $16.4 Billion). As such, the Sacramento Bee has it's budget balancer available and YOU can decide what the Governor should do. Then on Monday we can see IF he agrees with you. Have fun?

Day of the Valuable Employee

2011-05-11T05:15:00.000-07:00

Today is the time we will celebrate the Day of the Teacher in our District. This is also the week before the Classified Employee event These are important events as they recognize those that contribute daily to the learning and well-being of our students.

RUSD is recognized regularly by others throughout the state for the quality of its work and the quality of its students. ALL of that is attributable to the teachers and classified staff that are working to make that happen. THEY are the heroes and yes, in some cases, they are literally saving the life and future of the young people in their charge.

Great job, teachers!! Great job, Classified employees!! Great job, managers and administrators!! Our students and far better -- because of you. I hope YOU take the time today or this week to thank these wonderful folks. Attached at this link is a video of thanks.

Another Causalty?

2011-05-09T05:35:00.000-07:00

The budget continues to be unresolved and school districts along with other local agencies struggle to figure out what happens next -- and how to survive. However, things are even getting somewhat interesting in Sacramento. While it is not a "huge" issue or event, it is interesting to note that the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) recently cancelled the California Distinguished School Awards Ceremony for this year. His rationale was that the California Department of Education (CDE) couldn't afford it. He went on to say that the vast majority of the recognition event was paid for by corporate sponsorship -- while the CDE cost was staff time?

We are all struggling with budgets and finding enough resources to do anything. I understand the concern of the SPI; however, I wonder about the merit of cancelling THIS event. It seems to me that when we fail to recognize excellence, than we begin to see mediocrity as the standard. In a time when the LA Times and others are unfairly targeting teachers with inappropriate assessment instruments, this is an event that recognizes the team and collective efforts of teachers et al -- which is far more desirable and appropriate. I understand the budget, I don't understand the loss of recognition.

I lost my tie!!

2011-04-29T06:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon, once again over 500 Seniors at JW North gathered with community leaders to present their Senior Exhibitions. Kudos to them all, as well as their teachers and mentors. This is not only a life skill to stand up in front of others and present, it is an assessment of their learning over the past 4 years at North.

Dr. Tony Wagner, of Harvard University, is currently criticizing the notion across America that we overly test students with the use of "bubbles" and "multiple choice" types of assessment items. He advocates that students need to pose solutions and defend their proposition. I would argue that the Senior Exhibitions at JW North do exactly that.

And yes, I was more than pleased to assist anyway possible in that effort.

Investment?

2011-04-27T06:02:00.000-07:00

There has probably MORE than enough written by me and others about the current budget situation in California and how it effects schools and students.

Recently, we had a Spring Break and I had the chance to leave town for a few days and decompress. As part of that process, I had the chance to read a bit (not as much as I would like). One of the books I had a chance to read was Stones Into Schools which follows Mortensen's original book of his personal journey, Three Cups of Tea -- either of which I would recommend.

I was struck me, was that this was a book about building schools in Afghanistan -- in the midst of a war and following an earlier war involving the Soviets as well as significant tribal issues. Yet at the heart of it was the firm belief of the local citizens in the education/schooling of their children as being their future. They were willing to invest their resources and even their lives to make that happen. Umm...

Hoping for a REALLY Good "May Revise"

2011-04-25T06:38:00.000-07:00

The budget seems to change on a daily basis ...and Sacramento is not even there!! No tax extension. Now there seems to be insufficient time make a November ballot happen (which is too late anyway).

So what are we left with?

Increasingly, the prognosticators are suggesting that probably the "solution" for 2011-12 is to pass on a loss of $350 per student to schools and districts and then use "smoke and mirrors" for the rest of it. Not surprisingly, neither party seems all that interested in an "all cuts" budget; however NOT solving the problem only makes the issue far worse for the next round. Who knows?

The next big event in this circus is the Governor's May Revision of the Budget -- which would typically be held on Friday, May 13th (auspicious) -- though we never really know when any Governor will deliver this message. The point of the revision is to update us on what the plan given the changes that might have occurred since January (which in this case are many). Speculators aside, this is when we know the Governor's plan for resolving the budget issues -- regardless of the partisanship.

While it does not apply to our District this year, there are essentially 19,000 teachers across California that were issued notices of possible layoff. One would have to speculate that ALL of those teachers would receive the next notice on or before May 15th assuring they will not have employment for the 2011-12 school year.

Welcome Senator Emmerson et al

2011-04-18T06:05:00.000-07:00

Obviously, things have not improved with the budget. In fact, the issue seems to be how much we are going to be reduced in the existing environment – with the only “promise” being something in November? If you run the math on November it is long after anybody can do much for 2011-12 – and there are questions that if it were to survive a November election – how long would it take to actually get the money? To give you a quick idea of the negatives here they go (our comparable base is $5,200 per student):

An “as is” budget with “no cuts” …we lose $19 per student and have increased operational costs (e.g., salary schedules, utilities, etc.)
Prop 98 loss …-$350 per student (which also includes the -$19 above) …based on natural drop with no tax extension …this is the existing law
A Democratic proposal to make all this work …for a total of -$835 per student (with all the above included)
The LAO (Legislative Analyst Office) projection to right-size the budget …$760 per student …in addition to the $350 per student based on the Prop 98 drop …for a total of -$1,100 per student

To try and translate this back into a reduced school year …as we have tried about all the other alternatives we can think up, it might look something like this. When I went to the calendar on our website, I find our projected start date for students is Monday, August 29th. To accommodate at an $835 hit, theoretically the start of school should be moved back to Friday, October 7th. To further move the date back to accommodate an $1,100 hit we would need to start on Thursday, October 20th in time for the approaching Halloween weekend. I wonder if this will impact the learning of our students and the long-term economy and productivity of our state?
To his credit, Senator Bill Emmerson, one of our local Senators will be in town along with the State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI), Tom Torlakson, to provide an insider’s view of what is going on in Sacramento and why we don’t have a budget. Senator Emmerson has attempted to bridge the partisan divide and be a statesman in this issue, but for whatever reason it hasn’t appeared to work. He along with the SPI will be at RCC today. Welcome!

Students and Staff Excel Once Again

2011-04-13T17:39:00.000-07:00

Well once again our staff and students have done an extraordinary job during the most difficult of times -- financially. Yesterday, California released the names of the 97 California Distinguished Schools for this school year. The levels of the schools to be recognized change each year with this year's focus on secondary schools (grades 7-12) across the state. Not surprisingly, we had two of our schools recognized -- Earhart & Gage Middle Schools. They were recognized as 2 of the 5 secondary schools in Riverside County. The other 3 included two in Desert Sands (Indio, etc.) and one in Lake Elsinore.

These awards are determined through a rigorous statewide process. The addition of these two schools this week, brings the total of our Distinguished School Awards to 32 in Riverside Unified School District.

Hiatus

2011-04-04T16:05:00.000-07:00

To all,

As a District we are closed this week and essentially most of our students and staff are off for a time of rest and rejuvenation. As such I will not be blogging this week. I wish all of you a restful time and we will begin our race to graduation when we return on Monday, April 11th.

Rick

The TOP of the top

2011-03-31T05:28:00.000-07:00

I am always amazed and impressed with the top 10 category in Riverside County academic awards. Once again our RUSD students did extraordinarily well with 4 of the 10 awards. This continues to sustain my argument, that if you want opportunities to excel you won’t find a better place than RUSD (maybe equal, but not better). On the other hand, I frankly am not sure how you can get GPAs north of 4.5 (all of them), new SAT scores of 2250 (which is in excess of the 99th percentile nationally), and apparently successfully created a foundation for world peace. Extraordinary kids and great staff. To give you some view of these extraordinary RUSD students (as I cannot adequately describe their talent, work, and dedication) I have included one such example below:

This student is a senior at an RUSD High School. The student is ranked first in their class and has a GPA of 4.75. The student’s activities and honors include: summer research intern at the National Institutes of Health Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research in Washington DC, volunteer intern at the UC Riverside Insect Immunity and Vector Biology Lab and the Biomedical Sciences Lab, founder and tutor of the chess club at Riverside Main Library, founder and tutor of the chess club at Riverside Orange Terrace Library, volunteer at Loma Linda Children’s Hospital, National Merit Semifinalist, National AP Scholar, California State History Day finalist, and Rensselaer Medalist. They scored a 2,250 on the SAT.

A little more detail...

2011-03-30T11:59:00.000-07:00

For a good but brief analysis of what yesterday's news in Sacramento means to all of us in the State as well as in K-12 education -- you might wish to check out this article/website.

The Last Gasp?

2011-03-29T21:12:00.000-07:00

So if you haven't heard yet, the Governor has declared that he has given up on the Republicans, the opportunity to get to a ballot measure for June, and the possibility of extending the current taxes. Beyond the media reports, Brown wrote a letter to Senator Bob Dutton (local representative and Senate minority leader) basically agreeing to some version of 3 items but unwilling to talk about 53 items. Actually, it is pretty interesting reading.

I understand that lots of folks think that somehow there has to be a "deal" struck between the two parties. Okay!! But, regardless of your party, I really don't understand the reluctance to allow the people (US!!) to vote one way or the other on the matter (feels a bit undemocratic). Especially, given it is a tax we are already paying. And by the way, a June vote is NO guarantee of it passing -- it is only an opportunity for us to know what the citizens of California would actually like to do on this particular matter!!

Time is finally gone!! My best info is that if this is not resolved in the next two days we are in for defacto CUTS because we aren't allowed to vote.

So How Do You Feel About the Loss of Another $1,000+ per Student?

2011-03-28T05:57:00.000-07:00

Ymm... Okay, deadlines are passed, even the "wiggle" room is passed, what is left? With the passage of last week and still no authorization for a ballot measure, it seems that YOU and I will not get a chance to tell the Governor and Legislature about our beliefs regarding a tax extension or a doubling of the current budget and program reductions. At least that is what the Governor seems to believe in his YouTube video discussion and "check-in" with the people of California.

While I can understand we looked at this tax question back in 2009, I am somewhat amazed at the lack of willingness to look at it again two years later. I don't know about you, but it would seem that there have been several changes in the past two years that may or may not effect my view of the matter. In my RUSD world we have made another $75 million in reductions (which kinda' sounds like big money to me) and the impacts on our classrooms and District are becoming increasingly obvious. In California, this year's per student funding is actually less than it was in 97-98 (which was awhile ago). At the same time, the national economy has clearly shown signs of not only recovery but growth (albeit slow in California).

Guess our legislators don't believe we have the wherewithal to make such important decisions. Instead, THEY now have the collective obligation to make even more draconian cuts (which we will live with) that not only effect our students ...BUT the economic future of California.

If you are prompted to call those that get to make this decision, you can find their numbers here and you can choose to call them now or wait until after the reductions begin to occur.

The Sac Budget Tango?

2011-03-23T07:28:00.000-07:00

So last week came and went and the Governor and Legislature did not meet the budget timelines laid out for putting the tax extension on the June ballot. SO the theory was, maybe this week! There was a bit of "give" in the deadline ...but even that ends either today or tomorrow, depending upon your view. However, the newest strategy seems to have moved to a Plan B approach that hopes for a November (what happened to June?) election -- meanwhile Rome is burning.

The economic conditions in California government continue to spiral down. Waiting is NO solution. The tragic part -- in my view -- is by not addressing the needs of our students, we create long-term damage to both the State of California AND the student. Where is the leadership?

For Those of You Who MISSED It...

2011-03-18T05:48:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday morning, we had a great opportunity to address our business community -- via Good Morning Riverside, regarding the great work that our students and staff are doing in RUSD. With about 200 people crammed into the Music Room of Mission Inn, we were able to showcase just a fraction of the good work that is being done on a daily basis.

If you missed it you can find it at the following website and replay it: http://www.schooltube.com/video/6280ad6137d8ecaf5910/Good-Morning-Riverside-Performance

Are we ready for some changes?

2011-03-17T06:09:00.000-07:00

It would seem that we are in interesting times where there is clear evidence (based on some triangulation) that things are not as they were in the last century -- to wit:

Recent evidence from the U.S. Military indicates that they are increasingly having difficulty finding "qualified" recruits for military service. Obviously this data is somewhat skewed as recruits tend to be "self-selected" -- however, 25% are not qualified to serve.
Time magazine reports that in 2010 there was a 59% DROP in email use by 12 to 17 year-olds based on their social media preference.
At the same time we have discovered that "Watson" (the artificial intelligence "competitor") really is "smarter" than the two previous champions on the quiz show, Jeopardy.
Finally, we find that many in Wisconsin are concerned and "in the streets" over the potential loss of government support positions and related benefits.

It would seem to me, that old rules don't work so well any more. I am thinking we need to figure out how to get ALL of our children/students to high levels of productivity and 21st century skill level (which is not fact based) as quickly as possible.

We Passed the DEADLINE ...now what?

2011-03-16T05:22:00.000-07:00

Now what? Who knows? Speculation is that while we exceeded the Governor's 60 day deadline ...there may be a few more days before this tax extension ballot becomes "impossible." My understanding is that the absolute end of this legislative procedure is Monday, March 21st -- at which point there will need to be a different strategy in Sacramento.

As to the mechanics, it is interesting that apparently 5 Republican Senators (2 are required for passage) have indicated some interest in stepping over the line on this issue. Assuming that can be accomplished, the Governor is half way there as he must get 2 Republican Assembly members to do the same thing -- and so far we have not heard of anyone voicing interest in taking that action.

It is also interesting that there has been little discussion of the $12 billion that the Governor is projecting in reductions in the budget. Typically, these are reductions that are not viewed positively by the Democrats. Overall, this feels a bit like 2009 with another Governor.

In the middle of this mix, is the smaller, but very much related question, how will we fund our schools and the education of our children (future)? I can agree with the recent direction of our Press Enterprise editorial on the topic.

March 15th and NO layoffs

2011-03-15T07:11:00.000-07:00

It is March 15th and we have been able to avoid ANY layoffs. My congratulations to our RCTA and CSEA unions that had the foresight to craft and arrive to an agreement back in November (2010) that provided for NO layoffs this year (except for 17 FTE in ARRA funding). Fortunately, for all of us, we have NOT needed to even exercise the allowable 17 layoffs in the ARRA situation. This is best for all of us. My deepest appreciation for both of our unions in establishing these agreements and related conditions where NO one is laid off in these difficult times.

Our employees are our asset, that is the only way we can get the work of schools and education done. Now, one would only hope that Sacramento can get its work done and we can have a reasonable budget for this coming year (2011-12) and the next. We have thousands of kids and an entire economy depending upon us.

So Happy for Pi (Pie) Day!!

2011-03-14T06:08:00.000-07:00

I am excited and I would assume that all of you that are math inclined share the same enthusiasm for today. Why you ask? It's 3/14 -- PI Day. You know the mathematical constant that we use in all kinds of calculations and frustrations of math instruction in our schools. Remember the value of Pi? ...Yep, you are right... 3.14 (kinda like 3/14). However, as it is an irrational constant we still are looking for the complete value but it starts looking like π = approximately 3.14159 26535 89793 23846 26433 83279 50288 41971 69399 37510...

Of course if you like Pi Day, you will also like July 22nd which is Pi Approximation Day as 22/7 (day/month date format) is a fractional approximation of Pi. BTW ...July 22nd is 100 days away.

In any case, enjoy your Pi today!

3 days and counting?

2011-03-07T05:48:00.000-08:00

According to the Governor's timeline, we have 3 days until we hit Wednesday, March 10th -- when he needs the legislature to approve the June ballot option to extend our taxes in California. As such, things have become increasingly interesting. Most recently, there is ballot language proposal released by the Governor to manage this situation along with a trailer bill. Actually, the Governor was somewhat humorous in his Biblical references regarding the attempt to persuade Republicans to join the cause.

However, the basic dilemma continues between the Republicans and Democrats in a game of "chicken." Dan Walters has one of the more compelling columns on the problem. The essential problem is that the game has changed with Prop 25 in November.

3 -- 2 -- 1 ...the clock is ticking and the outcome is critically important not only for schools and children BUT to all of California. We will see what happens. Wind your watch!!

So if you don't like Plan A ...how about Plan B?

2011-02-24T10:20:00.000-08:00

As the budget discussion continues and the days mark down on the Governor's deadline to get authorization for a June ballot measure, the Legislative Analyst Office (LAO) in Sacramento issued his own Plan B. So what do we do if the tax extension doesn't work? Or what if we really can't make all the reductions proposed? Etc.

The Plan B obviously has lots of impacts, but relative to K-12 education it would essentially propose an additional reduction of $750 per student against an existing $5,000 funding level. This basically adds another 15% in reductions to what already is arguably the lowest funding level in the United States. I believe this will have a serious effect on our children/students -- FAR beyond the effects that it has already had.

Progressing Kinda'

2011-02-22T06:23:00.000-08:00

The Governor's budget process continues along in its journey toward a June election and possible tax extension that would generate an additional $12 Billion on state revenue for the next 5 years. But there are a couple of possible hiccups. There is essentially a March 10th deadline that must be met to get this to the June ballot -- and time is ticking.

A larger problem is whether or not the Governor can convince enough of the Republicans to approve the measure to get it on the ballot. While we have cleared the Assembly there is not such an optimistic view in the Senate and for overall success. This past week, in an unusual move, Senator Dutton in GOP leadership stated that the Republicans would NOT agree to a ballot measure for a tax increase.

Day 44 and counting!

Distinguished Again

2011-02-17T05:43:00.000-08:00

Our Middle Schools are some of the best in the county and we have known that for some time by looking at the data. This past week we were notified that two of our Middle Schools (i.e., Earhart and Gage) are moving forward with a "validation" visit in the California Distinguished Schools process. There were 2 other schools recognized in the county with a coming visit -- both in Desert Sands USD. These two middle schools are adding to the growing list of RUSD schools that have won this statewide award one or several times.

Those involved already know that these schools are great schools and performing well. The "validation" visit to review and understand the signature practices of each of these schools that can be shared with others. Earhart Middle School is actually the TOP performing middle school in the county of Riverside. We look forward to these two schools performing well and standing on the California Distinguished School stage in May.

Thank you teachers, classified, and administrators for the GREAT job you are doing with our students and schools.

There's a new Sheriff in Town!!

2011-02-14T05:28:00.000-08:00

In January, we had a change of Governors. Actually, that is not all that unusual. However, in this case it appears to be far different than before. When Governor Brown took office there were some symbolic budget reductions but more importantly there is a real reduction of formality and officialdom. We began to hear of Gov. Brown walking down the streets of Sacramento minus escorts, motorcades, and handlers -- this is different!

As an example, Governor Brown recently attended the State Board of Education meeting without announcing his arrival -- and engaged in an informal conversation with the Board. Governor Brown was also attired informally. Overall, there seem to be clear signals that this Governor is much more impromptu and relaxed in his approach. An excerpt of the State Board of Education meeting can be seen by going to: http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/pn/nr/yr11sberel01.asp

Last week the Governor needed to get to SoCal ...so like you and I he headed down to Southwest airlines and got on-board (don't know if he was Business Select // in the A group or not) -- and then sat next to real people. Time will tell, but it would appear that things are happening Sacramento.

Budget Progress

2011-02-09T05:31:00.000-08:00

So we are about a month away from D-Day and the deadline for constructing and placing the Governor’s proposed tax extension measure on the June ballot. How’s it going? As come forward from the Governor’s “budget proposal” in early January we are beginning to see things shape up a bit. There are certainly a variety of articles from various sources regarding the merits or lack of with the Governor’s budget plan.

From my perspective, I appreciate the Governor’s courage, intent, and plan – but this seems to be anything other than a “sure” thing at this point. From a distance it appears that:

The Governor’s plan is an “equal opportunity offender” in that both parties have lots to be upset about:

The Republicans are obviously upset about the potential of an increase / extension of taxes for 5 more years – and they have signed a “no-tax pledge”
The Democrats (though in the Legislative majority and the same party as the Governor) are facing huge reductions to some of their favorite programs with the proposed $12 Billion in reductions from Brown

School officials and constituents are beginning to wrap their minds around the incredible level of reductions that are likely / promised if this tax measure does not make the June ballot and get passed.

Probably instantly we lose $250 per student in the current year “deferral” that would not get delivered
We would instantly lose another $350 per student for next year as the Prop 98 guarantee is reduced by $2 Billion – for a total loss of $600 per student
All of those changes do NOT resolve the “hole” that is left in the Governor’s budget plan (another $10 Billion) – which will arguably mean more schools reductions as we “own” a significant share of the $10 Billion. Current estimates of resolving begin to sound like a $1,000 to $2,000 loss per student in total.

Only yesterday, Dan Walters of the Sacramento Bee and long-time Capitol observer noted well, "Many questions. As yet, no answers." Meanwhile the clock is ticking.

Value-added in JROTC

2011-02-07T05:20:00.000-08:00

An oft under-represented program in our community / school discussions is the JROTC (Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp) that is provided at 4 of our high schools with 4 of the service groups (i.e., Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines). These groups have dramatic impact on our students / cadets as they are assisted with discipline and training that is supportive of healthy lifestyles and improved academic performance.

I saw one more example of that type of commitment and performance on Friday night with Poly HS JROTC Military Ball (i.e., 95th Annual) at the Riverside Convention Center. The event was attended by 190 uniformed cadets and their dates. There was a formal receiving line, introductions, toasts, traditions, etiquette, and a speech from visiting Major Sagona, etc. – ALL of which was run by the senior cadets.

Nicely done Major Dominguez and Poly Bear Cadets.

Redevelopment Funds

2011-02-04T06:24:00.000-08:00

As part of the Governor’s budget plan/process/etc., he is suggesting that Redevelopment Agencies (RDA) pay schools directly rather than their original intent to support redevelopment projects. This sounds like a “good deal” for schools and the children of this state; however, upon closer inspection the reality is that is probably better for the State than anyone else.

Under the current laws, the State owes schools a particular amount of money by formula. With this RDA shift that amount of money is the same as it has always been (i.e., schools do not get one more dollar under this shift). However, who is paying the bill/obligation is shifting from the State to the local RDA – which makes one think that the State is the winner in this situation.

Meanwhile the capital improvement projects that are supported by RDA funds in the City are lost along with the construction-based jobs that were involved in building those projects.

In RUSD (as well as many other districts in Riverside County), we already get a substantial amount of money on an annual basis from the RDA to support the building of schools and other facilities. If this RDA change should occur, we will not get any more operational funds as defined by state law, BUT we would lose our current RDA funds. The net effect would be that we lose money on this deal!! Lost jobs, less money? I am not so sure that this is a “good deal,” though I appreciate the Governor’s effort to hold public education in “harmless.”

NCLB plus?

2011-02-01T06:14:00.000-08:00

Once again we have national/ state test results released and people seem to be wondering "what happened?" This time the results are for the NAEP Science assessment. Needless to say, there are folks that are concerned and have actively voiced their opinion on the matter. Why should I be any different? So here is my opinion?

What were people expecting, with the clarity of the NCLB focus on essentially reading and math -- it is not hard to figure out that other highly important areas of the curriculum such as: science, social studies, arts, etc. somehow get left out of the equation. At the same time, in the 21st century, more than ever we need students to be well-informed problem solvers (e.g., The Global Achievement Gap). While NCLB might be headed in somewhat of the right direction -- with improved performance -- it falls woefully short of what we need. IF every one of our students, as targeted, were fully proficient with the NCLB math and language arts targets in 2014 (the NCLB target year) -- where would we be? I would suggest that we would have students that can read and compute -- but have few other skills to meet the challenges of this century. We need to make sure we don't settle for NCLB targets alone.

In RUSD, the Board and others are actively advocating for much more than the NCLB standard.

The World of Video and Access 24/7

2011-01-26T05:35:00.000-08:00

We were recently blessed with a significant grant from the Target Corporation that provides the possibility of virtual field trips for our students along with a number of other enhancements.

For quite some time now, we have provided podcasts of our Board meetings, that a number of you have referred to and referenced. In addition, since October we have had available (and will continue to have available) videocasts of our regular Board meetings. In addition to the issues of public access and transparency, these options are provided to you through STUDENT assistance -- which provides great career training. We have students at a number of our high schools that are engaged in providing the filming and production of these Board videos.

We hope you are enjoying your access to these options.

Cafeteria Food!!

2011-01-24T05:45:00.000-08:00

There continues to be much said in the media about how school lunches are not nutritious and there is a need by rule, regulation, or law to require more. In fact recently, there were new guidelines that are asking for more fruits, vegetables, and grains -- all of which are good.

However, I have to say that I couldn't be more pleased with the kinds of meals and nutrition provided by the RUSD food service division. They continually survey students and then craft responses to meet the student taste needs -- always keeping in mind the nutritional aspects. I was involved in one of those sessions lately. The District Chef (yes, with over 30,000 meals a day, we have a chef!) along with other food service folks were responding to questions and providing information. They brought samples (food!!) to illustrate what they were offering -- most impressive though was the poster that provided appealing descriptions of what was offered along with clear nutritional information (including calories, sodium, fiber, and fat content).

I don't know about you -- but I don't think this is like any cafeteria food I have experienced before!! Check out the poster yourself.

Coming Issues?

2011-01-13T06:16:00.000-08:00

To continue with the directional issues (for public education) we are hearing about in Sacramento -- what else is out there on the horizon (but less directly related to budget)? Obviously, this is all speculative, but the pundits and politicos in Sacramento seem to think that the hot issues that will gain traction and discussion in the next year will include:

Public employee retirement systems and reconciling the budget and compensation issues involved.
Resolving some the issues and equity issues with what is currently being called "Open Enrollment" schools (formerly, Persistently Low Achieving Schools) -- all of which is part of the Race To The Top legislative legacy. The reality is that how the list was created and what is now being required of these schools doesn't make a lot of sense.
"Teacher reform" issues that are really about taking a new look at "evaluations" of all of us, based on some of the press and allegations from the LA Times over the past year.
The issue of "bullying" at schools -- particularly in regard to sexual orientation.
Tweaks and twists regarding "on-line" education that have very little definition at this point -- other than the notion that it is functional part of expected system in this century.

So what do you think will be addressed from a state perspective in the next 12 months?

A Big Day for California

2011-01-11T05:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, was a big day for Californians as newly elected Governor Brown brought out his solutions and plans to address the multi-Billion deficit/budget problem. At 11 am yesterday, he held a rather short press conference about his plans including his 12 page PowerPoint presentation. From my view the comments were blue sky, big concept, and casual -- though frankly lots better than what we had hoped for. It was certainly nice to hear the Governor say that schools have "borne a disproportionate share of budget reductions in recent years."

So here are the basic specifics:

A 50-50 proposition to resolve the $25 Billion deficit -- that is 1/2 in program cuts and 1/2 in increased tax revenues (through a 5 year extension of existing taxes).
A June ballot measure that would allow 2/3 of the voters to determine to extend existing taxes that would otherwise cease at the end of the year (June). However, this will require Legislative authorization (2/3) within the next 60 days.
General flexibility measures for education would be continued for an additional two years (including class size reduction).
Our deferrals from the state will continue and be expanded.

Questions that remain (and there are many) will be resolved in the coming days but some of the most interesting would be:

Will there be sufficient Republican support to get this on the ballot? Some have already indicated that such an approval would be a violation of the "no-tax" pledge that was signed.
Will the voters agree to a tax extension vs agree to further reductions in State services? If they don't extend the current taxes, then:

there is an additional $2 Billion loss to K-12 education, and
a $10 Billion hole that must be resolved with program cuts (that arguable will include public education as well).

While there is projected $12.5 Billion in cuts to state programs, will they really occur? Many have NOT occurred in the past several years -- other than in education.
(While this is NOT our issue, as we have basically agreed to NO layoffs for the 11-12 school year) -- The proposed ballot issue won't be determined until June -- and school district layoffs have to occur in March / May prior to June -- what should a district do?

As indicated above there was a lack of specificity and lots of questions still be answered. I am sure in the coming weeks we find out lots more -- from multiple parties. Further, we will begin to see what Legislators and others actually do with these proposals. Also weighing in on the issue included the Sacramento Bee as well as many other media sources around the state.

Déjà Vu All Over Again?

2011-01-06T05:36:00.000-08:00

As the new year and new administration in Sacramento begins, one wonders what is in store for us in the world of public education. A piece of that puzzle is the State Board of Education (SBOE) that is fully appointed by the Governor when vacancies appear. As there are vacancies on the immediate horizon (actually a majority of the Board is coming up for appointment), who will fill the roles and what will it mean?

The Sacramento politicos seem clear that Governor Brown will appoint Michael Kirst, Professor Emeritus of Stanford. It is also speculated that Kirst will be the President of the SBOE under Brown's administration. All of this is interesting, though not surprising, as Kirst also served on the SBOE and as President during Brown's earlier administration. My understanding is that Kirst also served in an advisory role on education issues during the recent Gubernatorial campaign.

The other name that is being "floated" is that of former State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI), Bill Honig (1983-93). In addition to his state office, Bill Honig has continued to be involved in education with his advocacy for student literacy and reduction of barriers of such.

Coming from a SBOE that has been very pro-charter (and charter-friendly) in their approach to challenges of public education, these potential appointments, their support for public education, and their ultimate impact on public education in California could be most interesting. At the same time, I know that there is a desire with the current SPI to cooperate and coordinate with the SBOE -- in fact, the notion is that the Governor, SPI, and SBOE are all of the same party and have the same public education interests in mind. The Governor-elect has also indicated that he will not fill the post of Secretary of Education. Time will tell and it should be an interesting 6 months from January to July as this begins to reveal itself.

Budget Strategy?

2011-01-04T05:57:00.000-08:00

We are all anticipating the first official direction of our new Governor on Monday, January 10th (projected) with his release of his January budget proposal for the 2011-12 school and budget year. While the numbers are staggering and so out-of-balance that it is hard to know how bad off we are in California, it is clear that the Governor and Legislature has a $28-30 BILLION problem to solve. Not wanting to live with this budget albatross for the next 4 years, I am sure that Governor Brown will do all that he can to ameliorate the problem early.

He has indicated in multiple settings that the January proposal will not be optimistic and in fact, has suggested that we all be "sitting down" when we see it for the first time. It seems that the strategy is to provide us all with a dose of reality regarding the severity and size of the problem. So what happens after January and we head to the spring when budget-building gets serious? The common theory (in Sacramento) is that the Governor will be advocating for revenue enhancements (i.e., tax increases) to offset the horrific impacts of trying to reconcile a budget deficit of $30 Billion. The high-risk strategy is that when we see how big the problem is we will all agree (at least 2/3 of us) to increased taxing capacity -- which would "buy-back" the budget and service reductions.

As to public schools across the State of California, there are several possible impacts -- based on the apparent budget strategy:

As we in K-12 education are about 40% of the California budget, we will take reductions like the many other departments and services throughout the state. As one very veteran and influential staff person said, "the budget you have right now, is the best you will have for the next two years." He thought we could begin to see things begin to improve in 2014.
An attempt to move the funding of schools back to a more localized approach (rather than state) where local citizens can determine how they would like to support their local schools. This also has the impact of making more of the $30 Billion problem a local problem rather than a state problem.

So from all that I can gather from our multiple Sacramento and State sources -- we need to be prepared to batten down the hatches and prepare for the storm ahead -- always with the realization that there is always the calm on the other side of the storm.

Highly Valued Work

2011-01-03T05:36:00.000-08:00

So as the year starts and there certainly are questions and anticipation about what the Governor will do on the January budget proposal. There are sometimes questions and aspersions about us as educators, teachers, and district staff. As we start this year, I am reminded that, while there are many other noble professions and contributions, I know of none better than that of the education of our youth.

As a reminder of this, I will share not my words but those of Michael Josephson of Character Counts. I believe he captures the best representation of what is going on in classrooms everyday with our teachers, principals, and support staff. AND it takes them all. Thank you!!

No Layoffs Continued as Sacramento continues to Churn!!

2010-12-09T05:23:00.000-08:00

I congratulate the CSEA team and applaud their efforts. Last night they, as the teachers, ratified by 80% (to 20%) a tentative agreement that "freezes" the existing furloughs, contracts, and MOUs -- thereby guaranteeing no layoffs until June 30, 2012. Kudos to all!!

At the same time, Governor Schwarzenegger called another Special Session (along with the swearing in of new Legislators) to resolve the $25 Billion budget deficit. Needless to say, there are those that aren't sure that they wish to resolve the budget mess with a "lame duck" Governor. On Wednesday, Governor-elect Brown began his messaging about where he intends to go with the budget -- with the first of 3 budget forums. Senate leader Steinberg summed the situation up fairly well saying, “When you boil down all the complicated formulas and the complexity of the state, it comes down to one question: ‘what do we want as a state and how are we going to pay for it’?”

And guess what, NOW we have a $28 Billion deficit (based on the federal estate tax actions). The news is NOT improving.

On a positive note, the Governor-elect did acknowledge that with national comparisons with other states, we are in trouble and need help. He specifically recognized that we are ranking 49th in teachers-per-student, 49th in counselors-per-student, 50th in librarians-per-student, and 47th in administrators-per-student. The new governor seems aware of the magnitude of the problem our schools and students face.

Stay tuned, it should be an interesting couple of months!

NO layoffs!!

2010-12-06T06:12:00.000-08:00

I was most excited to hear a couple of weeks ago that the RCTA team along with the RUSD team had reached a Tentative Agreement (TA) that essentially “froze” the existing agreements including furloughs, etc. – and we would guarantee NO layoffs. GREAT work on their part.

Friday, I was even more excited that the agreement was approved by the members of RCTA – which moves the issue forward to Board for ratification on Monday night. It is my sincere hope that CSEA members will similarly ratify the TA on Wednesday with their vote.

The idea that we will NOT layoff employees is tremendous. This is good NOT only for our staff members – it is good for our students and their learning. Some relief of this tension allows us to focus on the real work of our District – our students.

There are certainly “unknowns” about the budget and what exactly the state will or will not do with their budget. But to provide this certainty at this time is important for us all. Who is to say what things in California will look like in 18 months? Dan Walters posted a very interesting (somewhat counter-intuitive view of the budget situation). All signs, signals, and conversations with Sacramento tell us that the “deferred” $1.8 Billion promised just a couple of months ago – is none existent and will certainly be taken away. The larger question that seems to be will there be a mid-year reduction or additional reductions for 2011-12.

On the positive side, we can all hope that the financial situation improves under the new representatives in Sacramento – which would give us all the opportunity to get things back on track.

Our "New Normal" Future from DC?

2010-12-02T06:14:00.000-08:00

Since we seem by state and financial initiative to be increasingly linked to the action and direction of those in Washington D.C. it would seem appropriate to consider what is in our future with them.

In the middle of November, U.S. Secretary of Education Duncan contended that we have a "new normal" and should "do more with less". At a time when the Department of Education has far more resources than ever before -- Secretary Duncan lays out to the American Enterprise Institute that we need to reduce waste and seize new opportunities in our "new normal." Secretary Duncan opened with a bold statement. “I am here to talk today about what has been called the New Normal,” he said. His basis for his statements would seem to be his 7 years as the CEO of Chicago Public Schools [which BTW in 07-08 when he left, was funded at $11,536 per student -- or twice RUSD levels]. The Secretary's suggestions for the transformational reforms that can also boost student outcomes would include such actions as: rethinking policies around seat time requirements, class size, compensating teachers based on their educational credentials, the use of technology within the classroom, inequitable school financing, and the over-placement of students in special education.

Duncan goes on to argue that "In some cases, government may have to spend more now, to get better returns on our current investment. Race to the Top and i3 are good examples." For me, I am a little unsure of what "return on investment" he might be referring to at this time.

Finally, Secretary Duncan lays out what we can anticipate with the coming reauthorization of federal educational programs and their related categorical funding. "Our ESEA reauthorization proposal consolidates 38 programs into 11 new funding streams -- so we can focus on achieving fewer, larger goals, better -- and it reduces red tape for people at the state and local level. Congress accepted the administration's proposal to eliminate four programs in fiscal 2010. And in fiscal 2011 we proposed eliminating six more programs.

I would agree with Secretary Duncan it looks like we will be "in" for a "new normal" from the Department of Education in Washington D.C. What seems to be missing from the discussion is some idea of what we "get" in terms of outcomes, with our "new normal."

Interesting Thoughts from Around the Nation

2010-11-29T05:47:00.000-08:00

Digital Education’s Description of a New Partnership Between The Florida Virtual School and Pearson: “The Florida Virtual School and educational publishers Pearson have announced a partnership that will offer FLVS-designed courses through a program called Pearson Virtual Learning… Schools worldwide will be able to choose from one of four options to offer middle and high school content to students. The programs vary based on whether a subscribing school is using its own teachers and learning management system, and whether it is paying for courses on a per-student or a subscription basis. Information provided by Pearson does not include more specific pricing models for the program.” (Digital Education)
Jay Matthews (Washington Post) questions how we might be more creative with school options including motivation regarding assessment and performance: ...What would happen if we would only provide an "I" for incomplete rather than an "F" for failing on student report cards or records? "Would the Washington suburbs [or anyplace else] ever tolerate a system in which families could choose schools with radical approaches, such as insisting students pass the final exam or retake the course? Would any parents expose their children to such experiments?" (Washington Post)
On the Opinion Side of the Map ...Friedman cogently comments on the State of the Economy and Role of Education: Friedman provides a very concise, though compelling view, of the triple whammy (i.e., globalization, technology, and superior education) driving our economic situation both from a personal and national (and arguably Riverside) perspective. And then fosters the notion that high-quality education is the way out with the view from immigrant parents that, "learning is the way up." (New York Times)

Thanksgiving

2010-11-23T07:35:00.000-08:00

Obviously this is the time of year for Thanksgiving – the holiday. As such we take the week off for students, staff, and families to enjoy the season and their time with each other. However, it is also the time for me to be thankful for all that I have been blessed with, including my family.

I would also like to say that I am tremendously thankful for all of you here in Riverside. We have a great teaching staff that is highly committed to doing the best for students. Additionally, we have a great support staff that is committed everyday to do what they can to make instruction successful for students. Frankly, there is NO place that I would rather be than here in Riverside. What we can do together is tremendous and exciting.

On a more personal note, I am thankful for all of those in Riverside who have befriended us since our arrival. In the true Riverside spirit you have welcomed us. Indicative of that spirit, 2 years ago when we arrived on Christmas Eve (literally), we were greeted by Gary and Collette Lee along with warm soup and a small Christmas tree. That same spirit by many others has prevailed since our time here. I am thankful.

So How Exactly DO We Get A State Budget?

2010-11-18T06:31:00.000-08:00

As referenced earlier in the week – we are into a new budget creation process again 30 days after the conclusion of the last round. However, this go around promises to be a bit different – as indicated by the Press Enterprise (amongst many others).

Given the passage of Prop 25 the democrats would appear to be in charge and can pass the budget with a simple majority (50% + 1) rather than the previous supermajority (2/3). From that view, they probably think things are improved as they don’t have to get any consensus or votes from Republicans. However, the 2/3 requirement for ANY tax increase more or less cuts off the revenue sources that they were counting on. The election also eliminated many of the mechanisms the Legislature has used to raid local funds for state purposes (e.g., Redevelopment funds).

So, from my view, the Democrats now have the power and responsibility to deliver the state budget for both this and next year. However, there is loss of power to access revenue sources which only leaves reduction of programs as a solution for their (our) budget problems – both this year and next. Obviously, that puts schools and districts at the center of attention – yet this is philosophically in contrast to the principles of the Democratic Party (who have typically supported schools and sought revenue enhancements rather than budget reductions).

A simple majority vs. a supermajority requirement for passage of the budget is likely to have a number of “unintended consequences.” I suspect that other propositions are likely to have similar impacts that may fundamentally modify our budgetary system in California.

Budget? What Budget?

2010-11-16T06:07:00.000-08:00

Remember 33 days and one election ago when the Legislators and Governor in Sacramento approved (October 8th) the state budget 100 days late? Well, that was then and this is now. Apparently they were surprised to find out that they had overestimated the revenue by over $6 Billion. This $6 Billion added to the existing $19 Billion deficit for next year adds up to being $25.4 Billion short for the next 18 months. So says the non-partisan LAO (Legislative Analyst Office) report. By the way, the total existing state budget is $86.6 Billion – so this equates to 22% of that total.

So the news outlets from Sacramento to San Diego and nationally is alive with the news that the Governor has now (November 11th) called his 18th Special Legislative Session to resolve the issue. The interesting part is that the Special Session starts on Monday, December 6th (after all the new legislators are sworn in). So the session essentially begins less than a month before the new Governor is sworn in on Monday, January 3rd. So by my calculation, the legislature probably has about 2 weeks working time before the new Governor arrives. To add to the drama, newly-elected Governor Brown has a legal responsibility to issue his budget plan for 2011-12 about a week after he is sworn into office.

Blogger John Fensterwald adds to the excitement by adding his understanding of the LAO’s comments that there is an “easy fix” for almost $2 Billion of the issue – by taking back the money we just received in schools – one month ago. Fensterwald said:

“But the LAO did say that the Legislature should consider reneging on funding $1.8 billion that it added to Gov. Schwarzenegger’s May revised budget. That money is to be deferred to next July, after the start of the next fiscal year, but cutting it would erase about a third of this year’s estimated budget deficit. And it wouldn’t make much difference anyway since “most districts have been cautious in increasing 2010-11 program support as a result of recent deferrals.”
Which is a diplomatic way of saying, Go ahead, legislators, and take it back, because most districts were smart enough not to trust you in the first place.”

We have and do fully expect the State to take back these funds they just delivered to us – and required us to modify our local budgets. Hang on tight!

In Tough Times -- This is Good News

2010-11-15T08:35:00.000-08:00

This past week, I was pleased to hear (via the RCTA and CSEA negotiations update) that the joint negotiating teams from both the union and the district arrived at a tentative agreement. This was true for both the CSEA and RCTA groups. Essentially, the agreements (subject to ratification) do the following things:

Freeze all existing agreements/MOUs in place – including the 5 furlough days
Freeze all RCTA / CSEA employee positions (NO layoffs) for the remainder of this year and for all of the next school year (2011-12)
Increase the district contribution to medical benefits from $9,000 to $9,500 for a one year period (with the hope that things will improve in the interim)
And a few other tweaks and twists

Bottom line, if we can save jobs (and families) and provide confidence to them for the coming holiday season and new year – THAT would be fantastic. I applaud our combined teams and the critical, time-sensitive work that they have put into these proposed agreements.

Kudos to all!! Hopefully, this happens and things improve so that we NEVER need to undertake layoffs again.

Elections and Budgets

2010-11-05T06:14:00.000-07:00

Interesting times!! The election is over we now know who the Governor is along with the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI). We also have the opinion of the electorate on issues of taxation, etc. Needless to say, there are lots of news articles, bloggers, and political pundits weighing in on what it all means.
Where there seems to be absolute clarity is with the idea of the budget – both current year (2010-11) and next year (2011-12). While all seem to understand the influence of special interests in the entire election process – there is a gorilla in the room that must be dealt with {an unfunded budget}. As such there seems to be all kinds of signs that there will be a mid-year modification of the current budget that is likely to affect us all. Governor-elect Brown has already indicated that he is reluctant to raise taxes without an affirmation of the people AND they just said (Prop 21) they aren’t interested in an $18 fee on their car registration.

As if this is not enough of a challenge for Governor-elect Brown and Superintendent-elect Torlakson, there is an issue of common core national standards. Clearly, and legislatively, California is committed to those common core standards. The challenge is that with a NEW set of standards – there is NO money to actually impement those standards. Implementation would probably at a minimum require: new textbooks, new training, and an entirely new state assessment system – ALL of which would require a substantial injection of dollars to support this development and deployment at the state and local level.

Again, realizing that all guesses are correct – some are just a bit closer – here’s mine. I am thinking that Governor-elect Brown acts quickly and creates a mid-year reduction for schools AND others to do what he can to reconcile a huge and growing (?) budget deficit. Followed by a rather draconian budget proposal for the 2011-12 budget year. Why? Because he “inherited a tough situation” and he believes it is his job to “fix it.” From a political view, if he doesn’t resolve it now it becomes “his” problem – if he resolves it now it is an “inheritance” issue.

Another view is that we have been focused in the last several years on the “Big 5” and their negotiations of a budget deal that is then ratified by the Legislature. Given the Prop 25 change (50% +1 to pass the budget) of the budget process, are we now faced with the appearance of a “Big 5” but the reality of a “Big 3?” There is no longer a functional need of Republican support to approve a budget – SO it would be entirely possible for the Governor and the Democratic leadership in the Assembly and Senate to determine a solution (“Big 3”) without much discussion or concurrence of the Republican representatives.

The Governor-elect still has some time before he is inaugurated into office – however, the race has begun.

Don't Forget To VOTE!!

2010-11-01T06:08:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Election Day – and I hope you are planning and preparing to vote. I have already voted via mail. Clearly tomorrow’s activity and our various votes are critical, based on our system of governance. Additionally, there are very important issues to be resolved including the leadership of our state for the next 4 years, along with the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, and 1/3 new legislators to determine our laws. We also have important initiatives that are likely to have long-term impacts (one way or the other) on us and our state.

I hope you find the time to make sure and vote your conscious on these important matters.

Perris Valley Line

2010-10-21T07:09:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you -- but I am concerned by what has been called the Perris Valley Line -- which is an extension of the Riverside Metrolink to Perris by RCTC (Riverside County Transportation Commission). We all surely understand and can even support the enhancement of transportation in our area or any other metropolitan area. That is certainly good for all of us. However, at what cost?

My fear is that while we currently have a stable situation with limited risk -- THIS solution has unacceptable risk for our RUSD students and staff. The current situation involves two of our schools and very limited train traffic and low speed of travel. RCTC is suggesting track improvement that will ultimately mean many more trains and much greater speed on the section of track that is adjacent to the Highland and Hyatt Elementary Schools.

To give you some perspective on the issue, I have included above a picture of the train situation at Hyatt Elementary along with a YouTube video of some of the issues. At Hyatt there are concerns about a train derailment that could land on the Hyatt playground with students. In Highland's case, there are the normal train issues and complications; however, there is a privately owned high-pressure fuel line (to March Air Base) which has potential with great speed and numbers of trains to create a situation with some similarity to the recent San Bruno disaster.

What can you do, if you have concerns? Certainly contact our local representatives on the RCTC, including our Riverside City Councilman -- Steve Adams or his alternate, Councilman Andy Melendrez.

Budgets and Money

2010-10-19T06:14:00.000-07:00

We had the Riverside Legislative Summit on Friday with our various legislators and the California Secretary of Education. One of the more interesting statements that was made and reported in the Press Enterprise was regarding the relationship between money and performance. It seems at some level we always go there and yet rarely get what I would consider to be the whole story. In this case, I understand that basic notion presented -- however, it seems that we miss some of the relevant information that exists in our current times and circumstances.

I don't think anyone would contest that learning (when it has value) costs something (money). So the question becomes how much money and what is the priority of those funds within the economy and spending patterns. Obviously the corollary is that money alone does not equate to performance in education or, for that matter, anything else (probably the best example I can provide is the recent blog post I provided). That issue of equity and levels of California funding was recently presented in what I would consider a fair manner by a Silicon Valley blogger, John Fensterwald. To be clear, I am not asking for "Newark funding" -- just pointing out that money obviously has a connection and it needs to appropriate.

Additionally, it has long been understood that poverty never caused poor performance in learning. However, it has long been understood that it has been associated (correlated) with educational performance. I can point out that while I can take no credit for this, RUSD has shown a longitudinal overcoming of that poverty/learning correlation (as demonstrated below). While levels of affluence have dropped in the community (as a function of free/reduced lunch counts), levels of learning (math and language arts) have improved. While that is great and kudos to our teachers and all staff, I will be the first to say that we can do even better -- and we are!

Biker's Paradise

2010-10-18T05:30:00.000-07:00

As promised there was the Citrus Classic this weekend. It was a great ride that provided lots of different venues of Riverside {I saw places I had never seen}. The Leadership Riverside Class of 2010 is the best ever as they had about 600 riders and are still counting their money (though I understand they are expecting more that $30k to provide to REEF and AEF).

For me, it was a great day with colleagues, friends, and community. I rode the 27 mile version -- though some of our principals rode the more exciting distances. I rode most of the ride with Lanna Goffman -- one of our administrators. She was kind and waited for me to catch up along the way. A good chunk of the Board of Education and Cabinet were running the rest stop about 1/2 way along the way -- just before the Santa Ana River Trail.

I am sure that Lanna wondered what happened, as she was ahead of me -- and yet I finished before her. Explanation -- I got lost ...but was found by a bike-riding Marine who guided me back to safety and the finish (orientation skills). Like I said a great ride with great people. The money goes to our kids/teachers in RUSD and Alvord Education Foundation. So this was the 1st annual Ride -- I am already looking forward to the 2nd annual ride -- though I probably should get in shape this time.

Thanks again to Leadership Riverside and all the great sponsors that participated and made it a great day.

Citrus Classic

2010-10-14T06:26:00.000-07:00

Well I am trying to get ready for the big ride (Citrus Bike Classic) this weekend for the benefit of our students and staff -- hope you are as well. Citrus Classic was the "brainchild" and project for the 2010 Leadership Riverside group and is intended to be a 3 year project (making the Classic an annual event).

I took my bike in for its "tune-up" and its looking good. I am signed up for the event. There's only one problem -- I am not "tuned up." Oh well, it should be fun on Sunday anyway and definitely for a GREAT cause -- our RUSD and Alvord kids

Attached is a picture from last Saturday of some of our principals as they "train" and help set up the route for the Classic. Who are they? I am looking forward to Sunday's ride -- hope to see you there!

Rick

And the Future of Public Education?

2010-10-12T05:38:00.000-07:00

More than once since I have been here in RUSD, people have asked me -- So what will the schools of the 21st Century really be like? This is a really tough question with any answer being a GUESS. My suspicion is that it is likely to be much different than any of our estimates -- as it is a very volatile time with much change on every level -- including non-public school levels.

Recently, we adopted our newest RUSD technology plan (vision) available online (as you might expect). This particular plan not only addresses the normal technology purchasing provisions {as required by the State} BUT in this case it begins with an attempt to foresee what 2020 might look like in RUSD (and elsewhere) classrooms. The 2020 theme is included throughout and is linked to the federal documents: Blueprint for Reform and the National Technology Plan for Education.

There is a bit of a trap for those that might be reading this to believe that I/we don't appreciate what we currently have and what public education has done for all of us (me included). Without going into my personal story and the stories of others -- be clear I/we appreciate what we have gained from the current system. BUT it doesn't mean that we shouldn't be and aren't concerned about how to make public schools even better.

I believe that our tech plan committee did a great job with a tough question and have at the very least laid out a clear vision of what we might expect in 2020. You might find it to be interesting reading AND there will be opportunity for inclusion in future committees to implement the plan. Additionally, it would be interesting to know what YOU think.

Finally a Budget

2010-10-09T09:43:00.000-07:00

After 100 days and over 3 months past the deadline for the state budget we finally have one. Early Friday morning the Legislature passed the budget and sent it on to the Governor’s desk for signature. Friday afternoon, the Governor signed the budget along with about $1 Billion in line-item vetoes – thus the saga finally ends. It was only a couple of years ago when our total budget in California was $110 Billion – this budget comes in at $87.5 Billion.

Of course, now we are left with trying to figure out what all of it means, as most of it was done “behind closed doors” – such that even the Legislators arguably had limited information about what they were voting on. Additionally, as of about noon – no one seemed to know exactly what was in the Billion dollars of line-item veto items.

In a general sense, from all sources including the staffers of the Sacramento folks – there was something here for everyone. However, even in their terminology this is a budget of “smoke and mirrors” that is not realistic and leaves in place huge deficits along with a structural deficit for the future (read 2011-12 – 9 months away). There has been an overestimation of the revenues (“counting on money that is not there”) including federal help, sale of state buildings (that we will rent back from the new landlords), and optimistic tax revenues. Meanwhile there has been an under-estimation of the expenditures – that are surely going to be exceeded. So those that are newly elected in November will have quite a task on their hands in January as they take office.

As far as K-12 education, it seems that we are okay for the current year -- IF you believe the promise and that there won't be mid-year reductions from the newly elected state folks. There is great concern about the deferrals (another $1.7 Billion) and a general acknowledgement that all of this makes next year (2011-2012) -- which was viewed as a "bad" year -- worse.

Kudos to UCR for $10 million for their/our Med School. As we figure this all out and its impact on public education & RUSD we will let you know.

Why is this so complicated?

2010-10-06T06:08:00.000-07:00

We rightfully continue to get questions about the budget and requests for information. We are committed to both transparency and communication about District operations -- including the budget/finances. However, we should realize that we will always fall somewhat short of that goal and will always be in pursuit of perfection and completion of the transparency/communication target.

Essentially all financial documents are stored on our District webpage for public access and review. Additionally, as we prepare explanatory documents regarding the budget -- they too are available in similar webpage locations.

As an example, yes -- as reported, we have a $71 million fund balance that goes from one year (2009-10) to the next (2010-11) -- this clearly shown in our documents. Additionally, Mike Fine has explained this on a number of occasions -- most recently at our September 7th Board meeting (with the materials available at and the Board podcast which is also on the website). We also try to provide "short" documents that explain as simply as we can (without detail) the circumstances of the budget.

Commonly, there seems to be concern and confusion about why we are having such a tough time offering what we always have in terms of services and options for students and parents. The fact is that we have, as a reduction in state funding (our income), had to reduce almost $100 million in the past 3 years. Looked at another way, Do you remember the year 2000? When:

Bill Clinton was President
Harry Potter didn't have a movie and glasses yet
The "hot" movie was Erin Brockovich
and before 9/11 had terrifying meaning

That is the "new" level of funding we have in California (and RUSD) for public schools. I am sure that a number of you have the same problem. However, the fact is that while "income" may be pegged at 2000 levels prices and costs somehow remain at 2010 levels on their way to 2011. A "lost decade" effects families and effects schools/students.

Budget Watch

2010-10-03T12:44:00.000-07:00

Sacramento says that the budget is complete -- though there are NO details yet as to what that might mean. The NEXT step is to move to the Legislature for a vote. The projection for the vote is Thursday, though there is some discussion about that being too soon -- as it is not enough time for the legislators to know what they are voting on. I am sure we will get more details throughout the week.

An Opportunity of Support

2010-10-02T06:56:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are so inclined, there is a local run, next Sunday (Ocotber 10th) -- that supports the efforts of SmartRiverside with our students and families. SmartRiverside and their efforts have certainly assisted RUSD in delivering more technology to our students and staff.

A recent shift at SmartRiverside is that their ATT contract for the city-wide wireless system has ended and therefore been modified. The net effect is that there now actually a greater bandwidth (capacity) that is being provided across the City of Riverside to all of us.

So IF you like to run, Citrus Heritage Run is not only a great run -- but a great cause.

$100 Million??

2010-10-01T05:53:00.000-07:00

I was pleased to hear last week about the $100 million contribution from Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook to the Newark Public Schools in Newark, New Jersey. What a great contribution!

But from my perspective in Riverside, CA – HOW bizarre!! For that matter, this feels a bit like the bizarre qualities of much of the “federal reform” of the states-rights educational systems. Newark, like much of the East Coast, is funded at an incredible level compared to anything here in California or more locally in Riverside. So here are the statistics (by THEIR report to their Board – 3/29/2010):

Enrollment: 38,400 (for 09-10)
Budget: $800 million (10-11) plus another $140 million in “grants and entitlements” …they like us in RUSD lost about $50 million for this current year
Per student funding: $14,658 per student

In contrast, here in Riverside, RUSD’s numbers are:

Enrollment: 42,631 students
Budget: $297 million (10-11) …and we reduced about $45 million in our budget this past year
Per student funding: $4,990 per student

So what was the Newark difference in performance? While each state is substantially different in their assessment, it is clear from the Great Schools website analysis that Newark is significantly below the New Jersey state average in every category.

While I truly wish Newark and Zuckerberg all the best, it boggles my mind to think how $100 million in the Newark system will make ANY difference at this point. It also strikes me these differences are larger than Riverside and Newark – it essentially describes a difference between the East and West coast in its funding and therefore the educational opportunities that can be provided.

More on Value-Added Data

2010-09-29T06:48:00.000-07:00

The discussion on linking student data to the evaluations of educators has been and continues to be volatile -- and generally somewhat biased. I addressed this issue in part with an earlier post (last Monday -- "Is The LA Times Correct?"). However, I recently ran across an article in Time magazine that provides a brief, reasoned perspective on the matter -- I thought you might find it interesting. There is LOTS more to consider and discuss before anyone rushes to judgment on this matter.

What did YOUR student do this summer?

2010-09-27T05:55:00.000-07:00

This summer there was a Time magazine article, built around the somewhat long-standing research (I saw the research 6 or 7 years ago) from Johns Hopkins University -- regarding the impacts of summer on the learning of students. Essentially the basic idea is that there is little or NO difference in the learning of students (whether improvised or not) during the regular school year. So far so good!!

The problem is ...that when summer comes -- essentially students of poverty go home for the summer and the learning input stops. Meanwhile, those of more affluent means are enrolled in any number of programs that continue their learning. Obviously, as we spread this effect out over the course of an elementary school career for students -- there is a HUGE difference (that begins to amount to years). This is probably most visually illustrated with a recent 4 minute You Tube video.

So, in my view, the question for us becomes HOW can we modify our system to make sure that ALL of our students are learning well, completely, and to HIGH levels? How can we capitalize on summer opportunities and begin planning now to improve the learning for our students?

Budget Progress??

2010-09-24T18:04:00.000-07:00

As reported in the media and elsewhere -- there seems to have been "progress" on resolving the state budget. However, there is little or no detail. Some think that means things are better for us ...while others are sure it is worse. Bottom line, it seems that NO one knows anything {which may mean there is structure but no specifics at this time}. Our best resources seem to suggest that there MAY be a deal by the start of next week with a vote by the end of the week.

Have a good weekend.

Superman!!

2010-09-24T05:49:00.000-07:00

Coming soon to your local movie house is the movie/documentary Waiting for "Superman" -- of the Al Gore -- An Inconvenient Truth genre. The movie has been created by Davis Guggenheim who also produced Inconvenient Truth and is scheduled to be released September 24th (today) in both LA and NYC. Not surprisingly, the film is attacking in nature and essentially vilifies teacher unions (and therefore teachers) while promoting charters. Guggenheim touts himself to be a supporter of public education, though he educates his three children in a private school.

I understand that charters can be good -- as well as fraudulent or worse. In like kind, we certainly have all known educators and others that would similarly fit that description. School reform is something we should all be interested in and willing to pursue; however, there should be consideration and caution. It seems that many of these "national reformers" havent' figured out that no matter the approach to reform -- it's hard and complicated work -- otherwise lots of people would have done it a long time ago.

The film has already created lots of controversy and many columns either in support, against, or somewhere in between. It is also interesting to note that Michelle Rhee, Chancellor of D.C., one of the heroines is likely to be leaving D.C. based on the will of the electorate and with assessment results that have leveled.
While I understand the "complaint" of many relative to public schools, etc. -- what is ALWAYS amazing to me is that they don't seem to understand the dedicated, passionate effective professionals that describe MOST of the teachers that I know. Since most of them were actually educated in public schools themselves, have they forgotten that many of them are successful due to one of those impassioned, dedicated teachers working with them? In fact, you can NOT have great schools (charter or otherwise) without GREAT teachers and many of us already see a number of great teachers (but not all) in our schools.

Will you go see this? Have you seen it?

UCR

2010-09-23T08:05:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of attending the CUC (Citizen's University Committee) meeting last night where they honored 3 groups of individuals -- all very deserving -- PLUS it was just a nice evening. For me, probably the MOST inspiring was the young lady that recently graduated from UCR and is now heading off to graduate school (UCR).

Her story helps us remember what this is all about and clearly she is also highly motivated and talented. Her name is Pricila Lara -- from Hemet. While at UCR she joined the Chamber group -- as a Saxophone player!!? Most recently she is established the Hemet Youth Orchestra and is it's conductor (on the way to being conductor for the LA Phil?). Pricila has a series of firsts in her family (which has given her great encouragement and support). She was the first in the family to graduate from college, high school, and middle school.

The other UCR honorees (i.e., Francis and Jane Carney, Tim White) were certainly deserving as well, but Pricila reminds us of the students and miracles that happen before our eyes every day.

Is the LA Times Correct?

2010-09-20T08:11:00.000-07:00

At this date, it is well known that the LA Times published a number of articles on the quality of LAUSD teachers as measured by their "value-added" calculations of student tests. In the aftermath, I am confronted by the apparent reaction to the Times. It seems that people fall generally into 2 camps:

Educators -- Who while not resistant to the concept of accountability ARE concerned by the LA Times approach.
The Rest of the World -- Who are predominately of the opinion -- "Well absolutely, is there any question on the matter?"

My opinion is probably someplace in the middle. Clearly, we are and must move for all of us being more publicly accountable for our work and progress. The "value-added" approach certainly provides an improvement over the other existing notions of "performance" based on API and AYP. I detailed some of this in one of my earlier blogs.

My problem with the Times approach is that while the approach may be correct, the information can be very suspect. Why not use the Sanders {Tennessee} approach that is proven over time / multiple locations and been reviewed a number of times?

My concerns about the Times approach are:

I think we have the wrong unit of analysis. We should from a data / statistical / pragmatic view probably be more focused on the school rather than the teacher -- which is how Sanders approached the matter. Often teachers have unique student populations (e.g., GATE, English Learners, Special Education, etc.) that can skew the results. Additionally, teachers would lack incentive to undertake instruction of these classes for obvious reasons. However, schools are generally large enough to handle the variations mentioned -- AND would address the low-performing educators and low-yield instructional practices that are limiting the value-added performance of the school. I DO like how the value-added notion (ala Sanders) appropriately accounts and controls for the demographic variable.
At a normal class size of 30 (and there are certainly those that either exceed or are vastly less than 30) -- it at strains the normal notions of required sample size to make the conclusions valid.
The normal test instrument we use in California (CST -- California Standards Test) and therefore by the LA Times was and is designed to assess the effectiveness of programs NOT students. Therefore, when it is applied to looking at students as the "outcome" and performance of teachers (or any of the rest of us) -- it leaves a lot to be desired AND ultimately does not stand the test of statistical validity. This has been a long-standing issue in California. If we appropriately change the test, it will work.

What is your view on this matter? Should we be taking about some value-added approach (not necessarily the LA Times / LAUSD approach) to improving our public accountability with an easy-to-understand metric?