Message from Dr. Vladovic

 

The Board recently voted to keep the early start calendar of schools to begin next school year.  Although I have over 45 years of educational experience and have expressed many worries, the Board voted 3-4 to continue with the plans to start early next school year. The board is a democracy and I did my best to voice our concerns and get a majority vote, but we still lost.

In July 2010, former Superintendent Cortines proposed the introduction of the early start calendar.  I said then, as I have said now, that I have concerns and questions.  A few months ago in October, I introduced a motion to postpone the implementation of the early start calendar.  The motion suggested the District wait until we are in better economic times and have data to support this calendar change is good for kids.

I am very concerned about how the new early start calendar will affect our ability to have a school properly staffed and ready to begin the new school year.  We are required by State law to inform all teachers by March 15 that they may be laid off based on a worst case scenario budget.  We can’t rescind layoff notices until Sacramento passes their budget.  If Sacramento passes their budget after July, we will be hard pressed for a smooth opening.  It now looks like the budget might not pass until late August.

I have also asked for the data that supports this major change to our instructional calendar.  I have always said that I will err on the side of students.   The parents and teachers that I have spoken to said they don’t support this change.  I have no problem taking the heat to make the change if it is better for kids, but there is no data to support this.  Yes, the senior high school calendar aligns better with the early start calendar, but I am interested in kids performing better.

So here we go – much to my chagrin!

Below is a timeline of the history of the early start calendar issue

In the spring of 2010, the Board of Education approved the adoption of an alternate experimental Early Start Instructional Calendar for 2011-2012 for 17 high schools and one elementary school.

In July 2010, then-Superintendent Ramon C. Cortines requested that the Office of School Operations and School Management Services explore the options of implementing a District-Wide Early Start Instructional Calendar for all single-track schools for the 2011-2012 school year.

In December of 2010, the Board of Education approved the adoption of a District-Wide Early Start Instructional Calendar for the 2011-2012 school year for all single-track schools.

In February of 2011, then-Superintendent Cortines and the Board decided to defer for at least one year the implementation of the District-Wide Early Start Instructional Calendar due in large part to the fiscal challenges and massive layoffs then anticipated to be implemented for 2011-2012 because of the uncertainty of State funding.

In September of 2011, Superintendent Deasy requested to once again delay the early start calendar and was voted down by the Board.

In October of 2011, I brought my motion to the Board to delay the early start calendar but was also voted down.

Perfect CST Scores at Barrett Elementary School!

We are happy to congratulate Jorge Garcia, 3^rd grader at Barrett Elementary School, who achieved perfect California Standardized Test scores in both English Language Arts and Math. We know that these achievements are a reflection of great teachers, a supportive administration and parental involvement. Keep up the great work! (Left to Right: Ms. Garcia, Jorge Garcia, Teacher Mrs. Harris, Principal Robinson)

Sprite Awards $25,000 to Willenberg Special Education Center

In October, during the half-time break of a skillful display of soccer skills by the students of Willenberg Special Education Center, Sprite awarded the school with $25,000 to renovate their school’s playground. Principal Tina Mangoian was happy to receive this award that will provide the students with a newer and safer playground. Thank you, Sprite!

San Pedro Football

We will like to congratulate the San Pedro High School Football team for their historic win number 500 on Friday September 29, 2011. With a good amount of key offensive and defensive returners from last year, Coach Mike Walsh and his Pirates hosted West Adams Preparatory High School and beat the Panthers 27-7 by using the shotgun formation for the first time during Walsh’s tenure as San Pedro’s Head Coach .

With more than 180 wins and five CIF-Los Angeles City Section championships, and one undefeated season in 21 seasons, this is a well-deserved win for Coach Mike Walsh. We know that he will continue to inspire our students, school, community, and help lead the way to more championships.

Recovery Day

September 23 was the day my staff joined 716 LAUSD volunteers for a districtwide day of recovery of students labeled as no shows at their school sites. We walked the neighborhoods of Peary Middle School and Gardena High School looking to help return students to those campuses. Districtwide 2552 home visits were made and we have successfully returned 986 students to their classrooms. A good quality education starts with the student showing up for class, I am so proud to see so many students returning to their studies.

Your Voice Counts

It’s becoming more and more evident how deeply the economy is struggling. California’s Department of Finance recently stated that the state’s tax revenue through August lagged $596 million behind projections. Unfortunately one of the sectors in society that gets the most hurt during tough economic times is education. In California, where education is terribly underfunded and subsists on tax revenue it helps to have voters express the importance of education by calling their elected officials to advocate for students and their futures. In the past three years, LAUSD has been forced to eliminate more than 5,900 teacher, counselor, nurse, librarian and administrator positions resulting in more than 2,700 layoffs. Similarly, 4,900 certificated and classified employees have been laid off in the last two years. Further cuts to the district will leave it to shambles in a few years and we cannot allow education to remain at the bottom of the state’s priority list. We have provided the links below to connect with your elected officials and voice your concern for funding public education. Another link further describing the budget realities the school district is grappling with has also been provided.

http://192.234.213.69/lmapsearch/framepage.asp

http://budgetrealities.lausd.net/