Monrovia School Link ~ Number 183 ~ December 13, 2006
Tonight's board meeting was an evening of pretty good news. The very competent Bryan Wong is taking over as Monrovia School Board president; one very competent president following another. Plus - while it may not be wise to hold your breath - it's possible there is good news on the declining enrollment front. I took Maritza's place tonight to cover the meeting and it was kind of fun. I haven't been in a while and it was nice to see that the meeting jogged along at a nice clip and covered the topics in sufficient detail but without becoming bogged down in minutia.
~ brad@sacklunch.net
New President ~ Bryan Wong was elected tonight to be the new president of the Monrovia School Board on a not very close vote of five to zero. Elected by the same margins were Ed Gililland, who was named board vice president, and Chris Rich, elected to the mysterious position of board clerk. I asked Superintendent Louise Taylor what the duties of the clerk are and she said the clerk "signs certain papers." Ah, well now I know. Anyway, congratulations to all. Superintendent Taylor presented outgoing President Clare Chesley with a plaque and Wong presented her with a cute little tiara flying a pennant that says "Board Queen Forever." Chesley got even by presenting Wong with a folding red and yellow USC chair. Wong - a UCLA (not USC) season ticket holder - said he'd keep the chair in the "throne room" of his home.
Two Bells ~ Alone among California school districts, Monrovia won two Golden Bell Awards at a recent California School Boards Association meeting. Superintendent Taylor said only 51 bells were awarded and Monrovia was competing against more than a thousand other districts, many of them far larger than Monrovia. The two organizations that brought home the bells were the nutritional program, Healthy Hearts, Healthy Minds and Healthy Bodies." I think the group's motto is something like: Getting your kids to eat their vegetables. (Can I send my son by for a visit?). The other was Monrovia Reads. Spokeswoman Joanne Spring said that "the impotence for forming the organization was ..." Oops, not "impotence," the "impetus" was to promote reading. And I guess it has as it has been a very potent force in encouraging children to read.
New Principals ~ The district has appointed two new principals. Current acting principal at Monroe Elementary School, Jennifer Janetzke will be taking over as the permanent principal, and Flint Fertig from the West Covina school district will be taking over as the principal of Canyon Oaks High/Mountain Park School in January.
More Work ~ Good job in 2005-06, Superintendent Taylor, now get busy on 2006-07. That's kind of the gist of the board's evaluation of Superintendent Taylor, presented in a letter read by Board Member Clare Chesley. The tasks the board handed to Taylor are: 1) Develop a "continuity plan" with the board's values and beliefs integrated into district policy documents so there can be "seamless growth." 2) Improve technology (Amen!) by improving the district's Web site, getting email connections between schools and parents and getting district operations more computerized. 3) Develop a curriculum strategy, especially for Monrovia High and for the district's "sub groups." 4) Develop "world class" schools.
Bottoming Out? ~ Is enrollment finally bottoming out in the district? Nobody exactly said that but the loss of students was far less this year than expected, a loss of about one-third of one percent rather than the expected two percent, which has been the pattern over the last few years. Enrollment in kindergarten was actually up, from 378 last year to 425 now, but don't get too excited as the report says that "kindergarten enrollment is very unpredictable." President Bryan Wong said the numbers show that "the word is getting out about the quality of the Monrovia schools." Chief Business Officer Linda Dempsey said the enrollment level means that while the district would have room for full-day kindergarten, if it does that it would prevent the district from closing a school, if that became necessary. But if the district keeps half-day kindergarten, she said, it would have the option of closing one of two elementary schools. Well, maybe we can sort of cautiously start hoping it won't need to close any schools.
Energy Savings ~ Over a period of less than three years (roughly 32 months, according to Dempsey) the Monrovia School District has saved about $600,000 through its energy conservation efforts, according to Board Member Chesley. Board President Wong added that the conservation program has tackled the largest energy wasters first, but that "there's still a good amount of money to be saved" just by using "common sense energy conservation." Wow. More than $200,000 a year! Makes you want to rush out and replace all your bulbs with fluorescent lights, huh?
Next Meeting ~ The next regular meeting is on January 17 at 7 p.m.in the district office at 325 E. Huntington Drive, right across from Smart and Final.
Also on the Web at www.monroviaschoollink.com