After months of taking it on the chin from three students demanding a board discussion regarding the math practices at Ann Sobrato High School, local district leaders have scheduled a discussion item about the issue for the Aug. 15 meeting.
Morgan Hill Unified Board president Donna Ruebusch promised her fellow trustees, some of whom were pushing for the same back in June, that district staff was researching the claims brought to light by a Sobrato student. The first order of business Aug. 15 is an agenda item titled, “Presentation on Common Core Implementation, College Prep. Mathematics, and Math Achievement at Ann Sobrato High School.”
Senior Lauren Buckley’s petition challenging the practices of her high school’s mathematics department garnered close to 700 supporters on the site change.org. Since the end of last school year, Buckley, joined by two other classmates, has urged the board to take action on the issue that has plagued current and former students.
“Students should be listened to if something is not working for them. This is about their future,” reads a comment from Alison Martin of Morgan Hill six days ago on the “Ann Sobrato Administration: Create change in the math department at our school” petition created by Buckley.
The petition can be viewed at change.org/p/ann-sobrato-high-school-administration-create-change-in-the-math-department-of-our-school, or by searching keyword “Sobrato” on the change.org.
Parent Gloria Werkema, of Morgan Hill, added in a post one week ago: “My son STRUGGLED in math at Sobrato. We had to pay for a tutor since he could not understand the material.”
Sobrato principal Courtney Macko, who has not publicly commented on the petition, and MHUSD Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Glenn Webb are expected to “present information about Common Core Math, the College Preparatory Math curriculum and student achievement,” the agenda states.
The 32-page presentation, attached to the agenda, gives an overview of the Common Core Math Standards, a breakdown of MHUSD’s curriculum choice for mathematics called “CPM,” and a data-based defense for math achievement at Sobrato.
MHUSD schools open the 2017-18 school year Aug. 17.
Following this discussion, the Aug. 15 agenda also includes:
• 2017 Summer School Report;
• Facilities Master Plan; and
• Board Self-Evaluation.
Personnel order
Sixty-nine certificated appointments (i.e. teachers) are among the new employees of MHUSD for the 2017-18 school district, according to the Aug. 15 personnel order.
Consent items
Consent items are approved in one single vote by the school board unless otherwise requested by a member of the board to be pulled into general discussion for a separate vote.
Those items include:
• Approval of $39.5 million design-build contract (Measure G funds) with Blach-QKA for Britton Middle School project;
• Approval of $20,703 contract (site funds) with Blackboard Connect, which “enables the district and school sites to send mass messages to parents/guardians and district employees via phone, text, email and social media to ensure safety and increase engagement,” according to the agenda;
• Approval of $23,000 contract (LCFF funds) with California Association for Bilingual Education Project 2 Inspire “for providing parent education opportunities and resources for parents/guardians to support their children’s education at home and foster their role in preparing their children for college and career,” the agenda states; and
• Approval of $168,309 in special education services.
