School Board meeting covers many topics and updates
On Tuesday, March 26, the Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) Board of Education meeting began with reading a resolution in recognition of School Library Month (April) by teacher librarians Erin Head of Paden Elementary, Marianne Dilworth of Maya Lin, and Alex Velasquez of Ruby Bridges Elementary. The resolution was approved unanimously by the Board.
The rest of the meeting covered a variety of topics as described below.
Teachers speak out
AUSD and the teachers’ union, Alameda Education Association, have been in negotiations. [See coverage of the tentative agreement reached on Thursday at AEA Rallies for Better Pay, AUSD Responds.] During the time set aside for public comment, parents, teachers, and staff union members—many of whom brought their children—spoke about their love of teaching, but shared the difficulties of living on a teacher’s salary, particularly for new teachers. They pointed out that AUSD teacher salaries are the second-lowest in the Bay Area and AUSD is losing teachers to higher-paying districts.
Grading for equity
Board member Ryan LaLonde addressed the many emails the board had been receiving about the grading for equity policy. He defended the policy and discussed misconceptions about it that were stated in some of those emails. More information about the policy, which is based on the idea that grading should be based on a student’s mastery of the coursework and grade-level standards, rather than non-content factors such as effort and behavior, is available on the AUSD Grading for Equity web page.
New principals announced
Superintendent Pasquale Scuderi announced that Juan Flores will be the new principal at Ruby Bridges Elementary School and Angela Barrett will be the next principal at Alameda High School.
Special Education updates
Randhir Bains, Senior Director, Special Education; Julie Venuto, Coordinator, Secondary Education; Jorge Wahner, Coordinator, Elementary Education provided updates on Special Education goals and projects as they align with district priorities. See chart below.
Other updates included information about enrollment data, staffing information, the continuum of services provided, topics and takeaways from the Steering Committee meeting, the test results of the Family Relationships and Trust Survey, and the Parent Survey results.
Early childhood education updates
Elementary Education Director Tanya Harris, Early Childhood Education Coordinator Jill Hunter, and P3 Coach Erin Ashworth provided updates and information on the early childhood education program, Preschool to First Grade Alignment, Transitional Kindergarten, and Full-Day Kindergarten, as follows.
Preschool to First Grade Alignment
Preschool through first grade alignment is the process of ensuring continuity and coherence in educational practices, curriculum, and expectations from preschool through the first grade. This alignment aims to create a smooth transition for children as they progress from preschool into the early years of formal schooling. It has the potential to improve child outcomes and close the opportunity gap.
Full-Day and Transitional Kindergarten
Starting in the 2024-2025 school year, kindergarten will be full-day instead of a modified day, which means kindergarten students will attend as long as students in first to fifth grade do. In response to state mandates, transitional kindergarten classes are expanding.
Other topics covered included the Ardella Dailey Preschool and Alameda Child Development Center, highlights, and next steps.
Declaration of Need for Fully Qualified Educators
Tim Erwin, Superintendent of Human Resources presented a Declaration of Need for Fully Qualified Educators. The declaration is a request for the Board of Education to declare that AUSD may have an insufficient number of fully credentialed teachers next year and may need to employ people under an emergency permit process expediently.
Joyce Boyd is a Certified Public Accountant, Alameda resident, and parent of an AUSD student. She is chairperson of the Parcel Tax Oversight Committee, a PTA board member, a prior PTA Council board member, and school site council member. Reach her at [email protected].
