SCUSD Observer: The plot grows thick legs...

SCUSD Observer: The plot grows thick legs...

The plot grows thick legs...

Today, an eye-opening 62-page report was released by two Republican members of Congress, (Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, and Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley) who directed their staff members to gather factual evidence and investigate the June 11, 2009 firing of Inspector General Gerald Walpin.

The report also suggests that Michelle Rhee, the school chancellor in Washington, intervened on behalf of Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, her current fiancé, who was under investigation by Walpin.

"The facts outlined in the referral give rise to reasonable suspicions about potential hush money payments and witness tampering at a federally funded entity," the congressmen wrote.

Editorial on protests at UC Berkeley

Editorial on protests at UC Berkeley:

"It almost feels like 1968 again. Students are occupying buildings at the University of California. The police have strapped on riot gear. Officials are recalcitrant. Even some of the old slogans: 'Fight back!' and 'We can't take it no more!' have made a comeback."

The difference? This time, the students are fighting for a chance to join the system, not break free of it. It's a sign of the times that what the students want - an opportunity to establish a decent life through a college education - seems far more elusive these days than identity battles.

And there's no doubt that the UC regents' decision on Thursday to hike tuition and fees by 32 percent will cost some current students and many potential ones that opportunity. Despite the university's insistence that an expansion of the Blue and Gold Opportunity plan (wherein students who come from households of $70,000 and lower have all their systemwide fees covered if they meet financial aid criteria) will continue to make the UC accessible, there are many current students who haven't even heard of the plan. And there will be many more potential students from struggling middle-class families who will simply look at the skyrocketing sticker price and walk away. When the students say that their future is at stake, they aren't exaggerating.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/20/EDPH1ANVH9.DTL#ixzz0XSVM0eQG

Students Continue to Protest California Tuition Increases - NYTimes.com

Students Continue to Protest California Tuition Increases - NYTimes.com:

"BERKELEY, Calif. — The day after the University of California Board of Regents approved a 32 percent increase in fees that are the equivalent of tuition, protests continued on several campuses, with students occupying buildings at Santa Cruz and Berkeley."

On the Berkeley campus, at least 50 students took over a classroom building, Wheeler Hall, barricading themselves on the second floor. Hundreds of students surrounded the building, huddled under umbrellas, tarps and plastic, chanting slogans like “Fee hike! We strike!”

“We are planning to stay as long as possible,” Andi Walden, a 21-year-old senior in the building, said by cellphone. “It appears the police are getting ready to break down the doors and drag us out. We had to take direct action. The regents won’t respond to anything else.”

Ms. Walden said she and the others sneaked into the building with sleeping bags and food on Thursday night and slept in a classroom, keeping quiet until the police arrived around 7 a.m. Friday. Three students were arrested, she said.

Engaging With Your Child’s School: Q&A with Larry Ferlazzo – SmartBean

Engaging With Your Child’s School: Q&A with Larry Ferlazzo – SmartBean:

"Schools share a symbiotic relationship with parents and homes. They co-exist in an ecosystem wherein, in broad terms, all interests are aligned to achieve a unified goal – the intellectual and emotional well-being of children. No system succeeds without sustained interaction and collaboration between all stakeholders. Schooling, with its 3 key stakeholders – students, parents and school (teachers+administrators) – is no exception. That said, parents are de facto enablers and custodians of their wards’ interests and onus falls on them to kick the fly-wheel of collaboration. They cannot rely on the system to draw them in or on existing processes and protocol to foster closer collaboration; they must reach out and take the initiative to engage with their kids’ schools."

May the Best Teacher Win | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

May the Best Teacher Win LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights:

"Teachers should fend for themselves. May the best ones win.

That seems to be the guiding philosophy behind so many school reform ideas lately. No one can shake the really incompetent teachers out of the system, reformers tell us, and gifted teachers can't rise to the top. Listen to some reform advocates, and you'd think that the former far outnumber the latter. So you use carrots and sticks to help the market do its work."

And what about the conditions that help teachers succeed? You don't hear much about those.

The fuss over teachers who sell their lesson plans on the internet offers a case in point. As always happens in discussions of teachers and money, big questions arise about how we value teachers and their work. Do we cheapen the vocation of teaching when we assume teachers are motivated primarily by money? On the other hand, do we damage teaching as a profession when we make altruism the main job qualification? (For a great discussion of these matters, head on over to the Teacher Leaders Network.) For my money, though, blogger Corey Bower asks the most important question: "The right question is why teachers should have to buy lesson plans."

So here's the vision I see emerging from this discussion. Teachers are free agents. They pay their own way, create their own reality. Those who thrive in this marketplace gain influence. Those who do not recede into the background. Stafford Palman at the Fordham Foundation celebrates this brave new world.

The Educated Guess » Feds could penalize budget cuts for education

The Educated Guess » Feds could penalize budget cuts for education:

"How much spending is cut for K-12 schools and higher education next year may be determined not in Sacramento but in Washington, D.C. – and perhaps by the White House.

Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor this week projected an 18-month state budget deficit of $20.7 billion ($6.3 billion for the fiscal year ending June 30 and the rest next year).

Using the roughest rule of thumb, with K-12 schools and community colleges receiving roughly 40 percent of the budget and higher ed an additional 10 percent, one would assume that education could be expected to absorb 50 percent of that deficit – or $10 billion. That assumes, for the moment, no higher fees and taxes and no new budget gimmicks (Haven’t we run out of those by now?)."

Republicans criticize dismissal of AmeriCorps watchdog -- latimes.com

Republicans criticize dismissal of AmeriCorps watchdog -- latimes.com:

"A GOP report contends that the Obama White House was politically motivated when it fired inspector general Gerald Walpin after his 2008 investigation of Kevin Johnson, now Sacramento's mayor."

Reporting from Washington - When Kevin Johnson, the former NBA star who is now mayor of Sacramento, was under investigation last year for alleged financial misdeeds and inappropriate behavior with female students, he had an important ally behind the scenes.Michelle Rhee, the nationally known education reformer who is now head of the Washington, D.C., public schools, had several conversations with a federal inspector general in which she made the case for Johnson and the school he ran in Sacramento, according to the inspector general.

Rhee, who had served on the board of the school and is now engaged to marry Johnson, said he was "a good guy."Rhee's position had little effect on the inspector general, Gerald Walpin, who filed a criminal referral to the U.S. attorney on Johnson, a self-described friend and supporter of President Obama. But both the Sacramento police and federal attorneys declined to pursue charges.

Walpin, who protested the prosecutors' handling of the case, was ultimately fired by the Obama White House in June.Rhee's previously undisclosed role and the Walpin firing are now part of an unfolding drama in which outspoken Republicans contend that the Obama administration has not faithfully adhered to a law designed to protect executive-branch investigators from political interference.

The Firing of the Inspector General forThe Corporation for National and Community Service Joint Staff Report -

Report says performance of Arizona's charter schools is mixed - washingtonpost.com

Report says performance of Arizona's charter schools is mixed - washingtonpost.com:

"Across the road, teacher Harrison Stratton tramped with his eighth-grade environmental science class through a patch of desert. He showed students how to stake out, with string, a one-meter-square section. Their task was sampling soil; his goal was teaching scientific methods. The class would climb a nearby mountain soon to do the same thing.

'It's a lot of footwork,' he said, 'taking data in a range of environments.' Many of his students will take their first AP tests next spring."

Regular public schools nationwide are gravitating toward AP. But this school and a sister program in Tucson, more than most, make the college-level program a centerpiece. Andrew Shabilla, 17, a senior, said that by the time he graduates he will have taken 11 AP tests and that he relishes the fellowship of a small academic community. "It's a special place, an oasis for learning," he said.

Multiplex academy

To the southwest, Chandler Preparatory Academy is tucked into a former model home showroom and what used to be a 10-screen movie house near a Target. Its 530 students, grades 6 through 12, are immersed in Western culture, from Homer to Dostoevski. The girls in red-and-black plaid skirts and boys in khakis, all wearing red or white knit shirts, convey a preppy ambience without the five-figure tuition and entrance exams.

Program helps Latino families bond over books - Local - SanLuisObispo.com

Program helps Latino families bond over books - Local - SanLuisObispo.com:

"Lorenzo Torres, a 40-year-old Los Osos construction worker, says he loves to read. But that wasn’t always the case.

Now he hopes to inspire his 5-year-old son, Eric, to enjoy books as he learned to do after attending a special program in Los Osos that encourages family literacy.

For the past eight Tuesdays, after long days of work at construction sites countywide, Torres attended the Los Osos Latino Family Literacy Project program with a group of about 30 local parents."

The group last week celebrated its graduation from the free course with the three teachers — Evelyn Frame, Brooke Segler and Rob Banfield.

“I read to my son now about four times per week for about 30 minutes each time,” Torres said. “I really want to prepare him as well as I can for college.”

San Luis Coastal Unified School District’s Adult School, as well as Monarch Grove and Baywood elementary schools, funded the program, which cost about $3,500.

The project, which just completed its second year, encourages Spanish-speaking families to develop reading routines and improve their reading skills.

Each book featured a story printed in English on one page and Spanish on the other to encourage a bilingual experience between parents and children.

Letter to the Wall Street Journal: Education Reform | Newsroom | Ford Foundation

Letter to the Wall Street Journal: Education Reform Newsroom Ford Foundation

The following is a response to a Nov. 17 Wall Street Journal editorial:

NEW YORK, 17 November 2009 — The Wall Street Journal's editorial on reforming America's public schools is right to say that there has been a valuable generation of innovation in our schools. Charter schools and smart reforms by public schools have contributed to a new set of approaches for achieving great education for our children. We've learned that all our schools—public, charter, and private—need four basics in order to succeed: outstanding teaching, sufficient and well-designed learning time, money to pay for it, and strong accountability to make sure both money and time are used well and that our children are getting ahead.

The challenge now is how to bring this generation of innovation to scale for all our young people, especially in our poorest neighborhoods where the challenges are toughest and where few funders have focused resources. Many of the innovations noted in the editorial—successful charter schools and Teach for America, for example—are important illustrations of what's possible, but they lack broad-based impact. We need to find ways to bring the best innovations into every school.

Most of our $100 million in grants over the next seven years will go to entrepreneurs, parent and community organizations, and policy groups working to transform their schools from the ground up—not school districts or unions. We want communities to have the resources to be at the table and have their voices for change heard. Our belief is that empowering consumers, parents and students will help drive change.

One serious disagreement we have with the Journal's editors, however, is their vilification of teachers. The Journal illustrates exactly why the current recriminations-based debate is so counterproductive. How do you transform schools without our committed public school teachers? It's true we provided $500,000 to help the American Federation of Teachers get involved in reform efforts, but we were not alone; the Gates, Broad, Mott and other foundations have stepped up to support the same drive for innovation among teachers. We believe that the pace of reform will hasten if teachers are involved.

Most of the Journal's readers probably grew up at a time when public schools provided a very strong basis for success in life. We believe they can again. The solutions we embrace must work for the majority of students across the country, however, not only a lucky minority. We all know what's at stake for our kids and our country. We're betting that the challenges facing our public schools can be best tackled at the community level, where our funding will support fresh, courageous ways to implement the best ideas.

Sincerely,

Luis UbiñasPresident, Ford FoundationNew York

P.S.: On Ford Foundation history the Journal earns an "incomplete." While not all of our grants over the decades have yielded the progress we hoped, many far exceeded our ambitions. Sesame Street, the women's rights movement, the end of apartheid, the fight for freedom in Eastern Europe, and the launch of microfinance are just a few of the successes that began with Ford Foundation grants. If the Journal wants to critique our past, it should draw on all the facts.

Read other responses to the Wall Street Journal by:

The Huffington PostThe Nonprofit Quarterly

A Race to the Bottom | The Big Money

A Race to the Bottom The Big Money:

"The Department of Education is having the most decadent Employee of the Month contest ever. On Thursday it released applications for its $4 billion “Race to the Top” program, a competition designed to reward the states most in line with the Obama administration’s educational values. The idea is to bait states into Obama’s reform agenda with the promise of millions of dollars, and then highlight the ones who do it best. The contest is typical of the way the Education Department has used its stimulus money. With incentives, they think, reform can happen. It’s a grand experiment in behavioral economics.

And they’re right: With incentives, reform will happen. But the incentives are not limitless. There’s only $4 billion to go around, and not all states will get the rewards. (In fact, it’s likely most will not.) And so, for some, the Race to the Top is also a Slide to the Bottom. This is where the administration’s experiment breaks down. What’s the reason for those left behind to keep reforming once the incentives have expired?"

Teacher Unions Win Changes in U.S. Education Grant Rules - Bloomberg.com

Teacher Unions Win Changes in U.S. Education Grant Rules - Bloomberg.com:

"Nov. 12 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Education Department’s final rules in a competition for $4.35 billion in education stimulus grants include union-backed changes to teacher- assessment requirements.

The Obama administration wants public schools to tie teacher evaluations and pay to student performance, and unions have sought to ensure that test scores aren’t the sole measure. While student gains should still be a “significant factor,” educator evaluations should be designed with teacher and principal involvement, the Education Department said yesterday."

“The Department of Education worked hard to strike the right balance between what it takes to get system-wide improvement for schools and kids, and how to measure that improvement,” Randi Weingarten, president of the 1.4 million- member American Federation of Teachers, said yesterday in an e- mailed statement.

The Education Department released a summary of the final rules in Washington. As proposed in July, states would be ineligible to apply for the “Race to the Top” grants if they bar the use of student-performance data in measuring teacher effectiveness.

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, a Democrat, signed a law Nov. 10 that allows the use of student-achievement data in teacher evaluations. The California State Senate voted last week to make a similar change.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who has long pressed for merit-pay programs that reward teachers for gains in student performance, plans to announce the grant rules today. Teachers unions oppose linking pay to pupil test scores, saying they aren’t an accurate measure of teacher effectiveness.

What Was Michelle Rhee’s ‘Damage Control’ for Kevin Johnson? - City Desk - Washington City Paper

What Was Michelle Rhee’s ‘Damage Control’ for Kevin Johnson? - City Desk - Washington City Paper:

"Stories broke this morning in the Los Angeles Times and in the Examiner reporting that D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee took an active role in investigations of her fiance, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson.

Allow LL to explicate a little more fully what this is and what Rhee is alleged to have done."

Rhee's involvement in Johnson's dealing has been revealed as part of an investigation by two congressional Republicans into the firing of Gerald Walpin, who had served as inspector general for the federal AmeriCorps program until June. Republicans allege that Walpin was fired by the Obama administration for political reasons---in particular, for pressing his investigation of mismanagement of federal funds by St. Hope, the nonprofit founded by prominent Democrat and Obama ally Johnson.

The Republican report [PDF], released today, concludes that the White House's decision to fire Walpin was "based on incomplete and misleading information"; that a White House lawyer's explanation for the firing is "not credible"; and that the firing "is likely to have a chilling effect on the IG community." In other words, there's a lot of political posturing going on here.

But along with their report, the Republicans also released Walpin's IG report on St. Hope, which includes interview notes indicating that Rhee got involved after a St. Hope employee reported being "touched inappropriately" by Johnson.

Rhee's involvement in the probe stems from the statements of Jacqueline Wong-Hernandez, a former St. Hope staff member, to federal investigators. According to an interview report, Wong-Hernandez told an investigator that Rhee was well known as someone who filled several roles with Johnson's St. Hope organization and would use Johnson's office when she was in town. Wong-Hernandez said that Rhee 'played the role as "Damage Control". When there was a problem at St. HOPE, Ms. Rhee was there the next day taking care of the problem.'

US Census Press Releases

US Census Press Releases

Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates

Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): Estimates of population and poverty for school districts, as well as income and poverty estimates for states and counties. Included are estimates of the number of poor children ages 5 to 17 in the nation’s 15,000 school districts.

Internet address: <http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/saipe/index.html>.

School District Data: 1995, 1997, 1999 - 2008

Create interactive tables »

Download the data sets »

Latest SAIPE Release

The 2008 school district, county and state estimates were released in November 2009.

Release highlights of 2008 »

School district estimates for 2008 »

State and county estimates for 2008 »

View maps for 2008 »

Despite state subsidies, class sizes begin to rise again in California schools California Watch | Center for Investigative Reporting

California Watch Center for Investigative Reporting:

Despite state subsidies, class sizes begin to rise again in California schools

"California Watch, the largest investigative team operating in the state, was created in 2009 by the nonprofit Center for Investigative Reporting. This new team of reporters, editors and multimedia producers will emphasize story telling that holds powerful interests accountable and shines a light on key areas of interest – education, health care, criminal justice, the environment and government oversight. The goal of our reporting is to expose hidden truths, prompt debate and spark change."

Despite state subsidies, class sizes begin to rise again in California schools
Most of California's largest school districts are increasing class sizes in kindergarten through third grade, eroding the most expensive education reform in the state's history.

VIDEO: How are larger class sizes affecting California teachers?
Teachers and administrators at Plummer Elementary in California's San Fernando Valley discuss how large class sizes affect their instruction.

Are California class sizes increasing?
A California Watch survey of the state's 30 largest, K-12 school districts found that class sizes in kindergarten through third grade are increasing beyond 20 in many districts.

How do California classrooms compare?
Use our interactive graphic to compare California to other states in terms of student-to-teacher ratios for public, K-12 schools.

Rising Class Sizes: Where the story appeared
California Watch’s report on class size appeared in various media, including radio and television broadcasts as well as several newspapers.

FAQ: How class-size reduction works in California
Get the answers to your questions about California's class-size reduction program as well as who to contact
Homeland Security Marked By Waste, Lack of Oversight
Records show that communities across California had difficulty managing millions in anti-terrorism grants handed out by Congress after Sept. 11. Paperwork went missing and purchasing rules weren't followed. Is the state ready for more in stimulus funds if preparedness cash proved so difficult?
Fear and Fortune
Sept. 11 hastened a booming homeland security industry. One southern California company still struggled to get ahead.
How Was The Money Spent?
Reporter G.W. Schulz describes some of the equipment purchased by California agencies with anti-terrorism grants—a catalog of items that range from surveillance devices and Hazmat suits to bomb-diffusing robots.

The Graduation for All Act of 2009 | EdLabor Journal | Committee on Education and Labor

The Graduation for All Act of 2009 EdLabor Journal Committee on Education and Labor:

"Strengthening Our Schools, Our Community and Our Future Competitiveness

The high school dropout crisis poses one of the greatest threats to our nation’s economic growth and competitiveness. Each day 7,000 U.S. students drop out of high school. More than half of all students who drop out are from the so-called “dropout factories” – the 2,000 high schools with dropout rates above 40 percent. Many of these students come from a struggling middle school. President Obama has challenged Congress and the American people to take action by asking every American to commit to at least one year of higher education or training. This will require addressing our nation’s dropout crisis and dramatically improving graduation rates."

The Graduation for All Act (H.R. 4122) will make a down-payment on our future competitiveness by helping our lowest-performing middle and high schools improve student achievement, increase graduation rates, and promote college enrollment. Specifically, the legislation would:

Turn around schools with the highest dropout rates.

Creates a new $2 billion competitive grant program to improve nation’s lowest performing high schools and middle schools.

Provides school districts with clear guidelines on turn around strategies and encourages flexibility in implementing the appropriate model at the school level.

Supports partnerships among school districts and their lowest performing high schools, their feeder middle schools and the local community to help systemically align best practices in turnaround strategies. Provide students at risk of dropping out with the tools to stay in school and succeed.

Combines rigorous coursework with academic and social support services to encourage students and keep them engaged in school.

Helps schools implement a data system to allow teachers and other school staff to identify students at risk of dropping out early on, based on key indicators such as attendance or failing a core course. Promote college enrollment and career readiness.

Prepares students for college by providing them with information about financial aid options, developing graduation and career plans and offering classes on a college campus.

Allows students to earn up to two years of college credit through Early College High Schools or dual enrollment programs while still in high school to increase access to college and employment.How the bill works:An eligible district who receives a grant must:

Identify which schools, middle school and high schools, will be served.

Conduct a needs analysis of a range of factors including graduation rate, capacity, and at-risk students.

Choose a Model of Success, as defined in the bill, to help make the most effective and appropriate changes in the school. These models range from transformation to restarting the school as a charter.

Build a Graduation Improvement Team, including school leaders, teachers, experts and other staff from the school and the community to help carry out the Model of Success.

Implement Early Warning Data Systems to use academic and behavioral indicators to identify students who may be at risk of dropping out, determine which interventions are appropriate, and to monitor the effectiveness of the interventions so that changes can be made as necessary.

Ensure teacher talent is distributed in a fair and equitable manner among schools.

Support for H.R. 4122:

“First Focus Campaign for Children is pleased to support the Graduation for All Act. The legislation provides a critical focus on supporting the nation’s middle and high school students. While we understand that this is a work in progress, the legislation includes a comprehensive approach to strengthening student achievement from which we can build. We applaud this effort, and look forward to working with Congress to support the success of the nation’s young people.”

First Focus Campaign for Children

"National Middle School Association called on policymakers, educators, and business leaders to lead a national effort to transform middle level education and give every young adolescent the opportunity to achieve to the highest standards. The Graduation for All Act is an essential step in meeting that goal. The legislation calls for the bold actions that are needed turn around our lowest performing middle and high schools and make access to quality education for students a reality, not just a promise.

"Betty EdwardsExecutive Director

National Middle School Association

Arrests Made At UC Davis Amid Student Fee Protest - Education News Story - KCRA Sacramento

Arrests Made At UC Davis Amid Student Fee Protest - Education News Story - KCRA Sacramento:

"DAVIS, Calif. -- Police arrested 52 people at UC Davis after hundreds protested a 32 percent increase in undergraduate student fees on Thursday.

The University of California regents on Thursday approved the increase, despite protests by hundreds of demonstrators outside the regents' meeting at UCLA."

By next fall, undergraduate fees will be boosted by $2,500, sending the average annual education cost at a UC campus to more than $10,000. That's triple the amount from a decade ago.

Hundreds of angry students protested Thursday inside and outside Mrak Hall at UC Davis. One person held a sign saying "Question UC Leadership." Another read "Don't Deprive Me Of My Education."

Protesters continued to remain at the scene late Thursday as police gathered around for crowd control.

Police departments from Sacramento, West Sacramento, Woodland, Davis, Vacaville, Winters and UC Davis responded to the protests, along with the Yolo County Sheriff's Department and the California Highway Patrol.

FCUSD Approves Closure of Cordova Lane and Riverview Elementaries — The Rancho Cordova Post#more-6927#more-6927

FCUSD Approves Closure of Cordova Lane and Riverview Elementaries — The Rancho Cordova Post#more-6927#more-6927:

"In a decision Board President Ed Short said was “heart-wrenching,” the Folsom Cordova Unified School District Board of Education approved the closure of Cordova Lane and Riverview Elementaries at a meeting held Thursday night.

“I know for me personally, combining schools is not something I want to do,” Short said to the packed audience in the Cordova High School gymnasium.

Council Member Linda Budge expressed her dissatisfaction with the process and the reasoning the district used to come to the decision. “Everyone in government is struggling to do more with less,” she said in reference to the district’s assertion that the state budget has forced the school closures. She also noted that the reports issued by the district about the schools contained conflicting data."

The Grapevine Independent, Newspaper for Rancho Cordova, Sacremento, California with Sacremento, California real estate, antiques, news, and entertainment

The Grapevine Independent, Newspaper for Rancho Cordova, Sacremento, California with Sacremento, California real estate, antiques, news, and entertainment:

"By KRIS MIDDAUGH, Editor - Tensions were high this week as Rancho Cordova residents geared up for what might be the final battle in a war to save local schools.

The regular meeting of the Folsom Cordova Unified School District (FCUSD) Board of Directors is set to take place tonight. At press time, it was unknown if board trustees would approve the recommendation of district Superintendent Pat Godwin to close two local elementary schools, Cordova Lane and Riverview."

There was speculation that given the number of speakers likely to attend the meeting, the item could be continued to the next board meeting, however, with two public forums behind them and time a factor, district officials and board members could opt to simply put questions to rest by voting for or against the closures. (For up-to-the-minute information on the vote, visit the Grapevine’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/GrapevineIndependent.)

Although Rancho Cordova has seen schools close in the past, this particular effort to close two schools—which district officials say is necessary to stay a looming budget crisis—has hit a nerve with local parents, teachers, administrators and community members. And despite the fact that district staff issued a report detailing declining enrollment issues and the need to slash $10 million from next year’s FCUSD budget along with a matrix of criteria used to determine which schools should close, many parents attending two community forums complained that the process was happening to quickly. Still other parents questioned why they had not been involved in the selection process and several also asked why elementary schools in Folsom were not being considered for closure.

Godwin explained that the selection process had been a thorough one and that Folsom elementary schools were facing increasing, rather than declining enrollment, but many parents still faulted district staff for non-transparency in the selection process while also accusing them of favoring Folsom schools. Although local parents have only known about the possibility of schools closing for a few weeks now, they have quickly mobilized to fight against the prospect and have spoken passionately about their schools, teachers and administrators.

Social Media for the Social Good—Non-profits Explore New Methods of Outreach

Social Media for the Social Good—Non-profits Explore New Methods of Outreache

Three local non-profit organizations were featured in a Sacramento Social Media Club panel on Tuesday evening hosted by the Sacramento State College of Continuing Education. The panel included Celia Cortez, Projects and Event Manager for the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Jordan Blair, Board Member for River City Food Bank; and Jon Benorden, Program Coordinator for the Center for AIDS Research, Education and Service (CARES). Lesley Miller, Media Director for 3Fold Communication, also sat on the panel. Moderator Josh Morgan, principal at Morgan/Dorado and program director for the Sacramento Social Media Club, focused the discussion on how non-profits are using social media to educate, engage, and build lasting relationships with their communities.

Facebook was the unanimous point of entry into social media for all three organizations. Cortez said the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber selected Facebook because it was the most popular platform among their member organizations; Blair choose Facebook for River City Food Bank because it is the platform upon which he spends the most time. “Facebook provides an easy way for people to connect with causes and non-profits thanks to its one-click ‘become a fan’ feature, “commented Morgan. River City Food Bank, where many of their long-term contributors are past retirement age, is finding that Facebook helps them to engage with the next generation of donors. However some of their loyal supporters are stepping out into social media as well; an 85 year old volunteer joined Facebook just so he could “friend” the River city Food Bank. Benorden said that their “old school” supporters are beginning to mesh with the new people they’ve engaged through their group & page on Facebook but that CARES still has a long way to go.