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TJUSD Board Meeting - March 09, 2017

PostPosted: Fri Mar 10, 2017 9:09 am
by blackturtle.us
This board meeting was a bit longer than recent board meetings. There were several presentations which took up a fair amount of time. The most important items of community concern include the following:
1) Superintendent Contract - The board voted (4-1) to give the superintendent a 2% raise and to extend his contract by one year.
2) Superintendent's Report - Among other things, the superintendent talked about a new accountability system. The system utilizing API scores has been phased out and a new system incorporating a dashboard displaying multiple measures and something called a "Continuous Improvement Plan" will replace it. Mr. Wolfe spoke in greater detail regarding the new accountability system later in the meeting. Also mentioned by the superintendent were the Blue Angels, sixth grade science camp, facility upgrades to be implemented during the summer, "Doctor" Hill, and a couple other items.
3) English Curriculum - One of the HS English teachers presented information to the board regarding English curriculum for grades seven through twelve. He went into some detail about interesting features available and made a purchase recommendation. The associated textbooks are available for public inspection in the District Office.
4) HS Principal / State of the High School Report - Regarding the multiple measures to be displayed on the dashboard of the new accountability system, Mr. Wolfe listed the following items: graduation rate, test scores (Math, ELA, ELL), attendance, suspension, and college/career readiness. Also highlighted were grade improvements at the high school. The percentage of F's and D's has dropped, with a corresponding increase in A's, B's, and C's. Also discussed was a proposed transition from the current AVID program (costing the district $30k/year) to a new program called Get Focused/Stay Focused (GF/SF) which is likely to be both more effective and much less expensive.
5) Eli Johnson (Charter School Report) - Mr. Johnson updated the board regarding the charter school sponsored by TJUSD. He asserted that the charter has reached a total enrollment of over 1400 students (and growing) and that the charter will be sending the district a check for over $100k soon. He also talked a little about the charter's diversity profile, possible accreditation, and plans for accommodating special education students.
6) Public Comment - Two community members addressed the school board. The first parent expressed concerns regarding what he believes to be mold on the elementary cafeteria ceiling. The second community member told the board that the former financial secretary recommended against refinancing the pool (see next item).
7) Pool Bond Refinance - Rex Despain (representative for Isom Advisors) talked a bit about a possible refinancing of the pool bond approved by voters in 1999. There are seven years left on the bond. Mr. Despain claimed that his company can save taxpayers $38k without extending the bond expiration date by refinancing the bond at current low interest rates. The biggest beneficiary of this refinancing would be the chemical plant since they are the largest taxpayer in Trona. The board listened to the proposal, but did not act at this time.
8) Calendar for 2017-2018 school year approved. There was some discussion about various options available, but there were no issues which motivated the board to reject the proposed calendar.
9) The next regular meeting will probably be April 6th (a week early due to Spring Break being the second week of April). Also a special meeting is planned for March 30 in which technology upgrades for classrooms, library, etc. will be discussed.

Re: TJUSD Board Meeting - March 09, 2017

PostPosted: Sat Mar 11, 2017 9:15 am
by wildrose
What public school (Teachers) really say about the new Secretary of Education
It's hard not to hate Betsy DeVos. She's so out of touch with the educational needs of the general public. Just the same, she hasn't done any harm yet and so maybe she's not as bad as she seems.

Re: TJUSD Board Meeting - March 09, 2017

PostPosted: Sun Mar 12, 2017 8:23 am
by dilbert
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos Addresses Twitter Typos
Betsy is such a silly goose! :laugh:

Re: TJUSD Board Meeting - March 09, 2017

PostPosted: Sun Mar 12, 2017 7:29 pm
by cactuspete
Jimmy Interviews Education Secretary Betsy DeVos
Here's another one. It's pretty ridiculous, but it's funny!

Re: TJUSD Board Meeting - March 09, 2017

PostPosted: Mon Mar 13, 2017 4:05 pm
by MojaveMike
Parents outraged over 5th grade ‘slave posters’ assignment
This had been going on for ten years without any problems and then someone takes it the wrong way and convinces a bunch of other parents that it's inappropriate. People are just getting to be too sensitive and eager to complain about anything and everything.

Re: TJUSD Board Meeting - March 09, 2017

PostPosted: Tue Mar 14, 2017 7:48 am
by wildrose
Today is Pi Day! Hopefully schools all around the area are using this event to get kids excited about math. I also understand that today is Albert Einstein's birthday. What a neat coincidence!

Re: TJUSD Board Meeting - March 09, 2017

PostPosted: Tue Mar 14, 2017 8:48 am
by surfsteve
New York About to Eliminate Test Meant to See if Teachers Can Read… because RAAAACISM!

http://constitution.com/new-york-elimin ... raaaacism/

Re: TJUSD Board Meeting - March 09, 2017

PostPosted: Tue Mar 14, 2017 9:43 am
by ruskyed
В США хотят отменить тест на грамотность для учителей :smack:
Pravda posted this short video and a much longer one on this topic yesterday. The stereotype of the stupid American is prevalent outside the USA, but this takes that stereotype to the extreme! National embarrassment?

Re: TJUSD Board Meeting - March 09, 2017

PostPosted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 6:23 am
by mrfish
How are we supposed to have competitive schools if we are forced to employ teachers who can't even pass a basic competency test? This is stupid. If a disproportionate number of minorities can't pass the test, I'd say that's a pretty good indication that those people are either not academically prepared to be teachers or that they lack sufficient intelligence to handle the job. Either way we don't want them as teachers if they aren't qualified!

Re: TJUSD Board Meeting - March 09, 2017

PostPosted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 7:51 am
by shadylady
Back in the 1960s there was a lot of talk about culturally biased tests and a lot of effort went into creating tests which did not favor one racial or ethnic group over another. Tests were modified to erase any possible cultural bias so that the tests truly measured academic achievement and not cultural differences. To continue to use supposed cultural bias as an excuse is just lame!