EdCal EdCal v49.22 3/25/19 | Page 2

2 EDCAL March 25, 2019 Darling-Hammond sworn in by Thurmond, elected president of State Board of Education Linda Darling-Hammond, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s choice to lead the California State Board of Education, was sworn into office recently by Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, who serves as the Board’s Executive Secretary. “Linda Darling-Hammond is one of the most respected education leaders in the na- tion, and we are so fortunate that she calls California home,” Thurmond said. “Her ap- pointment to the State Board of Education shows the caliber of focus the governor has on raising the stakes in public education in California. We have work to do, and with Linda Darling-Hammond at the helm, I am confident that we will move the needle forward to work toward improving the public education system in an equitable way for all of our six million students.” Darling-Hammond is one of the na- tion’s leading scholars on education policy and practice. Immediately following her swearing in, Darling-Hammond was elect- ed Board President by fellow members. She succeeds former Board President Michael Kirst, Gov. Jerry Brown’s longtime policy advisor, who declined to seek reappoint- ment. Veteran educator Ilene Straus was re-elected vice president. Darling-Hammond is president of the Learning Policy Institute, a premier non- partisan research organization based in Palo Alto that works to advance evidence-based policies that support empowering and equi- table learning for each and every child. She is Stanford University’s Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education Emeritus. At Stanford, she founded the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education and served as faculty sponsor for the Stanford Teacher Education Program, which she helped to redesign. Until her ap- pointment to the State Board of Education, Darling-Hammond chaired the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, and she is credited with raising the efficiency and effectiveness of the agency during her tenure. “As California enters this new era under a new governor, we are at a significant juncture in education,” Darling-Hammond said. “The state has made substantial prog- ress in recent years and has a considerable distance still to travel to provide equitable and empowering education for all of its children. I look forward to working with Gov. Newsom, the Board, and our many partners to ensure that all California stu- dents have access to high-quality learning opportunities from their earliest years and can graduate ready for college, career and citizenship.” The author of more than 600 articles and books on education, Darling-Ham- mond consistently ranks number one or number two in Education Week’s annual survey of the most influential scholars in the national education policy arena. In 2008, she led President Barack Obama’s education policy transition team. She is founding director of the National Com- mission on Teaching and America’s Future, whose 1996 report, “What Matters Most: Teaching for America’s Future,” was named among the most influential education reports of that decade Deadlines in the business office demand focus The following is authored by Sheldon Smith, CBO, assistant superintendent, Busi- ness Services at the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education.  Walking into a school district busi- ness office catches many people off guard not because of the office cubicles, but rather how quiet the district business office sounds. Unlike other school dis- trict operations such as maintenance and operations, transportation, school site office, playground or classroom, the district business office can be quieter than a law library, which feels completely antithetical to typical school site noises. The quietness found in the district business office is not by design, but rather is because every staff member has a deadline staring them in the face. Almost everyone who remembers their time as students in the school system knows the ebb and flow that comes with a traditional school calendar. After a relaxing summer, there is anticipation for the first day of school. Once school has started, there is the drive to Thanksgiving and a winter break holiday roller coaster that quickly turns into the drive to spring break, testing season and anticipation for the last day of school.  The school district business office has a similar ebb and flow, but it’s much faster and more compressed. What makes the district business office calendar different from other academic/ education calendars is that it is year-round, and the deadlines are set in statute. Every Jan. 15, the governor proposes a new budget; every March 15, a second inter- im budget report is due to the board and the COE; every June 30 the LCAP and new budget require approval. These are just some of the winter/spring deadlines. Continuing into summer, Aug. 15 sees the deadline for a district to com- plete the unaudited actuals report to the board and to the COE. Fall quarter comprises the statutorily required district audit, and the development of the first interim budget report Smith to the board and the COE by Dec. 15. If this sounds like an endless hamster wheel of deadlines, well, it is. In addition to the budget deadlines, other business layers essential to the function of school districts superimpose themselves into the cycle. Each month, two payroll deadlines, 30-day accounts payable payments, monthly Affordable Care Act monitoring requirements, and purchasing/ procurement requests for items to serve our students demand immediate, non-nego- tiable attention. Because the deadlines are real, bolstered by statute, with not much time between them, staff in the business office often exhibit a quiet focus. Without focus, employees are not paid, bills go into collection, and students are not served.  The next time you visit a school dis- trict business office and you notice that doors are closed, or no one looks up from their desk, it is not because staff is antiso- cial. There is a looming deadline driving office activity. To paraphrase Rick Riordan, author of The Lightning Thief, deadlines are not real until you’re staring one in the face. For staff members in a school district business office, there is always a deadline staring at someone. Guidance on administration of school discipline withdrawn The following article was written by Lozano Smith Partner Sloan Simmons and Associate Marisa Montenegro. The United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and Department of Justice (DOJ) have withdrawn their 2014 joint Dear Col- league Letter (DCL) on Nondiscrimina- tory Administration of School Discipline, which provided recommendations and guidance on remediating disproportionate student discipline of minority and disabled students. The stated justification for the agencies’ reversal is that implementation of the 2014 DCL resulted in schools easing up on punishment for student misconduct and contributed to rising violence in the nation’s schools. Background: 2014 DCL In 2014, under the Obama administra- tion, the non-binding discipline guidance DCL was published pursuant to the OCR’s responsibilities for implementing Title 6 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the DOJ’s responsibilities for implementing Title 4 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, respec- tively. The stated goal of the 2014 DCL was to break or slow the cycle known as the school-to-prison pipeline by prodding schools to reduce the number of suspen- sions and expulsions, especially for students of color and students with disabilities, which data show are disciplined at dispro- portionately high rates. The 2014 DCL set forth guidelines for measuring dispro- portionality in the discipline of minority students and students with disabilities, and recommended practices for reducing or eliminating such disproportionality. The 2014 DCL also included instructions on how to “reduce disruption” without dis- See GUIDANCE, page 3 Education California | The official newspaper of the Association of California School Administrators EdCal® (USPS 684-390, ISSN 0740-0357) is published Weekly, except for the following dates in 2018-19: 7/2, 7/9, 7/23, 8/6, 8/20, 9/10, 9/24, 10/15, 10/29, 11/12, 11/26, 12/10, 12/17, 12/24, 12/31, 1/7, 2/18, 4/8, 5/13, and 6/3, by the Association of California School Administrators, 1575 Bayshore Highway, Burlingame, CA 94010. Periodical postage paid at Bur lingame, CA 94010 and additional offices. Subscription price: $90 value to members; offered to non- members on a qualifying basis. For further information, contact the membership depart- ment at [phone]. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to EdCal, c/o ACSA, 1575 Bayshore Highway, Burlingame, CA 94010. EdCal keeps ACSA members informed of association activities, efforts on their behalf and issues pertinent to education and educa- tion administration. Ad vertising or the mention of products, services or programs in EdCal does not imply endorsement by ACSA. ACSA is affiliated with the National Asso- ciation of School Superintendents, Nation al Association of Secondary School Principals, National Association of Elem entary School Principals, American Associa tion of School Person nel Admin istrators, California Associa- tion of Latino Superintendents and Adminis- trators, Ca lifornia Associa tion of Education Office Pro fes sionals and the American Associa- tion for Adult and Continuing Education. ACSA Executive Director Wesley Smith Senior Director of Communications/PIO Naj Alikhan Chief Operations Officer Scarlett Vanyi; Senior Director of Member Services Margarita Cuizon; Chief Marketing Officer Tatia Davenport; Senior Director of Educational Services Margaret Arthofer; Senior Directors of Governmental Relations Edgar Zazueta and Adonai Mack; Senior Director of Information Technology Tony Baldwin; Senior Director of Equity and Diversity Marguerite Williams; Senior Director of Financial Services Erin Grogan This series introduces ACSA staff to members. These are the people working tirelessly for you each and every day. EdCal Editor Cary Rodda Advertising/Website Coordinator Emily Agpoon Content Specialists Michael Kelly, Darcy Totten and Michelle Carl Who: Lloyd Wamhoff ACSA CareerConnect Coordinator Tracy Olmedo ACSA Board of Directors President Holly Edds President-elect Linda Kaminski Vice President Ron Williams VP for Legislative Action Terri Rufert Past President Lisa Gonzales Members: Charlie Hoffman, Christine McCormick, Daniel Hernandez, Tim Gill, Jay Spaulding, Parvin Ahmadi, Denise Wickham, Juan Cruz, Ana Boyenga, Barbara Martinez, Blanca Cavazos, Ted Alejandre, Editorial Offices: 1029 J St., Suite 500, Craig Helmstedter, Victor Thompson, Sue Kaiser, Sacramento, CA 95814; [phone] Angel Barrett, Rafael Plascencia, Joe Austin, Mike • Job ads: e-mail [email protected] McCormick, Linda Hutcherson, Lisa Ketchum, Daryl • News: e-mail [email protected] Camp, Derrick Chau Burlingame, [phone] • Sacramento, [phone] • Ontario, [phone] • toll-free (800) 608-ACSA Job: Member Assistance Advocate Lloyd provides direct advocacy to members regarding professional, ethical and legal matters. Hobbies: Lloyd enjoys collecting antiques and visiting his cabin at Shaver Lake with family and friends. ACSA. We work for you.