California Continuation Education Association Newsletter:
| Volume: 12 | Number: 1 | Date: October 1997 |
Welcome back from what I hope was a safe and relaxing summer! Hopefully each of you was able to "recharge" and have the energy it takes to face the many challenges presented by the extremely needy clients who attend our schools. We save lives every day through our ongoing application of creativity, dedication, commitment and professionalism. I honestly believe that the instructional strategies in place within effective continuation schools are on the cutting edge in California's secondary educational system. Continuation schools truly have become "comprehensive" and have been accepted as the first line of defense against dropping out of high school. We have adopted high standards for our Model School Program and more and more schools are achieving WASC Accreditation. My vision of the future is that the effective "traditional high school" will more closely resemble what we are doing now than that of their current model.
Your professional organization is hard at work in Sacramento working with the California Department of Education, the Legislature and the Governor's office as we advance our agenda in the best interest of continuation education. We have made many strides forward in promoting the concept that continuation schools "are an alternative place to learn, not an alternative to learning." Additionally, we are beginning to see some change in the language towards referring to the large high schools as "traditional" high schools as we have truly become comprehensive. Your Executive Board has visited Sacramento regularly over the past two years in order to establish a rapport with the decision makers prior to introducing a bill intended to equalize funding in all continuation schools throughout the state. AB 792 reached the Governor's desk in mid September. CCEA and ACSA co-sponsored this comprehensive bill and hopefully by the time you have read this, AB 792 will have been signed into law by the Governor. If that reality has occurred, we now have the groundwork for equalizing the huge disparities that exist within the funding mechanism for continuation schools. If the Governor has not signed the bill, our current plan is to re-introduce the bill in the near future.
This past year has seen some changes in the election structure for determining local CCEA district officers. The executive board is planning an officer training day in December with job-alike round-table meetings. Local CCEA district officers will work with the state officer to develop communication links and effective strategies they may use within their local CCEA districts. On-going needs consist of recruitment of new members, fast communication when necessary and development of services for members that meet their needs and those of a professional association. Many local districts have wonderful fall conferences that provide motivational staff development activities and a basis for communicating successes throughout the school year. I want to see those successes shared and some of the problems we routinely face resolved though a collaborative effort.
Please make an individual effort this year to join CCEA as a PROFESSIONAL MEMBER. This is the membership that provides you the most direct means to support the efforts of CCEA up and down the state. While we have developed a school membership for the purpose of getting more people involved in CCEA, we really want to encourage you as professionals to join your organization individually. As you know, the talent that is currently a part of CCEA is incredible. We now provide many fall conference staff development workshops and most of the content of the State Conference through presentations made by our own professionals! The conference in San Francisco provided for a record number of participants and this year's conference in San Diego, April 24 - 26, 1998, promises to be our best ever!
Your Council of District Representatives Fall Meeting is scheduled for October 24, 1997, at the Grosvenor Hotel at the San Francisco Airport. We have a full agenda and look forward to working with many of you towards increasing our service to our students. I wish each of you a wonderfully productive year and to each of you I extend my thanks for all you do for the students participating in our programs and schools. Keep up the great work!
Teacher Returns from Sabbatical
Jan Rife, teacher at Chaparral High School in El Cajon, California, returned to the classroom this fall after a one year sabbatical. During the summer of 1996 she traveled to Provo, Utah, where she was one of fourteen teachers from around the United States who took part in a month long seminar sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities Foundation. The seminar was conducted in Spanish and explored the use of drama to teach Spanish. "I was the only participant who wasn't a foreign language instructor, but rather just a learner of the language," Jan says. "We spoke Spanish around the clock. It was a terrific experience and a great kickoff to my sabbatical!"
During the month of October, Jan traveled to Oaxaca, Mexico, to study Spanish language and Mexican culture. She lived with a Mexican family and attended language school six hours a day. "I stayed on for Day of the Dead, one of the most important cultural holidays in Mexico. It's very Mexican, a blend of Hispanic and pre-Columbian traditions. People honor their dead loved ones. It's beautiful."
In April, Jan traveled to Seville, Spain, where she once again lived with a family and attended classes in Spanish and culture. She was there for Holy Week, the week before Easter, and Seville's April Fair. "Both holidays are week long celebrations. The streets of Seville are packed with crowds day and night. The thing that impressed me most was how everyone, from the very young to the very old, was involved. The sense of community was incredible."
Between trips, Jan read more that fifty books related to multi cultural themes, and she did a project in which she wrote the oral histories of eleven student immigrants. "These are incredible stories of kids who have come to the Grossmont District from all over the world. A Chaldean boy walked across the country of Turkey; an Afghan girl rode a camel over the Khyber Pass. A Somalian girl marched with a policeman who threatened to throw her into jail for speaking."
My Summer with the
Orangutans of Borneo
I had the opportunity this past summer to work with an ongoing Orangutan Research Program in the Indonesian tropical rainforests on the island of Borneo. Dr. Birute Galdikas established the research and conservation program twenty-five years ago with the backing of Louis Leakey and the National Geographic Foundation. Our diverse group of twelve met at a remote airport in Borneo and journeyed two hours up river to a base camp deep in the rainforest. Our responsibilities alternated from working with Dayak tribal assistants in the forests locating and tracking wild Orangutans, to boating downstream to the Orangutan Nursery for ex-captive juveniles and adolescents. As a side trip, I visited Komodo Island and spent a couple of days following the Monitor Lizards. These are the largest living lizards . . . up to twelve feet long and 300 pounds. This whole trip was a highlight in my life.
Sarah Johnson
Chaparral High School, El Cajon
Mini Conference Scheduled
District II is busy planning their midyear mini conference, scheduled for February 10, 1998 at Plaza Robles High School. Mark your calendars now, as you don't want to miss this exciting afternoon of information and networking opportunities. The cost will be $5.00 to cover light refreshments.
Argus High School Community Classroom Nets 18 Community Partners
In May, 1996, Cheri Gibson had a vision for a class that would become a true school-to-career opportunity for the students at Argus High School. Although her idea was not new, (Thanks, Gerry!), the format was tweaked to meet the needs of the Argus students. After an entire summer of planning, organizing and gaining commitments from the community, the class began in the fall of 1996. It was organized to fit our six-one calendar. This is considered an Honors class and students must make application to be accepted. The application and resume are carefully reviewed, the student must go through two separate interviews and then his/her name is presented to the entire Argus staff for approval. A single vote can keep a student from being accepted for this program. Therefore, students have learned that tardies, unnecessary absences, non performance, behavior problems and other negative activities can impact their entry into this program. Once a student has received staff approval, Cheri interviews them with an eye toward placement. She then matches them up with a job in an area of their interest. The student often must go to an interview or meet with his/her new "boss," prior to starting the "job." For six weeks the student goes to "work" four days a week, four hours a day. On the fifth day, he/she meets with Cheri. They have discussions, presentations and an opportunity for discussions regarding such areas as sexual harassment, getting along in the work place, good personnel practices and many more. Each student must keep a time card, which is turned in weekly, have a performance review from the supervisor and go through an exit interview with Cheri at the conclusion of the job. For this, the student earns 10 elective credits toward graduation.
The first group of eight students set the standard for those following. At the end of the six weeks, four had been offered paid employment, which they accepted, and the others were given excellent recommendations. Only one student had a tough time with her "employment." It was not what she anticipated, but she stuck it out and learned what she did not want to do with her life. Another student and his mother found that he was responsible for himself and that mom needed to "butt out." A good lesson for both! As the year went along, more and more students applied for the program. Many more members in the community heard about the program and at year's end, we felt we had made a real break through. We had secured partnerships with the police and fire departments; the personnel, maintenance and educational services in the school district; print shops; restaurants; auto mechanics shops; elementary and junior high schools within the district; the largest hospital in the county; PayLess Drugs and WalMart.
The student response was incredible! Many found a love for what they had done, while others said, "No way!" All grew a little taller in their self esteem and stature. Their entire demeanor improved and this showed when they returned to school to their classes following their experiences. Many have come to us this year asking to be allowed to go a second time in a different, or perhaps related field. If there is room, we will allow them to do this.
If you are interested in this program, call or write to us and we will gladly share our experiences.
I would be delighted to include news about your school, programs, district or staff, but I need some help from you to do this. Please send me information about the "doings" with your schools and staffs. You can either mail them to me at:
Argus High School
P.O. Box 307
Ceres, CA 95307
or if it is easier you can FAX me the information to: (209) 538-1027
or you can E-mail it to me at
CA Janet K@aol.com
Thanks for your help. I look forward to hearing from you.
Peter Birdsall and Nancy Armentrout, Birdsall and Associates
CCEA's primary activity in 1997 has been working to change the continuation high school funding formula. In January, CCEA's sponsored legislation, AB 792 (Havice), was introduced, which contains the continuation high school equalization proposal.
AB 792 represents a long overdue effort to reform a system of funding which is completely indefensible. Current funding for school districts ranges from $0 additional funding per ADA to operate a continuation high school to revenue limit add-ons in amounts exceeding $30,000 per ADA served in a continuation high school.
The formula in AB 792 holds school districts accountable for providing quality programs to students by linking funding to a statutory ratio based on staffing levels and students served. Beginning in 1998-99, the county superintendent would be required to make two computations:
First, compute the add-on funding each continuation school would have received in 1997-98 calculated under current law, plus any cost-of-living adjustments and any prior equalization adjustments pursuant to AB 792.
Second, compute the add-on amount each continuation school is eligible for under the new continuation school funding formula created by AB 792. This is a formula based on the funding formula for small schools, which links the amount of the add-on to a ratio between ADA and the number of certificated employees at each continuation school.
Districts would be funded under the first of these calculations, but the bill provides for equalization over time to the second calculation. Once a district is funded using the second calculation, it would continue to use that calculation each year to compute its funding.
Last year, the legislature approved $2 million in equalization funding for continuation high schools, which was vetoed by Governor Wilson. This year, in its analysis of AB 792, the Department of Finance indicated that AB 792's formula addresses the Governor's concerns for a comprehensive reform of continuation school funding. Unfortunately, it is our understanding that the Department of Finance may still recommend a veto of AB 792 because it will place additional pressures on Proposition 98 funding and because an evaluation of continuation high school is needed. CCEA has argued that the pressure for equalization exists because of flaws in the current formula, not because of AB 792. In fact, under current law the equity problems get worse each year.
AB 792 passed both houses of the Legislature overwhelmingly and is now before the Governor for consideration. Governor Wilson has until October 12 to act on this measure.
1997-98 State Budget Overview
Overall, the 1997-98 State Budget contained a substantial increase in Proposition 98 funding. Of importance to CCEA, the 1997 State Budget includes the following major provisions:
· Provides enrollment growth and a COLA for school district and county office revenue limits. Revenue limits support a school district's general education program and these are the primary source of support for continuation high schools.
· Increased 1996-97 funds resulting in increases in the deficit reduction and equalization amounts of $261 million each. This allocation honors the 1996-97 budget agreement for the use of additional Proposition 98 revenues to appropriate 50% of those funds to reduce the revenue limit deficit and 50% to further equalize revenue limit funding. These funds also go to revenue limits and thus help support general education programs, including continuation education.
· $1.5 billion was allocated to increase funding for the Class Size Reduction program to $800 per ADA. Full funding is provided for all four of grades K-3.
· $36 million in 1997-98 funds was allocated to fund a mandated, statewide standardized assessment in spring 1998 of all students in grades 2-11. This program would replace the current Pupil Testing Incentive Program. (See article below)
· An additional $100 million was allocated to provide first-year funding for the Governor's Digital High School Initiative. (See article below)
Governor Wilson signed the 1997-98 State Budget on August 18, but not before he vetoed $314 million from the $69.6 billion budget. As expected, a significant amount of the cuts were from the education budget, where the Governor stated he was holding much of the funding for these educational programs hostage until the Legislature passed a statewide school testing bill which is acceptable to him.
Included in these vetoes was both the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) and the funding for enrollment growth for all 42 programs in the categorical education Mega-Item. The Mega-Item contains many important education programs such as instructional materials, school improvement program, and education technology. This veto represented a cut of $123 million from programs in the categorical Mega-Item.
Statewide Testing Bill Approved
On September 12, in the final hours of the 1997 Legislative session, Governor Wilson and the Legislative leadership reached final agreement on a new statewide testing program. The proposal, contained in SB 376 (Alpert), is for a mandatory statewide assessment test to be implemented for grades 2-11 for the 1997-98 fiscal year. The State Board of Education (SBE) must make the selection of a single standardized norm-referenced test by November 14, 1997.
Provisions of the statewide testing program include:
· The test will be given to every student in grades 2-11 in English. Districts may also exercise the option to test LEP in their primary language, if such a test is available, and receive reimbursement from the state for these tests as well. Districts are required to administer a test in the student's primary language, if available, if the LEP student has been enrolled in California public schools for less than 12 months.
· The test is to be administered in the Spring of 1998 and the results are to be reported to the California Department of Education and the State Board of Education by grade level, school site, school district, County and placed on the Internet by June 30, 1998.
· Local governing boards will receive the results by grade level, school site, and district. Only parents, guardians, and teachers will receive individual pupil scores.
In preparation for an agreement on the testing proposal, the Legislature passed legislation to restore the vetoed funding. The measure is AB 1188 (Lempert). This bill is expected to be signed now that the Governor's testing bill has passed.
Digital High School Initiative Enacted
One of the controversial proposals in this year's budget debate was the Governor's Digital High School Initiative. The Governor proposed allocating $100 million for this Initiative in his January budget. This proposal was rejected by both the Senate and Assembly Budget Subcommittees, which allocated the funds to other education purposes. However, the Governor made this technology initiative a priority and revived the proposal in negotiations with Legislative leadership.
On August 19, the Governor signed into law the Digital High School Initiative, which is contained in AB 64 (Baca). For the first year of this initiative (1997-98 budget), the budget includes $100 million to help bring technology into the state's high schools and ensure that all students have access to the Internet and computer training. The proposal provides competitive technology installation grants of $300 per pupil enrolled in grades 9-12 for each high school receiving a grant, with a minimum grant for small schools. However, no school shall receive more total funding than is matched locally, unless the match requirement has been waived.
AB 64 includes separate continuation high schools among those schools who are eligible for grant funding. The one "wrinkle" is where the continuation school is on the same property or adjacent to a comprehensive high school, in which case the continuation high school must be part of the comprehensive high school's application. The specific language reads as follows: "Alternative high schools and alternative programs for pupils in grades 9-12, inclusive, that include, but are not limited to, continuation schools, opportunity schools, educational centers, community day schools, and special education programs, and are located on the same property as, on site adjacent to, or across the street from, a comprehensive high school, shall be included, for application and funding purposes, within the comprehensive high school."
To allocate grant funds, the legislation creates six funding categories. Four groups consist of all unified and high school districts that have a total district enrollment in grades 9-12 of more than 200 pupils. The school districts will be divided into quartiles based on the district's grade 9-12 enrollment. The fifth group consists of schools that have an enrollment in grades 9-12 of no more than 200 pupils. (This will include schools of less than 200 students which may be in large school districts.) Finally, the sixth group consists of schools operated by county offices of education that enroll pupils in grades 9-12. Schools would then be selected through a lottery system from these six categories.
To be eligible, school districts and county offices must submit eligibility applications for high schools seeking a grant to the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI). The only criterion for initial eligibility is that the application includes a certification by the district or county governing board of its commitment to meeting program requirements, including the local match requirements related to a technology installation grant. Each district is required to submit to the SPI a list of schools that meet the initial eligibility requirement. Schools shall be listed in order of priority. Once a school has been selected to receive a grant, the school shall develop a project application.
School districts are required to provide a match of resources at high schools participating in the program. The match requirement may be met with any of the following: the value of donated computers; in-kind services and/or equipment from private industry; federal grants or participation in federal technology programs, including Title I; and any one-time block grant funds.
In addition, the proposal requires each high school receiving a technology installation grant to also receive, following completion of the installation grant, an annual technology support and staff development grant of $45 per pupil. Just as it does for the installation grants, the legislation requires school districts to provide matching resources for the staff development grants. n
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