February 4, 2019
EDCAL 1
Education California | The official newspaper of the Association of California School Administrators
Volume 49 | Number 16 | February 4, 2019
Making Black History Month part
of the ongoing district culture
February is Black History Month, and
the following article on that topic was writ-
ten by Superintendent Martinrex Kedziora
and Director of Categorical Programs Lisa
Broomfield of Moreno Valley Unified School
District.
Teaching about the importance of Black
History Month in the Moreno Valley
Unified School District is part of an ongo-
ing imperative. We believe that we are
constantly building a culture that naturally
celebrates, honors, and is inquisitive about
the diverse contributions of people from
diverse backgrounds. When February comes
each year, members of the MVUSD com-
munity are poised to seamlessly incorporate
teaching about the contributions of Black
Americans into their lessons. It is evident
that Black students are part of the MVUSD
family, and practices that create a sense of
pride and belonging for these students is a
benefit for all students.
Culture is the most powerful force in
any organization. The policies, practices and
procedures of the organization help deter-
mine the culture; and we have instituted
policies that contribute to all stakeholders
becoming more culturally aware, cultur-
ally sensitive and action-oriented toward
social justice. We have made it a priority to
offer our staff trainings and workshops that
Helping hands
for Paradise
Students at schools in
various locations have been
reaching out to help students
in Paradise affected by the
devastating Camp Fire. Left,
students in Pleasant Grove
High School are helping to
salvage the Paradise High
Winter Ball by providing prom
outfits and a venue in which
to hold it.
Students pitch in to
help Paradise schools
Students at schools statewide have
opened their hearts by donating mate-
rials and efforts to help fellow students
whose lives have been upended by the
devastating recent wildfires.
For example, Pleasant Grove High
School’s student council is raising funds
to host Paradise High School’s Winter
Ball.
The donation period kicked off
during Pleasant Grove High School’s
Kindness Week in December. Prom-
like dresses and outfits for boys were
also collected to provide students with
options to choose from for their Winter
Ball.
Periodicals
Dated Material
In addition, Pleasant Grove HS
will host the 2018-19 Winter Ball for
Paradise HS students at no cost to them.
Pleasant Grove will rent a facility in
Chico and will host a Winter Ball for
Paradise students (originally scheduled
for December 2018) in February. The
cost to host such an event can be up to
$20,000.
Meanwhile, Empire Oaks Elementary
in Folsom Cordova USD held fundrais-
ers to help Paradise Elementary School
acquire replacement school library books
after their school was burned.
Empire Oaks Library Clerk Kiersten
See PARADISE, page 5
enable teachers, counselors, classified staff
and administrators to be more culturally
aware and sensitive.
In January, we invited Joseph F. Johnson,
Jr., the executive director of the National
Center for Urban School Transformation at
San Diego State University, to present to a
group of Moreno Valley USD leaders about
school practices that empower equity and
excellence. Johnson’s model identifies the
three empowering school characteristics as
challenging curricula, effective instruction
and positive transformational culture.
We have also made it a priority to send
our educators on the annual Footsteps to
See CULTURE, page 2
Thurmond
makes more
appointments
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Tony Thurmond announced that he has
appointed Keith Yamanaka as Chief Counsel
for the Legal Division of the California
Department of Education. This division
provides legal advice and representation to
the Superintendent of Public Instruction,
CDE, and State Board of Education.
Yamanaka will both lead the Legal
Division and serve as CDE’s delegate at
the CalSTRS Retirement Board. He has
a diverse background in legal and execu-
tive leadership at a number of state agen-
cies including the California Student Aid
Commission and the former California
Department of Health Services.
“I am excited to have Keith join our
CDE team, where he brings a wealth of
knowledge and expertise,” Thurmond said.
“He is a strong leader and manager and
will help the CDE carry out our official
duties and policy goals to help all students
succeed.”
Yamanaka most recently served as Chief
Deputy Director and Chief Legal Officer
to CSAC, a state department responsi-
ble for distributing $2 billion in student
financial aid statewide and serving over
450,000 low-income students and families
annually, primarily through the Cal Grant
Program. There, he also helped implement
the California Dream Act Application and
the Middle Class Scholarship.
Prior to CSAC, Yamanaka was Chief
Advisor and Acting Chief Deputy at the for-
mer California Department of Corporations,
Negotiators 2020. Mark your
calendars now for the 2020 ACSA
Negotiators Symposium, Jan. 22-24 in
San Diego. The 2019 conference just
successfully concluded last week. This
is one of the premier events for anyone
on a management collective bargaining
team. Be watching www.acsa.org/
negotiatorssymposium for more details
as they emerge.
PACE publications. Policy Anal-
ysis for California Education has two
new publications available. “Special
Education in California Schools: The
Challenges and Solutions from Multiple
Perspectives” identifies needed policy
action to address challenges in serving
students with disabilities that persist
for many school districts. The brief also
highlights the encouraging endeavors
of several public school districts and
charter schools in the area of special
education. “Principals’ Perceptions: Im-
plementing The Local Control Funding
Formula” is the account of principal
survey results and reveals remarkable
consistency with the superintendent
results that were published in June
2018. Both reports support the basic
approach of LCFF and continued enthu-
siasm for local implementation. Both
publications can be downloaded at
https://edpolicyinca.org/publications/.
Sisterhood event. Registration is
open now for ACSA’s Sisterhood Lead-
ership Symposium, which takes place
May 18 in Alhambra. The symposium,
co-sponsored by ACSA, CAAASA and
CALSA, is an inclusive space that
brings together women in the educa-
tion profession, women in leadership
positions, and women leaders seeking
to advance their career for a one-day
event focusing on leadership, diversity,
and empowerment. Session content
addresses relevant topics within the
education field and provides practical
tools and resources to implement at
work right away. For registration and
more information, go to www.acsa.org/
sisterhoodsymposium.
See THURMOND, page 4
Every Child Counts at symposium
The Every Child Counts symposium
is one of ACSA’s premier professional
development events. John Porter, president,
Student Services and Special Education
Council, and Tim Calkins, chair, ECC
Symposium, agree that the 2019 conference
will exceed the criteria set by the council
more than 20 years ago.
“Our goal is to motivate our attendees to
apply real solutions to their program con-
cerns by providing them concrete instruc-
tion and networking connections, equipping
them to make it happen, beginning the
Monday after the symposium,” Porter said.
Keynote speakers Marlee Matlin and
Brad Cohen epitomize the theme for this
year’s event, See Me, Hear Me, Teach Me.
Rather than let their disabilities define who
they are, Matlin and Cohen have chosen to
use their disabilities to set an example for
success, and clearly demonstrate that any-
thing is achievable.
Cohen will be Wednesday’s general ses-
sion speaker. He has Tourette Syndrome
but has overcome his disability by setting
an example as a teacher and currently an
assistant principal in Georgia. Cohen is a
humanitarian and the president of the Brad
Cohen Tourette Foundation, Inc., helping
to raise money to support programs across
the country for kids with this condition. In
addition, he runs a camp during the summer
for children who have Tourette Syndrome.
His efforts have been recognized by an
induction into the Parkway Hall of Fame in
St. Louis. His experiences are the subject of
a 2008 Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie
based on his book, “Front of the Class: How
Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I
Never Had.”
Matlin is Thursday’s luncheon keynote
speaker. You may recognize her from the
See ECC, page 8