Tag Archives: board meeting

Increasing High and Middle School Enrollment Key to Denair’s Long-term Budget Health

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Submitted by Denair Unified School District

The short-term financial outlook for the Denair Unified School District remains positive, trustees were told Thursday night, but the continued erosion of enrollment at the middle school and high school remains a threat to long-term stability.

Linda Covello, the district’s chief business officer, sketched a mixed picture during a budget update for board members, employees and others in the audience.

The good news, she said, is that the district has fully emerged from the financial crisis of 2013 that led to substantial salary cuts for all staff, some layoffs and temporary county fiscal oversight. DUSD is on track to finish its 2015-16 fiscal year with a general fund surplus of $1,333,239. And, thanks to an infusion of one-time money this year from the state, the district’s projected ending general fund balance is $2,186,713.

“We are projecting positive cash flow through June 2017,” Covello told trustees.

Clouds loom on the financial horizon, however. Covello projects enrollment at Denair High School and Denair Middle School to continue to decline – by approximately 4% in 2016-17 and 8% in 2017-18. And while growth at Denair Elementary Charter Academy and Denair Charter Academy is expected to partially offset the drop, Covello said there still is a net loss to the district. She expects DUSD to slip back into deficit spending each of the next two years unless the trend is reversed.

“This tells the story of DMS and DHS,” said Trustee Ray Prock Jr. “We need to get that enrollment up.”

“So, we need more kids,” stated Trustee Kathi Dunham-Filson.

“Yes,” replied Covello. Continue reading “Increasing High and Middle School Enrollment Key to Denair’s Long-term Budget Health” »

Extra Time for ‘Intervention’ and ‘Innovation’ Essential Piece of New DMS Schedule

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Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Denair Middle School Principal Travis Manley said he and his teachers looked to Silicon Valley and beyond when brainstorming how to create a new class schedule for 2016-17. What they agreed upon draws inspiration from “Google time” and “Fed Ex time,” he told the Denair Unified School District board Thursday night.

The concept, he explained, is that 20% of each day is devoted to the kind of creativity “that leads to great things.” In the case of the middle school, nearly an hour dedicated to intervention or innovation will be mandatory for every sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grader on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

In addition, the new schedule builds in time for instructors to teach a second elective. An extra period of band also will be added for students who want to stay after regular classes are over.

“Intervention” refers to additional time spent with those students who have struggled to learn key concepts in their regular classes. Students will be identified and assigned intervention based on “learning targets” for each subject established by teachers, Manley said. The idea is to quickly catch them up, then move them back into their chosen “innovation” project.

“You analyze that data to see where the (learning) gaps are,” he told trustees. “You use that extra period to reteach, whether it’s reading comprehension or math or whatever. … It’s not a life sentence. It’s fluid. Each week, that target will change and you’ll have new kids coming in.”

As important as “intervention” is, it’s the “innovation” piece that most excites Manley and his teachers. Essentially, students will be able to pursue interests beyond what currently is offered in class. That could take many forms, he said. Students must choose a specific learning area four times a year. Though they will not be graded on it, they will be expected to present a report to their teachers at the end of each quarter that highlights what they’ve learned. Continue reading “Extra Time for ‘Intervention’ and ‘Innovation’ Essential Piece of New DMS Schedule” »

DHS Principal Outlines Changes in Grad Requirements, Ag and AP Courses

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Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Students at Denair High School could have stiffer graduation requirements, a revamped agricultural sciences curriculum and additional access to Advanced Placement classes in the next school year.

Principal Alecia Myers unveiled her ideas Thursday night at the meeting of the Denair Unified School District board. She came to Denair in July from the Milpitas Unified School District in Santa Clara County. She told the board that she has spent considerable time evaluating the high school curriculum, talking with staff and students, and analyzing various improvement options.

A key part of her proposal toughens math and foreign language requirements before students can graduate. Trustees signaled their support Thursday, but took no action. Public comment will be accepted at the March meeting, where the board could adopt new graduation standards.

Today, Denair students must take two years of math before graduation. The new requirements would add a third year for students in the class of 2018. Myers said the third year could be an AP class or a consumer algebra course focused on balancing a checkbook, understanding credit and applying for a loan.

“I thought it might send students over the edge,” Myers said, “but they were like, ‘Yeah, we need that.’ ”

Another reason to beef up the math requirements, she said, is because juniors take standardized state tests upon which school and district ratings are based. If students are not enrolled in math as a junior, those exams become more difficult.

Students in the class of 2020 also would have to take one year of a foreign language in addition to a year of fine arts. Today, Denair allows a year Spanish to meet the fine arts requirement. Separating those dovetails with CSU and UC entrance requirements, Myers explained. Continue reading “DHS Principal Outlines Changes in Grad Requirements, Ag and AP Courses” »

DUSD Trustees OK Elementary Math Curriculum, Incentives for Teachers, Shorter Thanksgiving Break

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Submitted by Denair Unified School District

The Denair Unified School board approved a new math curriculum for elementary students, offered an early notification incentive to teachers and discussed the potential impact of a new state law affecting concealed weapons brought on campus at a busy meeting Thursday night.

Trustees also shortened the Thanksgiving holiday break, meaning staff and students will be in class for two days next November rather than having the entire week off.

The new curriculum at Denair Elementary Charter Academy already is being implemented for about 500 kindergarten through fifth-grade students, said Principal Sara Michelena. Called My Math, it was the clear choice of her staff and recommended by the math consultant at the Stanislaus County Office of Education. It includes an online component in addition to other classroom materials. “We look forward to seeing where this goes,” she said.

The early notification program is aimed at teachers who may be considering retirement or leaving the district to take a job elsewhere. It offers a tiered financial payment structure for teachers who alert the district in writing of their plans by the end of February: $3,000 before Jan. 29; $2,000 by Feb. 12; and $1,000 by Feb. 26. A similar program was put in place last year, said Chief Business Officer Linda Covello.

“The whole point is to start the hiring process earlier,” she said, adding that the county hosts jobs fairs in March and April. “We need to know what positions are going to be open so we can recruit.”

The discussion about concealed weapons brought on campus or within 1,000 feet of a school site concerned Senate Bill 707, which was passed by the California Legislature last year and signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown in October. Continue reading “DUSD Trustees OK Elementary Math Curriculum, Incentives for Teachers, Shorter Thanksgiving Break” »