Dr. Shawn and others:
This is the most unique blog for a public school.

You are to be congratulated on willingness to engage any question posted. Some replies are easier than others, but some require great thought in replying. That is, to make sense of the educational, legal, and political combination that you oversee must not be easy.

My question is, how many other districts have a forum where issues are discussed in an open, civil (imagine that), and informative way? Thank you again.

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It's a great idea to post classroom material/homework assignment on the school's website. We, the parents, can involve in student's daily school activities/homework easily. Thanks! Is it possible to have WebCams installed in the classrooms (not necessarily in every classroom) or campus, let's say lunch patio, library, selected classroom? Both students and parents will feel being connected during school time and students generally behave better in school? I'm sure there are Pros and Cons for this. thanks

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I love arcadia, we are the best. Special thanks to all the teachers and faculty members, especially the link of the web Mr. Joel Shawn. GO APACHES

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Dear Dr. Shawn,

I would like to thank the lady in charge of Transportation from the Arcadia District office for getting back to me so quickly regarding a concern I had blogged the other day. It was so refreshing to have someone call me personally on the matter and give me the information I needed right away. Without saying her name, she was very professional and polite and made my outlook on the transportation department very positive. I know the district has excellent members that lead our community because they have always been there for my family when I have concerns and because of the excellent standards the city of Arcadia portrays.
I just wanted to say "thank you" from the bottom of my heart to the lady that helped me, the district office, the transportation supervisor/ drivers, and you Dr. Shawn, for making this concerned parent feel at ease this morning at work and happy to live in Arcadia.

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Always loving to support the best marching band in the world, our very own Arcadia High School Marching Band, I had pledged to a few students for their car wash. They had told me that they were going to be at Holly Avenue. I went there Saturday and the Rio Hondo Fire Department students were washing cars! I was told the AHS carwash had been moved to the high school so I went down there. My question is, why are organizations other than Arcadia affiliated organizations allowed to use our schools for their fundraisers? That is my tax dollars paying for the water those firemen were using. Can just anyone use our facilities like that? Thank you for your input!

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Are we any closer to an explanation/statement about the decision-making process and issues around health care benefits? A robust discussion was begun, but seems to have dissipated in recent weeks.

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I know it is still early in the year but what does the budget look like for next year in regards to firing teachers and increasing class sizes.

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Is there a district policy about high school teachers giving homework on the weekends? I have homework all week and when it comes time for the weekends, I want to watch football and be with my friends, not be doing worksheets.

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What is the approx. cost for having all of the AHS sophomores take the PSAT this year during school time and at school district expense?
Thank you.

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does it help on my transcript if I get a 5 on my AP biology exam as a freshman? Or does it make me stand out of the many applicants that apply for college when I'm a junior or senior

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Did anyone else read this? One thing struck me as I read follow-up letters to the editor. I am directly quoting a letter in "Inbox" of the Oct. 4 issue:
"I know one thing that made my daughters' high school great: staff attitude. When I drove them to their public high school on the first day one year, the principal and one of the assistant principals stood on the sidewalk warmly smiling and waving at the many parents and students arriving. I thought to myself, How lucky my daughters are to be among such enthusiastic educators. I will never forget that sight." -Bob M., West Des Moines, Iowa

Contrast that to Arcadia High School, 2010. Instead of smiling and waving administrators, parents are met with Deans and other people in golf carts making sure parents can't even drop off students in "off-limit" parking lots, and let's not forget the video camera wielding police officers of the Arcadia police dept. I know we are in a financial crisis for the city, but is the need for ticket revenue so great that instead of being part of the solution, i.e., helping direct traffic, I have seen up to 4 APD officers (2 cars and 2 motorcycle units) dispatched to the school vicinity, and all it appears that they do is write or film tickets.

To me, if you're not part of the solution, in this case traffic at AHS, then you're part of the problem. And is it just me, or do others feel like the APD is especially unhelpful this year at and around the school?

So, Dr. Shawn, I guess my question to you is:
What is AUSD doing to improve the traffic flow at the high school? If there is not a task force working on this at a high priority, I suggest you start one. (And for the suggestion to just arrive earlier, believe me when I say I drop my child off at 7:20, and already traffic is a major problem.)
Let's take a step to solve this problem right away, and help make Arcadia High a Great School!

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Ok Dr. Shawn,

Can you explain to us what the standard operating procedures are to be followed when filling a vacancy for a head coaching position at AHS?

Can you also explain why the cross country programs are separate?

Obviously no names should need to be assigned here. If there were any single cases that are set apart, then therein lies a problem...

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I wanted to acknowledge that I've read your post and will respond more fully next week to our procedures for filling vacancies for head coaching position at AHS.

I will not discuss the cross country program here in the BLOG. I will be happy to meet with you, or any other individual that would like additional information. However, I want to caution everyone that there are often issues (and this is not specific to cross country) that require confidentiality and therefore I can make no assurance that all information that someone might want can or will be shared.

Thank you.

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What is the policy and standards of hiring any varsity coach. Why are middle school teachers coaching sport? Who monitors the coaches? I have seen games/events where the coach is verbally abusive towards the kids. We follow the protocol of complaining to the administration, yet there is no fairness in the process to the parents or kids. The admin just protect the coaches.why?

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Teachers hate opinions on how they teach. However, it is constructive critism that helps motivate teachers towards better teaching. So why not have a student based survey of the teachers?

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In your perspective, what is the purpose of schools? And how has schools like Arcadia High School Itself made an impact on its student?

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Passage of State Budget

As you probably have heard the California Legislature has passed the budget deal (with various additions) crafted by the Governor and the "Big 5." Shortly before 8:30 a.m. on Friday, October 8, 2010, the State Senate approved the final Budget Act and trailer bills. The Assembly completed its work at 6:20 a.m. October 8. It took 100 days into the new fiscal year to get the budget work done.

Staff and I will be attending the Schools Services Budget Workshop next Monday where we will be briefed on the details of the 2010- 2011 budget and specifically how it affects Arcadia schools. I will post an update in the BLOG by the middle of next week. Stay tuned!

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What a wonderful experience it was Friday night at our first football game! The staduim looked great, and it was great to see it just packed with fans! Our team played incredible and what a fitting day for the football coach to receive his 100th win! WOW! Another example of the incredible teachers Arcadia has for our students. When you were giving your accolades to everyone, you should have mentioned the the band was just accepted into the 2012 Tournament of Roses Parade. I think the community would have loved to hear that! But, I know you had a zillion other things on your mind that night. I must say, I think you have got to be one of the best superintendents there is. You are accessible to all of us and really listen to the parents questions and concerns and I appreciate your honesty and openness to us all. Just another reason why Arcadia is the best! Thank you Dr. Shawn for everything that you do that is above and beyond, the Arcadia Way!

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Update Week of October 11, 2010

2010-2011 California State Budget

As I previously indicated the purpose of this posting is to update you about the state budget that was passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor last week.

In the absence of an approved state budget, Arcadia Unified builds and the Board of Education adopts its three-year budget based on the Governor's May (2010) Revise. Now that there is an approved budget we have to adjust our revenue assumptions based on what was actually put into law by the legislature and the Governor. On the surface this budget looks like good news for Arcadia.

The May Revise included significant revenue reductions from the previous year. The approved budget reinstates these revenue limit dollars to about the same level we received in 2009-10 (the amount per student we receive from the state which makes up the bulk of our revenue). As always, the details are important. Here are some of the big picture specifics and comparisons to the May Revision:

1) For 2010-11, the Legislature suspended Proposition 98, establishing the minimum funding level at $49.7 billion. The minimum funding level with no suspension would have been closer to $54.0 billion (because of increased revenue estimates -- more on this in a minute), $4.3 billion more than the suspension level.

2) The Governor's May Revision reduced revenue limits by $1.5 billion from the prior year. The final adopted budget fully restores the revenue limit cut.

3) The Governor's May Revision "Fully funded" a negative 0.39% COLA. The Final Budget holds school agencies harmless from negative COLA.

4) The Governor's May Revision eliminated child care programs. The Final Budget restored funding fully for licensed care providers. On Friday, the Governor vetoed this funding (this program does not directly affect AUSD).

5) The Governor's May Revision suspended existing AB 3632 special education county mental health mandate. The final Budget reinstated the mandate to county mental health. On Friday the Governor vetoed the funding (this is significant to schools because we will still need to provide the mental health services for students when specified in their individual educational plans).

6) Deferral of state payments to school districts continues to be the state's solution to its own cash flow problems -- making the budget problems worse for schools.

7) The State Budget includes additional deferrals:

a. Permanent deferral in the amount of $1.7 billion with timing proposed for April/May 2011 to July 2011 and,

b. One-time deferral from October 2010 to November 2010 with the dollar amount to be determined.

What this means is that while it appears our fiscal situation has improved we will not receive much of the money we are due until next July. With all of this uncertainty the question we face is how should we plan for the use of what may be increased resources? To address this question we need to think about the economic context within which we do our work:

1) The economy is the key to financial recovery for the state as a whole and for public agencies.

2) Unemployment is key and remains higher than the rest of the nation. Predictions of an early recovery in the spring of 2010 proved to be overly optimistic.

3) Recovery is slow at best and realistically nearly nonexistent. Most projections are that the economy will remain sluggish until at least 2012.

4) Still, not all the news is bad; a) Things are not getting worse and b) No "double-dip" recession -- at least not yet.

5) Bad real estate and construction markets are economy killers.

6) The keys to recovery; a) Improvement in the construction industry and b) Improvement in employment.

We now have a budget but most experts agree that it is based on faulty assumptions about revenues (e.g. getting money from the Federal Government and highly inflated estimates of increased tax revenues), accounting manipulations, and deferring payments to schools. Lastly, in about three weeks we will elect a new Governor. It is predicted that without a major turnaround in the economy the new Governor will inherit at least an $11 billion hole in the state's budget. In January 2011, the new Governor will begin the budget cycle anew and have to address this deficit. This could mean midyear reductions (for the current school year, 2010-2011) and additional cuts for 2011-2012 for Arcadia.

We will be working closely with our bargaining units, management teams, and the Board of Education to consider all of the options available to us. It appears that the most prudent thing to do is to wait until January 2011 to see what the new California Governor's budget proposals look like before making substantive changes to our existing plans.

As more details emerge and we understand the specific of how this affects Arcadia I will update you here.

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Could you please define the parameters of Title One funding as it relates to instructional use and the TOSA positions related to Title One? What, specifically, can this money be used for? What can it not be used for? Where does this money come from? Is it part of the AUSD budget process?

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Follow-Up on Arcadia High School Hiring of Coaches

Arcadia High School believes athletics play a vital role in a comprehensive high school by connecting students to school beyond the regular school day. We strive to fill athletic coaching positions with current employees of AUSD because we believe our student athletes are best served when their coach is also involved in all aspects of the school community. The priority of AHS Athletics is the development and training of well rounded student athletes.

When a coaching opening occurs at Arcadia High School, and the administration believes there is interest and a fit between current staff members and the job description/requirements, an internal only process is initiated where staff members interview for the position. In some cases when a single qualified high school staff member indicates interest, they may be appointed to the coaching position by administration. If no candidate is selected, or if there are no qualified or interested existing staff the position is advertised internally to school district staff at our other school sites. If only one staff member meets the qualifications, they are appointed by administration. If current staff members in AUSD are neither qualified nor interested in the open position, then the opening is publicly advertised and an interview process is set. The final selection to fill the coaching position is the purview of administration. The Arcadia Personnel Office provides assistance to these processes as requested by the high school's administration. Coaches hired as "walk-ons," those who are not otherwise employed by the school district are considered employees of the school district.

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If it happens that any Apache team makes the CIF playoffs and plays agianst a team in East L.A. or compton, not being racist but cautious because their cities have extreme crime rates, how do you ensure the saftey of the players if it is an away game

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This Friday is a student-free day (and not an official holiday), yet daycare (for those who attend) is not available or even an option. May the district consider having daycare available to accomodate the many working parents out there? I can understand if daycare is not open for an official holiday, but to close down daycare for a student-free day?

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I have been a long time educator and resident of Arcadia as well as an alumni of Arcadia High School. The changes and updates being made to the old and tired AHS campus is phenominal. I look forward to visiting the campus once it is complete. Are their plans for an open house or public opening??

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Is the program at Arcadia High where junior students are able to represent Arcadia and go to meetings and stuff at Sacramento every year, or just this year

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Thanks for the update on the high school.

Can we get also get an update on construction plans at Foothills Middle School on the blog? It seems like almost all of the other schools are in varying stages of construction. I have also heard through friends in the community that Foothills Middle School will not have any new buildings because of earthquake concerns. What is planned for the school?

I am concerned that, when compared to the other middle schools, a disproportionately lower amount of money will be spent at Foothills Middle School. For example, the other middle schools are receiving extensive renovations, new buildings, a new track, renovated and/or new MPRs, and many other enhancements. The schools that have new buildings are also receiving classroom upgrades.

If there are no new buildings planned for the Foothills Middle School, will the money that would have been spent on new buildings be spent on other improvements? It seems that if Foothills Middle School is not going to have new building construction, then the school should have improvements/enhancements far in excess of the upgrades made to the other middle schools (which have new construction and enhancements). I understand that classrooms are being renovated and new technology is being put in place. Buildings cost millions of dollars to construct. I would hope that the amound of money being spent on new buildings at the other middle schools (plus enhancements at those schools) will be spent on even more extensive enhancements at Foothills Middle School.

I voted for the bond (and would again). I just want to assured that Foothills Middle School is receiving bond dollars comparable to the other middle schools.

Thank You

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Fantastic Job! The new facilites are really great!

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Is it true that Foothills has finally topped Huntington middle school of San Marino in the API rankings, hence, making them the top middle school in Los Angeles?

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Facilities Update - Phase III Project: Foothills, Hugo Reid, Longley Way, and Arcadia High School


The Measure I Bond, passed in the fall of 2006, was put forward to the community based on the premise that every school, and every classroom in the Arcadia School District would benefit by being upgraded. If you drive around Arcadia you see evidence of the impact of this program at Arcadia High School, Dana and First Ave Middle Schools, and Holly Avenue and Highland Oaks Elementary Schools. Work will begin soon at Camino Grove and Baldwin Stocker Elementary Schools. Questions are being asked about Foothills and Hugo Reid: When will work commence at these schools? Will they get their fair share of the Bond dollars? Are there limitations about what work can be done because of a school's location?

The amount of work we are doing throughout the school district necessitates scheduling projects over phases. We are currently in Phase II of the program; continuing work at the high school including beginning work on the Performing Arts Center, and beginning the programs at Camino Grove and Baldwin Stocker. Phase III, which will encompass Foothills and Longley Way is scheduled to begin with the state (The Department of School Architects) approving plans in February of 2012 and construction starting May of 2012. Phase three work should be concluded by the end of 2013.

In a recent post "Parent" wrote about concerns relative to our inability to build new buildings at Foothills Middle School. The community at Hugo Reid Elementary (the big school) also has expressed these concerns. It is true that no new buildings may be constructed on schools that sit on what the state deems to be an active fault; a fault that has moved in the last 11,000 years. While Hugo Reid Elementary and Foothills Middle School fall into this classification I want to emphasize that the current buildings on these school sites are safe and built to the appropriate building and earthquake codes. I also want to emphasize that each of these schools will be part of the Measure I facilities program, be brought up to district school facility standards and receive equitable bond dollars for their specific projects. As indicated above Foothills and Hugo Reid will be part of our Phase III projects commencing in 2012.

The work to be done at Foothills includes but is not limited to:

• Classroom technology -- all classrooms configured as "classrooms of the future"
  
• New Flooring
  
• Painting
  
• Fire life safety upgrades
  
• Infrastructure upgrades as needed for electrical, plumbing, etc.
  
• New HVAC system for Building A.
  
• Reconfigured and bring to standard administration and student support offices
  
• Music room upgrades -- brought to district standard by reconfiguring existing classrooms
  
• Science class upgrades
  
• Library renovations
  
• Site work (fencing, lighting, field work, etc.)
  
• Outdoor Amphitheater
  

We are excited to have the opportunity to upgrade our excellent schools and bring the facilities in line with our world-class instructional programs. We are exceptionally pleased with the work that has been completed to date and the successes we have had in maximizing the Measure I Bond and state facilities dollars. We are confident that these successes will continue as we move through the remaining phases of the project.

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I am a parent at Highland Oaks as well as a resident in the Highlands area. With new construction going on I've noticed a fence going up around the school. Will this fence be unlocked after school and on the weekends/holidays for the community to continue to enjoy the school grounds?

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Things to Celebrate -- Update Friday, November 5, 2010

It has been a while since I've posted an update here. My lack of posting is probably a reflection of how well the school year has been going, the distractions of the mid-term and state elections, and not really knowing what will happen with our school budgets until newly elected Governor Jerry Brown releases his January 2011 budget proposals.

Regardless, there are many exciting things going on around the school district and I thought I would note a few that come to us from Arcadia High School. A disclaimer: I am sure that I will miss some important achievements/events that are occurring that deserve recognition. Please let me know here or by email (jshawn@ausd.net) if there is something going on that you think I should highlight in the BLOG.


New Arcadia High Stadium

If you attended Homecoming on October 8th or the football game last Friday, you've experienced first hand how impressive the new stadium and field are. This week the "Arcadia Apaches" lighted letters were added to the outside of the stands on the Campus Dr. side of the high school. Wow! If you've not seen them, take a drive by the school at night. It is spectacular.


AHS Student Services and Science Buildings

The new front to Arcadia High School is complete and staff will begin moving in this weekend. From all accounts people are highly impressed with the design and quality of the new Student Services building. Folks attending the December 11th, 2:00 -- 4:00 PM Arcadia High School Fall Preview will have an opportunity to tour this new building, our new Science building on the Duarte side of campus, as well as other areas of the campus. We are very excited to reach completion of these projects and have staff and teachers begin to use these new facilities. Thank you again Arcadia Community for passing Measure I in the fall of 2007 and making all the improvements to school district facilities possible.


Apache Cross Country Invitational Friday, October 29, 2010

By all accounts this year's Cross Country Invitational held at the County Park was a landmark event for the Apache's. Team member Ammar Moussa led the stunning sweep with an individual win in 14 minutes and 13 seconds, equaling an all time course recorded. Catrina McAlister with a time of 16 minutes and 25 seconds won with an all time course record. Lastly, the boys' team scored a perfect "15" in what has been characterized as an "absolute blowout." And, the Boys' team has been ranked number one in at least two national ratings of cross country teams. Congratulations to all of the student athletes who competed and to their coaches.


Rose Princess Tatyane Berrios

For the fourth consecutive year, Arcadia High has a student representing us on the Rose Court. Tatyane Berrios is a senior and was selected for the 2011 Royal Court along with the other six princesses on October 11th. She enjoys dancing, hiking and travel. She speaks Spanish and Portuguese, and plans a career as a pediatrician. Congratulations to Tatyane and her family!


Arcadia High School Marching Band

Last weekend, the Marching Band took the sweepstakes at the Mt. Carmel Invitational Tournament of Bands. The Band also took first place at the LA County Fair this fall. As a result of this accomplishment the band will march in the 2012 Rose Parade. Don't forget that the 57th annual Arcadia Festival of Bands is Saturday, November 20, 2010.


Principal David Vannasdall Tweeting!

Joining the ranks of senators, congressman, movie stars, and professional athletes, Arcadia High Principal David Vannasdall is updating us about Arcadia High School events and happenings through Twitter. You can follow David and stay informed at http://twitter.com/AHS_Vannasdall.

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AUSD has at least 70%b Asian students. However, we did not see many Asian faculties. Do you have any plan to improve this faculty ratio. I have 3 Asian kids attending AUSD and found that most of the faculties do not understand the culture and feeling of these Asian kids. Some of Administrators are very rough to Asian kids.

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What overall rank is Arcadia High School in Los Angeles

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I have complained about certain issues at the school and followed the procedures, but our complaints fall on deaf ears. The administrators do not do anything but protect their own teachers, coaches. How can a parent advocate for change when your system does not work in my opinion? Can you implement a more fair system for parents to be heard?

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Your Cable Channel's broadcasting of the Classic Arts programs was a major contribution to the cultural life of this community. What happened to it? It should be brought back. It was an oasis in the cultural desert of Arcadia. Please bring it back.

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I am requesting that someone take a look at the new concrete at Highland Oaks. I was at the school recently watching a repair crew work on expansion joints and was shocked by the poor quality of the work. The contractor told me that the expansion joints were done right when the new concrete was poured. Then, I saw the crew using a chipping hammer to try to cut new joints. When they finished with the chipping hammer, the new joints were poorly patched. I also noticed several joints around the school were filled in poorly. The result is an eyesore and certainly not professional quality. Furthermore, it looks like the crew has been driving heavy machinery over the new concrete and it is permanently marred. The new concrete should look better than the original concrete poured several decades ago. However, a short walk around campus is all it takes to see that the original concrete looks much better than the "new" concrete. The area in front of the school office is particularly bad. The only way to fix it is to redo the work or face the concrete with brick.
It is a shame that the community's hard earned tax dollars that fund the bond are being spent on such poor concrete work. Is anyone looking at the completed work to make sure that it is done correctly? Are we going to have to settle on this eyesore for possibly decades? I am not a construction expert, but I know if the same quality of concrete work that is being done at Highland Oak were being done at my home I would not pay. The school should demand that the work be done over or that the contractor not be paid for the shoddy work.

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I understand the need to have additional days off during the school year (for staff development), but I think the daycare should be open and available for these non-holidays. For instance, the October 22, January 31, and March 14. It would be particularly helpful even if daycare was offered at one site (similar what is offered during the winter and spring breaks). Parents should be given the option to pay for this additional day of coverage rather than scrambling around.

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Hello Dr. Shawn,

I voted for Measure I and I support the bond measure to upgrade the school facilities. However, I do have one question that even when I voted for the measure, did not know. How many more years will the assessment to pay the bonds be added to our property taxes before the bonds are fully paid off?

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In response to "Asian Dads," I'm sorry your children have experienced a tough time at school. My family is Chinese, and I must say that my perspective on AUSD's treatment/response to the huge demographic shift towards Asians in Arcadia is quite different. I've been incredibly impressed by how much the largely white administration has been trying to learn about Asian culture and to be sensitive to its needs. This even involved the superintendent going to China! My kids' teachers and principal have repeatedly incorporated stories and customs from Asia into the curriculum. It takes a long time to change the faculty make-up of a school. I would also guess that there aren't that many qualified Asian teachers in comparison to non-Asian. If the switch is truly desired, then Asian parents should strongly encourage their children to become elementary school teachers. In the meantime, I for one, am grateful for the excellent job the teachers throughout AUSD are doing.

For those (both white and Asian) who just want to sling racial insults around, back up your allegations with facts and be brave enough to own up to your ridiculous views with your name!

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Happy Thanksgiving

I'd like to take this opportunity to wish the entire Arcadia District Staff and Community a very happy Thanksgiving.

We've had a fantastic fall and in the spirit of the holiday I would like to share how grateful I am to all of you and to acknowledge what an honor and privilege it is to be Superintendent of the Arcadia School District.

Have a wonderful holiday and thank you for all that you do on behalf of our students!

Joel Shawn
Superintendent
Arcadia Unified School District

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Congratulations to the Arcadia Cross County Boys Team

On November 27, 2010 Arcadia won the state Division I championship in boys' cross country at the CIF State Cross Country Championships held at Woodward Park in Fresno California. The team set a course record with a team time of 76:12. The team's impressive win was anchored by Ammar Moussa, who also ran an individual time of 14:43 which was the fastest time in any division since 2007. These accomplishments earned the team an automatic bid to the Nike Cross Country Nationals.

Congratulations to the impressive young men of the Arcadia High School Cross Country Boys Team and their coach, Mr. James O'Brien.

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Having attended one of the performances of the play "Sordid Lives" and read some of the comments about selection of it on the superintendant's blog, I am a bit nonplussed about the outrage some people are feeling. First off, it is my understanding that all members of the Advanced Drama class are given the scripts of the plays under consideration to read and study during the summer before school starts. It is at this time that any "concerns" may be brought up about participation in any particular production. There is a lot of talent to pick from in our drama classes. I sincerely doubt that any student is forced to participate in a production against his or her will. Secondly, the play was about tolerance and understanding, or put better, about the need for tolerance and understanding. There were scenes where I burst out laughing; there were scenes in which I felt a great deal of empathy for the characters; and there was a scene or two that made me feel a bit uncomfortable principally because the family situation in the play was different from my own, but that is not inherently, ipso facto, a reason to challenge the selection of the play or to leave a performance before its conclusion. I think good art and great literature challenge us as readers or onlookers or spectators to evaluate people and situations from a different perspective. A literary theoretician from way back (who was a great observer of the foibles of the human condition [Horace]) said the purpose of art is twofold; to delight and to teach. I think the play "Sordid Lives" fulfilled this purpose, magnificently. Third, I believe that Mr. Volpe is to be congratulated for incorporating into his curriculum a play that fits hand in glove with an important message of our school, i.e., that diversity brings a richness to our lives but also a responsibility to seek common ground. Next week AHS is hosting its Diversity Week, a weeklong series of events put on by our students and faculty that celebrates the breadth of our identities and illustrates the need for continual dialogue among ourselves so that we avoid the problems of ignorance and intolerance. The play is a wonderful place to start. And lastly, there is no doubt that some art and literature is difficult to accept. I teach AP Spanish Literature and there are some mandatory works, although brilliantly written and executed, that present some issues, notably the depiction of the role of women that are difficult for modern audiences (and students) to accept. We recently finished a famous work generously titled "The Playboy of Seville." My students needed me, a professional educator, to guide them through the pitfalls of some thought-provoking literature because they were going to get a rather skewed view of European society on their own. Moreover, even though they are thought-provoking, they are also difficult to accept at first glance. That is where I, a professional educator, come into play. The environment of my class was integral with me leading the way. As for this matter, "Sordid Lives" might prove difficult for some people. However, I can not think of a better, more even-handed environment in the world than here at AHS to discuss the meaning of a play that deals with the problems in our lives that make tolerance and understanding such necessary goals for all of us.

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asd is totally racist. they are extremely rough on asian parents. He is totally right and brave enough to state the truth!

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I am a freshman and I wish to complete an internship during my sophomore year, but, to my knowledge, internships are only privileged to those who are well connected. How can those that don't have the amenity of having good communications with the outside world get a internship role. Can our counselors help up with this? Thank You

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MOCK TRIAL won LA county!

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I read an article on the internet that there was some sort of education meeting today with school administrator's and the govenor elect. He stated that "it is going to be bad" for schools.

Will you clarify just how bad it will be? I realize that it may be too early for specifics, but there must be some indication of what is coming. Is the school district projected shortfall in the hundreds of thousands, or in the several millions?

Are we facing a reduced school year, layoffs, pay cuts, larger class sizes, etc. to close the potential budget gap?

Thank-You

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if we get something confiscated, do the deans return it to you at the end of the year, if not why?

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Why do the elementary schools not have assistant principals when many of them are as large as the middle schools? Wouldn't it be a good idea...especially since the elementary principals are being pulled into so many off campus meetings during the school day?

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Greetings and Happy Holidays Arcadia Unified Staff and Arcadia Residents

I am often awed and humbled by what a wonderful community and school district we have here in Arcadia. As we approach the school district's winter break (December 20, 2010 to January 3, 2011 -- school resumes) and our students and many of our staff begin a well deserved two week break, I would like to offer my sincere thanks for every individual, staff, community member, and student who work tirelessly to ensure the continued success of our students and the school district.

I would also like to once again acknowledge and thank everyone who has participated in the BLOG this school year. This forum has provided me and I am confident you an invaluable opportunity to discuss important issues about our schools and to receive information that help all of us continue in excellence.

Thank you all! Have a wonderful holiday!

Joel Shawn
Superintendent
Arcadia Unified School District

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I found out that my daughter is failing a class from the progress report that was mailed home. Yes, I know that my child SHOULD have been honest with us in telling us what was really going on in class, but she wasn't. And now, she is beyond the ability to be able to get her grade up. Why wouldn't the teacher just send a quick email or a phone call home letting us know there was a problem before the progress report when it is now too late to do anything? I think that as soon as a student is failing or getting a D, a teacher should be required to inform the parents ASAP so that appropriate assistance could be offered. Also, my daughter did go to the teacher at lunch and after school for help, but unless she had a specific question, the teacher did not offer help or review.

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Just curious, are the amount of days students are required to attend school mandated by the state or by the district? I know Arcadia is 180 days, and I have a niece attending high school in Santa Clarita that only has 175 days. Also, their days are shorter than ours.
Just wondering who makes the rules on that.
thank you

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Is there any update on the benefits issue that was on the blog a couple months ago? I just went to the doctor and my copay is double what is was before the new year for my HMO. While I am thankful to have a job I love, it is discouraging to realize a lot of us are technically getting paycuts every year due to increased health benefit costs. Those of us who are frozen on the salary schedule are effected even more. It is difficult to make ends meet when cost of living is increasing around us and our salary is going in the opposite direction. Thank you.

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I just saw the initial budget proposal from Governor Brown. Did K-12 schools really dodge this bullet? What is your understanding of how AUSD will be impacted?

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I noted that education is funded $400 million lest that the prior year under a scenario that assumes the extended tax increase will pass. What is the impact on Arcadia under this scenario?

If the extended tax increases do not pass, then education takes an additional $2 billion hit. What is the impact on Arcadia under this scenario.

Given the uncertainty, will the Distict's proposed budget be based on the the $400 million or $2.4 billion in funding reductions?

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Dr. Shawn,
I am a part-time classroom aide and share my postion with another part-time aide. I have requested additional work hours in the past, and was denied (unrelated to my work performance). Due to financial hardship and rising cost of healthcare, I have taken on other jobs. I know several aides with identical positions who are full-time status, receiving double my hours and, I believe, reaping the rewards of health benefits. Also, there is an on-going hiring process for aides still being advertised by our district. I am confused as to why I, and other part-time aides, cannot be given these hours instead and make us full-time status. Thank you in advance for any thoughts on this matter.

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I am thankful this evening that students were all okay after todays lock down. However I do not share the view that our students were not at risk today, as communicated by you.
From the police report and newspaper reports and from what I have heard from students on campus, it seems a male suspect entered a class room, with students but no teacher present, with a back pack that had some type of explosives in it. Only after a teacher arrived did the suspect leave the class.
I am not implying the school did anything wrong, however our students were in harms way. I am sure you will be examining this incident in the next days to see if any lessons are to be learned. I am sure we would all appreciate your follow up on this incident.

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I share the same concerns as the other FMS parent and hope that this incident does not pass quietly. Although our children were thankfully safe things could have gone terribly wrong quite easily. I have been waiting and checking the district and school websites for some sort of explanation or response from our officials. We have to reply on our kids' stories or the newspapers. I think we all need an explanation and reassurance that our kids will continue to be safe.

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Why aren't all of the schools locked during the day? My child's school is completely gated, yet the front gate is left unlocked all day long allowing anyone to get on campus. All visitors should be made to check in at the front office of all schools but that is not enforced when gates are left open.

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I understand the budget issue has not yet been resolved but do you have any indication when the staff can expect a cost of living increase? The last one was 3 years or so ago if I recall correctly. It is my first year frozen on the salary schedule. I always anticipated that but was also confident I could rely on a cost of living increase for the 4 years my salary is frozen. I understand things are different from several years ago financially but I am curious to know the time frame we could realistically expect one again. Thank you.

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Why do finals count for so much of our grade? I have worked very hard to get Bs in all my classes. But if i get a C on some of my finals, my whole grade could drop to a C. That doesn't seem fair that one test could be worth so much. Now I am so worried I am having a hard time concentrating because I feel like I won't do good enough and my grades will drop.

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Now that the budget is once again becoming a topic of significant concern, I am requesting that the school district post the pie chart of current expenditures (as was done a couple of years ago).

Will you also provide the following information:

1) the average cost (salaries and benefits) per teacher;
2) the average cost (salaries and benefits) per classified employee; and
3) the estimated savings for each day if furlough days were implemented.

Thank - You

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This seems to have been lost up-thread, so I am reposting my question here:

You plan to submit a budget in June, before the state budget will be finalized, and before the special election results (if, indeed, a special election is even held). With initial layoff notices given out by March 15, and final layoff notices handed to teachers by May 15, can you give us a better sense of what to prepare for between now and then? We all "sincerely hope we can find a way to avoid" teacher layoffs, but it doesn't sound promising from where I sit.

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Thank you for removing the offensive comment that was posted earlier. This blog is a wonderful opportunity to become informed, ask questions and a vehicle to express ideas.

The residents of Arcadia stepped up years ago to build schools. They did so again in the early 90's and again most recently in a BIG way to update EVERY school site through our property taxes in the form of a bond. The fruits of that effort is already evident. The buildings are beautiful and state of the art. Clearly, we value education, our children and the staff that teach them.

I take great pride in the quality of education my children have received and hate to see that change. On the other hand, if you only have so much to spend, cuts may be needed. Everyone needs to live within their means, state, local, schools, employees, residents etc. EVERYONE is hurting.

Arcadia has avoided the drastic cuts other districts have made in the last few years. There may be no avoiding it this time. It saddens me to see some of the postings placing blame squarely on the district for this predicament. Rather, I feel staff should be grateful for what we as a community/district have been able to accomplish thus far with the funds we do have. Perhaps working together solutions can be suggested so that no one group suffers more than another and that bad feelings can be minimized for the sake of all parties.

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Like the person above, I am glad the offensive post from late last night was removed. There is no place for such comments here on the blog. I too, take pride in the education my children received here and the wonderful dedicated AUSD staff and administration. What we are experiencing is not their fault - the blame lies squarely with the State Legislature and I wont hold my breath that they are going to do what it takes to fix the problem anytime soon. But at the local level we can do something about it! My understanding is that the worst case scenario would be a $3.5M shortfall for AUSD next year. A quick search on the internet reveals that Arcadia has ~56,000 residents, ~20,000 residences and a median household income of ~$80,000 a year. The $3.5M shortfall averages out to about $60/person or $175/residence per year. For most of us, contributing this much to keep our wonderful schools would be painless. I know that for some, that's not the case, but for those who cant afford it there are plenty who could afford a bit more. In the >30 years I've lived here, I have seen the community step up for the schools (and other important civic needs) over and over again. I say lets get moving and do it again. Is there anyone out there who agrees with me? Can we start a campaign possibly through AEF? Since the schools have to do three year budget planning, I'd gladly commit to three years of contributions. Even though my kids are long gone from AUSD, I'm not prepared to see our district start the long slide toward mediocrity that so many other districts have experienced.

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I am a teacher here in the district and have found this Blog to be of great value in providing a well needed forum to voice opinions. After reading many posts I feel certain fear is generating a great deal of anxiety that will probably remain for some time. My experience here in Arcadia lead me to believe that we have amazing people in all aspects of our district. I believe that there are too many people that have our entire communities best interests at heart and are very much aware of the hardships that we all face together. What helps me when my family thinks about possible cuts are to remind myself of how blessed we are to work in such a great district with such great students and parents.

Joel, I think you do a great job responding to all those that participate on this Blog and I appreciate your professional and optimistic approach to the future of our district. I believe you have a tough job but you do it well.

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i want to apply for Webb Private School located in Claremont,but, I don't know where to get a record of my transcript (I'm freshman) Thank You

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Does it cost money?

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Dr. Shawn,
It would be greatly appreciated if you would please include in the video to staff the following:

- what impact 5 furlough days would have on the district and for what length of time
-what impact 10 furlough days would have and for what length of time
-what impact no furlough days would have and for what length of time
-what impact the sales tax and car registration tax passing would have and for what length of time
- the status of Title 1 summer school- is it not happening this summer?
-clarify Title 1 tutoring changes for next year...will it be a shortened length of time, will we continue to get our hourly rate?

Thank you for everything you are doing.

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Dr. Shawn, will students in Arcadia loose the privilege to get ahead by taking summer classes?

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My friends cousin got into Columbia University with only a 3.4 overall GPA and no unique extracrriculars or outstanding SAT score, however, his family all went to Columbia dating back to his Grandfather. Does a family legacy have that much of an impact on an application form

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Will students ever be able to use the new Dana Gym?

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I hear a lot about furlough days in the news, but I am unclear about how these work in a school setting. Would these days be taken from instructional days, reducing the school year for families and kids, or from professional development days, reducing the school year for staff but with less impact on instruction? Are staff development days required by law or by contract? How does a furlough day differ from a pay cut for teachers? Do furlough days need to be negotiated by law, or does the district have the power to implement them without negotiations? Finally, would reducing the school year impact teachers' retirement benefits since those are based on number of full years of work, as defined by a set number of days per year?

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Thank you for the blog.... You talked about the AEF summer school. What is happening with the state funded summer school, will students still be able to make up F and D grades. Thanks

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Dr. Shawn,
As you, your staff, and all employees try to cope with how to find viable solutions to the budget problems, please consider separating essential costs from non-essential costs (needs vs. wants). There many programs/costs in the district that are valuable, but not essential to teaching. In better financial times, these programs would be reasonable to maintain. However, given the budget situation, I think they need to be eliminated in order to keep jobs.
For example, Dibels measures reading fluency, not reading comprehension. Teachers can evaluate fluency in small group instruction (which they already do). Another example is My Access. Teachers have to re-score the writing because the My Access score is often inflated. Students could just as easily use a word processing program to complete writing assignments. United Streaming is a great program to enhance instruction, but costs money to maintain the license. Benchmark exams do help guide instruction, but our students can be measured with unit exams just as easily. I am sure there are other examples.
Staff development days can be useful, but most presenters do not teach new concepts. Also, the content covered in other sessions (such as test data, curriculum), can easily be handled in grade level and/or staff meetings.
Curriculum coordinator positions could be consolidated to high school/middle school or middle school/elementary school.
Middle school vice-principals could be consolidated so that two vice- principals work on a schedule that covers three schools.
As others have suggested, we need to consider the impact of furlough days and salary concessions.
Are there any costs that we can outsource?
Individually, some of the above suggestions may not save much, but collectively they likely add up to considerable savings. If our goal is to keep the best learning environment for our students, then we must save jobs by eliminating costs that are not essential to supporting the classroom environment. Doing so will help maintain reasonable class while keeping our outstanding teachers. Many of the above programs/costs are desirable, but are they more important than keeping teachers? When times are better, we can again consider restoring these programs.
Thank you for making this blog available to express concerns/ideas.

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I want to acknowledge that there are several questions about the budget, furlough days, etc. that I've not yet addressed. I will be sending out a video update to staff tomorrow that will address some of these questions. Additionally, I will post in the next week to ten days, a PowerPoint presentation that goes into more detail about the budget and what we will need to do. I will also post here more information about proposed reductions and how things like furlough days might work (including questions about how they might affect retirement). Additionally, the Board of Education, the administration and I are working on the best ways to communicate with the public.

I will keep you posted here.

Thanks

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where can I take a AP exam, even though I didn't take it at Arcadia, but instead at an outside resource?

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San Marino passed a parcel tax to support its schools. Has Arcadia considered a parcel tax in the face of these unprecedented cuts?

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Thank you for your budget update. I have a few questions:

1) What does the term "certificated" as used in the video mean? I know teachers are in this category, but what about administrators and counselors?
2) This question is related to the first question: are the 60 to 70 notices and 20 to 25 lost positions teachers only? If so, then how many notices are going out for non-teaching positions, and how many non-teaching positions will be cut?
3) Do the cuts you propose assume that the 8 furlough days will be approved? If not, then what additional cuts will be required next year?
4) The 60 to 70 notices is somewhat informative. However, most teachers cannot tell whether they will be included in that group. Personally, I have no idea whether to expect a pink slip and/or whether I may be one of the 20 to 25 that loses my job.

At this point, the district must have some idea of how deep into the hiring ranks to go in order to notice 60 to 70 people. PLEASE help some of us better prepare and ease some of our anxiety. Up to what year of seniority will you be giving pink slips (for example, any teacher with five or less years of service, six or less, etc.)?

5) Of the total cuts to the budget, how much in real dollars is being absorbed by teacher cuts?

Thank You.

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How are the pink slips going to be allocated among the schools? You indicated that 60 to 70 notices are being sent. How many will be at the high school, middle school, and elementary school levels, respectively?

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Dr. Shawn,
Thank you for the video. I appreciate the way you are helping us through this difficult process. I am unclear why 60-70 lay-off notices need to be sent out if the total number of actual lay-offs is 20-25. There will be a needless number of people stressed out by sending out so many extra pink slips.

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Dear Dr. Shawn,

Thank you for providing this blog so we can ask you questions about the ongoing budget problems.
I have heard that teachers in TOSA positions are exempt from lay-offs. Is this true? If so, why aren't these positions flown so all teachers can have an opportunity to get this position?

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An earlier post referred to San Marino's parcel-tax as a way to fund the district. Comparing the two cities, while fashionable, is like comparing apples and oranges.

The districts/cities are vastly different in size. Arcadia has 58,000 residents while San Marino has 13,500 residents.

Arcadia code allows multi-unit dwellings such as PUD's and Condominiums/Townhouses. The last 20 years have shown an explosion in their popularity. Historically those mentioned above, have sold for about 40% less than a typical Arcadia home. Thus, the family income need not be as great as a person who owns a house and land.

Those who choose to live in San Marino, as mentioned a very tiny city, know what the home expenses, taxes, bonds, and will be and can more easily pay it than a typical Arcadian.

Household income in San Marino has always been significantly higher vs. Arcadia. Census figures will show the data.

San Marino and Arcadia real-estate has never really suffered in economic downturns and is again proving so during this "Great Recession".

Arcadia Unified is most like the South Pasadena Unified in both demographics, city make-up, and demographics.


The voluntary route through AEF is a terrific way to really contribute, if so able. California already sets aside 40 cents on every dollar for education. Isn't that enough?

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Hello - in order to follow-up on my staff video and to address several of the questions and comments posted above, I am going to post a number of "topical" responses beginning below with the topic: Furlough Days.

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Furlough Days

The idea of "furlough days" has increased in popularity during the last several years as one result of the fiscal crisis and large reduction in school district funds. As one way to reduce expenditures, school districts have explored ways to reduce employee costs. Employee salaries and benefits make up more than 85 percent of our budgets. At the same time, as the state has grappled with budget deficits and continually cutting k-12 education disproportionately to other state agencies, the legislature and Governor provided some relief to k-12 budget management with regulatory flexibility. One example of this flexibility is the ability to reduce the school year for students from 180 to 175 days. What this flexibility means is that districts would not lose additional money granted to districts in 1983 if they extend their school year to 180 days.

However, the savings to districts only come if employees are willing to work fewer days, and to take the commensurate salary reductions. Both of these items must be negotiated with each of the employee representative organizations (in Arcadia, ATA, CSEA, and APSAA). For Arcadia Teachers, we have a 185 day contract. 180 of these are days when students are present, 5 are for staff development and planning. We could reduce up to 10 days in any combination of 5 fewer student days and/or 5 fewer non-student work days.

A proviso here: Around 2003, the Professional Development Buy-Back program was implemented by the state providing districts with additional money for staff development. Arcadia like many other school districts agreed to put this money on the salary schedule. That is, every teacher in the district receives the equivalent of three additional paid days which make up part of the 185 days mentioned above. At the time this agreement was made, we further agreed (section 10.5.1.1 of the ATA/District Agreement) that if funds for these three days were "reduced or eliminated, the salary schedule, effective July 1, 2001, shall be correspondingly adjusted." The state has reduced these funds by 20% and given districts the flexibility (like reducing the calendar) to use these dollars for any purposes they deem necessary. What this means is that we could reduce the teacher work year by three days and reduce salaries by that equivalent amount without negotiating such an agreement.

For Arcadia Unified if every employee that could, took a furlough day, and agreed to the reduction in pay (teachers, administrators, classified employees, etc.) the district would save about $275,000.00. So five furlough days would save $1.375 million, and ten days would save $2.75 million. The length of time these furloughs would be in affect would be negotiable. However, keep in mind, that agreeing to this only helps the district recoup ongoing cuts if these reductions are in place, or ongoing, until other resources can replace the budget reduction.

A change in the work calendar for those employees in STRS would not affect retirement. It is possible that the reduction in salary could affect one's final compensation and subsequent STRS retirement compensation.

Lastly, it is very difficult to gauge the impact of furlough days on student learning, staff and student climate - moral, and the economic affect on individuals. It is frustrating to consider reducing the work and school year when other countries (and in some cases private and parochial schools) are increasing the number of days students are in school.

Please let me know what other questions you have about furlough days.

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Budget Fundamentals

In response to a request posted previously, what follows are charts that describe the AUSD budget fundamentals (how much we take in, what we budget for, and how much of the budget goes to personnel costs).

The charts contrast the 2008-2009 school year to the current school year (2010-2011).

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I feel sex education is a very sensitive topic to teach in a school. Why do the middle schools in Arcadia and the High School provide these kinds of unnecessary subjects.

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An Important Summary of Budget Issues

The following article written by Dennis Meyers, does a great job, in my opinion, of outlining the challenges we are facing in developing our budgets for 2011-2012. The article is presented here with the permission of the author.



Copyright 2011 California Association of School Business Officials
2011-06

Where to aim
Feb. 3, 2011
By Dennis Meyers, CASBO Assistant Executive Director, Advocacy & Policy

Governor Jerry Brown unveiled a well thought out, yet controversial plan to close the state's estimated $25 billion budget gap with one-half of the solutions in proposed cuts and the other half in proposed revenue. The largest part of the revenue solution is a proposal to temporarily extend for five years some $8.1 billion in revenue that is scheduled to expire this year. If that proposal is not enough of a challenge, the governor is also calling for unpopular spending reductions to health and welfare, child care, and higher education, a shift in over $5 billion in programmatic requirements and revenue to cities and counties, and the elimination of local redevelopment agencies and enterprise zones.

For K-12 schools, the governor's budget is a relatively flat budget that depends on voter acceptance of the revenue extension and a new apportionment deferral. Yesterday's revelation of the administration's trailer bill language shows that the $2.1 billion deferral is proposed to be from July 2011 to July 2012, which presents its own set of planning obstacles.

Schools always face a challenge during this part of the year as they begin their budget adoption process. The governor's budget proposal is the most authoritative document used by schools as they try to guess what the next budget will produce or not produce. Of course, all of this guessing comes as various deadlines loom concerning certificated layoff notices, second interim reports, etc.

So where should LEAs be aiming right now? There are several different scenarios coming out of Sacramento's many education consultants' offices. It would be easier if the scenarios were somewhat close to each other, but they are not. They vary from budgeting for a $19 per ADA cut to the revenue limit to being prepared to take a $1000 per ADA hit if the temporary revenues are not extended.

Adding to the confusion is an article by McClatchy news about what Senate Democrats are considering: passing an all cuts budget along with the revenue proposals so that voters can see the full impact to state programs, including schools, if the revenue package is not approved.

There are a few issues that are easier to assume as being in the final budget:

1. Deferrals: So far, the Legislature has not seen a deferral that it has not embraced. The latest proposal, a new $2.1 billion deferral from July to July, is not yet a done deal. However, it is a safe bet that this deferral will happen in some form. The July to July proposal is extreme and has a slim chance of being modified, but the dollar amount is unlikely to shrink.

2. Flexibility: The governor's proposal to extend all of the various forms of flexibility for another two years is another fairly safe bet. With the administration making that issue part of its budget, it puts the issue in the "you can plan on it" category. We know that there will be attempts to modify Tier 3, either by deleting or adding programs, but those proposals are less likely to be successful than simply adding two years.

3. Mental health: The governor's proposal to fund AB 3632 mental health services to special education students with Proposition 63 money in 2011-12 and then as part of the local government realignment proposal makes sense to a lot of legislators and stands a good chance of being approved. Obviously, conversations within SELPAs and with county mental health agencies still need to happen in case the issue is not resolved, but since the Legislature funded the program before former Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed the money, there is a lot of interest in solving the funding problem and keeping county mental health involved.

But the rest of the budget is going to be harder to pinpoint. Will the Legislature pass an all cuts plan that would add programs back if the temporary revenues are extended? Will the child care lobby be successful in fighting cuts which would require another $500-700 million in cuts within the Proposition 98 guarantee? The child care issue alone could add pressure for a larger deferral. Those are significant unknowns that may not be solved by mid-March when LEAs need to make staffing decisions.

Given the open-ended nature of this year's budget deliberations, there are at least four scenarios being talked about within the school community; we call those scenarios Wishful Thinking, Boy Scout, The Sky Is Falling, and Doomsday.

Wishful Thinking:
This scenario is based entirely on the governor's budget. Plan for a hit to the revenue limit of $19 per ADA and assume that all of the other proposals in the governor's budget come true. This scenario assumes the extension of the temporary taxes. It assumes the Proposition 98 guarantee will be $49.3 billion and with the new deferral an actual spending level of $51 billion.

Boy Scout (Be Prepared):
This scenario is based on the unknowns surrounding the extension of the revenue. It assumes the deferral is approved and flexibility is extended, but prepares for the revenues to not be extended. This scenario either assumes the governor's budget, but has a contingency in place for a reduction of $330 per ADA, or assumes the reduction up front with a contingency to build back in $330 per ADA if the revenues are extended. This scenario is based on the assumption that without the revenue extension, the exposure for K-12 schools is a drop in the Proposition 98 guarantee of $2 billion to $47.3 billion, but with the new deferral an authorized spending level of $49 billion. This scenario also assumes no suspension of the Proposition 98 guarantee.

The Sky Is Falling:
This scenario assumes that the proposal to extend the temporary revenue either fails to make it to the ballot or fails on the ballot. It assumes that the Legislature would then adopt an all cuts budget which would bring the Proposition 98 guarantee and the authorized spending level down to $47.3 billion. For K-12 schools, that would mean losing about $620 per ADA. Under this scenario, there is no suspension of the Proposition 98 guarantee and no spending above the guarantee.

Doomsday:
This scenario also assumes that there is no extension of the temporary revenues. However, it goes a step further and assumes that faced with an all cuts budget the Legislature suspends the Proposition 98 guarantee. Without the revenue extension, the Legislature would need to find as much as $12.5 billion more in cuts, assuming they do not find other more creative ways to balance the budget. In this scenario, the exposure to K-12 schools would be at least $5 billion, or $850 per ADA and could even go higher if more savings is needed. A $6 billion cut would translate to about $1000 per ADA.

Each of the scenarios outlined above is valid and has an intelligent and thoughtful group of followers. Which one to land on depends on some value and political judgments and of course, a little faith. The Wishful Thinking crowd believes in budgeting based on the governor's budget so as to not get locked into a self-fulfilling prophecy by assuming there is no revenue extension. The Doomsday crowd believes in budgeting for the worst case so (1) districts are ready in case it happens and (2) voters will have a clear choice between revenue and cuts. The Wishful Thinking crowd counts on the August 15 layoff provisions to be able to adjust budgets after the election. The Doomsday crowd might think that the Legislature will suspend the Aug. 15 layoff statute which calls for preparing now for the worst case.

Each of the scenarios is legitimate. How conservative you plan and how local boards and communities react, will certainly stress school business offices over the next four months.

We'll keep you posted.

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Certificated Layoffs

As demonstrated in the charts above, 87% of our general fund, unrestricted budget, is in employee salaries and benefits. 72% of this is teachers, 3% pupil services staff, and 8% certificated administrators (such as principals, assistant principals, the superintendent, etc.). When we have to reduce our expenditures we have no choice but to reduce the number of staff. Teachers will always take the largest number of these layoffs since they represent the largest percentage of this expenditure.

The challenge we face is to figure out the maximum number of certificated staff that we might have to reduce in order to balance our budget over a three year period of time. Please refer to Dennis Meyers' article above to get a sense of how uncertain the state of the state budget is and therefore how uncertain we are of the size of the reductions we will need to make. I have to determine a "worse case" scenario for the budget and then make reductions to accommodate that worse case.

The three-year budget we submit to the County in June 2011 must include these reductions. In the "Doomsday" scenario described in Dennis's article he says that we could be facing as much as $1000 per student reduction which would equate to about $10,000,000 for Arcadia. It might be prudent to budget a reduction in staff and expenditures of this magnitude. However, the number of teachers and others needed to be noticed and potentially laid off is not acceptable to me. To take a staffing reduction of this size in one year would be too disruptive to our programs and would dramatically affect our students.

I have previously indicated that we would be potentially laying off between 60 to 70 certificated staff (again this includes teachers, administrators, pupil service staff, etc.). This target is based on what I believe is a realistic "worse case," but clearly not as bad as the "Doomsday" scenario. Regardless, even though I believe the number of certificated staff that will ultimately be laid off is closer to the 20 to 25 range, we have to prepare for the larger number and we have to begin to negotiate how we'd make up these differences in future years. One of the ways I am recommending we approach this is by discussing now, possible furlough days and additional layoffs in 2012-2013 (to be clear -- not next year but the year after). The size of the reduction we take now will depend in part to what we can agree to through the negotiation process. I realize that noticing any number of individuals that they may be laid off is disruptive and difficult for the individual notified.

Education code (state law) requires that we preliminarily notify certificated staff who may be laid off in the next school year, no later than March 15th (of the year prior to when they would be laid off). Final notification must be issued by May 15th. I will recommend that the Board of Education approve a resolution at the February 22nd meeting that identifies specific numbers and types of services that are to be laid off in order to reach the 60 to 70 target number.

These issues are complicated. The number of positions identified (60 to 70) do not necessarily equate to that number of staff being noticed or laid off. We will take into account those who have told us they are going to retire, resign, take a leave of absence, etc., and only notice sufficient staff to enable us to reduce staff to the target number.

Seniority is not the only factor which determines who will be noticed. Without going into all the technical details, the way this works is that we identify, "particular kinds of services" to be reduced based on our current assessment of what positions can be reduced and what will minimize the impact on students. Particular kinds of service means things like, "multiple subject credentialed positions, English, Math, Science, etc." A number of full time equivalent (FTE) positions are identified to be reduced for each type of service. This information will be delineated in the resolution taken to the Board of Education on February 22nd.

We are estimating the following numbers to be reduced at each level: 21 elementary teachers, 15.43 middle school teachers, 20.42 high school teachers, 3 counselors grades 6-12, and 2 district administrative positions. Please recall that three teaching positions (included in the above numbers) will be reduced at the elementary levels because of declining enrollment. Individuals will be noticed based on which services are being reduced, seniority, skip criteria (certain qualifications and credentials will be identified as being "exempt" from the layoff -- such as those with language, speech and hearing credentials), tiebreak criteria to be utilized when staff share the same seniority date, and "bumping" (moving into another person's position that you are credentialed to hold if that person has less seniority and doesn't meet other criteria mentioned above).

Our staff will be meeting with individuals affected by the layoffs. I will be meeting with school staffs, parents, and community members to discuss the impact of these changes.

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It is obvious that the loss of so many teachers will dramatically affect the classoom experiences of our children. Are programs going to be cut also? I am thinking of things like AP classes and electives at the high school, Art and drama at the middle schools, and elementary school music. Also, what will happen to intervention classes and GATE? Will those continue to be funded? How much bigger will classes be? You mentioned that grades 1-3 will go up to 24 students per teacher, but how will other grades be impacted?

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Dr. Shawn,

Does the AUSD maintain a reserve fund? If so, how much is in that reserve fund and under what circumstances would any of that money be used for?

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I would like to know why AP tests cost $95 at AHS when CollegeBoard charges $87 per test. I know that other schools like Temple City High school charge only the $87. I understand that there is no money for fee waivers this year but I am wondering why AHS must charge students even more on an already expensive test.

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You stated that people affected by layoffs would be notified early this week, but my principal does not seem to have this information. Who will be letting us know, and when?

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You noted that class size will probably increase next year and that the average class size of most Arcadia classroom is 29.5. What is the range? Is there a maximum capacity a class size can reach? How effective will a class be if it's so large that one teacher cannot help every student during a class period? Are most classroom set up to accommodate 32+ students? If not, how will this be addressed?

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Is it true that any teacher hired for the 2003-2004 school year or later is being pink slipped? I just received an ATA update that stated this is likely.

Since ATA apparently has this knowledge, can you please confirm it?

If this is true that pink slips will go 8 years into seniority, I still do not understand why so many are being pink-slipped. Based upon the numbers you gave above (21 elementary teachers, 15.43 middle school teachers, 20.42 high school teachers), it does not seem that so many need to be pink slipped. Just within the last four years, there are more new hires on staff (particularly at the elementary and middle levels) than the number of proposed cuts.

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I completely agree with those who point out the need for parents and Arcadia residence to help as much as they are able through AEF donations and a parcel tax if possible. Arcadia has received the honor of being voted best place to raise your children for a few years running now because of our wonderful school system. AUSD has been able to do a lot with the limited funds they have and has been able to largely shelter us parents from the serious nature of the budget crisis, but if the funding continues to be reduced and we have to take the teacher cuts and program loses projected, our kids will have outdated materials, few interventions, and little individual help because they will be crammed 40 to 1 in an overcrowded classroom. The schools will decline, and Arcadia property values will decline with them.

In addition, it is important that we also address the source of this continuing problem, the lack of state and national funding for education. We need to call, write and/or email our representatives and let them know that education needs to be a priority in California and our nation. Making our voices heard on this issue is imperative and I encourage each of you to take action, as I have already done, and contact your representatives today.

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Joel, thank you for the work that you do. this is no easy task!

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