Our buses are shined, grounds are trimmed, facilities are
deep-cleaned, and our teachers are already
”
sneaking
”
in to get their classrooms ready to welcome back all students on
the first day of school for 2011-12
– Aug. 18.
Our buses are shined, grounds are trimmed, facilities are deep-cleaned, and our teachers are already “sneaking” in to get their classrooms ready to welcome back all students on the first day of school for 2011-12 – Aug. 18. Parents and guardians will receive communications directly from their schools about orientations, schedules, and school start and end times just as soon as our school offices are back up and running.
Speaking of “Welcome Back,” I am having a hard time welcoming back staff as so few of them left this summer. About 15 percent of our employees work year-round. We also had many teachers, administrators and classified employees participating in professional development opportunities this summer – most often on their own time; and we had district employees negotiating all summer to ensure that we begin this school year meeting the needs of our students, the needs of our employees and the financial obligations of the district. That being said, I would like to formally welcome back our students and their families, our employees and the community members that support our efforts in and out of the classroom to what is certain to be a very rewarding school year.
This summer has been busier than usual in the district and the challenges we face continue to grow. With ongoing underfunding of public education, at the top of the list of challenges is the budget. Due to reduced funding from the state, the district has cut more than $11 million (or 17 percent) of the general fund budget over the past three years. We again faced an additional $4 million for 2011-12, but took steps to offset this projected loss of revenue from the state and adopted a balanced budget. Our Board of Education has always made the difficult decisions of painful cuts to keep our district solvent. Unfortunately, we are cautioned to not expect additional resources until after 2015.
As mentioned, our collective bargaining teams have been working to reach agreements that are fair and support our students, our employees and our fiscal well-being, and I am happy to announce that we have tentative agreements on all remaining interests. It is very important to note that the tentative agreements must be ratified by the certificated employees and adopted by the board before they are contractual. Still, bargaining team leaders felt it was in the best interest of students and the community to start the school year with the tentative instructional calendar – recognizing that it still must be approved. I mention collective bargaining because I am encouraged by the willingness of bargaining groups to work cooperatively to find effective and appropriate solutions and common interests in these unprecedented times.
I also mention collective bargaining because the tentative instructional calendar has changes from last year’s calendar. Most notably, all Morgan Hill Unified schools will benefit from weekly collaboration periods. It is important to remember that collaboration periods do not reduce instructional minutes. They are a research-proven strategy for improving achievement and overall student well-being that will provide our teachers more time to work with each other in grade level groups, across grade levels and from school to school to more effectively coordinate and implement student instruction.
Wednesday is the weekly collaboration day district-wide. All schools will have a shorter day for students on Wednesday and instructional minutes will be added to the other four days of the week. While we understand that this will present an inconvenience for some families, collaboration time is essential in our progress toward becoming the district students deserve. It is important to note that this concept is only new to some of our elementary families. Our high schools have piloted Wednesday collaboration periods and our middle school master schedules provide collaboration time without a change to the bell schedule.
The tentative instructional calendar also includes a reduction in instructional days for this school year. One of the budget reductions recommended by staff and approved by the board was to negotiate up to a two-day reduction in the calendar. California Assembly Bill 114 allows districts to negotiate up to a 12-day reduction. In the past, MHUSD had been able to avoid reducing instructional days, but underfunding of public education will allow us to do so no longer. Students will not have an instructional day Oct. 4, 2011 and if certain financial triggers are not met, a proposed second non-instructional day is scheduled for March 13, 2012.
As we put the final touches on preparations for a new school year, I hope you are as encouraged as I am by the collaborative relationships we are building. Our youth deserve the very best we can provide not only in their education, but in the community. Each of us has a role to play in the lives of our youth through the relationships we build with each other, the role models we present, the support and opportunities available for healthy, fun activities and service to others. I am grateful to this community for all these aspects that I see every day. Our challenges will make us all stronger, and our efforts will improve the lives of our students.
Wes Smith is the superintendent of Morgan Hill Unified School District. He lives in Morgan Hill with his wife and three children, who attend Morgan Hill schools.
