Friday, September 24, 2004
Monrovia School Link ~ Number 93 ~ September 22, 2004
A few items struck me from the meeting article below. First is that the district is down by 74 students in the elementary schools, and there has been some collapsing of classes as a result. If this is a trend, it's not a good one. As I mentioned before, it means less money from the state. Also, a little discussion about whether there are enough textbooks at Clifton caught my eye, and a bit of discussion about the board's vision and goals project. And, of course, many thanks to our intrepid reporter, Julie Sprein, for this report.
~ brad@sacklunch.net
By Julie Sprein
The board meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. and President Betty Sandford introdouced Frank Zepeda, Monrovia High's new principal. He comes from Norwalk High and has only been in his new position for six days. All board members were present except Monina Diaz.
The board recognized three employees for outstanding service:
- Charles Young, bus driver with 14 years of service
- Deni Axtell, instruction aide at Mayflower Elementary for 12 years
- Julie Baltau, first grade teacher at Mayflower for four years
Donna Baker - President of the Quota Club, which serves the deaf and the hard of hearing - donated $1,800 to MUSD for hearing aids. Also, Big M Boosters donated $1,000. Ed Gilliland, of Big M, spoke about the Big M project [a snack bar and restrooms at the MHS football stadium]. He said the group will be finishing plans by October and groundbreaking may begin by January. Donating $100 or more will get you a plaque on the side of the building. Send donations to PO Box 1983, Monrovia.
Mrs. Schamadan announced that the Krikorian will be the first theater east of Los Angeles to be offering open caption films. There will be five films showing on October 8-10 with open captioning.
Cryus Kemp had a hypothetical question for Betty Sandford, asking at "what point she believes a person elected to council might be performing a disservice because of circumstances." He will call her for an answer, or visa-versa. [Huh? What are you talking about, Cyrus? - Brad]
Board member Clare Chesley said she went to Bradoaks and Santa Fe for Back to School Night. She said it was a good opportunity for parents to meet teachers. She also attended CELC (Canyon Early Learning Center) and was very impressed with the high learning standards the district is expecting of kindergarteners there. She said that the CELC doesn’t have a PTA and that the site council makes all the decisions. The council uses site-allocated money for field trips, including on-site field trips, such as a snow day, which Clare had originally questioned, but on finding out more information, is okay with the decision made by the site council.
Bryan Wong went to Bradoaks, where he said everything was running smoothly. He also attended Clifton Back to School night. He said teachers are happy with new accommodations and air conditioning.
Betty Sandford attended CELC and Santa Fe and noted a much larger parent turn out.
Debby Collins reported that the district has had to reduce CELC classes by two and redistribute the students into other classes. Also, two teachers were re-assigned. Also, the district had to collapse a class at Wild Rose. Overall, the district is down 74 students in the elementary schools.
Linda Dempsey reported on the Mayflower after-school program. She said she met with representatives of the Boys and Girls Club, which will be able to provide service for Mayflower. The only obstacle, she said, is insurance.
Irma Walling, a parent of a Clifton student, spoke out about the lack of textbooks at Clifton. Her daughter was told she had to complete her homework in class. She went to the school and the librarian told her she could not take home the science book. What, she asked, is to be done about that?
Dr. Joel Shawn responded, saying here is a formal process in Monrovia for adopting textbooks. Every single student will have his or her own textbook. He added that it is not appropriate for the school to say a child has to use books at school only. The quantity of science textbooks purchased for Clifton two years ago, he said, isn’t sufficient for today. He said the district needs to ensure that teachers and all students have their own books. All books have been ordered that have been requested at the middle school level. They usually take one month to be delivered.
Debby Collins spoke about the Certificate of Personnel Attendance Report, which is a report on attendance patterns of certified personnel during 2003-04 school year. She said there were far more maternity and family care leaves. She also talked about a report on the certified employee credentials held by all teaching staff during 2004-2005 school years. she said she is proud that 96.4 percent of all teachers are fully credentialed.
Parent Clarence Shaw spoke about the District Vision and Goals. Shaw asked whether #2 a measurable goal? [I believe this is the goal that states: "All Monrovia teachers will utilize specified research-supported instructional strategies" - Brad]
Dr. Taylor responded that the purpose of the strategic goals is to track and continue progress. It is a tool for the public to chart progress. She requested more public input to the board and mentioned there will be a study session on Oct. 27.
Also on the Web at www.monroviaschoollink.com. www.monroviaschoollink.com."
A few items struck me from the meeting article below. First is that the district is down by 74 students in the elementary schools, and there has been some collapsing of classes as a result. If this is a trend, it's not a good one. As I mentioned before, it means less money from the state. Also, a little discussion about whether there are enough textbooks at Clifton caught my eye, and a bit of discussion about the board's vision and goals project. And, of course, many thanks to our intrepid reporter, Julie Sprein, for this report.
~ brad@sacklunch.net
By Julie Sprein
The board meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. and President Betty Sandford introdouced Frank Zepeda, Monrovia High's new principal. He comes from Norwalk High and has only been in his new position for six days. All board members were present except Monina Diaz.
The board recognized three employees for outstanding service:
- Charles Young, bus driver with 14 years of service
- Deni Axtell, instruction aide at Mayflower Elementary for 12 years
- Julie Baltau, first grade teacher at Mayflower for four years
Donna Baker - President of the Quota Club, which serves the deaf and the hard of hearing - donated $1,800 to MUSD for hearing aids. Also, Big M Boosters donated $1,000. Ed Gilliland, of Big M, spoke about the Big M project [a snack bar and restrooms at the MHS football stadium]. He said the group will be finishing plans by October and groundbreaking may begin by January. Donating $100 or more will get you a plaque on the side of the building. Send donations to PO Box 1983, Monrovia.
Mrs. Schamadan announced that the Krikorian will be the first theater east of Los Angeles to be offering open caption films. There will be five films showing on October 8-10 with open captioning.
Cryus Kemp had a hypothetical question for Betty Sandford, asking at "what point she believes a person elected to council might be performing a disservice because of circumstances." He will call her for an answer, or visa-versa. [Huh? What are you talking about, Cyrus? - Brad]
Board member Clare Chesley said she went to Bradoaks and Santa Fe for Back to School Night. She said it was a good opportunity for parents to meet teachers. She also attended CELC (Canyon Early Learning Center) and was very impressed with the high learning standards the district is expecting of kindergarteners there. She said that the CELC doesn’t have a PTA and that the site council makes all the decisions. The council uses site-allocated money for field trips, including on-site field trips, such as a snow day, which Clare had originally questioned, but on finding out more information, is okay with the decision made by the site council.
Bryan Wong went to Bradoaks, where he said everything was running smoothly. He also attended Clifton Back to School night. He said teachers are happy with new accommodations and air conditioning.
Betty Sandford attended CELC and Santa Fe and noted a much larger parent turn out.
Debby Collins reported that the district has had to reduce CELC classes by two and redistribute the students into other classes. Also, two teachers were re-assigned. Also, the district had to collapse a class at Wild Rose. Overall, the district is down 74 students in the elementary schools.
Linda Dempsey reported on the Mayflower after-school program. She said she met with representatives of the Boys and Girls Club, which will be able to provide service for Mayflower. The only obstacle, she said, is insurance.
Irma Walling, a parent of a Clifton student, spoke out about the lack of textbooks at Clifton. Her daughter was told she had to complete her homework in class. She went to the school and the librarian told her she could not take home the science book. What, she asked, is to be done about that?
Dr. Joel Shawn responded, saying here is a formal process in Monrovia for adopting textbooks. Every single student will have his or her own textbook. He added that it is not appropriate for the school to say a child has to use books at school only. The quantity of science textbooks purchased for Clifton two years ago, he said, isn’t sufficient for today. He said the district needs to ensure that teachers and all students have their own books. All books have been ordered that have been requested at the middle school level. They usually take one month to be delivered.
Debby Collins spoke about the Certificate of Personnel Attendance Report, which is a report on attendance patterns of certified personnel during 2003-04 school year. She said there were far more maternity and family care leaves. She also talked about a report on the certified employee credentials held by all teaching staff during 2004-2005 school years. she said she is proud that 96.4 percent of all teachers are fully credentialed.
Parent Clarence Shaw spoke about the District Vision and Goals. Shaw asked whether #2 a measurable goal? [I believe this is the goal that states: "All Monrovia teachers will utilize specified research-supported instructional strategies" - Brad]
Dr. Taylor responded that the purpose of the strategic goals is to track and continue progress. It is a tool for the public to chart progress. She requested more public input to the board and mentioned there will be a study session on Oct. 27.
Also on the Web at www.monroviaschoollink.com. www.monroviaschoollink.com."
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