January 2000 News Archive
Friday, January 28, 2000
Goleta Valley Junior High School Penny Drive Benefits Transition House and the Dream Foundation
During the first three weeks of December, Goleta Valley Junior High’s Associated Student Body sponsored a penny drive, raising $1,200. In January, the students donated $1,000 to Transition House and $200 to the Dream Foundation (formerly Dalmation Dreams).
Every GVJHS classroom participated in the penny drive. Students in the Leadership Program counted and weighed all the coins.
In addition to raising funds, students learned about Transition House by visiting the program, watching a video about their services, and listening to the words of Transition House representative Warren Brush. Brush indicated that the school’s donation will be used to support the Transition House teen program, which provides camping trips and other outdoor adventure for teens who would not otherwise be likely to have those types of opportunities.
Reorganization of the Santa Barbara School Districts’ Administration Staff to Address Projected Budget Deficit
Currently, the Santa Barbara Elementary School District faces a projected $700,000 deficit. The deficit is the result of several factors: declining enrollment (which means reduced income from the State), increased special education encroachment, changes in funding for Peabody Charter School, the new reporting mechanism for attendance ("excused absences" are no longer funded), and overall reduced funding from the State for the day-to-day operations of the District. For the past several months, District staff have analyzed multiple ways to balance the 2000-2001 budget. Beginning with the January 12th meeting of the Board of Education, potential ways of balancing the budget are being brought before the Board.
One of the options that has been given serious consideration is the concept of recouping the Average Daily Attendance (ADA) for 6th grade students housed at La Cumbre Middle School. The Board took the recommendation under advisement at their January 12 meeting. A decision has not yet been reached on that option.
At the January 26 Board meeting, the following District Office staff cuts will be recommended:
- The position of Deputy Superintendent* will be eliminated (resulting in an overall savings of $119,159 per year);
- The position of Director-Instructional Support Services* will be eliminated (resulting in an overall savings of $104,438 per year);
- One Staff Secretary* position, currently held by an employee who is retiring on March 1, will not be filled (resulting in an overall savings of $42,162);
- Two Programmer/Analyst positions will be eliminated (resulting in an overall savings of $79,410);
- Reduction of hours of one Secretary-Instructional Support Services (resulting in an overall savings of $4,423).
This District-level reorganization, effective July 1, 2000, will result in a total overall savings of $349,592. The elimination of three positions (noted with an asterisk, above) will require a reorganization of duties. Some tasks currently performed will be eliminated and others will be assigned to existing staff. As part of the reorganization, the Programmer/Analyst positions will be eliminated but a new position of Database Manager will be added. The overall savings listed above reflect this addition. The employees who currently hold these positions have been notified of these changes that are scheduled to take place in approximately six months time. Additional cuts at the District level are still being studied and may be recommended in the near future.
On February 9, several proposals that have yet to be identified will be presented to the Board of Education. Protecting the fiscal integrity of the Elementary District, while maintaining a sound educational program, require that every facet of the current $36 million Elementary District budget be examined. Once the State budget is revealed, the final depth of District budget cuts will be determined.
A preliminary District budget is expected to be completed by early April. An approved, balanced budget must be adopted by the Board of Education by June 30, 2000.
Academic Performance Index
One feature of the 1999 Public Schools Accountability Act is the Academic Performance Index (API), a system of measuring each school’s academic performance and progress in reaching established goals. It is a numeric index or scale that ranges from a low of 200 to a high of 1000. In this first year of API ratings, the State of California has determined that 800 is the API score that schools should meet. In relation to reaching the 800 API score, schools that reach their annual targets will be eligible for monetary or other types of awards from the State. Schools that do not meet the annual target established by the State will be eligible for interventions or subject to sanctions.
Each school’s API score was calculated using the results of the spring 1999 Stanford 9 exam. In grades 2-8, the index reflects performance in four content areas: mathematics, reading, language, and spelling. The respective amount of emphasis on those areas is 40%, 30%, 15%, and 15%. In grades 9-11, the index reflects performance in five content areas: mathematics, reading, language, history-social science, and science. The respective amount of emphasis on each of those five content areas is 20%.
The API includes each school’s 1999 score, 1999 statewide rank, and 1999 rank compared to schools with similar characteristics. These school characteristics include students’ socioeconomic level and ethnicity. Information will also be provided on each school’s projected target for 1999-2000.
In late January, the API results will be posted on the California Department of Education’s Web site.
Dr. Deborah Flores Appointed Superintendent of the Santa Barbara Elementary and High School Districts
On Wednesday, January 12, 2000, at their regularly scheduled meeting, the Board of Education announced the appointment of Deputy Superintendent Deborah Flores as the new superintendent of the Santa Barbara Elementary and High School Districts. Dr. Flores will replace Superintendent Michael Caston, who announced his resignation on Monday, January 3, 2000. Dr. Caston has accepted the position of Deputy Superintendent of the Santa Barbara County Education Office. Dr. Caston was hired as the Districts’ superintendent on March 1, 1994. With the appointment of Dr. Flores, Dr. Caston will now begin the transition from Santa Barbara School Districts’ superintendent to Santa Barbara County Education Office deputy superintendent, a transition that is expected to last several weeks.
"I am very grateful for the unanimous support of the Board of Education and the encouragement that Dr. Caston and countless others have expressed during the past few days," stated Dr. Flores. "The Santa Barbara School Districts have been home to me for almost ten years and I am honored to have the opportunity to serve in this new capacity. Dr. Flores continued, "The face of education is changing and we have many challenges ahead, especially the areas of budget, facility needs and, most important, academic achievement. But having worked closely with this top-notch team of educators, administrators, staff, parents, students and Board members, I am confident that we will continue to work together in creative ways that put children first."
Dr. Flores, age 46, has been an employee of the Santa Barbara School Districts since September 1990, when she began work as the administrator of the Child Development Program. On July 1, 1994, she was appointed assistant superintendent of the Districts. Then, on July 1, 1997, her position was elevated to deputy superintendent, a position that included expanded duties, such as contract negotiations. As deputy superintendent, her salary was $103,927.
Dr. Flores is in her 20th year as an administrator and 25th year in education. In addition to regular education, she has administered a variety of state and federal programs such as special education, Title I, secondary guidance counseling, district-wide testing and assessment, bilingual education, early childhood, remedial reading, and alternative programs. Additionally, she has extensive experience in curriculum development, personnel, grant administration, and budgets. During her career she has administered programs in four other school districts, such as the County Office of Education, Riverside CA (program supervisor); Gateway Regional School District, Huntington, MA (pupil services director); Northwest Special Education Region, Chepachet, RI (assistant director of special education); Amherst-Pelham Regional School District, Amherst, MA (team evaluation supervisor and special education teacher).
Dr. Flores received both a B.A.in Education and a Masters degree in Education from the University of Massachusetts (1975 and 1978, respectively) and completed her Doctorate in Educational Administration at the University of California, Santa Barbara (1996).
The exact terms of yesterday’s Board of Education appointment, such as salary and employment start date, will be determined by the Board and Dr. Flores. When those terms are decided, the information will be available to the public.
[The following information was provided by the Santa Barbara County Education Office]
Caston named Deputy Superintendent of County Education Office
Dr. Michael Caston, currently superintendent of the Santa Barbara Elementary and High School Districts, has accepted a position as deputy superintendent of the Santa Barbara County Education Office, Bill Cirone, Superintendent.
"My goal is to build the best county office in the state and to provide the highest quality service possible for our districts," said Cirone. "Mike Caston is recognized by all as among the best superintendents in California, and the nation. He has been sought by other districts, such as Portland, OR and Phoenix, AZ. We are thrilled that Mike has agreed to remain in Santa Barbara to provide service and support to the 23 school districts in Santa Barbara County," said Cirone.
"While superintendent of the Santa Barbara districts, Mike has clearly established student outcomes as a leading goal. Virtually everyone is in agreement that this focus has resulted in increased test scores and student performance in the Santa Barbara district.
Under Mike’s leadership, the district has undergone a true sense of renewal," Cirone explained.
Given the new accountability legislation recently enacted and the Academic Performance Index now in place, Dr. Caston’s responsibilities will include establishing a unit that provides direct support to districts interested in developing strategies to improve student performance.
The change is part of an administrative reorganization of the Santa Barbara County Education Office that was begun when Paul Cordeiro, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, announced plans to take a position as assistant superintendent in the Newhall district.
"It is a rare opportunity to bring in someone of Michael Caston’s caliber to work directly with districts," said Cirone. "Mike’s vision, skill, commitment, experience and integrity will help insure that this office remains responsive to the real needs of our districts."