San Juan Unified School District teacher Ashley Newman, 24, was crowned Miss Sacramento County at the 62nd Annual Miss Sacramento County Program held on Saturday, Feb. 9 at the New San Juan High School Theater.

Newman is working on her teaching credential through California State University, Sacramento. She is a graduate of the University of California, Davis, where she received her Bachelor’s degree in communications with a triple minor in English, history and writing.

Ashley teaches English at El Camino and coaches two high school speech and debate teams in the Yuba-Sutter area. Ashley enjoys working with teens on an educational level, but is particularly passionate about mentoring these young adults. As a volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters and a strong advocate for teen mentoring programs, Ashley is currently helping to start a non-profit organization that deals with mentoring youth-at-risk.

“I think the judges chose her because she is such a joy to be around,” said program director April Smith.

“She radiates confidence and her resume is incredible.  She is currently teaching English at El Camino High School for the teaching credential program through Sac State, but she also mentors and teaches kids in juvenile hall.  She is also establishing her own non-profit program, Dream Builders: Empowering Youth.  She sets goals and accomplishes them and that really makes her amazing.  She is a young woman who you just know will achieve anything she sets out to do,” Smith said.

At a young age, Ashley was introduced to ventriloquism by a member of her church. After years of being fascinated by the talent, Ashley began practicing for hours in front of a mirror and began studying the routines of various famous ventriloquists.

Now, as a self-taught ventriloquist, Ashley enjoys entertaining audiences with her puppet, Granny Mildred. As Miss Sacramento County, Ashley is especially excited to perform ventriloquism when she visits the Children’s Miracle Network hospital of Sacramento.

California is currently facing as shortage of qualified teachers – including special education teachers – according to an article printed in September on US News on NBCNews.com.

The article cited a report, “Greatness by Design” released by the California Department of Education in September – a report designed to help improve how teachers are recruited, trained and mentored – that states “there are still shortages of qualified teachers in fields such as special education.”

Dr. Pia Wong, department chair for the Department of Teaching Credentials and professor at California State University Sacramento, says one reason for the shortage is teachers retiring without anyone to fill their positions. “When you look at the average age of teachers in special (education) and general education, it’s an aging population,” she explains. “Based on when people typically do retire or can retire, we know in the next 10 years we’re going to see very high numbers of retirement.”

Another reason, says Dr. Wong, is a growth in the population of students who qualify for special education services due to better diagnostic processes. “Because we have better tools for understanding the special needs that students have, there’s more students that are identified and therefore that creates a need for special programs, special classes, specialized teachers,” she says.

So what does this mean for Sacramento?

Inclusion Practice at SCUSD

In Sacramento City Unified School District, Director of Special Education Becky Bryant says there’s not a shortage of special education teachers overall, but there is a shortage in certain types of special education specialties, such as speech and language pathologists and occupational therapists.

Overall, Bryant says the amount of special education teachers they have is cyclical and will depend on the number of retirees they have each year and if there are new teachers coming to replace them. “Because Sacramento is the capitol, we have a lot of people that kind of move in and out because they have to relocate or something,” she adds.

According to Bryant, SCUSD employs 260 special education teachers and serves 88 schools plus charter schools. She says there are resource specialist programs at all school sites, and throughout the district there are special day programs.

Bryant says SCUSD is in the third year of implementation of an Inclusive Practice program at six schools in the district – C.K. McClatchy High School, California Middle School, Sutterville Elementary, Oak Ridge Elementary, Leataata Floyd Elementary, and Caleb Greenwood K-8 School. Through this model, says Bryant, students who would have been in a traditional special day class setting are now in general education, and the general educator and special education teacher co-teach together to provide instruction to all students in the classroom.

According to Bryant, Inclusive Practice helps teach students skills they will need when they become adults and enter into a diverse society, and it allows all students to learn together and be part of a community. “It’s not about singling out students with disabilities and sending them somewhere else,” she adds.

Special Programs & Inclusion at SJUSD

Over at San Juan Unified School District (SJUSD), Dayle Cantrall, program manager for special education, believes that special education is a growing need because there is not always a pool of credentialed teachers at the ready to fill any holes they may have. “When we have credentialed teachers, they usually end up in a job and they stay – they don’t face layoffs like general education teachers do, they’re always in high demand,” she adds.

According to Cantrall, SJUSD currently employs 307 special education teachers, including speech therapists and adaptive PE teachers. She says there is at a minimum a half-time resource teacher at every school site, and some high schools have upwards to nine special education teachers at a school site. And special education students range from those that need speech therapy to specialized programs for severe autism and the deaf and hard-of-hearing.

Cantrall says recent changes in special education programs at SJUSD include specialized programming for severe autism students and a new transition center for kids ages 18-22 this year.

Additionally, there are specialized inclusion programs from elementary through high school on a few campuses in the district, says Cantrall. “We have support built into the particular campuses, including increased number of instructional assistants,” she explains. Plus some campuses also have the capability for a special education student to attend the same school as their brothers and sisters through the support of “roving inclusion teachers” and resources teachers.

What It Takes

To help ensure there are qualified special education teachers for California schools, Dr. Wong says one thing CSUS has done is advocate for an admission cycle for the special education credential program every semester. Additionally, faculty has been active in securing grants from the federal government to help candidates interested in pursuing the special education credential.

For those considering becoming certified to become a special education teacher, Dr. Wong suggests they look into it by doing some research and visiting some classrooms. “I think people may have certain preconceptions about what it means to teach students with special needs,” she explains. “I think if they were to visit some classrooms, they would really see some positive, exciting things happen and maybe find it’s something that attracts them.”

Bryant says they look to hire special education teachers who have a passion for kids in general, and a passion to work with students with disabilities. “(We look for) people who have a clear understanding of how to manage a classroom, how to motivate kids, and who are really willing to work on creating relationships with kids,” she adds.

And Cantrall says if you have a calling to work with at-risk kids, you’re not afraid to collaborate, think outside the box, and do what’s needed to meet the best interests of that child’s needs – go for it. “We need people in special education who are not only dedicated to kids, but dedicated to paving the way so those kids can continue to learn in the least restrictive environment possible,” she says.

Roughly a quarter of San Juan Unified schools recorded 20 or more points of growth in their statewide measures of academic achievement, according to 2012 Academic Performance Index (API) data.

That distinction includes Cottage Elementary School, whose 69-point increase was one of the largest in the region.

Overall, nearly half of San Juan Unified’s schools met or exceeded the state’s target API of 800: 48 percent of traditional K-12 District schools – 31 in all – reached that threshold, an increase of two percentage points over the previous year and 13 percentage points since 2008.

“While these results are only one measure of performance, they illustrate continued progress as teachers, principals, families and school communities strive to personalize instruction for students – all of whom we believe can and will learn,” said Superintendent Glynn Thompson.

API scores are a composite of students’ performance on standardized tests. Schools are assigned scores from 200-1000, and the state has established 800 as a desired level of performance.

API results are used to compare schools to other sites across the state and to other schools with similar demographics. The scores are one of many tools used to track schools’ academic performance as San Juan Unified continues efforts to improve teaching and learning through special literacy programs, instructional coaching, a strong arts program and a focus on 21st century skills.

Even if they did not hit the 800 API target, many San Juan Unified schools saw significant progress: 65 percent of schools, for instance, met their school wide growth target (calculated as 5 percent of the difference between the previous year’s API and 800).

Compared to the state, San Juan Unified’s overall API of 790 is two points higher than the state’s and showed a six-point gain over last year, while the state posted a 10-point gain overall.

Some 53 percent of schools statewide scored at or above the state API target of 800.

All student groups in San Juan Unified experienced growth or held steady in their APIs, except for African Americans, who saw zero growth, and American Indians, whose API scores dropped by eight points.

Students with disabilities, Hispanic, Pacific Islander and white students all realized API growth at a rate higher than the District as a whole.

In its community developed Strategic Plan, San Juan Unified has made it a goal to reduce achievement gaps in areas such as standardized tests, graduation rates and college readiness by at least 50 percent by 2015.

Test scores each school in the district can be found here:
http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/Acnt2012/2012GrthAPIDst.aspx?allcds=3467447

This article has been reprinted with permission from SJ Scene, the San Juan Unified School District’s newsletter.

Susan Bryan, a third-grade teacher at Dyer-Kelly Elementary School, was still nearly speechless when the OfficeMax representatives left her classroom Tuesday morning, moments after dropping off $1,000 worth of donated classroom supplies.

Bryan’s students – still wound up with excitement over the surprise visit – were not.

Just before 10 a.m., representatives from the office supply retailer popped into her classroom at the back of campus with a comfy new chair and a box filled to the brim with pens, pencils, binders and a bevy of other supplies.

The visit was part of the OfficeMax’s annual “A Day Made Better” program. Bryan was among 1,000 teachers nationally who were nominated by their principals for their extraordinary efforts in the classroom.

After collecting herself and taking a peek at her bounty, an emotional Bryan told her students she’d finish going through all the items later.

“Because it’s still the school day,” she said, “and we have to work.

This article has been reprinted with permission from SJ Scene, the San Juan Unified School District’s newsletter.

Certainly the world was a much different place in 1962, as John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth, The Beatles auditioned for Decca Records, the Vietnam War was far from ending and gasoline cost about 28 cents per gallon. And in this community, the Kiwanis Club of Carmichael was founded.
Many other significant events have since made an impact on the world and gasoline prices have soared to uncomfortable and depressing levels for many people.
As the years have passed by following its founding, the Kiwanis Club of Carmichael has continued to dedicate itself to its work as a constantly motivated service organization.
Altogether Kiwanis history dates back to its 1915 founding in Detroit, Mich.
The headquarters of this international organization is in Indianapolis, Ind. Its international status was established in 1916, when it expanded to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Originally established as a business networking organization through the work of Detroit natives Allen S. Browne, a professional organizer, and Joseph C. Prance, who was a tailor, and other men who they recruited, the Kiwanians changed their focus to service three years after the club’s inception in Detroit.

Kiwanis name, motto and membership
The name Kiwanis was derived from the Otchipew Native American language expression, “Nunc-Kee-wanis,” which is translated as “We have a good time, “We make some noise” or “We trade or advertise.”
In 1920, Roe Fulkerson, the editor of the Kiwanis magazine, proposed the term, “We Build,” as the Kiwanians motto.
This international organization, which has more than 600,000 members, adopted a new motto, “Serving the Children of the World,” in 2005.
The Kiwanis Club of Carmichael, which has 94 members from different areas, including Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Sacramento, Roseville and Lincoln, is part of the California-Nevada-Hawaii District and is one of the clubs of Division 44.
This local club, which is the largest club in Division 44, was chartered on August 15, 1962.

Special gatherings
In celebration of its 50th anniversary, the club recently held two special gatherings.
The first of these gatherings was a catered dinner at the Carmichael home of Michael and Debbie Koerner on Tuesday, Aug. 7. Seventy-six people, including Carmichael club members and notable Kiwanians, were in attendance at this event, which had the theme of “A White Sport Coat and a Pink Carnation.”
The next gathering occurred during the following morning at the Carmichael Elks Lodge with special Kiwanian guests, Lt. Gov. of Division 44 Bernie Bowes and California-Nevada-Hawaii District Gov. Dick Olmstead. While Olmstead lives locally, Bowes traveled from the Lancaster, Calif. area to participate in the event, which was attended by 80 people.
During his visit, Bowes, who travels about 300 days per year, installed Sky Pohle, a local scoutmaster, as the Carmichael club’s 94th member.
Another feature of the Wednesday morning event was District 3 Supervisor Susan Peters’ presentation of a proclamation honoring the club.

Kiwanis International
Cathryn Snow, president of the Carmichael club, met with the Arden-Carmichael News last week to share details about the local club and the overall efforts of Kiwanis International.
Very early in her interview with this publication, Snow recognized the Kiwanis Family House, which provides temporary support to families of seriously ill or injured children and some adults who receive treatment at the University of California, Davis Medical Center in Sacramento.
“We’re the only Kiwanis Family House in the world,” said Snow, who was born and raised in Modesto. “Two wonderful Kiwanians started (the house). The med center gave up the eternal lease on the land and then we built the house. It is run similar to a Ronald McDonald House, in that it’s the families of critically ill children and even some adults. If we have room, we’ll take adults. Those people are referred to the family house by the hospital. They pay, if they can. If they can’t, they don’t (pay). It’s a wonderful service that they have there. This last month, we served 1,200 people (at the house).”
Snow also recognized Kiwanis International’s work of eliminating iodine deficiency throughout the world.
She added that Kiwanis International is presently working toward achieving its goal of eradicating maternal and neonatal tetanus worldwide.
“A series of three shots cost $1.80 per person to eradicate (maternal and neonatal) tetanus in the world,” Snow said.
She noted that millions of dollars are still needed to accomplish this goal.

Local club projects
Locally, the Kiwanis Club of Carmichael is dedicated to many other projects.
The club supports local scouting programs and elementary schools.
Kiwanians of the Carmichael club provide tutoring and classroom participation at Cameron Ranch School in Sacramento.
During each winter holiday season, local Kiwanians also dedicate themselves to their See’s Candies program, which supports the San Juan Unified School District’s fine arts program.
Carmichael Kiwanis club members also worked with other service club members to create a current “Welcome to Carmichael” sign.
Other Carmichael Kiwanis projects include contributions to the American River Parkway, the Effie Yeaw Nature Center, middle and high school jazz programs in the San Juan Unified School District and three food closets.
One of the exciting elements of the Carmichael Kiwanis club, Snow said, is that the club is “an active, growing club.”
And she added that Kiwanis International records more service hours than any service group in the world, and that Olmstead recently described the organization as the only service club in the world that is growing.

Another anniversary to celebrate
Snow, who joined the Carmichael club in 1994, said that in addition to the club’s 50th anniversary, another anniversary is also occurring this year.
“It’s also the 25th year of the women in Kiwanis,” Snow said. “The first woman to join Kiwanis was Kathy Stake, who lives over in the Monterey area now, and I believe she’s still a Kiwanian.”

First members
Overall, Neil Loveridge, a now retired dentist, and Bob Cosans, who was a San Juan Unified School District educator, were the first members of the Kiwanis Club of Carmichael.
Neil said that the Carmichael club’s anniversary is especially meaningful to him, because he acquired his dentistry license on the same day that the Carmichael club held its first meeting.
It was through his brother, Gordon, who was already an active member of the Kiwanis Club of Sacramento Suburban, that Neil learned that efforts were underway for the establishment of the Carmichael club.
He added that it was also because of his brother that he decided to move to Carmichael from his native state of Utah in 1962.
“I came to Sacramento (from Provo, Utah), because my brother was here practicing dentistry and he’s my only sibling,” Neil said. “We decided if we could be close together, we could somehow get our parents to visit us more often.”

Membership grew
During its early years, with the exception of a brief relocation to another local eatery, the Carmichael club met in a back room at Sambo’s Pancakes at 7201 Fair Oaks Boulevard in Carmichael.
When the Carmichael club was established with about 15 members on its charter roll, it was limited to men who either lived or worked in Carmichael. And no more than two people from a single profession could join the club at the time.
Other charter members of the Carmichael club included Ted Baker, a banker for Bank of America, Paul Barkin, a pediatric dentist, Oden Bohlander, the principal at Coyle Avenue School, Bill McCreary, the club’s first president, and Orrell M. James.
Neil, who acquired his practice on Fair Oaks Boulevard from Dr. Darol Rasmussen, said that the club’s first project was raising funds through the operation of a cotton candy booth at the Carmichael 4th of July parade.
Bill Fellers, whose father was a Kiwanian, said that he was also an early member of the club.
“I was teaching at American River College and the college president (Bill Priest) wanted us to get out and (join) organizations and other things to make a name for ARC,” Fellers said. “So, I joined in 1966, when Neil was president. When I went in, I think there were 30 (members).”

Making great progress
Fellers said that the club has made great progress during its half-century-long existence.
“The club has become much stronger and much better, much bigger and able to make more money to give to charitable organizations,” Fellers said.
The Kiwanis Club of Carmichael meets every Wednesday from 7 to 8 a.m. at the Carmichael Elks Lodge at 5631 Cypress Avenue in Carmichael.

For additional information about the club, contact Cathryn Snow at csnow@cbnorcal.com.

As of May 1, the San Juan Unified School District’s (SJUSD) Board of Education named Glynn Thompson the District’s ninth superintendent.

A resident of Sacramento, Thompson joined SJUSD in July 2009 as the district’s first chief academic officer and has been serving as interim superintendent of schools since June 2011. He reportedly has more than 30 years of education experience as a teacher, principal and district leader.

Thompson said he accepted the superintendent position as he had made a commitment to the District through the work being done through its community-based strategic plan.

“The district is doing some amazing work and we’re getting results, but I felt strongly that we needed stability and leadership,” he explained. “So when the board asked me to accept the position, the only answer I could think of was a definite yes.”

Planning strategically

As he begins his term, Thompson feels the district has a number of strengths and has a rich tradition of success.

“We have the most California distinguished schools in the county, (and) we have many teachers that have been recognized by the state for their work in teaching,” he detailed. “The district has a very positive relationship with their labor groups (and) we have a very strong board of education.”

Thompson said he is proud of the District’s 2010-2015 Strategic Plan, which he said has already seen a number of accomplishments, including a successful visual and performing arts program, a dual language immersion school, and a public Montessori school.

“We’re talking about what does it mean to be a 21st century learner and leader in preparing our students to be effective citizens,” he added.

Moving forward, Thompson said the strategic plan will be used as a “road map” to plan where the future of the District is headed.

“We’re really facing some serious fiscal issues, and in San Juan we budget the plan instead of planning a budget,” he explained. “We have a very clear direction of where we’re headed and I think that kind of focus is really important to a district that is this large.”

Over the past few years, SJUSD has needed to cut between $30-50 million from its annual budget. Thompson said that if the November initiative does not pass, the district is looking at another possible $35 million in cuts.

“I’m very hopeful that the community will rally around this November initiative,” he said. “As it stands, the fiscal funding in California is broken and we need to do something together to address this serious issue.”

Community involvement

Thompson hopes to involve the community through new communication venues, such as the virtual Brown Bag Lunch Chat he had hosted on Friday, May 6 for parents, staff and community members. Based on the success of the event, Thompson said the district will probably host something similar again, plus they are looking at more ways for parents and community members to offer their input.

“School districts have traditionally been very good at disseminating information, but we sometimes haven’t done as much as we should in listening,” Thompson said. “And not only listening to feedback, but then doing something with it. So that’s one of the commitments of this administration: we will do everything we can to illicit input from the larger San Juan community. There are some extraordinary people in our district and so we want to listen.”

Future goals

Thompson said there are a number of issues the district is facing that he plans to work on. For instance, he will continue to look at all groups of student attending SJUSD schools to ensure they are college-ready if they choose to go that route.

“We want all students succeeding at high levels,” he said.

He plans to continue to look at the District’s drop-out rate.

“While we’ve made extraordinary progress over the past three years, we want to be the leaders in the state,” he said.

Additionally, Thompson is very proud of the focus on literacy the district has had.

“We want to be the lighthouse district in the state, where people look at us and say that they can learn from the good work that’s happening in San Juan,” he added.

Thompson said it all comes down to the bottom line, which is giving students the skills they need to be successful in college and career.

“We need to constantly be updating our strategies as teachers and leaders for preparing them for their next steps,” he added. “That’s something that we’re doing right now and it’s our ongoing commitment.”

Enrollment is open May 15 through June 15 for San Juan Unified School District’s (SJUSD) new Transitional Kindergarten program for the 2012-2013 academic school year.

The program offers a full-year program for the year prior to traditional kindergarten with the purpose of supplying developmentally appropriate curriculum for students who are not quite age-ready for kindergarten, according to Beth Davies, executive director of K-8 and elementary schools for SJUSD.

”We’re just excited about beginning the transitional kindergarten program for our youngest students in that we have the opportunity to provide this experience,” Davies said.

Who’s eligible?

SJUSD began the Transitional Kindergarten program in response to a new state law that will move back the kindergarten entry date. Traditionally, children had to turn five by Dec. 1 to be eligible to attend kindergarten. However, the new legislation will move the age of eligibility for kindergarten back to Sept. 1 over a three year period.

“The Transitional Kindergarten offers the opportunity for those children who now won’t be age-eligible for the kindergarten program to attend a one-year transitional program instead of waiting out of school,” Davies explained. “It’s the first year of a two-year kindergarten program, so it’s transitional kindergarten and then they go to kindergarten the next year.”

For the 2012-2013 school year, children whose fifth birthday falls between Nov. 2 and Dec. 2 are eligible to enroll in the Transitional Kindergarten program, according to the SJUSD website.

How does it work?

Parents can enroll children for the Transitional Kindergarten program from May 15 through June 15. There is no extra fee for the program, as it is part of the public school program.

SJUSD has preselected six schools that will offer the Transitional Kindergarten program for the 2012-2013 year.

“(The schools) are geographically located throughout the district, and parents will be able to choose which school they would like their child to attend the transitional kindergarten program,” Davies said.

The schools offering Transitional Kindergarten for the 2012-2013 school year include: Thomas Kelly Elementary School in Carmichael, and in the Arden area Thomas Edison Language Institute, Cottage Montessori Education, and the Early Childhood Education site on Dom Way. Also offering Transitional Kindergarten are Citrus Heights Elementary School in Citrus Heights and Twin Lakes Elementary School in Orangevale.

Some of the schools offering the Transitional Kindergarten program are specialized schools, such as one that offers a dual immersion program and another that is phasing-in a Montessori program. Additionally, some sites will offer full-day Transitional Kindergarten program, while others will offer a half-day option.

What are the benefits?

Davies said the overall benefit of a Transitional Kindergarten program is that it gives children an opportunity to experience the school setting on a number of levels – academically, socially and emotionally. This, in turn, will give young students a boost to starting their school experience.

“They will be immersed in a language-rich environment with emphasis on literacy and numeracy, as well as those social skills that are really critical to having children have a great start to school,” she explained.

Additionally, Davies said the program helps to bridge the transition from preschool to regular school.

“It really provides that seamless support for students in an academic environment,” she added.

Employees at the Mission Oaks Recreation and Park District offices in Carmichael are in for a major change: no longer seeing the face or hearing the voice of longtime Director of Recreation and Marketing Mark Koller.

Koller retires in late July after more than 30 years with the district, leaving a legacy of expanded facilities, increased enrollment in district programs, and greater recognition for the district and its recreational offerings. But even more significantly, Koller’s coworkers are dealing with having to say goodbye to a valued friend and proven leader.

Koller grew up playing football in Martinez and played college ball for a while at the University of Utah, his career shortened by a persistent case of mononucleosis. The setback, Koller said, “forced me to reestablish my life,” and he enrolled at Sacramento State University, where several friends were students.

Eventually Koller took a job with the City of Martinez, then moved on to the Boys Club of Oakland. During Koller’s time with the club, he and a partner started a girls’ night on Thursdays, and because of their initial offering, the club eventually expanded to become the Boys and Girls Club of America and started providing programs for girls nationwide.

“I’ve always tried to be an advocate for people of all ages and especially for girls,” said Koller, father of two daughters. “After retirement, one of the things I plan to do is to work on getting females of all ages a fairer playing field.”

Koller joined the MORPD in 1974 as a part-timer while still in college at Sac State; he was hired full time in 1979 after completing college. When Koller was hired, the district still was developing its facilities and programs. Since Koller came aboard, the district, which serves about 65,000 Arden-Arcade and Carmichael residents, has developed 16 parks and two community centers and operated a successful recreation program that includes a 36-year-old summer camp program for kids.

“Even today with the bad economy, the camps are still filling up,” Koller said in his office over the voices of campers playing outside. “Most of our camp staff is kids who were campers and junior leaders here. And each group that comes in wants to do better than the group before them did, which is a nice problem for me to have,” he added with a grin.

Also helpful to Koller is the location of the MORPD offices, between American River College and Sacramento State University, two schools that offer recreation programs.

“Having those two schools nearby has really improved our recruiting possibilities,” he said. “And it also helps that this is a really fun place to work.”

The district, Koller said, employs about 13 fulltime staff and uses contracted services for maintenance work at district facilities.

“Jobs like mowing, fertilizing, landscaping, those are all contracted out, which saves us money by not having to buy that equipment and not having to pay benefits to that many more employees,” he  explained.

Koller is especially proud of the relationship he and the MORPD have built over the years with the San Juan Unified School District. Five high schools and five middle schools are located within MORPD boundaries, Koller noted, and four of the district’s 16 parks are located on San Juan Unified School District properties. In addition, the school district several years ago selected MORPD to run the district’s middle school sports programs under an arrangement known as the Middle School Sports Alliance.

“It’s all about a good-neighbor policy,” Koller explained. “You build trust and respect within the community and you focus on not allowing the things that upset the neighbors to happen.”

MORPD Administrator Debby Walker, who hired Koller back in 1974, considers his work to save the school district’s middle school sports programs his finest accomplishment.

“Mission Oaks has a great work environment and Mark played a huge role in making that happen over the years by building strong internal and external relationships,” Walker said. “His contributions are many, but one that rises to the top was the rescue and redevelopment of the middle school sports program for San Juan Unified School District after it was dropped from the school district’s budget in the early 90s.”

Koller’s co-workers realize his retirement will mean a change around the office. MORPD Supervisor of Parks Ken Matsumoto, another longtime district employee, will miss Koller’s positive attitude and team-building skills.

“I’ve worked alongside Mark for more than 30 years, and during that time I have seen Mark grow into his current position of director of recreation and marketing,” Matsumoto wrote in an email. “Under his guidance, the district has consistently offered top-notch programs and opportunities for youth and adults through employment. But most significantly, he has worked tirelessly to promote staff well-being and has been the heart of employee recognition and accomplishment.”

Matsumoto also praised Koller as a friend and an advisor.

“His influence has made Mission Oaks a family, not merely a place of employment,” he continued. “Mark and I have shared many of our life’s experiences with work and family, and if I needed advice I would turn to Mark. His imminent retirement leaves a bigger void as a friend than as a coworker.”

As for Koller’s plans for after retirement, he plans to focus on helping others.

“I’m a big believer in giving back, and whatever I’m able to do to make a significant difference in this next phase of my life, whether it’s with family, friends, community, that’s my goal,” he said. “I am blessed to be at a place in my life where I can give back and give more than I receive.”

“We were very methodical. We did what we set out to do, to put a significant dent in the budget deficit,” said Senate President pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg. “We know we have a lot more work to do.”

Without the tax extensions, the Legislature will be forced to consider an all-cuts budget, which, according to the Legislative Analyst, likely would include an extra five billion dollars in cuts to K-12 schools around the state. All this has come after the March 15 date when school districts across the state were forced to send out layoff notices.

SCUSD

The Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) sent a total of 405 layoff notices to certificated staff the week of March 15. As Supt. Raymond explained, the last thing he wants to do is layoff the district’s dedicated teachers and counselors.

“We do not have surplus staff at SCUSD, no one is expendable,” said Raymond. “Our teachers, our office managers, our custodians, our aides – we need everyone.”

The Board of Education made the decision to increase class sizes and reduce counselors, decreasing the certificated staffing needs by 355.6 full-time equivalent positions, Raymond added. The number of layoff notices is higher because some of the district’s newer employees work part-time hours.

March 15 was the deadline to submit a balanced budget to the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) that addresses what will happen if voters fail to extend current temporary taxes in a June special election. SCOE accepted the layoff notices as evidence that the district is seriously planning for the worst, even though class size increases and salary reductions must be negotiated with the districts collective bargaining partners.

Raymond said he is hopeful and optimistic about the upcoming changes and making it through this challenging budget season.

“Last year, the district collaborated with our labor partners to balance a $32.5 million deficit through a combination of employee contributions and other budget moves,” he said. “Of the 739 certificated layoff notices sent last year, all but 20 were eventually rescinded. And despite the budget shortfall, the district saved librarians and counselors and expanded art and music programs.”

SJUSD

The San Juan Unified School District Board of Education sent notices to more than 550 employees in their district, primarily library staff and school nurses in the latest effort to close a $36.7 million budget gap.

“We are keeping our librarians in the high school level, it’s the media technicians in the elementary schools that have received notices,” explained Trent Allen, director of communication and spokesperson for SJUSD. “The media tech position of the library is being eliminated, but the functions of the library in the elementary schools are staying open. Kids can still go in and check out books.”

Allen said that it is a teacher’s hire date – which is generally the first day of school of the year they begin teaching – that plays a big role when it comes to who receives a notices. The last-hired teachers are the first to receive layoff notices, except in positions the district chooses to protect.

“It’s by seniority, whoever has been in that job function the longest has the right to the job. For our certificated staff, which is our principal, teachers, counselors, and nurses,  (for) those folks it’s by credential area and then seniority,” said Allen. “It also depends if we have a credential that we need a teacher for and then folks with the more senior within that credential are the folks who have a right to that job.”

Some board members are hopeful the economic situation will improve and the layoffs will be rescinded. The school district will have to cut $13.9 million to $35 million if legislatures decide to do an all cuts budget. That means SJUSD will have to do a 50-percent to 100-percent cut greater than what they just did.

“We spend 90 percent of our money in serving students. When you look at the breakdown of positions we employ the vast amount is teachers,” said Allen. “As these reductions hit every area of the district including administration, teachers, custodial, I would envision any other reduction would continue to hit all levels of the district.”

Despite the cuts Allen agrees with Raymond in saying that for the most part, the community has been supportive.

“Folks have been incredibly understanding; they know the budget has been what it is and they know we are trying to live within our means,” said Allen. “At the moment we’ve been spared from having to cut furloughs, mass layoffs, eliminated sports, athletics, and arts. (In) a lot of ways we’ve been able to weather this relatively well, but still the cuts are very dramatic and very real.”

 

Nota bene

Sacramento is not the only City in the pink. School districts across the state have sent out nearly 20,000 layoff notices to teachers and other school employees due to the uncertainty over the state budget, according to the California Teachers Association (CTA). This comes as Gov. Jerry Brown and state lawmakers negotiate over how to close the state’s nearly $27 billion budget shortfall.

Many districts have not reported how many pink slips they have issued as they prepare for worst-case budget scenarios, according to CTA President David Sanchez. He expects the number to surpass 20,000. Two years ago, districts handed out layoff notices to a record 26,500 teachers, but only 60 percent of them ended up losing their jobs.

“The numbers speak loudly about this crisis,” Sanchez said. “Pink slips are causing chaos for teachers and parents who worry about their children’s education and future.”

Brown is urging legislators to create a special election in June, asking voters to extend increases in the sales tax, vehicle license fee and income tax that are due to expire June 30 He will need to get a two-thirds vote from the Legislature for the special election. If there is no special election, K-12 and community colleges’ share of the budget will be cut by at least $2.2 billion.

If there is a special election and the ballot measure fails, SCUSD is looking to cut $22.3 million and SJUSD an additional $13.6 to $35 million for the 2011-2012 school year.

elizabeth@valcomnews.com

With the state facing a $25.4 billion deficit over the next 17 months, schools across the State are looking at ways to cut back. Everyone is scrambling to make staffing decisions by the March 15 deadline for preliminary layoff notices. Final layoff notices will come out two months later on May 15.

Sac City Unified and San Juan Unified school districts have launched weeks of budget discussions focused on options familiar to public agencies around the county. The goal is to increase community awareness of 2011-12 budget issues and engage the public in this difficult process. The two unified school districts are contemplating two different budget scenarios for the 2011-12 school year; one if voters agree to extend temporary state tax increases and the other if they don’t.

The difference is dramatic.

Sacramento City Unified School District:

If the tax increase is pushed through, Sac. City Unified School District (SCUSD) is looking to cut only $9.05 million from its budget gap. If the proposed tax increase extensions does not pass, the school district is looking to cut $22.3 million.

“In these uncertain times, it becomes critically important that we work hard to educate our community about budget challenges and listen to their suggestions and concerns,” explained SCUSD Superintendent Jonathan Raymond. “The better informed our community is, the better they can work with us to find innovative and resourceful ways we can do more to accelerate student learning with less state funding.”

According to the SCUSD website, the proposed cuts are:

• Reduce adult education
• Reduce staff pay
• Eliminate busing
• Reduce counselors
• Increase seventh- and eighth-grade class sizes from 31 to 35, increase class sizes to 40 in ninth grade, 36 in seventh and eighth grades, and 34 in fourth through sixth grade

Given that reality, school officials are hoping their worse-case scenario doesn’t get even worse.  “These are horrible, horrible decisions we are proposing and the only thing worse than to make these decisions at all is trying to make them in a vacuum,” said Gabe Ross, Chief Communications Officer Sacramento City Unified School District.  “If it plans on being better than we thought then we can scale back.”

According to Ross,in the last nine years, the district has cut $177 million in expenditures – a 35 percent reduction. Even if voters pass tax extensions in a special election, it is projected that more cuts will be needed to balance SCUSD’s budget for next year, due to the lingering recession and enrollment declines in some areas.

San Juan Unified School District:

San Juan Unified School District (SJUSD) is working to reduce expenditures by at least $36.7 million. If the Governor’s budget fails or voters do not approve the extension of temporary taxes, the total amount of needed reductions grows to $49.6 million.  On Feb 8, the Board discussed reductions for schools through staffing allocations as well as reductions at the central office.  The staffing allocations return to the Board on March 8 for action.

There are more than 40,000 SJUSD students that will be affected by the cuts.  “Our number one position is to teach kids and therefore the core work should be protected in the classrooms,” said Tom Alves, Executive Director of the San Juan Teachers Association.  “They keep cutting much more deeply in the classrooms than the administration and central office.  We’ve always said it needs to start there.”

Despite an early rejection from the SJUSD, Alves is still pushing for a retirement incentive that addresses managing the exodus of teachers in a financial and fiscal way.  “If we let go of the bottom 200 teachers that make an average $40,000 a year instead of the top 200 teachers that average $75,000, that’s a big difference.”

According to the SJUSD website, if there are no tax extensions some of the possible impacts would be:

• Reduce staff allocations as well as reductions at the central office
• Eliminate adult education
• Offer bus transportation only to special education students
• Increase K-3 class sizes
• Eliminate 357 teacher, vice principal, counselor and district-level administrator positions

More than 49 of those positions are central office staff, including media techs, Regional Occupation Program (RoP) coordinators, and even high school counselors.

“There’s between two and four fulltime positions allocated for counselors in high school,” explains Trent Allen, San Juan Unified School District spokesman. “For the next academic year the Board is considering one full time counselor for schools with one-thousand or fewer students.  For the schools between one to two thousand students we’d have three full time counselors.”

Craig Stradley, whose son attends at Rio Americano High School, says even though he understands some cuts are needed, he also believes some positions like high school counselors are a necessity.

“Counselors are the ones that are guiding the students to their next level of education, whether it’s a four-year university or a trade school that goes indirectly to the workforce,” said Stradley. “I think it’s going to be one of the most painful cuts.”

Anytime school districts talk about school closures or cutbacks they get a lot of feedback from parents, businesses, and other organization.  This academic year both school districts have seen a spike in teacher/parent/school/business involvement than in years past.

“This time around it’s more constructive I think because we went through the strategic planning process and invited more than 300 members of the SJUSD community to come in and help set direction for the district and create some honest dialog,” said Allen. “The other piece is the economic climate we are in. Folks realize there will be reductions and sacrifices and it’s not a question if we have to be doing it, but rather, let’s figure out the best way to do them.”

“We can’t pretend that this will be an easy year,” said Raymond. “But if we work together with all of our partners, I believe we can make it through. And families are our most important partners.”

It could be weeks or months before its clear which budget scenario comes to pass. Gov. Jerry Brown is urging legislators to vote next month to create a special election in June, asking voters to extend increases in the sales tax, vehicle license fee and income tax that are due to expire June 30. First he would need to get a two-thirds vote from the Legislature for the special election. If they don’t, K-12 and community colleges’ share of the budget would be cut by at least $2.2 billion.

elizabeth@valcomnews.com

Sidebar:

The following is a schedule of forums (all meetings start at 6:30 p.m.):

• Tuesday, Feb. 22 – Rosemont High School, 9594 Kiefer Blvd.
• Wednesday, Feb. 23 – Will C. Wood Middle School, 6201 Lemon Hill Ave.
• Tuesday, March 1 – John Still Elementary School, 2200 John Still Drive
• Wednesday, March 2 – John F. Kennedy High School, 6715 Gloria Drive
• Tuesday, March 8 – Father Keith B. Kenny Elementary School, 3525 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.