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E-Updates
Budget adopted; but more work to come
The School Board formally adopted a district budget for the 2010-11 school year. By law, we have to adopt a budget before June 30 of each year regardless if funding is known or available.
The adopted budget, as passed last night by the Board, was based on information (funding estimates) available in early Spring. But you may have heard at the end of May, that a new estimate was released by the State of Oregon, which included a significant shortfall in funding for public schools.
Here are the details:
>>> Total shortfall for Oregon K-12 public education: $257 million
>>> Salem-Keizer portion of this shortfall: $24 million for 2010-11 (this coming school year)
>>> No word on additional funds from the federal level
$24 million is a significant amount, and finding a budget solution is not going to be quick and easy. With the help of district staff, parents, the public and the Citizen’s Budget Committee and the School Board, we will all work together to address the needs. This work will begin during the summer and will continue into next school year. There are indications that the state economy will not recover fully for several more years.
Next steps:
We are developing proposals to bring forward to the Board at the July 20 meeting. The proposals would address the budget shortfall for the 2010-11 school year. We recommend that the Board consider the proposals first and then ask for public comment before implementation.
What ever is presented will be developed with our four, core values as a guide:
>>> Minimize the impact on students.
>>> Provide security for our employees by saving jobs as much as possible.
>>> Position ourselves for future years (i.e. remain financially strong and optimize student achievement opportunities.)
>>> Move forward in a way that brings us closer together.
Need your input on a publication | Reminder - South Salem new school design workshop - June 2
We are gathering feedback on the "Progress Toward Success" publication that was printed and distributed (both online and at key district events) this past school year. We want to know if you find the information useful, easy to read and valuable. Your input will be used to update/revise the publication for the 2010-11 school year.
Click here to complete the quick online questionnaire about the publication.
And just a reminder to the South Salem community....
June 2 Meeting: You are invited to a community meeting to learn about the school design process and to provide input on the new south Salem elementary school scheduled to open in the Fall of 2012. The proposed location of the new school is the old Battlecreek Golf Course area; however, the sale of the land is still in negotiations.
Here are the details on the meeting.
South Salem: come to workshop about new school - June 2
South Salem community! (Or anyone interested in the design process of new elementary school.)
You are invited to a community meeting to learn about the school design process and to provide input on the new south Salem elementary school scheduled to open in the Fall of 2012.
The meeting is set for Wednesday, June 2 at 6:30 p.m. at Pringle Elementary School (5500 Reed Lane SE).
If you have any questions, please call our Construction Services at 503-391-1133.
For more information, check out the flyer:
Budget process for next school year is underway
The public process to set the Salem-Keizer budget for the next school year starts next week. It launches with the Superintendent's annual budget message. This message introduces the proposed budget.
Here are key dates to mark on your calendar:
May 18: Proposed budget presented to the community
May 25 & 26: Public testimony accepted on proposed budget. Your chance to provide feedback.
June 8: Public testimony accepted, and School Board will take action on the proposed budget.
- All meetings are held at Support Services Center, Room 2, 2575 Commercial St. SE in Salem.
- Meetings start at 6 p.m. If you wish to provide feedback, please sign up between 5 and 5:55 p.m. before the meeting. A sign-up sheet will be at the location.
- If you can’t make it to a meeting, you can submit your thoughts in writing. Send any written input to: Budget Committee, Salem-Keizer Public Schools, P.O. Box 12024, Salem, OR 97309. Make sure you sign your letter. We cannot accept anonymous feedback.
Want complete budget information? Visit the district Web at http://www.salemkeizer.org/business-services or call 503-399-3036.
Principal changes in middle schools; new principal for Englewood
We are announcing changes to some of our leadership positions for the coming school year.
Joe LaFountaine, principal at Waldo MS, has taken a high school principal position in Ontario. With this vacancy, we have taken the opportunity to assess the talents of administrators and make some reassignments that support the comprehensive school improvement plans of schools.
Tricia Nelson will leave Walker Middle School to become the principal of Waldo Middle School. Under Tricia’s leadership, Walker MS has led the development and implementation of a successful dual-language program. Serving as principal of the largest middle school in Salem-Keizer, Tricia has supported a school environment focused on student learning. Her passion for middle school students is evident in her work. Tricia is viewed as a leader among her colleagues and is valued for her deep knowledge of curriculum, instruction and assessment.
Peter Danner, principal of Claggett Creek Middle School, will be moving to the position of principal at Walker Middle School. Pete has been serving as an administrator at Claggett Creek Middle School for the last six years, three years as assistant principal and three years as principal. Under Pete’s leadership, Claggett Creek MS implemented a very successful AVID program, became a Champion of Schools and is poised to be the first Salem-Keizer school to come out of school improvement status as determined under NCLB. Pete is viewed as an instructional leader who does what’s best for students. He’s a leader who possess an understanding of developing key communicators in the school community, as well as best practices that result in student success.
Colleen Johnson has accepted the position of middle school principal assigned to Claggett Creek MS. Colleen has been serving in the role of assistant principal at Claggett Creek MS for the last three years. Her experiences include, serving as: teacher leader, team leader, and site council coordinator, as well as, her experiences teaching everything from K-8th grade, including READ 180, ESL, FACS, and math. In addition to her experiences, Colleen’s deep knowledge and understanding of Title 1, English Language Learners and curriculum, instruction and assessment give her a unique skill set to support student learning. Colleagues value Colleen’s deep understanding of data analysis, which supports staff in developing comprehensive interventions.
While principal reassignments are not uncommon, they have tended to be more frequent at the elementary level. This change of leadership will allow us to share the talent and proven expertise across the middle school level.
In addition to the principal reassignments, several reassignments of middle school assistant principals will also occur. Lonnie Wolfe, assistant principal at Waldo Middle School will become the assistant principal at Leslie Middle School. Jon Penhollow, assistant principal at Walker Middle School, will become the assistant principal at Waldo Middle School. And, Joyce Yoder, assistant principal at Leslie Middle School will become the assistant principal at Walker Middle School.
Elementary School Administrative Assignments for 2010-2011
In addition to the Middle School Announcements, Steve Larson and Ron Speck are pleased to announce the hiring of Jason Weaver as the new principal for Englewood Elementary School. Jason started his career as an elementary teacher in the Portland area before coming to Hammond Elementary in 2007. Jason has taught 4th and 5th grade, been involved in a variety of leadership positions in the school, and has a strong background in literacy and technology. Currently, Jason is an instructional coach for technology where he is infusing technology into the classroom at Hammond, Bush, and Richmond. We welcome Jason to our leadership team.
Leadership change coming to three high schools
Our district is making a few changes in leadership positions for the coming school year. It's mainly in our high schools. These are:
Ken Parshall will leave McNary High School to become the principal of McKay High School. While he has been at McNary there has been significant improvement in the school’s measures of student success; graduation and dropout rates have seen sustained improvement, as have the student test scores in math, reading and writing.
Cynthia Richardson, principal of McKay High School, will be moving to North Salem High School to become the principal there. Among her contributions to McKay, Cynthia has helped increase the number of Advanced Placement course offerings and student participation, as well as to introduce AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) to McKay and the school district. AVID focuses on academic strategies that help students increase their potential and opportunity to attend college. This year, McKay will graduate the first class of AVID seniors in Salem-Keizer; all of them plan to attend college next year.
John Honey will move from North Salem High School to become the principal of McNary High School. While at North, John has helped the school implement smaller learning communities within the school while maintaining strong school-wide identity and traditions for students. Several strong academic and co-curricular improvements have been made while John has been the principal at North.
Each of these principals has been in their current high schools for seven years. While principal reassignments are not uncommon, they have tended to be more frequent at the elementary level. This change of leadership will allow us to share their proven expertise across the district to other schools.
In addition, Steve Larson, director of Elementary Education, will become director of Instructional Services when David Bautista leaves this summer. Bautista was hired as superintendent of Woodburn Public Schools, where he will begin in July. Larson has been an elementary school teacher and principal. He is bilingual (English/Spanish) and has a strong background in curricululm and teaching strategies for English language learners. He looks forward to continuing the effort to promote literacy for all students, with an emphasis on our ELL students.
District applies for school improvement grant to four schools
This message is written jointly between the school district and Salem Keizer Education Association. All licensed employees of SKSD and members of Salem Keizer Education Association please read the following, as there will most likely be an article in the Statesman Journal tomorrow, Friday, March 19. It is our intention to communicate with in you in a factual and timely fashion.
Salem-Keizer Public Schools has applied to the Oregon Department of Education for School Improvement Grants for four schools: Hallman Elementary, McKay High School, Early College High School and Roberts High school. If successful, the grants could bring the district up to $2 million per school per year for three years to be used for increasing student achievement in those schools.
There are four School Improvement Grant (SIG) models, OEA and NEA support the Transformation Reform Model, which requires comprehensive instructional reforms and other collaborative improvement strategies. Educators are key partners in every successful education reform effort. The importance of collaboration must be emphasized if the federal money is to be used efficiently and effectively.
Please be aware that SKEA leadership will be communicating more information regarding the Transformation Model via representative assemblies, building representatives and newsletters.
Each of the four schools will seek the Transformation Model, which has the least impact on staff turnover at the schools and is least disruptive to students. In the case of McKay High School, this grant option will mean the reassignment of the principal. The principals at the other three schools would remain because they have not been there long enough to require replacement, according to the grant rules.
Principal Cynthia Richardson will remain principal of McKay through the current school year. She is a valued instructional leader in the district and she will have a yet-to-be-determined opportunity to serve our staff and students within the district. The district is in the process of finding a replacement for her at McKay.
The school improvement grant transformation model will allow our schools to build on the work they have done to support our students, and will provide resources for expansion and enhancement of programs and services. It will also provide resources for professional development, technology, curriculum design, curriculum materials and supports for staff determined by staff to increase student achievement.
A diverse SIG leadership team will take the lead on developing and writing the application. There will be ongoing communication with all staff about ideas, proposals, and direction as the application is developed. The application will build on what has been done at these schools and will use the comprehensive school improvement plan as a starting point to frame and develop the plan.
OVERVIEW OF SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT GRANT TRANSFORMATION MODEL
- Teachers and Leaders
School leadership
Implement new evaluation system
Developed with staff
Uses student growth as a significant factor
Identify and reward staff who are increasing student outcomes; Implement strategies to recruit, place and retain staff
- Instructional and Support Strategies
Select and implement an instructional model based on student needs
Provide job-embedded professional development designed to build capacity and support staff
Ensure continuous use of data to inform and differentiate instruction
- Time and Support
Provide increased learning time for staff and students
- Staff and students
Provide ongoing mechanism for community and family engagement
Partner to provide social-emotional and community-oriented services and supports
- Governance
Provide sufficient operating flexibility to implement reform
Ensure ongoing technical assistance