January is always a busy month, but release of Governor Schwarzenegger's proposed budget for 2005-06 has put all of us in particularly high gear. As you know, the budget did not include $2.3 billion in Proposition 98 funding schools are due under an agreement made last year with the Governor. Instead, the budget provides funding for cost-of-living and enrollment increases, but also transfers to districts the burden of contributions to the State Teachers Retirement Fund. As a result, schools could see little or no improvement in their fiscal situation this year, and many districts will be facing program cuts. A thorough analysis of the budget will be sent to you by email from our fiscal policy office by mid-February.
In my State of Education address January 24, school funding was of necessity a primary focus. I know that without additional funding, it will be extremely difficult for school districts to provide our students with the tools they need to reach the high expectations we've set. (For a copy of my remarks, please go to State of Education - Initiatives).
Even restoring the $2.3 billion will get us nowhere near the level of funding required to make the investments we should be making to improve student achievement. In the latest "Quality Counts" report from Education Week, California ranked 8th from the bottom in per pupil funding. The widely reported RAND Corporation report released last month also detailed decades of decline in support for California schools, a trend voters sought to reverse by passage of Proposition 98 in 1988. The state budget for the past few years has fallen $9.8 billion short of the promise of the school funding "guarantee" under Proposition 98. Now Governor Schwarzenegger's proposal to make automatic, across-the-board cuts to all state programs whenever revenues fall short of expenditures threatens to render Proposition 98 meaningless.
Four other statewide elected officials, Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante, Treasurer Phil Angelides, Attorney General Bill Lockyer and Controller Steve Westly have joined me in the call to increase K-12 education funding and heed the will of Californians who continue to hold education as their number one priority. I will continue to make this case as I travel around the state in the coming months. Please remember that release of the Governor's budget proposal is just the opening salvo in months-long negotiations on the state spending plan. Now it is up to the Legislature to review the Governor's proposal and reach compromise on a budget that can be sent back for his signature. That's why it is critically important that all of us make clear to our legislative representatives the importance of fully funding Proposition 98 and the consequences to school districts should the state fail to do so.
Meanwhile, the California Department of Education is hard at work to support you in your efforts to serve students. One of my top priorities this year will be to continue the work begun last year and at our successful High School Summit on raising the level of rigor in our high schools while making high school more relevant to the future success of our students. We want all students to be prepared to succeed whether they choose a career path or college upon graduation.
Recognizing that the achievement gap that leaves too many of our high school students falling behind begins as early as kindergarten, I am also focusing on laying the groundwork for quality preschool for all. To create more seamless transitions between all levels of education for our students, and better coordinate and integrate expectations and preparation from preschool through college, I am appointing a statewide P-16 Council. I hope to announce the appointments in February and the group will begin meeting sometime in March.
Finally, I will be focusing on helping schools to create a culture supportive of student health and fitness. Please see the message from our Nutrition Services Division below for more details. I also encourage you to read the white papers prepared on the issues: High Performing High Schools Initiative - State of Education, Preschool for All - State of Education, Healthy Children Ready to Learn - State of Education.
I know it will be a challenging year for us all, but I look forward to working with you to do whatever it takes to meet the educational needs of all California students.
From the Nutrition Services Division
Healthy, active, and well-nourished children and youth are more likely to attend school and are more prepared and motivated to learn. However, the number of overweight children in California and the nation has reached epidemic levels. According to CDE's analysis of the 2004 Fitnessgram data, over 32 percent of youth are overweight and close to 74 percent are unfit. Today's children are less active, consume more fat and sweetened beverages, and eat fewer healthy foods, especially fruits and vegetables, than their predecessors. Alarmingly, only 51 percent of today's children and youth eat even one serving of a fruit or vegetable each day.
A successful effort to prevent childhood overweight and poor fitness levels goes beyond schools and childcare agencies and requires a comprehensive state and community response. The California Department of Education is committed to doing its part in ensuring a healthier future for our children and youth by creating healthy school environments.
Specifically, building upon recommendations from The Superintendent's Task Force on Childhood Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, and Cardiovascular Disease and the paper developed and adopted by the State Board of Education's Child Nutrition Advisory Council titled "How the California Department of Education Can Create Healthy Learning Environments for Children and Youth," Superintendent O'Connell has established four goals:
- Support high quality instructional programs in health education and physical education that provide students with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to develop and maintain active, healthy lifestyles;
- Implement nutrition standards for all food and beverages sold on campus;
- Increase participation in school meal programs so no child goes hungry; and
- Create comprehensive healthy school environments.
It is going to take all of us working together to make a difference so I encourage you to gain additional information on the problem and what needs to be done by going to the CDE Web site at: Healthy Children Ready to Learn - State of Education.
From the Charter Schools Division
On January 6, 2005, in response to the Public Charter Schools Grant Program Request For Applications, the Charter Schools Division received 275 applications for funding. Although a final tally has not been completed, approximately 260 applications were submitted for funding for new charter schools. Fifteen applications were submitted for dissemination grants to distribute best practices developed in charter schools across all public schools. The Division has selected 50 readers from throughout the nation to participate in the review and scoring of applications. Approximately 100 applicants will receive grant awards ranging from $150,000 to $450,000, upon approval of the State Board of Education at its March 2005 meeting. This is the first of 3 cycles awarding federal start up funds to support charter school development in California. For more information about the Public Charter School Grant Program, please contact Marta Reyes, Director of the charter Schools Division, at 916-322-6029.
Assistance to Districts From State Special Schools and Services
The Diagnostic Center, Northern California is one of three state Diagnostic Centers operated through CDE to serve local educational agencies (LEA), special education students and their families throughout California . In addition to providing in-depth assessments of special education students, the Diagnostic Centers also are regarded for the numerous professional development activities they provide to LEA staff. Professional development opportunities are provided in a variety of formats, including workshops, on-site consultation and Web-based trainings. Currently, "Understanding Section 504" is offered online by the Diagnostic Center, Northern California and available at http://www.dcn-cde.ca.gov/ (Outside Source). This training is designed to provide parents and school staff with an understanding of the law, how it applies to educational programs and to students with disabilities. It can be viewed in its entirety, or each unit can be viewed separately. Although it is important to be aware of the law and understand its mandates, this training is not intended to serve as legal advice. For more information, call Ron Kadish, Director of the State Special Schools and Services Division, at 916-327-3860.
NCLB Teacher Quality Data Web Site
NCLB requires State and local educational agencies to report on three performance indicators that measure state and local progress toward the federal goal, that by 2005-06 every student will have a highly qualified teacher in their core academic classes. In spring 2004, local agencies reported their base measurements for these performance indicators through the Consolidated Application for Categorical Funding. NCLB requires that the state report this information to the federal government overall, by level of education -- elementary and secondary -- and for the quartiles of schools with the highest and lowest poverty level statewide and by LEA. NCLB also requires that this information be available to the public.
CDE's Technology Services Division and the Professional Development & Curriculum Support Division are finalizing requirements to provide LEA support and public access to this data, by developing a searchable Web site with functionality to display and download selected data. This system is scheduled to be in operation by March 2005.
Clearinghouse for Multilingual Documents
CDE's Technology Services Division is also moving forward on a Clearinghouse for Multilingual Documents project that was authorized in the Fiscal Year 2004/05 budget. The clearinghouse aims to benefit local education agencies by leveraging translation work already done by others. It will help school districts comply with state and federal parental notification requirements and will provide electronic access to a catalogue of information about translated forms (but not the forms themselves) via a searchable database on the CDE Web site. We estimate Phase 1 of the clearinghouse will be made available to local education agencies by June 30, 2005. This project has great potential to help local education agencies meet the needs of the growing non-English reading parent population.
For more information, contact Wayne Shimizu at 916-323-8343 or wshimizu@cde.ca.gov.
Teachers of the Year
Five California Teachers of the Year were honored by Superintendent O'Connell and education colleagues a dinner January 11 in Sacramento . This group of remarkable teachers includes for the first time an educator from an Alternative Schools Accountability Model continuation high school. Alan Seigel of Kelseyville teaches history, civics and economics at the W.C. Carlé Continuation High School in the city of Lower Lake, Lake County . His stories of holding his high-risk students to high standards and building their self-esteem through service to others were truly inspiring. San Diego High School social studies teacher Stanley Murphy was nominated to represent California in the competition for National Teacher of the Year honor. Mr. Murphy has broadened the horizons and the world view of his students by establishing sister school programs with Russia, Argentina and Austria . He also helped transform the lives of Russian students and teachers by helping to democratize a Moscow school right after the end of the Cold War.
Honoree Kim Labinger views teaching as a living art, and constantly creates active, innovative lessons for her fourth graders at Thomas Edison Elementary in Glendale . Also honored was San Marcos High School history teacher Eric Burrows, who gave up half his salary and a career as a district attorney ten years ago to fulfill a natural gift for teaching. Sixth grade teacher Ray Williams, from Steve Luther Elementary in La Palma , Orange County looks at troubled students as a challenge, not a burden. His classroom is both a model of organization and an eclectic collection of science and math projects, snakes, silkworms and natural arts.
"I can't think of a more inspiring way to begin the year than to spend time with such dedicated, extraordinary teachers," said Superintendent O'Connell.
