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Santa Barbara School Districts are part of the Santa Barbara County Education Office.
September 2007 News Archive
August
2007 | October 2007 
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Santa Barbara School Districts to Reinstate Junior High School Electives
At their Tuesday, September 25, 2007 meeting, the Santa Barbara School Districts’ Board of Education voted to reinstate $340,000 in electives to the four junior high schools.
A plan showing which courses will be added will go to the board for their approval at the October 9 meeting.
Rachel’s Challenge Day at Dos Pueblos High School on October 4 and at San Marcos High School on October 5, 2007
The PTSA, Campus Specialties, and the Leadership Classes of 2007 and 2008 have joined together to provide funds to bring Rachel’s Challenge to Dos Pueblos High School on Thursday, October 4, 2007. Rachel’s Challenge student assemblies will take place at 9:40 a.m. and again at 10:46 a.m. in the school’s gymnasium.
Assistant Principal Michelle Hughes said, “In light of recent youth violence in our community, Dos Pueblos High School is committed to continually building a positive culture in our school. This nationally-recognized school assembly program compliments a host of other activities and programs on our campus.”
Rachel’s Challenge is an assembly and training program designed to change the climate of schools in a positive way. The program is based on an essay entitled, “My Ethics, My Codes of Life” written by Rachel Scott, the first student killed at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999. Rachel was a 17-year-old junior at the time of her death. Rachel’s essays are the foundation the foundation of the one-hour presentation that includes video footage and a speaker who is a member of Rachel’s family. The presentation encourages students to see everyone as valuable and worthy of dignity and respect.
Following the morning assembly, a group of Dos Pueblos High School students will participate in an interactive training session to based on Rachel’s five-point challenge:
- eliminate prejudice by looking for the best in others;
- dare to dream, set goals, and keep a journal;
- choose your influences;
- kind words and small acts of kindness have a huge impact;
- start a chain reaction with family and friends.
Parents and community members are invited to a Rachel’s Challenge meeting in the Dos Pueblos High School gymnasium, beginning at 7:00 p.m. that evening. The meeting will focus on opportunities at home that reinforce the culture of kindness.
On Friday, October 5, San Marcos High School will conduct two Rachel’s Challenge student assemblies, the first at 9:25 a.m. and the second at 10:46 a.m. The assemblies will be held in the auditorium. The parent/community program, also in the auditorium, will begin at 7:00 p.m.
“Planning Guidelines for Co-curricular Activities” has been Revised
New information has been added to the districts’ “Planning Guidelines for Co-curricular Activities” posted on the districts’ web site.
The current document’s September 27, 2007 revision date is noted at the bottom of each page. The guidelines may be updated during the course of the year and users are advised to check the districts’ web site for the most recent version.
California Department of Education Designates September 24-28, 2007 as Deaf Awareness Week
The California Department of Education recognizes September 24-28, 2007 as Deaf Awareness Week.
The Santa Barbara School Districts serve 25 students in the deaf and heard-of-hearing program. One classroom teacher in the elementary district serves pre-K through sixth-grade students who are identified as deaf or hard-of-hearing. Two itinerant deaf and hard-of-hearing specialists serve K-12 students. Four sign language interpreters work with students in accessing communication within the school environment and two transcribers assist students with class lectures.
The Santa Barbara School Districts provide regional program services for the Santa Barbara County Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) to deaf and hard-of-hearing students from Carpinteria to Gaviota Pass.
Update on Review of District Budget
During Tuesday night’s board of education workshop on the budget, Superintendent Brian Sarvis and the board of education laid the foundation for a plan to ensure accuracy in the district budget and restore confidence in the budget numbers. Dr. Sarvis said that the board of education, employees, and the public expect the district to provide consistent, accurate budget reporting and projections about future years. He also cited the need for clear and timely reports. The plan calls for a study to restructure the fiscal services department, an independent analysis of the district budget, and an independent three year budget projection.
Budget problems are not new to the district. They were evident in 2000 when the district turned to FCMAT (Fiscal Crisis Management Assistance Team) for advice on a number of fiscal management issues. Dr. Sarvis said the problems must be fixed. The district has contacted FCMAT and another independent organization, School Services of California, for proposals.
Fiscal Services Department. For a number of months, the business office has considered adding staff and restructuring the fiscal services department. The proposals will provide assistance in determining appropriate staffing levels and the most efficient organizational structure.
Budget Analysis. An independent analysis would be used to validate the district budget or identify inaccuracies through
review of the current budget, budgeting practices, the budget development process, and assumptions about general fund
revenue and expenditures. An independent multiple-year projection would also provide general fund projections for 2008-09
and 2009-10. Accuracy in multiple year projections is needed to determine
whether we can provide additional funding now for programs that were reduced last spring or whether additional spending
now would simply require us to make even larger budget cuts in the future.
We will also considering a shift from independent fiscal accountability. Currently all fiscal functions are done in-house, but we are considering a possible return to the model whereby the Santa Barbara County Education Office would provide some fiscal accounting services.
Finally, the district is anticipating selection of a new audit firm for next year’s fiscal audit.
The board of education will have more discussion about the proposals at their September 25 board meeting.
Instrumental Music in the Santa Barbara Elementary School District
Correction: Due to an error, Santa Barbara Education Foundation support of the elementary program was inadvertently deleted from the original article. The correction is reflected in the text below.
In the 2006-07 school year, the elementary music program provided instruction to students in grades 4-6 in each of the ten non-charter elementary schools. Instruction was provided by four full-/part-time music teachers, which was the equivalent of three full-time teachers (i.e., FTEs, an acronym for full time equivalents). Due to budget constraints, the 2007-08 school year started with two full-time music teachers in the elementary district rather than three FTEs. The result was that we were unable to provide music instruction for all elementary schools.
The plan is to increase and enrich the elementary instructional music program by providing the following services at all ten non-charter schools:
- classroom instrumental music instruction for all fourth-grade students once per week;
- instrumental music instruction for all continuing fifth- and sixth-grade students once per week;
- all-district orchestra and band once per week and special events during the year.
In order to meet the three-point plan, the projected budget is $256,000. The current available funding is $157,000. With additional Santa Barbara Education Foundation support of $25,000 this leaves a shortfall of $74,000.
At the September 11, 2007 meeting of the board of education, the board voted to fully fund the elementary instrumental, music program, as described above, with $74,000 coming from the elementary district’s general fund.
Assistant Superintendent Robin Sawaske stated, “We are excited about the opportunity to expand and enrich our instrumental program for elementary school students. One of the most exciting components of the program is the all-school orchestra and band. Each week, students from across the district will come together to have fun, build friendships, and create something wonderful.”
The elementary music program is now underway at several school sites and it is expected to be fully staffed in October, when the remaining positions are filled and the legal employment processing requirements have been met (e.g., fingerprint clearance).
San Marcos High School to Celebrate the Half Century Mark with 50 Years of Royalty
The month was September. The year was 1957. San Marcos High School opened its doors on the Riviera to become the second high school in the Santa Barbara School Districts. The school was moved to its current site in September 1958. To honor the event, on Friday, September 28, 2007, the San Marcos Royals will kick off a year-long celebration with 50 Years of Royalty, the homecoming theme. And who better to join in on the spirited celebration than the homecoming queens of yesteryear. According to Aaron Solis, Leadership and Associated Student Body activities director, all former homecoming queens have been invited and almost 30 have confirmed their attendance, including Lucy Blende Sexton, the school’s first queen in 1958.
The homecoming court for 2007 has been selected: Princess Esther Flores, Princess Bryn Kass, Princess Cailyn Katsev, Princess Shahrzad (Sharzy) Makaremi, Princess Lisa Read, and Princess Yu (Joy) Sun. A vote by the student body will determine this year’s queen and the results will be announced at the homecoming game.
On September 28, there will be 11:20 luncheon assembly and rally in school’s Greek theatre. The rally will feature the six homecoming princesses, who will perform a skit or dance of their own creation. The Marquettes, the school’s renowned dance group, will provided a spirited performance. Then, in recognition of the golden jubilee, more than 30 past Royal homecoming queens will be honored.
At noon, there will be a luncheon at the Endless Summer Restaurant for school board members, district administrators, San Marcos faculty and staff, the 2008 homecoming court, and all past homecoming queens and their families.
At 4:00 p.m., in an event intended to unite the entire school community, there will be a homecoming carnival on the basketball courts next to the newly renovated gymnasium. Students, their families, and friends will enjoy the jumpers and other inflatable games. Each of San Marcos’ student groups, (e.g., Speak Against Hate Club, Biking Club) will participate in the carnival by running booths with food and games.
At 7:00 p.m. in the school’s Valley Stadium, the Royals football team will take on the Oxnard High School Yellowjackets. At halftime the six princesses will be escorted onto the Valley Stadium track by their fathers. Mrs. Sexton, the school’s first homecoming queen, will crown this year’s queen
50 Years of Royalty promises to be a great start to a jubilee year.
New Preschool Opportunity for Four-Year-Old Children
The Santa Barbara School Districts’ Child Development Program opened a new classroom on September 17, located in Room 35 at Franklin Elementary School, for children who turn four by December 2. This program is open full day from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., year round, as part of a new state program funding awarded to Child Development. This new pre-K program will be using the High Scope philosophy and curriculum focused on active learning, aligning instruction with the key experiences of early education. Children will also participate in the Waterford Early Reading Program.
Families qualify by need, based on work or school schedules. All income levels may apply. The fee is set on a sliding scale. Families only need to be residents of California.
Updated Planning Guidelines for Co-curricular Activities now on the Web
Copies of the 2007-08 “Planning Guidelines for Co-curricular Activities (pdf)” are on their way to all school sites. The guidelines have also been posted on the districts’ web site.
Often referred to as The Green Book, because of the color of the cover, this update incorporates information from various board policies and regulations adopted in July and August 2007. Civic center use of school facilities, activity fees, and fliers are the among the sections that were updated.
Accountability Progress Report
District Progress on NCLB Benchmarks and API Scores
The districts’ Office of Research, Evaluation, and Technology indicates that the Accountability Progress Report (APR) was released on Friday, August 31, 2007. This report includes information on how our schools did on the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) benchmarks and on the state Academic Performance Index (API) scores. In general, it gives a look into how each school performed in relation to other schools in our district, the state, and the nation.
Overall, the schools in our elementary and secondary districts compare quite favorably to the state and the nation and none of our schools missed passing all federal benchmarks schoolwide. Schools receive API scores for each numerically significant subgroup: racial/ethnic socio-economically disadvantaged, English learners, and students with disabilities. Understandably, these last three subgroups have a harder time making passing benchmarks for either the English or the math sections of the tests.
Three schools in the elementary district (Franklin, Harding, and McKinley) and two schools in the secondary district (La Cumbre Junior High and Santa Barbara Junior High) missed having at least one subgroup pass–usually English learners in English–and are labeled “Program Improvement” or “PI” schools. Additionally, three schools (Monroe, Santa Barbara Community Academy, and Goleta Valley) have a “mark” against them but are not in Program Improvement.
The elementary district is also labeled as a PI district due to English learners not making adequate progress.
On a positive note, La Cumbre Junior High passed in all subgroups last year, so its PI status was “frozen” and, if it passes again this year, La Cumbre will exit PI.
According to Dr. Davis Hayden, the districts’ director of research, evaluation, and technology, “In terms of API scores, again most schools have quite high API scores. Our lowest API score was at Cesar Chavez Charter School, but they also showed a strong growth of 25 points and managed to make all NCLB categories to stay clear of Program Improvement. Altogether, 18 of our 21 schools have an Academic Performance Index of 700 or higher and five schools– Roosevelt, Washington, Peabody Charter, Goleta Valley Junior High and La Colina Junior High–have an API of 800 or higher. [The state has set 800 as the score that schools should strive to meet.] This represents strong scores when compared to state averages.”
General Obligation Bond Refunding
The districts’ Office of Fiscal Services reports that the Santa Barbara School Districts successfully closed the general obligation refunding bond sale on July 18, 2007. Sale of the Series A bonds (Measure I-98) provided $919,373.80 for the elementary district and Series B (Measure V) bonds provided $1,933,758.91 for the secondary district.
The districts are still awaiting an opinion from the Attorney General on the permissibility of using those funds for bond projects.
Fundraising in the Santa Barbara School Districts
Community support is important to school programs. Volunteer time and financial resources assist our schools in achieving goals for student learning. In addition to parent/teacher associations and booster clubs, the following foundations engage in fundraising on behalf of schools in the Santa Barbara School Districts:
- Harding School Foundation
- Peabody Foundation
- Roosevelt Elementary Education Foundation
- California Academy Foundation
- Santa Barbara High School Athletics Foundation
- Santa Barbara High School Education Foundation
- Santa Barbara High School Theater Foundation
- Santa Barbara Education Foundation
Currently being organized: Open Alternative Educational Foundation and La Cumbre Foundation.
Undesignated Budget Reserves
The Santa Barbara School Districts’ budget updates at the August 14 and August 28, 2007 board of education meetings corrected the figures presented to the board on June 29, 2007. After the June report, the districts’ Business Office moved quickly to determine the accuracy of the budget figures through analysis by the Santa Barbara County Education Office, an independent fiscal consultant, as well as the new district director of fiscal services.
The report cautioned that because of the districts’ declining enrollment in recent years, state revenue, and budget projections for the next three years, it is fiscally prudent to prepare for their continued impacts on the districts’ finances. While the final year-end balance for 2006-07 is not complete, current corrections to the districts’ $119 million budget for 2007-08 leaves the following undesignated budget reserves (beyond the state-required three percent reserve for economic uncertainties):
- Revised 2007-08 undesignated budget reserve = $2.9 million.
- 2008-09 projected undesignated budget reserve = $1.85 million.
- 2009-10 projected undesignated budget reserve = (-$2.75 million).
Undesignated budget reserves in 2007-08 will help maintain fiscal health in 2008-09. Otherwise, it is highly likely that the districts would be facing a negative undesignated budget reserve, and more cuts, in school year 2008-09. Of course, the budget is fluid. These numbers will continue to change.
There are several questions district staff and the board are working to answer, including:
- What will the closing balance be from last year’s budget? The actual closing balance will become the corrected starting balance for this year’s 2007-08 budget and is expected to be presented to the board at the September 25, 2007 board meeting.
- Are the assumptions used to project future revenue and expenses correct? General fund revenue is based mainly on
enrollment assumptions based on our declining enrollment and state revenue projections are derived from data provided
by School Services of California. As we know from past experience, that data are critical to accurately predicting
future balances.
In our elementary district, student enrollment at non-charter elementary schools dropped three percent last year. The enrollment decline at secondary schools was two percent. Official enrollment counts will be made in October.
The districts are also exploring other revenue stream options. - What additional amount in undesignated reserves should the district maintain in order to make the three-year projection, plus the state-required three percent reserve for economic uncertainties, without needing to make more budget cuts during the 2008-09 school year? The three-year projection will be updated at future board meetings as budget amounts are known.
- What other future liabilities not currently included in the budget should be designated? The board will have further discussion on this matter.
- What program cuts made in April 2007 can be restored now? The board will be considering additions to the elementary music program–currently provided by two teachers–at the September 11 board meeting. Other programs may be considered in the future.
As answers to the above questions are known, the board will be facing difficult decisions on the districts needs and priorities.
Measure V Bond Project Update: San Marcos and Dos Pueblos High Schools
The new, $7.48 million San Marcos High School gymnasium and locker room complex renovation project is finished! On August 20, a large contingent of students, community members, and school and district staff came together to commemorate the event with a ribbon cutting.
Our next big celebration will be the completion of the Dos Pueblos High School auditorium and classrooms, which is expected to take place in about a month.
School Crossing Guards in Short Supply
The city Police Department has been having difficulty filling crossing guard positions. Unfilled vacancies in the program have prevented the Santa Barbara Police Department from staffing all 16 school locations throughout the city, in spite of months of advertising, fliers, and a pay increase. If you know of interested individuals, they are encouraged to contact the city’s Human Resource Department at 721 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara.
Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation Expands Programs for Youth
The city’s parks and recreation program has expanded its youth programs:
- The job apprentice program seeks to hire targeted youth to fill 37 opportunities during the summer months (some of the positions will continue into the school year).
- The Summer Fun Drop-In Recreation Program at Harding, Franklin, and McKinley served 396 children from 9:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. and had a full range of travel and hands-on activities.
- The city’s summer handball league clinic served 91 children at Franklin School and 100 at the Westside Boys & Girls Club and concluded with a citywide tournament, complete with prize money.
- Beginning this fall, all elementary school sports leagues will be free this year.
- The junior high school afterschool sports program, which served 900 children in 2006-07, is expected to double in 2007-08.
Channel 21 to Air Jim Collins’ Good To Great
How does an organization sustain long-term results and move from being good to being great? Lecturer and author Jim Collins explores that question in Good to Great, an insightful and engaging film to be aired locally on Channel 21 on the following dates and times:
Saturday, September 15, at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 16, at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 22, at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 23, at 7:00 p.m.
Using his Hedgehog Concept, Collins explores companies that moved from good to great and identifies three universal concepts that are applicable to the business sector as well as the social sector, including education.
Collins writes, “We must reject the idea—well-intentioned, but dead wrong—that the primary path to greatness in the social sectors is to become “more like a business.” Most businesses—like most of anything else in life—fall somewhere between mediocre and good. Few are great. When you compare great companies with good ones, many widely practiced business norms turn out to correlate with mediocrity, not greatness. So, then, why would we want to import the practices of mediocrity into the social sectors?”
Collins continues, “The critical distinction is not between business and social, but between great and good. We need to reject the naïve imposition of the “language of business” on the social sectors, and instead jointly embrace a language of greatness.”
According to his biography, Jim Collins began his research and teaching career on the faculty at Stanford Graduate School of Business and received a Distinguished Teaching Award in 1992. In 1995 he founded a management laboratory in Colorado where he conducts research and teaches executives from the corporate and social sectors.
Santa Barbara School Districts’ Food Fair Featured In FoodService Director Magazine
The June 15 issue of FoodService Director, a trade magazine, included an article on the Santa Barbara School Districts’ Nutrition Services third-annual Food Fair, a product taste test for students. Information gained at the Food Fair is used by the districts’ Office of Nutrition Services when deciding on new products to be added to school menus. Nutrition Services Director Frank Lihn also arranged for Santa Barbara County Department of Environmental Health and other organizations to provide displays that helped students learn about proper handwashing and nutrition.
About 300 third-through-sixth graders from the districts’ afterschool program participated in the May 4, 2007 Food Fair. These young food critics tasted and judged the food samples provided by more than 25 vendors. Students voted for their choices by placing brightly colored happy-face stickers on sheets of paper at each taste station.
The Food Fair is the brainchild of Nutrition Services Director Frank Lihn. Prior to joining the Santa Barbara School Districts, Mr. Lihn worked as an executive chef in various major hotels and restaurants in New York City for almost a decade and spent many years in food service in health care and public school nutrition. Mr. Lihn trained and worked in New York City’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Doral Park Avenue Hotel, United National Plaza Hotel and, in the 1980s, he was the executive chef at 60 East Club in New York City, a private lunch club owned by industry giant Harry Helmsley and his wife Leona Helmsley.