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FUSD Community eNewsletter |
Board of Education will place $280 million bond
on November ballot
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The Fresno Unified School District Board of Education took action on June 16 to place a $280 million bond on the Nov. 2 ballot. The bond is designed to upgrade and improve all Fresno Unified schools, support the district’s work preparing career-ready graduates, invest in renovation and repair of schools, continue to upgrade classroom technology and attack the dropout issue through alternative and continuing education facilities.
The new bond would maintain the current authorized tax rate.
The bond would be used to fund priority projects identified in the Facilities Master Plan with:
 $79 million to upgrade and improve elementary schools
$46 million to improve middle schools
$98 million to upgrade all high schools
$12 million for career and technical education facilities
$16 million for school maintenance/repair and technology
$8 million for alternative/continuing education to address the dropout issue
Funds for special education, joint use, site acquisition and supplemental construction costs
The identified bond projects resulted from the work of the Facilities Ad hoc Advisory Committee (FAAC)--community leaders commissioned by the district to plan for the district’s future facilities needs through a Facilities Master Plan. The FAAC spent two years analyzing data on facilities use and condition, enrollment trends and the educational needs of students and the district. The committee held more than 20 public meetings to gather input for the Facilities Master Plan.
Among many other issues, the Facilities Master Plan addresses major facilities issues including:
The lack of clear school feeder patterns throughout the district
Excessive use of portable buildings
Wide variability in school size across the district
Schools not meeting facility condition and educational suitability standards
The limited availability of choice programs and special education in some areas of the district
In November, the FAAC recommended to the Board of Education that it consider a bond to fund priority projects in the Facilities Master Plan. While the plan identifies $940 million in facilities needs, the $280 million bond would address the top-priority projects. Measure K, the last bond measure passed in the district, raised $199 million to fund new school construction and facility improvements. As that source of funds runs out and school building needs remain, the board acted to put the new bond before the voters.
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Fresno Unified seeks input on calendar for 2011-12 and 2012-13
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The Fresno Unified School District is requesting community input for the development of the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 academic calendars. The district carefully considers various factors as it determines the calendars, but the main objectives are to enhance students’ academic achievement and increase student attendance. The deadline to respond is
Friday, July 16.
 To take the survey, click here
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District holds ceremonies for more than 3,000 graduates
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Festive graduation ceremonies were held June 7, 8 and 9 as more than 3,000 seniors graduated, the culmination of much hard work and dedication over the years for students, their families and teachers. Ceremonies were held for the regular and alternative high schools and adult school. In addition, Design Science High School students graduated May 10. Congratulations and best of luck to Fresno Unified’s class of 2010!
See graduation photos
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Burroughs Elementary School opens its playing fields to community |
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An anti-obesity organization, families and district staff have launched a pilot effort at Burroughs Elementary School to provide much-needed exercise and recreation space. On June 1, the district began allowing public use of the Burroughs playground and grassy area after 1 p.m. on weekdays and after 9 a.m. on the weekends. The grounds will be open after 6 p.m. during the traditional school year. On all days, the gate will be locked at dusk. The district worked with neighborhood families and the Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program on plans for keeping the grounds open. If the effort goes smoothly, other schools may remain open for recreational opportunities.
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Fresno Unified, union lead the way
on Race to the Top application
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The Governor’s Office and state education officials turned to the Fresno Unified School District and six other districts to develop a detailed school reform plan as the centerpiece for California’s Race to the Top (RTTT) application. At stake is as much as $700 million in federal stimulus funds for education reform. Fresno Unified was joined in the effort by Long Beach, Los Angeles, Sacramento City, San Francisco, Clovis and Sanger unified school districts. After California was unsuccessful in attracting a grant in Phase I of RTTT, the state pursued a "bottom to top" approach for Phase II, tapping the expertise of Fresno Unified and other leading districts. The state will learn in September whether its application was successful.
The state's application targets critically needed reforms to improve student achievement and more effectively prepare students for success in college or careers. California’s approach is to stimulate long-term efforts by building on the work in Fresno Unified and other key districts. The work team of districts has committed to assist the state in developing and implementing strategies for systemic change locally and statewide that leads to more effective teaching and learning, with a focus on continuous improvement.
In a key development, Fresno Unified and the Fresno Teachers Association (FTA) recently joined in signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) outlining how districts and stakeholders will cooperate in carrying out reforms called for in the RTTT grant, should California’s application succeed. This was a significant, collaborative step for Fresno Unified and FTA, and received statewide attention. The RTTT application, which included MOUs from 102 school districts and 192 charter schools, focused on:
Standards and assessments
Data systems to support instruction, beginning in preschool
Developing great teachers and leaders
Turning around the lowest-achieving schools
View the video of Fresno Unified's press conference on Race to the Top
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FUSD newspaper will be mailed to 140,000 households and businesses |
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"Building Futures," Fresno Unified School District’s newspaper, will be mailed during the week of June 28 to more than 140,000 households and businesses within the district’s boundaries. The publication will highlight district achievements, essential information, students, staff, programs and events.
View Building Futures newspaper
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Tioga students team up to design winning video on computer rules |
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A team of Tioga Middle School students has won Fresno Unified School District’s first AUP Video Contest, a way to educate students on the district’s Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). The policy defines acceptable use of district information technology systems, including software, hardware, network and internet. The Tioga students, led by teacher Ryan Coe, won an Xbox 360 for their winning video. A team from Edison High School, led by teacher Victor Lopez, submitted the second-place video. The Instructional Technology Innovation Team will use segments from both videos to compile a district wide AUP video for all students to learn from.
Watch the winning video
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Edison student-athlete wins Milk Mustache college scholarship |
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Anne Rempel, a senior at Edison High School, was one of only 25 students from around the country to win a Scholar Athlete Milk Mustache of the Year award from the national Milk Mustache Campaign. Rempel, a multi-sport athlete who will attend Stanford University in the fall, was among nearly 41,000 scholars who applied for the award. She will receive a $7,500 scholarship, a trip to Disney World and a chance to star in a milk mustache ad.
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Two students at Malloch Elementary place in philosophy contest |
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Malloch Elementary School is proud of two young philosophers who were recently selected as prize winners in a national competition that asked students to examine "Is the Pen Mightier Than the Sword?" through essays, poetry, music and art work. Third-grader Tommy Slatic placed third and second-grader Alexander Gutierrez placed fourth for their essays in the 2010 Kids Philosophy Slam. They were selected from among more than 6,000 entries. Malloch’s on-site GATE program, Project Challenge, participated in the contest in February.
View the website for more information
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