A Message from Dr. Vladovic

Greetings,

Many of us spent quality time with family and friends this spring break remembering the wonderful joys we all have in our lives and came back refreshed and ready to serve our students.  However, this year has been difficult for many in the Los Angeles Unified School District.  From our employees who have dealt with furlough days, layoffs, larger class sizes and heavier workloads, to our students who are grappling with reduced services due to the limited funding coming from Sacramento and Washington D.C.

I am constantly talking to employees, community members, students, and families who are hurting.  Family members have lost jobs or seen reduced hours and money. Time has become more precious than gold.  In times like these we need to take to heart our mission and our purpose as members of the Los Angeles Unified School District family and realize that we are indeed fortunate to be able to serve our students every single day.

When I visit schools I see hope and promise.  I overhear teachers speaking to children about their future and their dreams.  I watch as our nurses and counselors talk to students about their worries and their goals, and I witness our clerical staff and classified employees standing strong and supporting our schools in the face of dramatic cutbacks (A truly Herculean effort).

District employees are a proud group.  We do not rest until we feel we have helped our students.  When we build schools we build it so that it is the safest building in a community.  And when we staff schools we also ensure that we have the best teachers and staff supporting the school.

Much has been said in the media recently about a few employees who have allegedly done some truly hideous things.  I am here to tell you that we have great employees in our District.  Some of the best I have ever been around.  Our district's employees go the extra mile for our students and deserve to be respected and honored for the great job they do on behalf of the District for our students and adults every day.

As the LAUSD Board of Education Vice President, I can tell you that I could not be prouder of our employees.  Do I know that we have room to improve and procedures to fix?  Absolutely.  Am I satisfied with our current situation?  No.

Over that past 4 years our academic growth has skyrocketed and the district is ensuring that we have quality employees at every level of the educational chain.  We are a student centered district that provides our students with the tools they need to be more successful in school and in life.

As we begin another round of budget deliberations and options for bringing more resources to students, I wanted to pause and tell our employees that I am proud of them and thankful for their service to our students.

Let's finish the year strong.

Welcome Councilman Joe Buscaino

Congratulations to my good friend Joe Buscaino on his wonderful campaign and tremendous victory on election day in January.  I have known Joe and his wife Geralyn for years.  In fact, Geralyn "Jay" was one of my very first field deputies when I took office in 2007.  Joe and his wife are winners and true advocates for our communities.  Voters elected a true community leader who believes in community empowerment and a representative who will represent the whole district that he serves.  Councilman Buscaino has been a shining star while on the LAPD as a Senior Lead Officer and I look forward to the great partnerships we can forge between the LAUSD and the City of Los Angeles in the years ahead.

Farewell Jacob Haik and Congratulations

I wanted to take a moment to thank my former Chief of Staff, Jacob Haik, for the fine work he did for my office for the past 3 years.  He has been a true advocate for the students and communities in Board District 7.  Jacob helped to ensure that our schools had the things they needed to be successful.  From wonderful partnerships with non-profit organizations like Sharefest to Bond Funded projects like the new San Pedro High School: John M. and Muriel Olguin campus, Jacob got things done.  He will be missed but we congratulate his work on behalf of the constituents of Board District 7 and look forward to the great work he will be doing for the City of Los Angeles.   He has helped the Board of Education develop innovative District policies and procedures, as well as been a great friend to the schools and communities of Board District 7. 

Although I am excited for Jacob, I am sad to see him go as he was truly a wonderful asset for my Board District.

Please join me in congratulating Jacob on his new role as we welcome my new Chief of Staff Tim Howe.

*Note:  Jacob has accepted a job to become Councilman Joe Buscaino's District Director covering the area of Watts to San Pedro.

International Trade Education Programs (ITEP)

I was proud to help honor the amazing International Trade Education Programs (ITEP) recently during their "Building Dreams" 12th Annual Scholarship Dinner at the World Cruise Center in the Port of L.A. on March 22nd.  The event recognizes the achievements of students excelling in the ITEP program and thanks sponsors and partners for their generous support over the years.  ITEP's models learning academy programs that "infuse school curriculum with industry based programs, enrichment activities and information.  This program has been hugely successful at my local schools and I look forward to ITEP flourishing throughout my Board District.

If you want to learn more about this program, please read below:

ITEP Makes it Work

ITEP makes high school work.

With its career-themed academies, ITEP propels students to enter the workforce with the skills and knowledge needed for international trade. Would-be dropouts work to become entrepreneurs and previously disinterested students aim for college under ITEP’s Ten Point Plan. It’s a new approach to education that works, again and again.
THE NEED
Our region’s key industries –international trade, transportation and logistics –are hard-pressed to find qualified employees who can effectively compete in an increasingly globalized economy.
With shrinking budgets and mounting needs, public high schools are challenged to graduate students job-ready and college-prepared. Drop-out rates are high, and student motivation is low.
THE PROGRAM
By connecting industry, high schools and colleges, ITEP creates a learning community that is dedicated to the effort of saving schools and changing young people’s lives. ITEP partners with industry and educators to deliver a multi-year program of student enrichment opportunities that includes in-class speakers and mentors, team-building field trips, job-shadowing and internships.
ITEP currently supports nine academies in six high schools in Southern California, the High Desert, and the Bay Area serving approximately 1,500 students annually.
THE RESULTS
ITEP’s results speak for themselves. Through our Academy programs, schools have demonstrated:

• Higher graduation rates: 30% improvement
• Increased API scores: increase of 130 points
• Improved grades, attitudes and attendance

“Think Globally, Earn Locally”

Gang Alternative Program Awards

I am proud and honored to be an Ex-Officio Board Member to the Gang Alternatives Program.  This awards program that we attended a few weeks ago celebrated community partnerships and volunteers that have positively impacted GAP. It was also an opportunity to raise funds for the continued existence of programming that helps our youth say "no" to gangs. GAP also provides our communities with a higher quality of life through their graffiti removal program, parenting classes, and many educational programs that they provide for our students.

This group is led by Douglas Semark, Ph. D., who is a true community and student advocate that has changed thousands of lives over his career and will continue to save thousands more during his tenure.  Thank you G.A.P. for all of your wonderful work.

Here is some information about this wonderful program if you wish to get involved.

Gangfree.org was developed by the Gang Alternatives Program (GAP), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides services and programs to promote a gangfree lifestyle to young people and their families.

Every day, GAP’s positive impact is felt by thousands of people in multiple communities in and around the Los Angeles area – from Watts to Wilmington, Lennox to Lomita, El Sereno to San Pedro, and Harbor City to Boyle Heights. By introducing Gangfree.org, GAP can expand its support to countless young people throughout the nation.

Our Gangfree Vision:To prevent young people from joining gangs.

Our Gangfree Mission:To eliminate the base of gang membership by having a generation of young people say, “no” to gangs and “yes” to positive lifestyle choices.

Our Gangfree Goals:

• Promote a Gangfree lifestyle to all young people and their families
  Provide gang awareness and gang prevention education to all elementary and middle school age children.

• Offer a parent education component to support children in resisting the temptations of gang membership.

• Operate an outreach program for at-risk youth, offering referral and counseling services.

• Maintain a graffiti removal and community clean up service for areas around schools, parks, businesses and residences

Our Gangfree program components:

• a school-based youth gang prevention curriculum for 2nd, 4th,
  and 6th grades
• a court approved parent and teen education program
• a graffiti prevention education program
• an extensive graffiti abatement program
• a bulky items pick up program
• community beautification
• youth job training and development
• case management
• STEP-UP! after school programs
• outreach and referral services, and
• the Gangfree Life®

Super Bowl Spirit Day at 186th Street School

I continue to be proud of the work of Principal Marcia Reed and all of her wonderful staff and students at 186th Street Elementary School.  Her school is excelling academically, as well as culturally.  Principal Reed always finds time to not just celebrate and prepare her students for the CST, Principal Reed and her staff prepare students for success in life.  On Friday, February 3, 186th Street Elementary School celebrated Super Bowl Spirit Day.  Principal Reed invited Dallas Cowboy cornerback Orlando Scandrick and 5 UCLA football players to attend the event which enthralled the crowds of students and parents.  The players and staff all chanted to encourage students to stay in school, listen to their teachers and strive for excellence. Players huddled with students and chanted, “Excellence on three! One, two, three, excellence!”  No doubt the staff and students at 186th Street are committed to excellence in everything they do.

Our Wise Owls Soar to New Heights.

Gulf Avenue Elementary School rises to the occasion

I was proud to have my staff represent me at Gulf Avenue Elementary School a few weeks ago as they recognized outstanding students who received medals for their scores of Proficient and Advanced on the CST last year.  The event also serves as motivation for schools taking the CST test that has recently begun at Gulf and other Multi-Track schools.  Gulf serves as a testament of what can happen when the State and Federal Governments fund education.  Gulf Avenue Elementary School is a Quality Education Investment Act school that until recently had API scores in the 600's.  After the influx of badly needed resources and quality instruction, Gulf Avenue Elementary School now resides at an API of 805 and is currently the highest achieving QEIA school in the Los Angeles Unified School District.  Congratulations and I wish you continued success on this year's CST test.

6 Magnificent Men

I have been very honored by being named into the inaugural class of the ‘6 Magnificent Men’ from the Carson Coordinating Council.  I have received some great honors in my lifetime but I am very humbled by this wonderful award and in particular by the superb leaders I am fortunate enough to have worked with in the City of Carson.  This award honors men whose extraordinary contributions to the community have improved the quality of life for residents.  This award is a spin-off of another wonderful tradition in Carson the ‘6 Magnificent Women’ awards, which I am always proud to attend.

Carson is a city on the rise.  Economic Development is up and our schools are thriving.  I am proud to be the Board Member responsible for the education of this wonderful city and to be honored by this wonderful group of organizations, businesses, and groups.

2012 California Distinguished Schools

I would like to congratulate 186th Street Elementary School, South Shores Magnet School, Denker Elementary School, Chapman Elementary School and Celerity Dyad Charter for their recognition by the state of California as a California Distinguished School. Keep up the great work.

On behalf of the children and families of Board District 7, I congratulate you for such an extraordinary accomplishment. Thank you for providing our youth with an outstanding education!  We are all very proud of your accomplishments.

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.