Annual Report on English Learners Positive

The regular school board meeting last night had no unusual items (although distance learning remains a deep concern for people on both sides), but three items stood out to me as marks of progress. The first is about English Language Learners.

Director Howard Kurnblum presented an annual report which showed our school district to be exceeding the statewide average in several measures of program effectiveness, showing that our district is well on its way to becoming “a beacon EL (English Learner) program in Northern California,” as Mr. Kornbloom said. You can view the slideshow here.

The second presentation was about the Special Education Local Plan Area (“SELPA”) to which our district belongs. The information was given by assistant superintendent to the SELPA Andrew Ownby, who was the director of special education in FSUSD before moving to the SELPA.

Ownby gave an overview and history of the SELPA, as well as a link to the agency’s website, where all of their information is disclosed. The link is here.

The third presentation that caught my eye was about a national “Principal Pipeline” program that our district is participating in, sponsored and paid for by the Wallace Foundation. Assistant Superintendent Sheila McCabe told about our involvement with the program and described the benefits we are receiving.

There were several other items on the agenda, as well as a series of public comments (I counted 12) on the need to re-open schools in spite of the Coronavirus epidemic.

You can view school board meetings at this YouTube Channel, and you can see all agendas and support materials (including presentations) starting at this link.