Thursday, July 15, 2004
Monrovia School Link ~ Number 86 ~ July 15, 2004
Thanks to Alex Zucco for this report. Alex is both the reporter and reportee in part of this article. She spoke at the previous meeting and got some response this meeting. Her plan for a parent group for the district - which the administration seems to favor - is quite interesting, so if you'd like to help her out, send her a note at ak.zucco_at_verizon.net. I'll try to report a bit more on her doings in another issue. Also, toward the bottom of this story is some info about some pretty specific goals the board has adopted for itself - goals by which the community can measure its progress. I like!
~ brad@sacklunch.net
Board of Education Regular Meeting, Wednesday, July 14th
By Alex Zucco
Arrived exactly on time for Wednesday's meeting and was surprised to find about 14 other people in the audience. Last week when I attended the meeting - there were about 3. Wonder why the big crowd? I found out about 15 minutes later.
Overall - some sad news/new opportunity, a "secret" gets out, a new set of goals and a request for help from the community.
But from the beginning...
Betty Sandford opened the meeting by noticing that the meeting was "Ladies Night" (my phrase, not hers) - Joel Shawn, Bryan Wong and Bruce Carter were on vacation and Robert Geiger (tech guy) had a death in the family - so it was an all-female board meeting. Betty then asked everyone to come in front of the dais for a line-up of sorts to announce the sad news/great new opportunity - this usually means someone is leaving. Dr. Gail Grant will be leaving Monrovia Unified School District as of July 21 to become the Area Administrator for the Fontana School District. Betty described this as Dr. Grant's dream job - she will have the opportunity to mentor other school site administrators. Betty awarded Dr. Grant with a plaque for 11 years of service in MUSD - there were tears, hugs - and many thanks to Dr. Grant for all of her hard work and dedication to Monrovia over the past 11 years. Good Luck Dr. Grant.
Scott Ochoa, Monrovia's new City Manager appeared next. He introduced himself, stated he wanted to work on a good working relationship with the board (since both groups serve the same "customer"), said he looks forward to working with the board... and also wanted a hug (like Dr. Grant). He spoke so quickly it was very difficult to understand him. Next time, maybe he can take breath or two in between sentences. He asked for questions from the board - and bummer for him - he got a few. Clare Chesley had a great one. She welcomed him, then made a plug for the schools - saying she hoped that now that he has family in Monrovia, that she would see his children in Monrovia Public Schools soon. I believe a "you go girl" would fit nicely here. Having the people that represent Monrovia - both elected and appointed - sending their children to Monrovia schools - what a novel idea. Monina and Betty thanked him for coming and Louise said Scott has always been very receptive to new ideas and is doing a great job. Crowd goes wild - applause, applause!
Next was the Monrovia Community Adult School Annual Report, presented by Esther McDonald. And this is where the "secret" came out. Esther said the Monrovia Community Adult School is the "Best Kept Secret" in Monrovia, and she wants to shed that image. She brought with her (pardon any spelling errors) Darcy Hafley, Jan Bellue, Patty Gould, Mike Schaffer and Lynn Whitaker. The rest of the audience was students from the school (maybe they got credit for attending). She had a 14-minute PowerPoint presentation jammed packed with programs, classes and benefits - that place has everything. GED classes, classes for seniors, parenting, ROP, fee-based classes, etc - I couldn't possibly get them all - but chances are if you are looking for something, the Monrovia Community Adult School has it. The presentation also had a good soundtrack... The Who, The Eagles "Long Run, Fleetwood Mac "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow", ABBA "Take A Chance on Me" and Louis Armstrong "What a Wonderful World"... music always helps. The school served more than 6,300 students last year, from more than 50 countries. Mary Ann Lutz is the council member mentoring/adopting the adult school. Asked for questions - Clare wondering about parking - being worked on; adding foreign language classes for elementary school children - being discussed with principals but still at very early stage; and finally - what does she need from the community? Esther had a great answer - catchy. She wants Monrovia to think of the Monrovia Community Adult School as your First Stop AND One Stop shopping. She said that even when she was at Bradoaks she had no idea how much the adult school had to offer - and she hopes the community and the school administrators will think of the Monrovia Community Adult School first. Monina asked about the difference between the free and the fee-based classes. From what I could gather - the school can be reimbursed for the ones they offer for free - the fee-based ones are for enjoyment and enrichment and don't get state reimbursement. Monina also asked (for her mom) why the upholstery class wasn't offered in the summer (apparently the upholstery group is very dedicated). Esther said it was a combination of funding and the teacher: Upholstery guru Donna Martino, wanted the summer off.
Board Member Reports:
Claire Chesley thanked parents who commented last week, Rosemary Harrahill and Alex Zucco, saying they brought some good things to the board's attention. She said she hopes other parents will follow suit. ~~ She thanked Susan Hirsch for her work with summer school - in full swing and going great. ~~ Claire also shared a few articles - one comparing the space program and the public school system. Using the space program to demonstrate what can be accomplished with dedication, proper funding and a committed community. Nice analogy. The second article was about a Plymouth Elementary parent volunteer who was donating time to create a music program. There will be a performance at Plymouth next Thursday, July 22nd at 1 p.m, 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m... great job Mr. DiPeppi (sp?). But I am curious why Claire had to get this from the Pasadena Weekly - why hadn't the principal or a Plymouth parent brought this to the board's attention? Share the good news!!
Monina Diaz congratulated the new Monrovia Days Royal Court (Monina is a former court member) and noticed that two of the girls were either current or former student board representatives. ~~ The Library is having a Read-A-Thon to help fund the new library. Saturday, July 24th from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Come by and help the Library.
Betty Sandford said she went to Dodger Stadium to see Monrovia High's own Oscar Ibarra receive the Hispanic Hero Award. Betty said it was a thrill to hear Monrovia High and see Oscar on Diamond Vision (Is it still called that?). And thanks to Ernie for nominating Oscar. ~~ Betty also attended the Plymouth School Olympics. She was expecting sporting events, but it was costumes, songs and dances from all over the world. ~~ The Parent Institute will be coming to an elementary school near you in January. The board will begin recruiting volunteers to train - call now if you want to become a Parent Institute volunteer. ~~ And finally, the request for help from the community: The Foothill Unity Center is gearing up for its annual Back-To-School Distribution on Thursday, August 26th. Last year the Unity Center outfitted 853 children for school; this year - with its service area growing - the group anticipates serving 1,500 children! There are flyers on the district office counter - but some of the things on their Wish List:
- New school supplies: backpacks, binders, paper, pencils, pens and calculators.
- New school uniforms, socks and underwear.
- New clothing for high school boys and girls who don't require uniforms.
- MONEY!! To purchase items, fill in the gaps, buy shoe vouchers. About $30 can outfit a child - only $30!!
- And of course - volunteers to help shop, organize, package and distribute.
You can drop off donations Monday - Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the 415 W. Chestnut Monrovia location or the 191 N. Oak Pasadena location. This is a great scout community project. I know I always find out about this the day after it has happened. Pass the word and let's all help the Unity Center reach its goal of serving all 1,500 kids!
Superintendent's Report
Superintendent Louise Taylor thanked and congratulated Dr. Grant and Oscar. ~~ Summer School did have to cut kinder and 1st grade for budget reasons - but in spite of this the district was able to serve 2,455 students (a 50-student increase from last summer). ~~ Louise had information for Claire on how many students MUSD serves from other communities - this summer 131 students, most at the high school level (something about possibly Duarte and Temple City not offering anything this summer). ~~ Taylor also responded to Alex Zucco's questions at the previous board meeting: GATE improving communication with potential parents/families - already in the works/on the agenda; lack of an after-school program at Mayflower - yes, Mayflower is the only school without an after-school program. Good news and bad news. Good news is that Mayflower will qualify for the Village program. Bad news, it can't apply until the current grant runs out in the Spring of 2005. So the Mayflower 2004-2005 school year is still without anything after school, but Susan Hirsch is working on it; Perception of declining enrollment between 5th and 6th grade - Linda Dempsey provided data for the last 5 years showing at the worst MUSD loses about 20 students a year between 5th and 6th grade, and at the best MUSD only lost 2 or 3 students last year between 5th and 6th grade. At the middle school to high school level there is no loss but typically a gain. However the biggest loss is in high school, between 9th and 12th grade, and that probably doesn't have much to do with kids being pulled to private schools. Louise said the district and administration are aware of the problem and are working to turn all the freshman into graduating seniors; and finally, the Pasadena Education Network - she said she will be taking all of the information from Alex to the site administrators to discuss how our district could implement such a program. The Education Network seems to fit very well with the mission of our district - working to build relationships with parents/families when they are making the choice of public vs. private - almost like a parent-run publicity group. She mentioned how it could fit nicely with some of our existing groups in Monrovia, like the Monrovia Schools Foundation. And this will be my plug - if you are interested in being part of a group like this - email me at ak.zucco_at_verizon.net.
Consent Agenda
There were a bunch of gifts for Mayflower. Yes, Brad, Mayflower may have waited a bit, but most of those look like they were either part of our International Festival or other fundraising efforts at the end of the year.
One bid for asphalt work was accepted and approved. Larry Brown Construction Company got the job. Linda Dempsey said there were only two bids - it was advertised and she even made phone calls to try and solicit more - but most everyone told her they had plenty of work and they would have to pass. Claire asked if the district considered waiting until more companies were available. Linda didn't see that as necessary - the work needed to be done soon and the district had worked with both companies before. Claire also asked about the bidding process. Linda told her it was standard and bids are secret until they are opened.
And another bid was rejected. Some irrigation and landscaping was set to be done - the district had been postponing this project to wait for more companies, but when the bids came in they were all so different that they were marked "non-responsible." This work will not be able to be done this summer, and it's back to square one.
Debby Collins asked the board to approve a tentative health benefits package for the employees. Discussions have been ongoing (since March) - these typically deal with two carriers, Kaiser and Blue Cross. I guess the Kaiser deal was so difficult that they are going to steer everyone to Blue Cross and ask everyone to contribute an extra $28 to avoid the further out-of-pocket expenses the Kaiser deal would have brought. The increases are still lower than those for other comparable districts. Approved by board.
Debby also spoke on the collective bargaining agreement. She said MTA has ratified it and the other employee groups have either formally or informally approved it as well. They use the data from 30 other comparable districts to determine pay raises, etc., and they are still waiting to hear from 13. Apparently it is related to the state budget issues and not a disagreement within the ranks.
And finally - the board had a first reading of its "Strategic 5-Year Goals". The three main areas of focus:
1. All Monrovia Schools will be designated California and Monrovia Distinguished Schools (What's the difference between California and Monrovia?), with API* scores of 800 or higher. (No mention of what the asterisk is for.)
2. All Monrovia teachers will utilize specified research-supported instructional strategies (Does that mean there are teachers using un-research-supported strategies currently?)
3. All Monrovia Schools will provide programs to guide students to become high school graduates who aim toward college and a meaningful career, compete course requirements for UC/CSU, participate in leadership, the arts, and/or extracurricular activities, and who demonstrate responsibility through attendance, behavior, academic performance and "service."
"Service" was discussed later. Betty would like to see the thought completed - possibly "Civic understanding and service." Claire and Monina did not want to make any changes this evening, but just have the first reading and let the public absorb it... but everyone made it pretty clear that, yes, they may want public opinion, but the board will have the final word on the finished product, and Claire stressed that with this document the public will have a concrete document to measure the district and board's success. Betty commented she thought this was a first for the board - a first in being realistic about what to expect from the schools and a first in this being such a well-coordinated effort. No word on how any of these goal will be achieved - but it's a great start.
Very long winded - I'm sure Brad will want to edit this. [Um, Brad thinks that for the most part he'll keep his grubby mitts off. - Brad]
Hope everyone is having a great summer!
Thanks to Alex Zucco for this report. Alex is both the reporter and reportee in part of this article. She spoke at the previous meeting and got some response this meeting. Her plan for a parent group for the district - which the administration seems to favor - is quite interesting, so if you'd like to help her out, send her a note at ak.zucco_at_verizon.net. I'll try to report a bit more on her doings in another issue. Also, toward the bottom of this story is some info about some pretty specific goals the board has adopted for itself - goals by which the community can measure its progress. I like!
~ brad@sacklunch.net
Board of Education Regular Meeting, Wednesday, July 14th
By Alex Zucco
Arrived exactly on time for Wednesday's meeting and was surprised to find about 14 other people in the audience. Last week when I attended the meeting - there were about 3. Wonder why the big crowd? I found out about 15 minutes later.
Overall - some sad news/new opportunity, a "secret" gets out, a new set of goals and a request for help from the community.
But from the beginning...
Betty Sandford opened the meeting by noticing that the meeting was "Ladies Night" (my phrase, not hers) - Joel Shawn, Bryan Wong and Bruce Carter were on vacation and Robert Geiger (tech guy) had a death in the family - so it was an all-female board meeting. Betty then asked everyone to come in front of the dais for a line-up of sorts to announce the sad news/great new opportunity - this usually means someone is leaving. Dr. Gail Grant will be leaving Monrovia Unified School District as of July 21 to become the Area Administrator for the Fontana School District. Betty described this as Dr. Grant's dream job - she will have the opportunity to mentor other school site administrators. Betty awarded Dr. Grant with a plaque for 11 years of service in MUSD - there were tears, hugs - and many thanks to Dr. Grant for all of her hard work and dedication to Monrovia over the past 11 years. Good Luck Dr. Grant.
Scott Ochoa, Monrovia's new City Manager appeared next. He introduced himself, stated he wanted to work on a good working relationship with the board (since both groups serve the same "customer"), said he looks forward to working with the board... and also wanted a hug (like Dr. Grant). He spoke so quickly it was very difficult to understand him. Next time, maybe he can take breath or two in between sentences. He asked for questions from the board - and bummer for him - he got a few. Clare Chesley had a great one. She welcomed him, then made a plug for the schools - saying she hoped that now that he has family in Monrovia, that she would see his children in Monrovia Public Schools soon. I believe a "you go girl" would fit nicely here. Having the people that represent Monrovia - both elected and appointed - sending their children to Monrovia schools - what a novel idea. Monina and Betty thanked him for coming and Louise said Scott has always been very receptive to new ideas and is doing a great job. Crowd goes wild - applause, applause!
Next was the Monrovia Community Adult School Annual Report, presented by Esther McDonald. And this is where the "secret" came out. Esther said the Monrovia Community Adult School is the "Best Kept Secret" in Monrovia, and she wants to shed that image. She brought with her (pardon any spelling errors) Darcy Hafley, Jan Bellue, Patty Gould, Mike Schaffer and Lynn Whitaker. The rest of the audience was students from the school (maybe they got credit for attending). She had a 14-minute PowerPoint presentation jammed packed with programs, classes and benefits - that place has everything. GED classes, classes for seniors, parenting, ROP, fee-based classes, etc - I couldn't possibly get them all - but chances are if you are looking for something, the Monrovia Community Adult School has it. The presentation also had a good soundtrack... The Who, The Eagles "Long Run, Fleetwood Mac "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow", ABBA "Take A Chance on Me" and Louis Armstrong "What a Wonderful World"... music always helps. The school served more than 6,300 students last year, from more than 50 countries. Mary Ann Lutz is the council member mentoring/adopting the adult school. Asked for questions - Clare wondering about parking - being worked on; adding foreign language classes for elementary school children - being discussed with principals but still at very early stage; and finally - what does she need from the community? Esther had a great answer - catchy. She wants Monrovia to think of the Monrovia Community Adult School as your First Stop AND One Stop shopping. She said that even when she was at Bradoaks she had no idea how much the adult school had to offer - and she hopes the community and the school administrators will think of the Monrovia Community Adult School first. Monina asked about the difference between the free and the fee-based classes. From what I could gather - the school can be reimbursed for the ones they offer for free - the fee-based ones are for enjoyment and enrichment and don't get state reimbursement. Monina also asked (for her mom) why the upholstery class wasn't offered in the summer (apparently the upholstery group is very dedicated). Esther said it was a combination of funding and the teacher: Upholstery guru Donna Martino, wanted the summer off.
Board Member Reports:
Claire Chesley thanked parents who commented last week, Rosemary Harrahill and Alex Zucco, saying they brought some good things to the board's attention. She said she hopes other parents will follow suit. ~~ She thanked Susan Hirsch for her work with summer school - in full swing and going great. ~~ Claire also shared a few articles - one comparing the space program and the public school system. Using the space program to demonstrate what can be accomplished with dedication, proper funding and a committed community. Nice analogy. The second article was about a Plymouth Elementary parent volunteer who was donating time to create a music program. There will be a performance at Plymouth next Thursday, July 22nd at 1 p.m, 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m... great job Mr. DiPeppi (sp?). But I am curious why Claire had to get this from the Pasadena Weekly - why hadn't the principal or a Plymouth parent brought this to the board's attention? Share the good news!!
Monina Diaz congratulated the new Monrovia Days Royal Court (Monina is a former court member) and noticed that two of the girls were either current or former student board representatives. ~~ The Library is having a Read-A-Thon to help fund the new library. Saturday, July 24th from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Come by and help the Library.
Betty Sandford said she went to Dodger Stadium to see Monrovia High's own Oscar Ibarra receive the Hispanic Hero Award. Betty said it was a thrill to hear Monrovia High and see Oscar on Diamond Vision (Is it still called that?). And thanks to Ernie for nominating Oscar. ~~ Betty also attended the Plymouth School Olympics. She was expecting sporting events, but it was costumes, songs and dances from all over the world. ~~ The Parent Institute will be coming to an elementary school near you in January. The board will begin recruiting volunteers to train - call now if you want to become a Parent Institute volunteer. ~~ And finally, the request for help from the community: The Foothill Unity Center is gearing up for its annual Back-To-School Distribution on Thursday, August 26th. Last year the Unity Center outfitted 853 children for school; this year - with its service area growing - the group anticipates serving 1,500 children! There are flyers on the district office counter - but some of the things on their Wish List:
- New school supplies: backpacks, binders, paper, pencils, pens and calculators.
- New school uniforms, socks and underwear.
- New clothing for high school boys and girls who don't require uniforms.
- MONEY!! To purchase items, fill in the gaps, buy shoe vouchers. About $30 can outfit a child - only $30!!
- And of course - volunteers to help shop, organize, package and distribute.
You can drop off donations Monday - Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the 415 W. Chestnut Monrovia location or the 191 N. Oak Pasadena location. This is a great scout community project. I know I always find out about this the day after it has happened. Pass the word and let's all help the Unity Center reach its goal of serving all 1,500 kids!
Superintendent's Report
Superintendent Louise Taylor thanked and congratulated Dr. Grant and Oscar. ~~ Summer School did have to cut kinder and 1st grade for budget reasons - but in spite of this the district was able to serve 2,455 students (a 50-student increase from last summer). ~~ Louise had information for Claire on how many students MUSD serves from other communities - this summer 131 students, most at the high school level (something about possibly Duarte and Temple City not offering anything this summer). ~~ Taylor also responded to Alex Zucco's questions at the previous board meeting: GATE improving communication with potential parents/families - already in the works/on the agenda; lack of an after-school program at Mayflower - yes, Mayflower is the only school without an after-school program. Good news and bad news. Good news is that Mayflower will qualify for the Village program. Bad news, it can't apply until the current grant runs out in the Spring of 2005. So the Mayflower 2004-2005 school year is still without anything after school, but Susan Hirsch is working on it; Perception of declining enrollment between 5th and 6th grade - Linda Dempsey provided data for the last 5 years showing at the worst MUSD loses about 20 students a year between 5th and 6th grade, and at the best MUSD only lost 2 or 3 students last year between 5th and 6th grade. At the middle school to high school level there is no loss but typically a gain. However the biggest loss is in high school, between 9th and 12th grade, and that probably doesn't have much to do with kids being pulled to private schools. Louise said the district and administration are aware of the problem and are working to turn all the freshman into graduating seniors; and finally, the Pasadena Education Network - she said she will be taking all of the information from Alex to the site administrators to discuss how our district could implement such a program. The Education Network seems to fit very well with the mission of our district - working to build relationships with parents/families when they are making the choice of public vs. private - almost like a parent-run publicity group. She mentioned how it could fit nicely with some of our existing groups in Monrovia, like the Monrovia Schools Foundation. And this will be my plug - if you are interested in being part of a group like this - email me at ak.zucco_at_verizon.net.
Consent Agenda
There were a bunch of gifts for Mayflower. Yes, Brad, Mayflower may have waited a bit, but most of those look like they were either part of our International Festival or other fundraising efforts at the end of the year.
One bid for asphalt work was accepted and approved. Larry Brown Construction Company got the job. Linda Dempsey said there were only two bids - it was advertised and she even made phone calls to try and solicit more - but most everyone told her they had plenty of work and they would have to pass. Claire asked if the district considered waiting until more companies were available. Linda didn't see that as necessary - the work needed to be done soon and the district had worked with both companies before. Claire also asked about the bidding process. Linda told her it was standard and bids are secret until they are opened.
And another bid was rejected. Some irrigation and landscaping was set to be done - the district had been postponing this project to wait for more companies, but when the bids came in they were all so different that they were marked "non-responsible." This work will not be able to be done this summer, and it's back to square one.
Debby Collins asked the board to approve a tentative health benefits package for the employees. Discussions have been ongoing (since March) - these typically deal with two carriers, Kaiser and Blue Cross. I guess the Kaiser deal was so difficult that they are going to steer everyone to Blue Cross and ask everyone to contribute an extra $28 to avoid the further out-of-pocket expenses the Kaiser deal would have brought. The increases are still lower than those for other comparable districts. Approved by board.
Debby also spoke on the collective bargaining agreement. She said MTA has ratified it and the other employee groups have either formally or informally approved it as well. They use the data from 30 other comparable districts to determine pay raises, etc., and they are still waiting to hear from 13. Apparently it is related to the state budget issues and not a disagreement within the ranks.
And finally - the board had a first reading of its "Strategic 5-Year Goals". The three main areas of focus:
1. All Monrovia Schools will be designated California and Monrovia Distinguished Schools (What's the difference between California and Monrovia?), with API* scores of 800 or higher. (No mention of what the asterisk is for.)
2. All Monrovia teachers will utilize specified research-supported instructional strategies (Does that mean there are teachers using un-research-supported strategies currently?)
3. All Monrovia Schools will provide programs to guide students to become high school graduates who aim toward college and a meaningful career, compete course requirements for UC/CSU, participate in leadership, the arts, and/or extracurricular activities, and who demonstrate responsibility through attendance, behavior, academic performance and "service."
"Service" was discussed later. Betty would like to see the thought completed - possibly "Civic understanding and service." Claire and Monina did not want to make any changes this evening, but just have the first reading and let the public absorb it... but everyone made it pretty clear that, yes, they may want public opinion, but the board will have the final word on the finished product, and Claire stressed that with this document the public will have a concrete document to measure the district and board's success. Betty commented she thought this was a first for the board - a first in being realistic about what to expect from the schools and a first in this being such a well-coordinated effort. No word on how any of these goal will be achieved - but it's a great start.
Very long winded - I'm sure Brad will want to edit this. [Um, Brad thinks that for the most part he'll keep his grubby mitts off. - Brad]
Hope everyone is having a great summer!
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