December 9, 2013
COAL FOR SUPERINTENDENT MARK CAMPBELL'S CHRISTMAS STOCKING
Dear Friends, Supporters, Families, Kids and everyone:
It is with a heavy heart that this gramma has to hang up a closed sign above the "Campaign to Save The After School Program at San Andreas Elementary School." We failed in our attempts to keep the wonderful after school program open.
After Christmas break, 30 kids will be without care after school everyday, As a result, the already small San Andreas Elementary School will be losing as many as 10 children January 2014 as their parents scramble to find other schools,
other programs to enroll their kids in.
I am very disappointed in the CUSD school board, but lay the entire mess at Superintendent Mark Campbell's feet. He created this situation and did not want to rectify it. Now due to his ineptness, San Andreas Elementary School will be minus at least $40,000.00 per year in revenue due to the fact some kids have to transfer out.
I recently discovered this same elementary school has the worst absenteeism/truancy record in the state as well as plummeting test scores. Maybe it is for the best these families will be removing their kids from this poorly performing school.
I wish everyone a Happy Holiday and thanks to all for their wonderful support. Kudos to everyone from The Calaveras Enterprise and their hard-working editors and reporters, to the countless families and friends who pitched in to help us, to those who endured long hours at CUSD meetings. A special thank you goes out also to all who took the time to sign our change.org petition. We had more than 225 signatures!! Your efforts were appreciated and even though we may have lost for the moment, we are all winners--and we did it for a bunch of wonderful kids.They are our future!
Oh, and to our elected officials, get ready for some tough re-election campaigning and spending next election time!
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Friday, November 22, 2013
"After-school program closure will have consequences" By Diana Py in Calaveras Enterprise
After-school program closure will have consequences
When we moved to San Andreas from the Bay Area five years ago, we
did so in order to make a better life for our two boys. In Calaveras
County, we found a tight-knit community, a small and local school,
beautiful land on which our children could fish and hike and a wonderful
group of fellow families like our own. We put down roots and were proud
to tell everyone how excited we were to have found such a great
community that we would be able to stay in until our children graduated
from high school. One of our biggest priorities was being involved in
our s’s education and finding a great school in which they would
be able to spend their whole elementary school years.
We found that in San Andreas Elementary until the fateful day we learned the after-school program we desperately relied on would be closing. I am a fulltime registered nursing student, my husband is a retail store manager and in order to build our lives and make our family secure, we rely on the San Andreas Elementary after-school program to care for our children until we get home from either school or work. We are just like every other family who uses the program, working parents. Without Kid’s Place, there is no ability to work or to go to school, because our schedules do not permit being available at the times we need Kid’s Place the most – from the end of school until the end of the work day.
Calaveras Unified School District Superintendent
Mark Campbell is been quoted to have said that after-school care for our
kids is a luxury and that parents like us feel the program is an
entitlement. That has no bearing at all to any of our situations. Kid’s
Place is a necessity. It is a safe, educational and wonderful place we
know our kids will be well taken care of until we get done with our day.
It has been said by our superintendent that the Calaveras County School
District is broke and has no funds to keep Kid’s Place open.
My message to the school district is this: How much money is this district going to lose when we end up having to move our children to Amador County or other counties that realize working parents need after-school care? I know of several families already looking to move completely out of the county because of this. What are the ramifications of that lost revenue? What are the ramifications of 30 or so wonderful, talented kids moving to an entirely new school district? How much will Calaveras County lose out on when we are putting our tax dollars and expendable income into businesses in adjacent counties? It will take $34,000 of school district money to keep Kid’s Place open until the end of school year. Perhaps additional funding could be looked into at that point, but if this program does not get funded and does close its doors in December, those are 30 children and their families could be lost from this county forever, not to mention any incoming kindergarten families who may choose to not send their children to San Andreas Elementary because there is no after-school care.
Not funding this program is a fiscal mistake as well as a moral mistake. The children who will be affected are ones who could perhaps stay in this county for years to come, except now they will be settling in Amador, Tuolomne or the Mark Twain Union Elementary School District. Our family is looking at this option and we are not the only ones – all of us families are looking into moving school districts.
A few days ago, I picked my children up from Kid’s Place. They sat in a room with 17 other kids dutifully working on homework, spanning kindergarten through third grade. In several weeks, these children, most of them, will not be in the Calaveras Unified School District anymore because of this shortsighted decision. Surely there is emergency money somewhere to keep the program open for a few more months until another decision is made, because the loss of these wonderful kids is going to end up costing the school district and surrounding communities hundreds of thousands of dollars. This isn’t the loss of a “luxury.” This will impact our entire town and something needs to be done. We need to see action, not only words stating nothing can be done. It can be done. The after-school program could remain open, and it must, or everyone will realize how little the Calaveras Unified School District actually cares about our children.
Diana Py is the mother of two children who attend San Andreas Elementary School. Contact her at
© 2013 Calaveras Enterprise.
We found that in San Andreas Elementary until the fateful day we learned the after-school program we desperately relied on would be closing. I am a fulltime registered nursing student, my husband is a retail store manager and in order to build our lives and make our family secure, we rely on the San Andreas Elementary after-school program to care for our children until we get home from either school or work. We are just like every other family who uses the program, working parents. Without Kid’s Place, there is no ability to work or to go to school, because our schedules do not permit being available at the times we need Kid’s Place the most – from the end of school until the end of the work day.
My message to the school district is this: How much money is this district going to lose when we end up having to move our children to Amador County or other counties that realize working parents need after-school care? I know of several families already looking to move completely out of the county because of this. What are the ramifications of that lost revenue? What are the ramifications of 30 or so wonderful, talented kids moving to an entirely new school district? How much will Calaveras County lose out on when we are putting our tax dollars and expendable income into businesses in adjacent counties? It will take $34,000 of school district money to keep Kid’s Place open until the end of school year. Perhaps additional funding could be looked into at that point, but if this program does not get funded and does close its doors in December, those are 30 children and their families could be lost from this county forever, not to mention any incoming kindergarten families who may choose to not send their children to San Andreas Elementary because there is no after-school care.
Not funding this program is a fiscal mistake as well as a moral mistake. The children who will be affected are ones who could perhaps stay in this county for years to come, except now they will be settling in Amador, Tuolomne or the Mark Twain Union Elementary School District. Our family is looking at this option and we are not the only ones – all of us families are looking into moving school districts.
A few days ago, I picked my children up from Kid’s Place. They sat in a room with 17 other kids dutifully working on homework, spanning kindergarten through third grade. In several weeks, these children, most of them, will not be in the Calaveras Unified School District anymore because of this shortsighted decision. Surely there is emergency money somewhere to keep the program open for a few more months until another decision is made, because the loss of these wonderful kids is going to end up costing the school district and surrounding communities hundreds of thousands of dollars. This isn’t the loss of a “luxury.” This will impact our entire town and something needs to be done. We need to see action, not only words stating nothing can be done. It can be done. The after-school program could remain open, and it must, or everyone will realize how little the Calaveras Unified School District actually cares about our children.
Diana Py is the mother of two children who attend San Andreas Elementary School. Contact her at
From Great Local Paper-Calaveras Enterprise:Tensions high over Kid's Place Closure By Gray George
Tensions high over Kid's Place Closure
By Gray George | Posted: Friday, November 22, 2013 6:00 amParents, teachers, administrators and Calaveras Unified School District board members packed the Jenny Lind Elementary School library Tuesday night to discuss a wide range of issues. One of the most hotly debated, was the fate of Kid’s Place, an after-school program at San Andreas Elementary School that is on track to shut down next month after 17 years in operation.
“The program is scheduled to close Dec. 20 due to a lack of grant funding,” said CUSD board President Karan Bowsher.
Besides giving students academic support and a chance to participate in supervised activities, Kid’s Place also provides after-school care for working parents throughout Calaveras County. However, with money tight and few after-school child care options available, many parents said they will be adversely impacted by the closure of Kid’s Place.
“This is a huge deal to us,” said Diana Py, a mother who spoke at Tuesday night’s meeting. “We need funding to keep the program open through the end of the year when more funding will become available.”
Py, who is studying to become a registered nurse and her husband, who works full-time as a store manager, rely on Kid’s Place to watch their two young sons until they get back from work or school. Py told CUSD board members that there are no other child care options available in San Andreas and that a community solution to the issue is needed
“I propose we work together to find a solution,” she said.
Other parents bolstered Py’s points.
“It has become very difficult for parents along the Highway 49 corridor,” said parent Denise Cloward. “There’s no daycare and no other place to send our children.”
Cloward emphasized that, without viable options for childcare, she’d be forced to leave the area.
“If there’s no program, I’m pulling my kids and moving to Amador,” she said.
While parents faulted the school district for failing to obtain grant funding to keep the after-school program open, Titia Ashby, director of fiscal services for CUSD, pointed out that the closure of Kid’s Place was out of the district’s control.
“We’re part of a consortium that applied for the 21st Century grant,” Ashby said. “The consortium, as a whole, applied to the federal government and was denied, so it’s all the schools in our consortium that lost out on funding.”
Ashby went on to say that the 21st Century grant, which has subsidized Kid’s Place in the past, was designed for “after-school intervention,” not child care.
“Grants are not issued for after-school care, but to enhance the learning experience,” she said.
Because grant funding is no longer available to pay for Kid’s Place, board members and area residents proposed solutions to the child care issue.
“The Resource Connection has more room for people to apply (for services),” said CUSD board member Zerrall McDaniel.
District 1 Supervisor Cliff Edson, whose daughter participated in Kid’s Place, indicated that the entire community must rally together on this issue.
“The grants will be drying up,” Edson said, adding that schools, parents and private entities must work together to find a solution.
“You’re right on track there,” said CUSD board member Gregory Gustafson in response to Edson’s comments.
While everyone agrees that Kid’s Place is a valuable program, the school district was quick to point out that its hands are tied when it comes to keeping the program open.
“The total cost to keep the program open at current staffing levels through June 12, 2014, is $30,825,” Ashby said, indicating the school district doesn’t have those resources at its disposal.
As things stand now, 22 students will be without after-school care when Kid’s Place is shuttered next month. In the meantime, parents are unsure of what the future holds with regard to their child care needs.
David Emigh, whose son participates in Kid’s Place, is pessimistic about what will happen once Kid’s Place is closed.
“We’re trying to make sure parents know that without these (after-school) programs, we won’t have what we need,” he said. “Without these programs, San Andreas will be a wasteland.”
Mark Campbell: Online Petition Passes Goal!
Mark Campbell: Online Petition Passes Goal!
The change.org petition used by frantic parents losing their after school care at San Andreas Elementary has been garnering huge support. Today they reached 200 signatures-and that is 10% of their town's population.
However, in spite of this achievement, the parents will continue their non stop efforts to prevent the program's closure. And, the program is scheduled to shutter its doors as of Christmas break-only 3 weeks away.
No turkeys. No holiday shopping. Time for more emails to the media, phone calls, facebook posts. The CUSD met with parents this week but nothing was changed at this point. The blitz by parents shall continue!
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Mark Campbell Faces API Scores Dropping At San Andreas Elementary School
Schools see API scores drop
API Scores Dropping At San Andreas Elementary School
API Scores Dropping At San Andreas Elementary School
Most Tuolumne and Calaveras county schools slipped this year in a marker
of school quality known as the “Academic Performance Index,” though
many still cleared goals established by the state.
As part of California’s system for holding schools
accountable, the API assigns schools scores from 200 to 1,000 based on
standardized test performance. The state has established a target score
of 800 for all schools.
Scores for spring 2013 slipped at nine non-alternative
Calaveras County schools and 10 in Tuolumne County, according to data
released Aug. 29 by the California Department of Education.
The biggest drops at non-alternative programs were at
San Andreas Elementary School, where the API slipped by 45 points, and
Tioga High School, which saw a loss of 59 points.
Tuolumne County Superintendent of Schools Joe Silva
noted many local schools are still “high performing,” meaning they
scored at the state goal of 800 or higher.
Nine did so in Tuolumne County — all schools but
Jamestown Elementary, Chinese Camp Elementary, Twain Harte Middle School
and schools in Big Oak Flat-Groveland Unified School District and
Sonora Union High School District.
Eight Calaveras County schools had APIs of 800 or
higher, including all three schools in the Vallecito Union School
District and both within Mark Twain Union Elementary School District.
Bret Harte High School, Jenny Lind Elementary and Valley Springs
Elementary came within only a few points of the goal.
But the drop in API scores helped set many Mother Lode
schools behind on what the state defines as “Adequate Yearly Progress,” a
system mandated by the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
California calculates Adequate Yearly Progress from a
combination of STAR test scores, participation rates, and graduation
rates and High School Exit Exam results for high schools.
The benchmark, widely criticized as unrealistic and
unfair, required about 90 percent of students to score at the
“proficient” level or better on this year’s math and English STAR
tests.
If parts of the standardized testing system weren’t
being suspended, schools would need to have a full 100 percent of their
students scoring at the “proficient” level in 2014 — or face penalties.
“That’s almost like saying all students in school will
get A’s on every single test they ever take, and we know it’s not
statistically possible,” said Tuolumne County Deputy Superintendent of
Schools Margie Bulkin. “It’s our biggest criticism of this whole ranking
system.”
Furthermore, the consequences of failing to make
Adequate Yearly Progress only apply to schools that accept federal
funding for disadvantaged students known as Title I funding.
The non-alternative Tuolumne County schools that made
“adequate” progress in all subjects for 2013 were Belleview Elementary
School, Chinese Camp Elementary School, Black Oak Elementary School,
Summerville High School and the smaller schools also within Summerville
Union High School District.
In Calaveras County, the non-alternative schools that
met benchmarks were Mokelumne Hill Elementary, Rail Road Flat Elementary
and Mountain Oaks Charter School.
When schools that accept federal Title I money fail to
meet the annual targets established by No Child Left Behind, they enter
what the law calls “Program Improvement” status and must take corrective
measures — at least on paper.
The requirements get progressively more stringent if
the school fails to improve. In the first year of Program Improvement,
schools must offer families the choice to attend another school without
that designation and pay for transportation costs.
Several local schools, including Sonora High School and
Soulsbyville Elementary, are in their third year of Program
Improvement. Curtis Creek is in its fourth, but the only Calaveras
County or Tuolumne County school in its fifth year is San Andreas
Elementary.
The school would have had to replace most of its staff,
reopen as a charter school or take other drastic measures if the
requirements were strictly enforced.
Calaveras Unified School District Superintendent Mark
Campbell said that “realistically,” San Andreas Elementary is doing what
it always does — examining data, not just the STAR tests, to identify
and correct shortcomings in programs.
No Child Left Behind is “ill-informed legislation
created by primarily non-educators,” Campbell said in an email. He
pointed out that statewide, a “staggering” number of schools aren’t
meeting the impossibly high Adequate Yearly Progress targets.
Bulkin said Program Improvement statuses will become
moot next year because the Elementary and Secondary Education Act —
which includes No Child Left Behind — must be reauthorized.
“In many ways, the consequences for program improvement
have lost their steam because we’re transitioning to new state
standards and new accountability standards,” she said.
She and Silva have both stressed that STAR tests and
API scores leave out subjects like world languages, fine arts and other
areas where many students and schools shine.
New standardized tests being rolled out next year,
called the Smarter Balanced Assessments, will more fairly assess
students and provide a more well-rounded picture of their abilities,
Bulkin said.
|
CUSD Supt Campbell has gotten an F on a report! Calaveras County has highest elementary school truancy rate in California
Report: Calaveras County has highest elementary school truancy rate in California
By
September 30, 2013
Almost one in three elementary school children in
Calaveras County was truant during the last school year, giving the
county the highest rate in the state of truancy for that age group,
according to a California Attorney General report issued Monday.Truancy is defined as three or more unexcused absences or unexcused tardiness of 30 minutes or more in a school year.
San
Joaquin County also had truancy rates among the top 10 in the state,
with nearly 27 percent of elementary school pupils considered truant.
Yuba County had the lowest truancy rate in the state, with less than 5
percent of pupils considered truant.
The
truancy rate for Calaveras County's high school students is also high.
One campus, Calaveras High School in San Andreas, reported 57 percent of
its students truant during the 2011-12 school year, according to
California Department of Education data.
Calaveras
County school officials have been waging an “Every Day Counts” campaign
with radio ads and advertisements shown in the local movie theater to
seek to influence parents to get their children to school.
According
to the Attorney General's report, Calaveras County schools lost almost
$1.3 million in revenue due to truancy in the 2010-11 school year.
Calaveras County-San Andreas Elem. School Needs Its After School Program! Mark Campbell, Sherri Reusche,Evan Garamendi,Gregory Gustafson,Karan Bowsher, Zerrall McDaniel
| Here they are folks! These are the people who voted for the closure of our crucial after school program at San Andreas Elementary School in Calaveras County, California. They think after school care is a privilege and an entitlement--not the necessity that it is for families in the rural area of San Andreas--and across the United States. Educate them. Their first lesson is to have them deduct from their school budget the families who will be yanking their kids out of Calaveras County schools and enrolling them in neighboring Amador County schools. Estimated loss per student-per year-will be $6,000. This will commence Jan 1, 2014. Teach the school board that the cost to maintain the after school program through June 2014 is only $34,000. Have them do the math. 5 kids transfer out at loss of $6,000 per student=$30,000 per year. Hence, loss to CUSD for 6 months=$15,000. Amount needed to save after school program drops down to $19,000 which can be pulled from the general reserve until grants roll into place for fall. Let's remind the folks below that this after school program is necessary to their school budget, and to parents. |
Mr.
Mark Campbell
Superintendent
|
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