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The Acorn Camarillo Acorn Moorpark Acorn - Simi Valley Acorn |
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Superintendent's column
These are the words that were used to promote the remake of the 1965 film "The Flight of the Phoenix." Against hopeless odds they worked together to face and rise out of the brutal facts of their plight. It was truly a story of human triumph. Public schools in California are facing declining enrollment and a catastrophic budget crisis that threatens to make wreckage of important educational programs our children need and deserve. This plight by no means compares with that of the survivors of the Phoenix, but our "way out" may be strikingly similar- together and up. Our plight is certainly demoralizing and causing school employees and families to make major sacrifices. Yet, we cannot get so bogged down by the struggles of the moment that we fail to be forward thinking. Declining enrollment and this budget crisis will stabilize. We must look to the future with optimism and the confidence that we'll rise out of this wreckage together. Conejo Valley Unified School District, with the support of others, is taking dramatic steps to do just that. Here are a few of the many examples: 1. The school district, the city of Thousand Oaks and Conejo Recreation and Park District staffs are meeting regularly to pursue collaborative ways to reduce costs and maximize the efficient use of revenue. Collaboration in a community survey regarding possible tax measures, joint purchasing to attain volume discounts and coordination of services and operations are a few examples. 2. In the next school year, the district will open three junior kindergarten classes, one in each cluster area, providing this option to parents of young kindergartenage students who wouldn't normally attend. This program is expected to improve ongoing enrollment in our schools. 3. In the fall of 2009, the district will open two magnet schools, a plan that has been in the district's Strategic Plan but placed on hold while the district addressed declining enrollment. A recent survey of our community indicated that two themes for magnet schools are most popular for 2009, environmental science/technology and arts/performing arts. A third for a future year is dual language immersion. In each case, the magnet theme, technology, and the core curriculum will all be embedded with one another. The magnet schools will be second to none, using the most effective researchbased instructional methodology and forging outstanding partnerships with top experts in higher education, business and the community. Grants and capital outlay funds will ensure advanced stateof-the-art facilities that support the magnet themes. Highly skilled teachers passionate about the magnet theme will use the most effective researchbased instructional methods. The magnet schools will provide our students another top quality educational opportunity and improve enrollment in our schools. A presentation on the plans for magnet schools will be made at the May 20 meeting of the Board of Education. 4. A Child Development Center is being planned. It may be located at a vacant elementary school. The center will make the delivery of child development programs more effective and efficient, provide another wonderful service to families and, like the other programs mentioned, help improve enrollment in our schools. The facility is expected to include offices for the center, a junior kindergarten program, a before- and after-school child-care program and a magnet preschool working in partnership with a child development program at one or more of our local universities. These are only a few of the many examples showing how the CVUSD Board of Education, staff, families and community partners fully intend to rise out of our current challenges and build a bright future for the education of our children. Like the "Flight of the Phoenix," together we will create our own story- - a triumph of the human spirit. |
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