– Maria Villegas
Tuck picks up lawmaker , school leader campaign endorsements
In addition to his ACSA nod , Marshall Tuck is picking up key endorsements in the race for superintendent of public instruction from Bay Area and statewide lawmakers .
Assemblywoman Shirley Weber , representing California ’ s 79th District , called Tuck “ the most qualified candidate for state superintendent .” She added , “ He ’ s the only candidate who will bring the change we need to improve public schools .”
“ Marshall has seen firsthand how Sacramento has failed too many of our students , and , like me , he refuses to settle for mediocrity or failure ,” Weber said . “ Marshall knows how to turn around underperforming schools because he ’ s done it before .”
Weber is a leading figure on public education . She is professor emerita of Africana Studies at San Diego State University and served as president of the National Council for Black Studies from 2002 to 2006 .
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo announced his support this month , stating : “ Marshall knows what it takes to bring our schools into the 21st century . Silicon Valley is the innovation capital of the world , and with my goal of making San Jose America ’ s ‘ smartest city ’ by 2020 , I understand how
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budget asks , which make up the CLBC ’ s 2018 legislative package .
Budget priorities
• AB 2635 , Weber : education finance : Local Control Funding Formula : supplemental grants : lowest performing pupil subgroup or subgroups .
• California African American Museum – $ 6.45 million , one-time funding and $ 325,000 ongoing .
Legislative priorities
• AB 2635 , Weber : education finance : LCFF : supplemental grants : lowest performing pupil subgroup or subgroups .
• AB 2918 , Holden : vehicles : Driver ’ s Handbook .
• Senate Bill 982 , Mitchell : Cal- WORKS Grants .
Endorsed bills
• AB 2289 , Weber : pupil rights : pregnant and parenting pupils .
• AB 2550 , Weber : CA Dignity Act .
• AB 1940 , McCarty : parole : reintegration credits . important it is to prepare students for the new world we ’ re building .
“ Marshall has a track record when it comes to supporting and improving public schools . He ’ s not afraid to stand up to the status quo , and demand and deliver better for our kids .”
Endorsements have additionally been picked up from former U . S . Congressman and chair of the House Education and Labor Committee George Miller ; state Senators Scott Wiener and Steve Glazer , along with State Assemblymembers Blanca Rubio and Marc Berman ; former SPI Bill Honig ; and Arne Duncan , secretary of the U . S . Department of Education under former President Barack Obama .
Individual endorsements also include Monica Garcia , Los Angeles USD School Board president ; Ellen Moir , founder and CEO of the New Teacher Center ; and state district and county superintendents Tim Bowers , Kings County ; Greg Franklin , Tustin USD ; Beth Polito , Woodside ESD ; Curt Dubost , San Miguel JUSD ; Christopher Cerf , Newark Public Schools ; and the retired Dennis Byas , San Lorenzo USD .
Tuck earned ACSA ’ s endorsement in January after determining his vision for
• AB 1488 , Thurmond : County Juvenile Transition Centers .
• AB 1916 , Cooper : civil service : Personnel Classification Plan : salary equalization .
• AB 3046 , Gipson : foster care : rights .
• AB 3115 , Gipson : prisoners : civic education .
• AB 1892 , Jones-Sawyer : CalFresh .
• AB 3039 , Holden : occupational licensing for the previously incarcerated .
• AB 2747 , Holden : college athlete protection .
• AB 2444 , Burke : pupil health : eye and vision health .
• Assembly Concurrent Resolution 177 , Jones-Sawyer : intergenerational trauma : epigenetics .
• SB 439 , Mitchell : jurisdiction of juvenile court .
“ Our legislative priorities reinforce our belief that helping Blacks in California will undoubtedly end up helping all Californians ,” said Assemblywoman Weber , first vice-chair of the caucus . “ CLBC is committed to shaping our state ’ s public policy agenda for the betterment of everyone in our communities across the state .”
Early in March , the CLBC hosted an informational briefing on “ The State of Black California – 10 Years Later ” to
California schools is consistent with the association ’ s commitment to putting the interests of students first . To earn the endorsement , Tuck went through an extensive vetting process , which included local and statewide meetings with ACSA members , as well as a formal interview process . ACSA ’ s endorsement of Marshall Tuck was approved by ACSA ’ s 28-member Board of Directors .
Tuck was the founding CEO of the nonprofit Partnership for Los Angeles Schools , a collaboration between Los Angeles city government and L . A . Unified School District to advance nearly 20 struggling schools serving 15,000 students . Under Tuck ’ s leadership , the partnership raised four-year graduation rates by more than 60 percent and had the highest academic improvement among California ’ s school systems with more than 10,000 students .
SPI is a nonpartisan race . A primary election is scheduled for June 5 . The top two candidates will runoff in the general election Nov . 6 . Other candidates include Assemblyman Tony Thurmond and educator Lily Ploski . Also reportedly on the qualified list is Steven Ireland .
explore how far African Americans have come since the report was commissioned in 2008 , and to dive into the work that still needs to be accomplished .
The upshot is that there is still much work to be done to achieve equity on the healthcare , education , voter engagement and economic fronts . Among the discussion points cited by the CLBC were :
• Black Californians earn less and are underperforming compared to other ethnic groups .
• Students are missing out . There has to be a way to make sure Black students are aware of resources available to them .
• Since the passage of fair housing laws , there was an increase in homeownership that has been erased over the last 12 years .
• There exists a “ Black tax ,” where Blacks pay a premium for services and experience accumulative stress .
• Lending to African Americans for small businesses has fallen by 75 percent and continues to decline .
Holden said : “ The CLBC ’ s mission is to make strides towards implementing strategies and solutions that strengthen our African American community and bring about greater opportunities – especially as it pertains to the issues we are discussing at the Capitol .”
Santa Clara County Superintendent Mary Ann Dewan , left , and Meredith Brown of Atkinson , Andelson , Loya , Ruud & Romo , right , deliver honors to Metropolitan Education District Superintendent Alyssa Lynch .
MetroEd supt . honored
ACSA Region 8 and its board members announced that Alyssa Lynch , superintendent of Metropolitan Education District in San Jose , has been named the region ’ s 2018 Superintendent of the Year . The award recognizes the significant contributions of superintendents across the region .
“ We are proud of this regional honor to Alyssa for her visionary approach to career technical education and adult education ,” said Teresa Castellanos , the district ’ s Governing Board president and board member of San Jose Unified School District . “ Alyssa continues to promote our mission that ensures all of our students thrive in college and career opportunities , paying dividends into our community .”
Lynch began serving Metropolitan Education District in 2013 as the superintendent to more than 3,500 high school and adult students . Recently , she testified in Sacramento before the Assembly Education Select Committee for dedicated , direct , ongoing funding for Career Technical Education through California Assembly Bill 1743 .
Under her leadership , the district has opened several new cutting-edge programs , such as Cybersecurity , Mobile Applications and Computer Coding , and Pharmacy Technician . In October 2017 , the district ’ s high school program , Silicon Valley Career Technical Education , celebrated its 100-year centennial history in San Jose .
High school students at the district receive unique internship opportunities that prepare them for a successful career . Adult students at the district have benefited at Silicon Valley Adult Education with entry-level and advanced courses in health , technology , and careers in the trades . ACSA Region 8 consists of Santa Clara County , at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area . It is made up of nearly 400 schools and more than 30 school districts , the largest of which is San Jose Unified School District . In all , it serves about 262,000 students .
April July 14 23 , 2018 2014 EDCAL 3
In many educational institutions , “ resilience ” is the buzzword , the solution to responding to the overwhelming social emotional needs at the forefront of schools and district LCAP plans . However , let us acknowledge that the work of building resilience in our students is not quick , but is a multifaceted and very comprehensive process that takes time .
It begins in building educational systems that operate from a social emotional framework that intentionally responds to student experiences through building trauma informed communities ; a need that must be addressed if creating equity and access are at the heart of our work .
Over the last year , I have had the opportunity to support these efforts in my district , the Anaheim Elementary School District . Our goal is to first understand the students we are serving , before “ fixing ” them , recognizing that building resilience is a collaborative effort amongst school staff . In Fall 2017 , more than 3,000 certificated and classified school employees came together on the same day to share in a communal experience , viewing the film “ Resilience .” Resilience is a onehour documentary that delves into the science of Adverse Childhood Experiences ( ACE ). The goal is to treat and prevent Toxic Stress . The ACE Study confirms , with scientific evidence , that adversity early in life increases physical , mental and behavioral problems throughout one ’ s life .
As a district , we saw this as call to action to ensure we systemically have the multi-tiered systems of academic and behavior supports that our students need . The “ Resilience ” film provided awareness and an introduction to being trauma informed . It forced us all to see and recognize the implications it has for our district , especially when serving a group of students where 78 percent qualify for free and reduced-priced meals . The message was undeniable – students ’ childhood experiences directly impact their learning behavior . Therefore , using a trauma-informed lens to change our approach and / or response to students , with the intent of not retraumatizing children , will lead to more equitable access to instruction , support and services . If we want to build genuine equitable opportunities for our students , then we need to be willing to understand the narrative that our students and families bring with them into the school house walls .
It can be challenging at times to lead this charge and have others share this perspective . Since I left my principalship and now serve all schools as the Director of Curriculum , the message of providing equitable access to rigorous learning expectations rings louder than ever .
However , the charge of creating access to these expectations will fall short if we don ’ t know the community we are serving , what assets they come with , what experiences they have had and how best to make the learning relevant .
Changing our perspective on how we serve our communities must start with reframing what we believe of the community and how we perceive our role as change agents .
– Maria Villegas