It has ARRIVED!!

After spending several months in development, our new webpage is up and operational. In the crossover process there will surely be some "catch ups" that will need to occur -- but overall, we hope that you will have a much improved experience with this format. I am sure that there will be more added as we move forward but this is step ONE. Additionally, we hope that this format assists with navigation on the page. I appreciate the efforts and dedication of the NIS staff in delivering this new communication tool within the established timelines.

On a related note, several of you have indicated that you like the blog -- BUT I am not keeping enough postings coming. I understand, but at this time, my commitment is to basically post 3 times per week (minimum). I will try to exceed that as time and news permits. We are sincerely attempting to improve our communication in a variety of forums -- at the same time we are reducing resources. For me, my blogging is not yet a mature process and I will get better with time. In the interim, I hope you will bear with my learning curve.

Best regards,
Rick

Broadway

Great to attend the preview at City Hall of the coming Fox Theatre opening and inaugural season. The theatre upgrade offers a dramatic addition to the arts opportunities in the Riverside community. The "Broadway" portion of the offerings starting in January will be offered by the Nederlander Corp. and its specific website for Riverside. The inaugural show is Annie which will run from February 2 through 7, 2010. This new venue will provide a multitude of new opportunities for our students in RUSD.

California Distinguished School

It was a tremendous pleasure to accompany our Board members to Anaheim for the honoring of Martin Luther King HS and its community in the California Distinguished School recognition. As Superintendent of Public Instruction stated, "the criteria for Distinguished School" is even higher than in previous years. Board President Kathy Allavie and Principal Dan Brooks accepted the award from SPI Jack O'Connell. Dan was accompanied by a small group of his teaching and administrative staff. Congratulations to all at King HS.

Teacher of the Year for Riverside County

Congratulations to Chemawa Middle School teacher Amber Carrow, who has been named one of three Riverside County Teachers of the Year! Amber now is in the running to be named a California State Teacher of the Year! I am so proud to count outstanding educators such as Amber as part of the RUSD family and Riverside community. You can read more about Amber and the other two Riverside County Teachers of the Year by visiting the RUSD Newsroom.

Amber has been a member of the Chemawa Middle School staff for the past six years. She is known for developing exciting lessons for her seventh-grade world history students that are sprinkled with information from her world travels. Those include a recent trip to Nova Scotia as an Earthwatch fellow. She also models the importance of community service as the Cesar Chavez Service Learning Club advisor. Amber is passionate about her job and stays focused on doing the very best for her students, every day. In this difficult time of budget woes, it is refreshing to know that we have many staff members like Amber who know what their mission is and seek to fulfill it every day.

What is the definition of insanity?

We have an interesting – though arguably insane – system. The state continues to be in horrible budgetary shape. The most recent word from my Sacramento sources is that the newest “mid-year” shortfall (coming in July) will be $29 Billion – not the $21 Billion predicted 1 week ago. Additionally, by all predictions the state will again be totally out of “cash” and unable to pay its bills in July.

So here is the insane part – what is the state solution? The state that can’t balance its budget or seemingly project its position on any of this – is intending to “take” money from city and county governments (thankfully school districts are not currently in this plan) to fill its coffers. So the state that can’t balance its budget – takes money from those that can and do have balanced budgets and long-range planning. It seems that we will have an “entertaining” summer.

Korean Guest Educators

It is great to have our Korean guest educators visiting with us today in Riverside. They are here to observe our classrooms in Riverside and Moreno Valley. While they are here to learn from us – I am sure that we will be learning from them as well. The world as we know it has changed and we are all in this together – our educational borders don’t stop at the California-Nevada Stateline or even the borders of the U.S. This visit is a great opportunity for our staff and students, just as it was a great opportunity for our North HS students to visit and perform in China.

Memorial Day

I hope that everyone takes the time to be thankful for the contributions of our veterans -- both past and present. With Memorial Day and other related holidays, it is sometimes more about the holiday than about remembering those who have served admirably on our behalf and that of our country. I hope that we all take time in the next few days to thank and honor those who have or are serving our country.

More Value-ADDED

Another great evening. This time we had the Riverside MASTERWORKS Concert which is a combination of the choral groups from all 5 of our comprehensive high schools. Each school (i.e., Arlington, King, North, Poly, and Ramona) began with an individual section which was appreciated by the other schools in the Ramona Auditorium. The evening ended with a combined group of ALL choirs performing Mozart's Coronation Mass. Where else will you find this kind of instruction and cooperation between competitive high schools? Bottomline, a great performance and soothing therapy for a superintendent's soul.

Smack Down?

So here I am in the dark – at Arlington HS – looking at the future of Hollywood. The little known Media and Arts Academy that resides on the Arlington campus has its annual “Smack Down.” Curious title, but it is essentially the Academy Awards for the various media and digital arts student work from the year. True to its Academy Awards theme, we have MCs, musical entries for the various stars, and acceptance speeches. GREAT performance and another great example of the value-added work that goes on in this District. I believe you will find FEW other opportunities like this in California, much less the U.S. Great job Arlington!!

After Failed Propositions -- Now What?

The election is over and the people of California – not surprisingly – have indicated that they don’t want to pay any more in taxes. The impacts on RUSD are yet to be determined as it is still up to the governor and legislature to provide a “balanced” budget for 2009-10. Overall, I still believe that we will be fine in RUSD (though not happy with the addition cuts and reductions) as we have GREAT people that are committed to our students and community – AND – we have a real TEAM in the District that will work together for the benefit of all.

I would continue to encourage you continue to contact our local legislators who are the only ones who have control over this situation.

School Closure

I wanted you to be aware that Monroe Elementary School will be closed today, Monday, May 18, due to a police investigation into a death that occurred on the campus over the weekend. No students or staff members were involved. All Monroe parents were notified early Monday morning that school would be closed pending the investigation. School will resume on Tuesday, May 19.

Improving Budget News?

While this continues to be a work in progress -- the latest financial projections from our Business Division would indicate at least the possibility that federal stimulus funds and the governor's May Revise may cancel each other out. While that would not bring back employees, programs, etc. -- it would not require additional reductions, etc. to meet the budget for the coming year. The proposals and "clarifications" continue to come via Sacramento. All of this is PRIOR to the legislature discussing and determining what they will do to balance the existing budget shortfalls. Further, this is before the May 19th election that will also have impact on this entire scenario. Nonetheless, this is optimistic news and worthy of being shared.

Federal Stimulus??

Questions continue to abound regarding the federal stimulus package and its impact on our operations. While the intent of the federal stimulus is increasingly clear, the state response to all of that – including how it will impact us – remains to be seen. While we are theoretically receiving more money from the federal government to mitigate the current financial impacts on our District and the proposed layoffs, we still do not know how much will the state take-away from us. Stated another way: The federal stimulus provides money to mitigate layoffs – meanwhile the state makes “mid-year” reductions that take more money away; along with those reductions comes the potential for creating additional layoffs.

To add complication to the issue we do NOT have a stable, reliable answer from the State of California. Three months ago, we had one answer and have planned our budget accordingly. A week ago, we had another answer. Tuesday we were in Sacramento and gathered more new information. On Thursday, we all received the “May Revise” and got another answer. Friday, we got clarification and received another answer. The election is Tuesday and the governor has indicated that he will propose various solutions based on the outcome. This is all BEFORE the legislature engages the question and comes to a mutual solution between the governor and legislature. Meanwhile, our colleagues are caught in the balance.

I implore you to call, write, and communicate regularly with our local and state legislative representatives regarding this issue. NO one in Riverside has contributed to this situation or desires in any way to take the actions that have been taken.

AVID Students Excel Again

Thursday night it was my great pleasure to see the 2009 AVID graduates from Riverside County – all 1,500 of them. Our 5 comprehensive high schools were there in their full regalia – including their multi-colored AVID graduation sashes. As I looked across the county representation of AVID I noticed that our RUSD schools had the largest numbers of students and participants in the program. Ramona HS had the unique honor of having over 100 AVID students (104 to be exact) graduate – which is a first, both locally and nationally.

There was major excitement in the UCR gym crowded “to capacity” with many of our students, parents, and staff. While students showed their school colors and spoke with pride of their particular high schools – they were mutually supportive of their individual and collective achievements. Maria Gallegos of Ramona HS provided an inspiring rendition of “Hero” to her AVID colleagues.

As you probably know, these are students who are typically the first in their families to attend college/university. In addition to a tremendous event/evening, one cannot help but think of the incredible economic impact and development that comes to a community with this type of program and performance. Super job by all of our AVID students and staff!!

The Governor Has Spoken!!

The governor of California announced his "May Revise" on Thursday. This document and announcement are significant because they set the agenda for the legislative discussion of the mid-year budget reductions that will be coming. As you look at the “revise” you will see that there are actually 2 budgets that allow citizens to see the issues outlined in the May 19th propositions. You can see the May Revise at the governor's website.

So this tragic saga continues!! As you may recall, at the end of September, the governor signed the budget for this 08-09 year (after we had adopted our budget in June). Within 30 days, the governor determined that the budget was no longer functional and initiated a series of emergency sessions. Those sessions concluded in February with a second budget for the same year (and a budget for this coming year – 2009-10). Now we have both a budget for 08-09 – for the 3rd time – and a proposal of the “first” mid-year revision of 09-10 budget year (which has not yet begun). Additionally, we now have the “promise” of further revisions based on the outcome of the May 19th election.

Planning and being financially responsible to our staff and community is extraordinarily challenging in this environment. Please vote your conscience on May 19th and continue to contact our local legislators who are the only ones who have control over this situation.

GREAT staff members!!

This is the time of the year when we pause to recognize and thank all of our hard-working employees: This Wednesday was California Day of the Teacher and next week is Classified School Employees Week. I am especially grateful for the hard-working staff here at RUSD. This district is lucky enough to have the best of the best working at every level of our organization. I saw an example of that on Thursday night as we congratulated more than 190 employees for their many years of service to this District. While we are all faced with horrible budget issues and our colleagues being effected by RIF notices and devastation to their livelihoods, our staff continues to bravely serve our students. We continue to look for all options to resolve these issues while recognizing that we need to remain financially solvent. You may also take a look at the story on the RUSD Newsroom page about Adams Elementary School Kitchen Operator Beatrix Littler, who recently won the Heart of the Program Award from the California Nutrition Association. She is just one example of the incredible dedication our employees have for our students.

So What Happened in Sacramento?

As reported, yesterday we spent the day in Sacramento – which was most interesting. Our Riverside County contingent met with staff from the Governor’s office, the Department of Finance, Speaker Bass, and Senator Steinberg’s office. News of note from the sessions was that there will be publication of the Governor’s May Revise beginning on Thursday of this week (much ahead of the timelines we were provided). That publication should provide us with a clear idea of the road ahead. While open to suggestions, it seemed all concurred that the problem is now much larger than anticipated and as one person said, “The problem is so big – nothing is off the table.” Additionally, there is a common opinion that under the current circumstances that there will again be a large problem with “cash” in July, and therefore the state will not be able to “pay its bills” unless they make some changes. Overall, it seemed that we made progress in providing new ways of thinking about the budget – from a public education perspective – and our approach was somewhat “atypical” in that we were looking at the long-view.

All the best,
Rick

Whats happening Today (Tuesday) and Thursday

For your information, Glen Thomas, the current Secretary of Education under Governor Schwarzenegger will be in Riverside on Thursday. He will begin with the monthly Good Morning Riverside (Chamber Breakfast) at the Mission Inn and then follow-up with a smaller discussion with education-specific leaders to understand the interests and issues of Riverside. The Good Morning Riverside is an open event and tickets can be obtained through the Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Thomas was recently appointed to replace Dave Long, former RCOE Superintendent. Glen has had a long career in education and we hope that he can appreciate our issues and effectively communicate them to the Governor. I would also encourage you to continue to communicate YOUR thoughts and concerns to the Governor along with our local Legislators.


Today, Mike Fine, Deputy Superintendent for Business Services and Governmental Relations, and I are in Sacramento along with several other superintendents in the county. Our purpose is to meet (at their request) with the staff of the Governor and key legislators regarding the needs and shape of the obvious “mid-year” budget reduction. The “mid-year” reduction will occur regardless of the passage/non-passage of the May 19th propositions – the only question is the SIZE of the reduction. Our interest and concern, is the “form” that the reduction takes as it is legislated back to school districts and schools. We hope that our input will be helpful in the state discussion and the impacts on Riverside Unified School District.

Best regards,
Rick

Welcome

Welcome to my new blog. We are undergoing this experiment in communication, as we constantly seek new and more effective ways to let people know what is happening in our District. In this blog spot I will provide my personal reflections and reactions to issues that are occurring in the District and in education in general. Sometimes these comments will be spontaneous in nature, given certain circumstances and events, at other times the comments will be more methodical and reflective. There will be opportunity for YOU to provide comments and feedback. You might also wish to checkout and bookmark our on-going news briefs at the RUSD Newsroom. I hope that this forum is helpful and informative.
Best regards,
Rick