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SK students rock the ACT
Came across this article in the Statesman and wanted to share:
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20090819/NEWS/908190411/1001/undefined
SK students scored above the state average on the ACT test, and McKay High School scored the highest out of our 6 other traditional high schools... Go SK students.
ACT, like the SAT, is another assessment test that is used by colleges to gauge if a student is ready for college.
Start of school is just a few weeks away!
Check out the back-to-school section of our website for key dates, school supply lists and other helpful information to make the first day of school a smooth one for your child.
Salem-Keizer makes gains on AYP
More schools are making adequate yearly progress (AYP) based on the preliminary report released today by the Oregon Department of Education.
AYP is a federal measurement of how well schools are doing in terms of getting students to meet or exceed state standards. It's based on various criteria such as how many students took the test, whether they scored above a certain mark, and if all groups (like Special Education, TAG, English language learners) also scored above the mark.
Here's a brief summary of Salem-Keizer's results:
1. Salem-Keizer made significant growth in the number of schools meeting AYP.
2. District-wide, 73% of schools met AYP in 2008-09 compared to 54% in 2007-08.
3. English language learner students made clear gains. The group met AYP in all but 11 schools compared to 22 schools last year that did not meet in this group.
4. Special Education students also made gains. The group met AYP in all but 12 schools in 2008-09 compared to 19 the year before.
These are preliminary results. The final report will be released on September 3.
New principal at Parrish School
We are pleased to announce Rob Schoepper as the new principal at Parrish Middle School. Rob began his career as a Spanish teacher at Claggett Creek Middle School. He then served as Behavioral Specialist at Waldo Middle School. In 2007 Rob was hired into the assistant principal position at Parrish Middle School. In March of this year, Rob was hired as the interim principal at Parrish Middle School, and will be the permanent principal taking over for Hal Kaiser who retired.
Rob Schoepper possesses many skills, which will support student learning. His enthusiasm as an instructional leader, his knowledge of curriculum, instruction and assessment, along with his understanding of Title 1 programs make him a valuable asset to the Parrish community.
SK Board adopts a budget
First ... the State Legislature has not approved a funding level yet for public schools; however, we are required by law to have an adopted budget by June 30. This means the adopted budget approved on Tuesday night is based on our best estimate of the upcoming state public education funding level.
With that said ...
Salem-Keizer School Board approved the district's budget for 2009-10 last night. This adopted budget includes about $27 million in cuts. To balance the budget, reductions were made in central services, reserves and instructional services all with the intent to have as little impact on students as possible. Plus, all effort was taken to preserve jobs.
You can see a summary of the cuts in the Budget Message (pages 10, 11 and 12): http://www.salemkeizer.org/system/files/Budget+Message+2009-Final_0.pdf
In addition, all employees are helping Salem-Keizer with the $27 million shortfall.
- Classified, administrative and confidential staff are all taking a cut to their cost-of-living increase, either taking a smaller increase or no increase at all.
- Classified and licensed staff are taking three un-paid leave days.
Please note that the State Legislature is still determining a statewide funding level for public schools. Depending on what they settle on, this could impact our budget.
TAG update - District in compliance
Salem-Keizer's Talented and Gifted (TAG) program is in compliance with state requirements, based on a report by the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) released this week.
In summary, the report stated: .... compliance has been demonstrated. Many of the corrective action items have been implemented exceptionally well. Other items have been implemented to demonstrate compliance, but may need additional attention and refinement in order for Salem-Keizer to maintain its compliance.
In March 2008, Oregon Department of Education found that Salem-Keizer was not in compliance with Oregon Administrative Rule 581-022-1320 and 581-022-1330 regarding TAG programs. Corrective actions were recommended. This spring, ODE staff reviewed our progress toward compliance and released a detailed report of findings this week.
Here are a few highlights from the report:
- 100% of teachers were able to identify who their TAG students were
- 91% of teachers (who were interviewed by ODE) were able to explain strong examples of differentiated instruction they have used this year for TAG students.
- 100% of teachers interviewed by ODE could clearly site specific examples of pre-assessments they used to determine TAG students' level of learning and formative assessments used to determine TAG students' rate of learning.
- ODE also commended Salem-Keizer for its use of the TAG Advisory Council as an avenue for on-going two-way communication between stakeholder groups.
The full report can be viewed at: http://www.salemkeizer.org/system/files/S-KCAPReportJUNE2009.pdf
2009-10 budget is ready for Board vote
The proposed budget for the next school year has been reviewed by the Citizen Budget Committee and recommended for approval by the School Board. The School Board will meet in a special session on June 23 to vote.
The proposed budget includes cuts and reductions in programs and services: $8.6 million cuts from central services, $9 million reduction in reserves, and $4.5 million from instructional services.
In addition, $5 million was pending as we worked with our employee associations. A few things have been done since the proposed budget was released on May 27.
Salem-Keizer Association of Classified Employees members approved a memorandum of understanding that includes lowering the cost of living increase and taking unpaid leave. The Salem-Keizer Education Association members are currently reviewing a proposed memorandum. And school/district administrators had already agreed early in the year to give up their cost of living increase. All of these add up to just over $4 million in cuts.
We're still about $900,000 short and plan to find the remainder through vacant licensed positions and licensed staff attrition to prevent anyone from losing their job.
Again, this is a budget based on a best estimate of State funding. The State Legislature is still determining the K-12 education funding level. Once that number is known, we will update the School Board and this might mean an adjustment to our budget. However, State law requires us to adopt a budget by June 30 of each year so that is why we are moving forward based on a best estimate of State funding.
If you would like to review the proposed budget presentation, please visit our web site at http://www.salemkeizer.org/inside24j/special-edition-may-28-2009/superintendents-2009-budget-message
Deputy superintendent leaving Salem-Keizer
Deputy Superintendent Glenn Gelbrich is leaving Salem-Keizer to be the new Superintendent of Schools for the Juneau, Alaska school district.
Gelbrich made the announcement today to district staff. "This is an exciting step in my career and I feel fortunate to have learned from all of you in preparation for this move. I will miss so many of you, but I am so thankful that I've had the chance to know you and work with you," said Gelbrich.
His new position in Juneau, Alaska is effective July 1.