Friday, July 29, 2005
Monrovia School Link ~ Number 131 ~ July 29, 2005
What a surprise! A bit of good budget news. Also, the board is discussing how better to communicate with the public. Sounds like a good idea. You can send your thoughts to board@monrovia.k12.ca.us. Also, my apologies for getting huffy in the last newsletter about getting the agenda late. It was just a glitch, not intentional, so no big deal.
~ brad@sacklunch.net
By Maritza Diaz
Last month's meeting was the hottest event on Huntington Drive. This month, not so much. Maybe the heat kept everyone away. Some much needed air conditioning is on its way, a beloved administrator said good-bye and the English Learner Program is doing great.
Let's get started. The public meeting was called to order by President Diaz at 7:25 p.m. Maybe they should start the closed session meetings at 6 so the meeting can start on time. Just an idea. Everyone was present except Clare Chesley.
STAR TEACHER ~ The Board recognized Phil Jelinek, a Monrovia Autoshop Teacher received the LA County Industrial Technology Education Association High School Teacher of the Year Award. Jelinek was given a star for his good work. Diaz said she wasn't surprised to see him receive the award and that he and his students always excel in their work. That star was kind of small. It didn't look big enough to fit that long award title, but maybe they used really small print.
BUT YOU CAN NEVER LEAVE ~ Dr. Joel Shawn bid Monrovia farewell last night and begins his new job in the Arcadia School District the first of the month. President Monina Diaz presented Shawn with an engraved pen and went on to commend him for doing a wonderful job in Monrovia.
"This is hard, Shawn said, "Sometimes we joke about it, that people never leave Monrovia. And they don't. And I don't really feel like I am. I want to say how humbling it is to do this work. To do this work in a community like Monrovia with people like this. And how much I've learned because I'm leaving much smarter than I was when I came here. Thank you so much for having allowed me to serve you."
For those who didn't get a chance to know Shawn, one only has to listen to others speak about him to know he is a great person and will truly be missed. But what was engraved on the pen? "Monrovia School District." So, as Taylor said, when he's signing paperwork for the Arcadia School District, he'll remember where he came from.
CLOGGING STREETS ~ The hot item this meeting was traffic flow. Jessica Nunez, a Monrovia resident, and three other residents spoke about the traffic flow near the schools. She said parents are clogging up the streets dropping off and picking up their kids and are making the streets near the school like the 405 freeway during rush hour. Nunez was concerned about her children's safety with so many cars around. There was also talk that the cut of transportation to the schools would create even more of a traffic jam. Louise Taylor said that Chief Business Officer Linda Dempsey has a meeting with the city to discuss this issue.
POOR COVERAGE ~ A Mr. Jones, a member of the community, wanted to know if there would be an improvement in the quality of the school meeting coverage. Apparently, it's not that great. Taylor said they are working closely with the city and KGEM and are eager to improve coverage. The best way to get high definition coverage of the meetings is to attend one.
VISITING ~ There was nothing much going on with the board members this past month. Only Betty Sandford had something to report. She talked about visiting the summer school program which offers students with learning problems the opportunity to improve their learning ability and help them go on to the next grade. She was very impressed with the students, quality of the teachers and enthusiasm of the principle. Sandford also attended the Family Literacy Program and, along with Taylor, went to the kick of meeting of Monrovia High School PTSA where they both became charter members. Wow. Busy lady.
BUDGET SURPRISE ~ After some personal congratulations to some of her colleagues, Taylor got down to some serious business. New information on the budget came form the state. This information wasn't on the agenda but Taylor wanted to share some of it before it's put in the September agenda.
This was actually good news about the budget. No, really, it's true! Chief Business Officer Linda Dempsy said the state budget arrived sooner than expected and it turns out $418,000 in district expenditures have been reduced thanks to a shift in the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS). The revenue limit deficit has also been reduced slightly (a nice surprise) and that means revenue has been increased by $70,000. So, the school district is almost half a million dollars richer.
Dempsey also said there was an enrollment increase and the district will be adding three permanent teachers to the high school next year and two substitutes. Enrollment is a tricky thing. She said there is no sure way to predict enrollment, but added that the estimates should be pretty close.
NEW BOOK ~ There will be a new health book in the classrooms soon. Glencoe Health, 9th Edition was unanimously approved after Shawn's recommendation. The book was on public display and the board solicited comments. But, there weren't any. It's no Harry Potter, but hopefully the kids will like it. [I took a look at it and it looked pretty good. - Brad]
ENGLISH LEARNERS ~ Carol Carter presented a simple report on a complex subject. Apparently it is a legal requirement to present this information. Who knew? The goal of the program is for students to learn English, improve their academic work so it becomes comparable to that of English-only students, and for students to successfully exit the program. On average it takes about five to seven years for a student to exit the five-level program, but some factors may get in the way, such as poverty and a lack of proficiency in a student's primary language. Enrollment has been steady for the last 10 years and the program is meeting all state targets and standards.
Wait! There's also the flip side to the good news. The report says there are two main things that need to be worked out. About 25 percent of students in the program are what Carter calls, "stuck in the middle" students. They advance to a certain level and just stay there and don't make any more progress. Another concern is the difficulty of delivering "polished English" to level four and five students without having a self-contained class for them. The NCLB (No Child Left Behind) has increased the requirements students must meet and therefore the program needs improvement to meet those new NCLB levels.
COOLING DOWN ~ The board approved a contract to finally give the Industrial Arts Building at the high school air conditioning. This building is one of the last at MHS without air conditioning. Maybe now students will have an easier time paying attention.
HELLO COMMUNITY ~ Toward the end of the meeting there was just a time to throw some ideas around about how to improve communication. There will be more discussions along with plans in the future and Diaz said if anyone has any ideas, let the board know. Bruce Carter said the most effective way of communication is talking on the phone or chatting with people at the store. So if you see him on the street go say "Hi," he won't mind. Diaz also mentioned that the Web site seems to be a key tool in communication with the community.
PARTY'S OVER ~ The first day of school is Wednesday, August 31. Good news for parents; bad news for kids. Time put away the beach pail and pick up a lunch pail.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR - If you need something to do on a Wednesday night, why not attend a school board meeting? The dates for future board meeting are:
August 24
September 14
September 28
October 26
November 9
December 14
The board meets at the school district office at 325 E. Huntington Drive, on the north side of Huntington, just across from Smart and Final, at 7 p.m.
(0) comments
What a surprise! A bit of good budget news. Also, the board is discussing how better to communicate with the public. Sounds like a good idea. You can send your thoughts to board@monrovia.k12.ca.us. Also, my apologies for getting huffy in the last newsletter about getting the agenda late. It was just a glitch, not intentional, so no big deal.
~ brad@sacklunch.net
By Maritza Diaz
Last month's meeting was the hottest event on Huntington Drive. This month, not so much. Maybe the heat kept everyone away. Some much needed air conditioning is on its way, a beloved administrator said good-bye and the English Learner Program is doing great.
Let's get started. The public meeting was called to order by President Diaz at 7:25 p.m. Maybe they should start the closed session meetings at 6 so the meeting can start on time. Just an idea. Everyone was present except Clare Chesley.
STAR TEACHER ~ The Board recognized Phil Jelinek, a Monrovia Autoshop Teacher received the LA County Industrial Technology Education Association High School Teacher of the Year Award. Jelinek was given a star for his good work. Diaz said she wasn't surprised to see him receive the award and that he and his students always excel in their work. That star was kind of small. It didn't look big enough to fit that long award title, but maybe they used really small print.
BUT YOU CAN NEVER LEAVE ~ Dr. Joel Shawn bid Monrovia farewell last night and begins his new job in the Arcadia School District the first of the month. President Monina Diaz presented Shawn with an engraved pen and went on to commend him for doing a wonderful job in Monrovia.
"This is hard, Shawn said, "Sometimes we joke about it, that people never leave Monrovia. And they don't. And I don't really feel like I am. I want to say how humbling it is to do this work. To do this work in a community like Monrovia with people like this. And how much I've learned because I'm leaving much smarter than I was when I came here. Thank you so much for having allowed me to serve you."
For those who didn't get a chance to know Shawn, one only has to listen to others speak about him to know he is a great person and will truly be missed. But what was engraved on the pen? "Monrovia School District." So, as Taylor said, when he's signing paperwork for the Arcadia School District, he'll remember where he came from.
CLOGGING STREETS ~ The hot item this meeting was traffic flow. Jessica Nunez, a Monrovia resident, and three other residents spoke about the traffic flow near the schools. She said parents are clogging up the streets dropping off and picking up their kids and are making the streets near the school like the 405 freeway during rush hour. Nunez was concerned about her children's safety with so many cars around. There was also talk that the cut of transportation to the schools would create even more of a traffic jam. Louise Taylor said that Chief Business Officer Linda Dempsey has a meeting with the city to discuss this issue.
POOR COVERAGE ~ A Mr. Jones, a member of the community, wanted to know if there would be an improvement in the quality of the school meeting coverage. Apparently, it's not that great. Taylor said they are working closely with the city and KGEM and are eager to improve coverage. The best way to get high definition coverage of the meetings is to attend one.
VISITING ~ There was nothing much going on with the board members this past month. Only Betty Sandford had something to report. She talked about visiting the summer school program which offers students with learning problems the opportunity to improve their learning ability and help them go on to the next grade. She was very impressed with the students, quality of the teachers and enthusiasm of the principle. Sandford also attended the Family Literacy Program and, along with Taylor, went to the kick of meeting of Monrovia High School PTSA where they both became charter members. Wow. Busy lady.
BUDGET SURPRISE ~ After some personal congratulations to some of her colleagues, Taylor got down to some serious business. New information on the budget came form the state. This information wasn't on the agenda but Taylor wanted to share some of it before it's put in the September agenda.
This was actually good news about the budget. No, really, it's true! Chief Business Officer Linda Dempsy said the state budget arrived sooner than expected and it turns out $418,000 in district expenditures have been reduced thanks to a shift in the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS). The revenue limit deficit has also been reduced slightly (a nice surprise) and that means revenue has been increased by $70,000. So, the school district is almost half a million dollars richer.
Dempsey also said there was an enrollment increase and the district will be adding three permanent teachers to the high school next year and two substitutes. Enrollment is a tricky thing. She said there is no sure way to predict enrollment, but added that the estimates should be pretty close.
NEW BOOK ~ There will be a new health book in the classrooms soon. Glencoe Health, 9th Edition was unanimously approved after Shawn's recommendation. The book was on public display and the board solicited comments. But, there weren't any. It's no Harry Potter, but hopefully the kids will like it. [I took a look at it and it looked pretty good. - Brad]
ENGLISH LEARNERS ~ Carol Carter presented a simple report on a complex subject. Apparently it is a legal requirement to present this information. Who knew? The goal of the program is for students to learn English, improve their academic work so it becomes comparable to that of English-only students, and for students to successfully exit the program. On average it takes about five to seven years for a student to exit the five-level program, but some factors may get in the way, such as poverty and a lack of proficiency in a student's primary language. Enrollment has been steady for the last 10 years and the program is meeting all state targets and standards.
Wait! There's also the flip side to the good news. The report says there are two main things that need to be worked out. About 25 percent of students in the program are what Carter calls, "stuck in the middle" students. They advance to a certain level and just stay there and don't make any more progress. Another concern is the difficulty of delivering "polished English" to level four and five students without having a self-contained class for them. The NCLB (No Child Left Behind) has increased the requirements students must meet and therefore the program needs improvement to meet those new NCLB levels.
COOLING DOWN ~ The board approved a contract to finally give the Industrial Arts Building at the high school air conditioning. This building is one of the last at MHS without air conditioning. Maybe now students will have an easier time paying attention.
HELLO COMMUNITY ~ Toward the end of the meeting there was just a time to throw some ideas around about how to improve communication. There will be more discussions along with plans in the future and Diaz said if anyone has any ideas, let the board know. Bruce Carter said the most effective way of communication is talking on the phone or chatting with people at the store. So if you see him on the street go say "Hi," he won't mind. Diaz also mentioned that the Web site seems to be a key tool in communication with the community.
PARTY'S OVER ~ The first day of school is Wednesday, August 31. Good news for parents; bad news for kids. Time put away the beach pail and pick up a lunch pail.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR - If you need something to do on a Wednesday night, why not attend a school board meeting? The dates for future board meeting are:
August 24
September 14
September 28
October 26
November 9
December 14
The board meets at the school district office at 325 E. Huntington Drive, on the north side of Huntington, just across from Smart and Final, at 7 p.m.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Monrovia School Link Preview ~ Number 130 ~ July 26, 2005
Whew! I just got the school board agenda and the meeting is tomorrow night. Wednesday, July 27. This really should have come earlier. Anyway, no time to be fancy. I'm just going to get this done. Remember, not everything's here. I pick and choose. The last item, on effective communications, looks interesting.
~ brad@sacklunch.net
The board will:
- Do a "Performance Evaluation Review for Superintendent" in closed session.
- Honor Phil Jelinek, Monrovia High School Autoshop Teacher on being chosen as a recipient of the Los Angeles County Industrial Technology Education Association High School Teacher of the Year Award 2005. Wow. That's a mouthful.
- Bid farewell to Joel Shawn as he leaves Monrovia Unified School District to become deputy superintendent in Arcadia Unified School District.
- Vote on whether to adopt the health textbook: Glencoe Health, 9th Edition, Glencoe/McGraw Hill. (By the way, I heard some fussing on the radio about this book, someone saying it suggests marriage isn't just between a man and a woman. I looked at it and all I can say is that some people a) need to learn how to read, and b) need to get a life. It suggests nothing of the kind.)
- Receive an evaluation report on the Monrovia Unified School District’s English Learner programs.
- Vote on paying some companies $65,000 for an air conditioning project at Monrovia High.
- Present a summary of agreements and the proposed CSEA contract settlements and Monrovia Teachers Association contract settlements for the 2004-2005 school year.
- Discuss interests related to effective communication with the community of Monrovia, and identify specific areas for future focused discussion.
Also on the Web at www.monroviaschoollink.com
(0) comments
Whew! I just got the school board agenda and the meeting is tomorrow night. Wednesday, July 27. This really should have come earlier. Anyway, no time to be fancy. I'm just going to get this done. Remember, not everything's here. I pick and choose. The last item, on effective communications, looks interesting.
~ brad@sacklunch.net
The board will:
- Do a "Performance Evaluation Review for Superintendent" in closed session.
- Honor Phil Jelinek, Monrovia High School Autoshop Teacher on being chosen as a recipient of the Los Angeles County Industrial Technology Education Association High School Teacher of the Year Award 2005. Wow. That's a mouthful.
- Bid farewell to Joel Shawn as he leaves Monrovia Unified School District to become deputy superintendent in Arcadia Unified School District.
- Vote on whether to adopt the health textbook: Glencoe Health, 9th Edition, Glencoe/McGraw Hill. (By the way, I heard some fussing on the radio about this book, someone saying it suggests marriage isn't just between a man and a woman. I looked at it and all I can say is that some people a) need to learn how to read, and b) need to get a life. It suggests nothing of the kind.)
- Receive an evaluation report on the Monrovia Unified School District’s English Learner programs.
- Vote on paying some companies $65,000 for an air conditioning project at Monrovia High.
- Present a summary of agreements and the proposed CSEA contract settlements and Monrovia Teachers Association contract settlements for the 2004-2005 school year.
- Discuss interests related to effective communication with the community of Monrovia, and identify specific areas for future focused discussion.
Also on the Web at www.monroviaschoollink.com
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Monrovia School Link Preview ~ Number 129 ~ July 23, 2005
Well, it's moving into election season, and we've got another candidate for the school board, Nick Laushkin. Unless an incumbent decides not to run, that's four people running for two seats, so far. I wouldn't mind a couple more to give some nice options. Anyway, I chatted with Laushkin to see what he's like. That report is below, along with a letter. Talk to you soon.
~ brad@sacklunch.net
Back in the olden days when dinosaurs roamed the earth and I attended Monrovia school board meetings regularly, each year brought a new student representative to the board. The best of these during the four years I was there, I thought, was Alex Laushkin. He was always dapper, articulate, with a clear voice, and had something intelligent to say when it came to his turn to speak. I remember once, before the meeting, he came down and greeted everybody in the audience with a handshake, all seven of us. What's he running for? I thought. So, anyway, when I learned that his father, Nick Laushkin, is running for school board this year, it didn't exactly surprise me (like son like father?), but it interested me. So, to learn a bit more, I met with Nick Laushkin at a coffee shop to hear why he thought he should be on the board.
First a bit of background. Laushkin is 53 and has lived in Monrovia for 20 years. He grew up and attended schools in Arcadia and Claremont. He's a project manager at his family's company, Linc Western Air, which does air conditioning work on construction projects of up to about $75 million. Recently, when his son was at Monrovia High, he was involved in the Parent Student Association at MHS. He said his mother was a teacher at Rio Hondo Community College and he has long had a passion for education. His wife, he said, works at Methodist Hospital in Arcadia, and, as I mentioned, his son Alex was something of a star at Monrovia High, being active in student clubs and serving in various offices in student government, including that of ASB president.
Since Laushkin is working, I wondered if he has time to do a good job on the board. It does, after all, involve a lot more than just attending the board meetings.
He said he works out of his home most of the week and has time available just about every day, and his company is supportive of his desire to be involved in community service. He said he waited until his son was in college before running for the board because when Alex was at Monrovia High he really *didn't* have time.
I asked him why he thinks he'd be a better board member than the two incumbents, Bruce Carter and Monina Diaz, who are (presumably) running again.
"I'm not running against anyone," he said, "I'm running for a vision."
Hmmm. I always wonder if these broad, general statements have feet under them, so I asked him to nail it down a bit, and he did.
His main concern seems to be Monrovia High. The elementary schools are doing great; the middle schools are improving nicely, but progress at the high school, he said, is pretty flat, though, he adds, that's not just a local problem, it's national. The solution, he believes, is in the community. He said Monrovia is a good, friendly, volunteer community ("some people call it Mayberry," he said), and to make progress the district needs to get community groups more involved in education.
One of his main concerns about the high school is SAT scores. He'd like the district to focus on moving students' SAT scores up so they can get into good colleges and vocational schools.
He said he'd do that by trying (with the help of the city government and community groups) to bring more colleges - trade schools like Mt. Sierra College or extension campuses of USC or UCLA - to town. The advantage of that, he said, is that the students at these schools would be nearby and could be recruited as tutors or classroom assistants to help in their areas of expertise.
Also, he said (still on the SAT front, I think), there needs to be more emphasis in the district on English vocabulary, and on getting students to participate in clubs and groups in order to raise their involvement in the schools.
Next, he said, the district needs to improve its teacher recruitment process so that it gets really outstanding teachers. And once it gets them it needs to keep them. As a way to make the district a more attractive place to work, he suggested pinching pennies in other areas so the district can pay teachers more.
But in addition to money, he said more personal attention to teachers' concerns would go a long way. He suggested a "Welcome Wagon" for teacher candidates. In other words, have someone show them around town, help them out however possible and generally make them feel comfortable and welcome in Monrovia. He'd even have board members personally spend time with top candidates, and he'd like to get city and community groups involved. How? Well, he said, even little things would be nice: maybe community groups could provide muffins and doughnuts in the morning for teachers, or help sponsor teacher appreciation days, things to make the district a pleasant place to work.
Okay, that's how he would try to attract and keep good teachers, but - let's see how he does on tact - on the flip side, what would he do about bad teachers?
Well, he said, he hasn't really met any bad teachers. Some have been better than others, he said, but none really bad. And sometimes, he said, the problem is situational, meaning that a child and his or her teacher just aren't clicking. In cases like that, he said, he'd encourage the parent to have the child transfered to a different teacher.
To wrap up, here are some of Laushkin's other ideas:
- The district needs to work more closely with the Monrovia Library. Laushkin said evening tutoring could take place at the library after the schools have shut for the day, and the tutors could be college students - who would be more abundant if the city can lure more colleges to town.
- Junior colleges have computer-based programs for remedial learning that should be brought down to the high school level. After all, he said, these programs were developed to teach entering college students the lessons they should have learned in high school, so they ought to work for high school students as well.
- Expand the internship program, for both vocational and college bound students. He said Monrovia is home to a lot of notable companies (See Beyond and Trader Joe's, for instance) and the district should try to work with those firms to provide opportunities for students to get real world experience.
Finally, how about other community involvements? Rotary? Kiwanis? Other service groups? Church? No service groups, he said, though he was a deacon at First Presbyterian Church, and is currently involved at Vineyard Church in Arcadia.
Hmmm. Okay, so what do I think? Well, I'm not a great judge of character, but I was pretty impressed. Laushkin seemed to have a good knowledge of the state of the district, and, as you can see, he has ideas, and the ideas don't involve big budget programs that in the state's current financial situation are virtually impossible. My feeling is that there's little point in having grand ideas if they won't happen. Also, he's relaxed and friendly, which surprised me just a bit because I thought he was going to be a bit formal. He's been in town a long time and seems to know the community, though it would have been a feather in his cap, I think, if he had a bit more community involvement. But still, if he walks the walk the way he talks the talk, I think he'd be a very good board member. But the election season is still young, let's keep our eyes open and see what happens.
So, what do you think? Write me back with your thoughts. And I think I'll impose the Alex Zucco rule here (she has been urging this upon me for some time), and require that any comments about him that you want published be signed. In fact, I think I'd like to impose that rule from now on for any comments about specific individuals.
LETTER: MY HERO ~ WOW!!! Thank you Brad, for publishing Clare's letter. And thank you, Clare, for expressing my personal views so succinctly. You are my hero! The School Board needs you, as does Monrovia, if only to represent the voice of reason in a city (state/country) where many decry the role of personal responsibilty in society. - Karen Amagrande
Also on the Web at www.monroviaschoollink.com
(0) comments
Well, it's moving into election season, and we've got another candidate for the school board, Nick Laushkin. Unless an incumbent decides not to run, that's four people running for two seats, so far. I wouldn't mind a couple more to give some nice options. Anyway, I chatted with Laushkin to see what he's like. That report is below, along with a letter. Talk to you soon.
~ brad@sacklunch.net
Back in the olden days when dinosaurs roamed the earth and I attended Monrovia school board meetings regularly, each year brought a new student representative to the board. The best of these during the four years I was there, I thought, was Alex Laushkin. He was always dapper, articulate, with a clear voice, and had something intelligent to say when it came to his turn to speak. I remember once, before the meeting, he came down and greeted everybody in the audience with a handshake, all seven of us. What's he running for? I thought. So, anyway, when I learned that his father, Nick Laushkin, is running for school board this year, it didn't exactly surprise me (like son like father?), but it interested me. So, to learn a bit more, I met with Nick Laushkin at a coffee shop to hear why he thought he should be on the board.
First a bit of background. Laushkin is 53 and has lived in Monrovia for 20 years. He grew up and attended schools in Arcadia and Claremont. He's a project manager at his family's company, Linc Western Air, which does air conditioning work on construction projects of up to about $75 million. Recently, when his son was at Monrovia High, he was involved in the Parent Student Association at MHS. He said his mother was a teacher at Rio Hondo Community College and he has long had a passion for education. His wife, he said, works at Methodist Hospital in Arcadia, and, as I mentioned, his son Alex was something of a star at Monrovia High, being active in student clubs and serving in various offices in student government, including that of ASB president.
Since Laushkin is working, I wondered if he has time to do a good job on the board. It does, after all, involve a lot more than just attending the board meetings.
He said he works out of his home most of the week and has time available just about every day, and his company is supportive of his desire to be involved in community service. He said he waited until his son was in college before running for the board because when Alex was at Monrovia High he really *didn't* have time.
I asked him why he thinks he'd be a better board member than the two incumbents, Bruce Carter and Monina Diaz, who are (presumably) running again.
"I'm not running against anyone," he said, "I'm running for a vision."
Hmmm. I always wonder if these broad, general statements have feet under them, so I asked him to nail it down a bit, and he did.
His main concern seems to be Monrovia High. The elementary schools are doing great; the middle schools are improving nicely, but progress at the high school, he said, is pretty flat, though, he adds, that's not just a local problem, it's national. The solution, he believes, is in the community. He said Monrovia is a good, friendly, volunteer community ("some people call it Mayberry," he said), and to make progress the district needs to get community groups more involved in education.
One of his main concerns about the high school is SAT scores. He'd like the district to focus on moving students' SAT scores up so they can get into good colleges and vocational schools.
He said he'd do that by trying (with the help of the city government and community groups) to bring more colleges - trade schools like Mt. Sierra College or extension campuses of USC or UCLA - to town. The advantage of that, he said, is that the students at these schools would be nearby and could be recruited as tutors or classroom assistants to help in their areas of expertise.
Also, he said (still on the SAT front, I think), there needs to be more emphasis in the district on English vocabulary, and on getting students to participate in clubs and groups in order to raise their involvement in the schools.
Next, he said, the district needs to improve its teacher recruitment process so that it gets really outstanding teachers. And once it gets them it needs to keep them. As a way to make the district a more attractive place to work, he suggested pinching pennies in other areas so the district can pay teachers more.
But in addition to money, he said more personal attention to teachers' concerns would go a long way. He suggested a "Welcome Wagon" for teacher candidates. In other words, have someone show them around town, help them out however possible and generally make them feel comfortable and welcome in Monrovia. He'd even have board members personally spend time with top candidates, and he'd like to get city and community groups involved. How? Well, he said, even little things would be nice: maybe community groups could provide muffins and doughnuts in the morning for teachers, or help sponsor teacher appreciation days, things to make the district a pleasant place to work.
Okay, that's how he would try to attract and keep good teachers, but - let's see how he does on tact - on the flip side, what would he do about bad teachers?
Well, he said, he hasn't really met any bad teachers. Some have been better than others, he said, but none really bad. And sometimes, he said, the problem is situational, meaning that a child and his or her teacher just aren't clicking. In cases like that, he said, he'd encourage the parent to have the child transfered to a different teacher.
To wrap up, here are some of Laushkin's other ideas:
- The district needs to work more closely with the Monrovia Library. Laushkin said evening tutoring could take place at the library after the schools have shut for the day, and the tutors could be college students - who would be more abundant if the city can lure more colleges to town.
- Junior colleges have computer-based programs for remedial learning that should be brought down to the high school level. After all, he said, these programs were developed to teach entering college students the lessons they should have learned in high school, so they ought to work for high school students as well.
- Expand the internship program, for both vocational and college bound students. He said Monrovia is home to a lot of notable companies (See Beyond and Trader Joe's, for instance) and the district should try to work with those firms to provide opportunities for students to get real world experience.
Finally, how about other community involvements? Rotary? Kiwanis? Other service groups? Church? No service groups, he said, though he was a deacon at First Presbyterian Church, and is currently involved at Vineyard Church in Arcadia.
Hmmm. Okay, so what do I think? Well, I'm not a great judge of character, but I was pretty impressed. Laushkin seemed to have a good knowledge of the state of the district, and, as you can see, he has ideas, and the ideas don't involve big budget programs that in the state's current financial situation are virtually impossible. My feeling is that there's little point in having grand ideas if they won't happen. Also, he's relaxed and friendly, which surprised me just a bit because I thought he was going to be a bit formal. He's been in town a long time and seems to know the community, though it would have been a feather in his cap, I think, if he had a bit more community involvement. But still, if he walks the walk the way he talks the talk, I think he'd be a very good board member. But the election season is still young, let's keep our eyes open and see what happens.
So, what do you think? Write me back with your thoughts. And I think I'll impose the Alex Zucco rule here (she has been urging this upon me for some time), and require that any comments about him that you want published be signed. In fact, I think I'd like to impose that rule from now on for any comments about specific individuals.
LETTER: MY HERO ~ WOW!!! Thank you Brad, for publishing Clare's letter. And thank you, Clare, for expressing my personal views so succinctly. You are my hero! The School Board needs you, as does Monrovia, if only to represent the voice of reason in a city (state/country) where many decry the role of personal responsibilty in society. - Karen Amagrande
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