Hundreds of parents, teachers, and advocatespacked a hearingin late March at the state capitol on school funding. To measure how we are doing in elementary reading, we use three different learning assessment tools, or tests, that help us know where students are at, and what kind of instruction they need to succeed. Engage via Email. 9000 Gateway Campus Boulevard Kansas' funding formula has been under legal scrutiny for several years, and the state's supreme court last year demanded that the state increase the amount of money it provides to schools or risk having the entire funding formula deemed unconstitutional, forcing the state's schools to shut down. Still others learned camping and hunting and fishing skills, spending a week at fish camp on the Yukon River, where they learned camp skills, net repair and food preparation. We dont have a national teacher labor market, we have 50 different labor markets, said Daniel Goldhaber, the director of the Center for Education Data and Research at the University of Washington. In the Alaska Gateway School District Strategic Plan, we have 6 over-arching Focus Areas along with the following belief statements that guides our district. Human resources include 586 highly qualified staff members and 3,336 amazing students. AGSD has also been using a formative reading assessment from an intervention program called Lexia, that is both an assessment and a diagnostic program. Without support like this, the job of educating our students becomes very difficultthank you for welcoming teachers to your community, for being willing to share your expertise with our students, and in general, for making the school district a wonderful place to live and work and learn. The evaluation system was approved by DEED, and we are in our first full year of implementation. And wherever I've been, I've been able to achieve success with the help of just phenomenal educators. Welcome to Gateway. Decrease Dropout Rate: Not only did we continue the improvement trend that we have been on, but we more than met this goal. It is simple and hard, at the same time, but the result will be important for the rest of their lives. As Im sure you are aware, if the terms of an employment contract conflict with state or federal law, the contract may become null and void in its entirety. The board voted 3-2 at the Jan. 18 to pray before the meeting, with Wallace and Lewis voting against the proposal. (opens in new window), Follow us on Twitter! Before the state's legislative session ended March 28, lawmakers pledged to tackle approving a new funding formula during next year's legislative session. Gateway School District isproud to be an Equal Opportunity and Workplace Employer that does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, national origin, disability or genetic information. Superintendent Jim Harrell is on temporary. Teachers and aides work with students to target the specific reading issues that showed up in their assessments, like practicing fluency or short-consonants sounds. And Burnt Ranch Elementary School District in Trinity County terminated Caples' contractwithout cause in January 2022, according to interviews and documents. Caples, whose credentials to work as an administrator in California had been suspended earlier this year, ran unsuccessfully for Shasta County Superintendent of Schools in 2022. This comes after almost five months. Grenoble, the Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes, France Lat Long Coordinates Info. At the same meeting, the board voted an "unconditional commitment to cease, desist from and not repeat alleged violations" of the open meeting law, known as the Brown Act. Hensons email was sent a day before the board was set to meet and discuss hiring a new superintendent. Districts had long complained that the state's existing formula doesn't distribute money to the districts most in need of state aid and that it unfairly punishes districts that have a significant number of students who transfer to charter schools. The Board follows the guidelines and regulations set forth by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Pennsylvania School Code of 1949, as amended, in addition to other Federal, State, and Local laws and mandates. Westphal said she was surprised to learn there was a signed contract. This site provides information using PDF, visit this link to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader DC software. Still, Elaine Weiss, a co-author of the EPI report and the former national coordinator for the Broader Bolder Approach to Education campaign, noted that schools across the country have reported difficulties hiring teachers. Caples also ran unsuccessfully for Shasta County Superintendent of Schools, but lost to incumbent Judy Flores. Democratic Gov. Community members have complained during trustee meetings that they have not been told why Harrell was fired. Steve Henson has served as the district's interim superintendent since the board fired Jim Harrell in December. Teachers and aides work with students to target the specific reading issues that showed up in their assessments, like practicing fluency or short-consonants sounds. This year AGSD was very excited to receive the School District Collaboration award from the Alaska HeadStart Association for our work with the Tanana Chiefs Conference supporting early education and preschool. The following survey is intended to gather input regarding desired qualities in potential candidates. On Jan. 4, the board voted to have Lindsi Haynes take charge of recruiting a new superintendent. The issues surrounding the board has some teachers and school staff looking for work at other school districts, Henson said in an email he sent to trustees on Jan. 4. Everyone at AGSD wishes our students and their parents a great summer, and we hope that everyone is able to check out the Gateway After-school Program camp this June! By Paul J. Gough. The study, published by the union-backed think tank Economic Policy Institute, argues that when indicators of teacher quality are consideredlike experience, certification, and trainingthe teacher shortage is even more acute than previously estimated. Before the meeting, many in the Gateway school district community speculated the board intended to hire Caples, whose credentials were suspended Jan. 15. And about 73 percent of teachers who work in low-poverty schools have an educational background in the subject they teach, compared to 66 percent of teachers in high-poverty schools. Laura Kelly April 6signed a billthat would provide $90 million for each of the next three years to the state's public schools. There were parents and community members, employers and university people, and teachers and school administrators who were all asked the big question, What is our vision for the future of Alaskas youth?. This new schedule creates longer blocks of time for students to be able to really dig into the topic at hand, such as Art or Mathematics or Welding or Subsistence skills, and does not change the total amount of learning time that students get. This fall two of our schools made incredible gainsTanacross and Northway. Clifford also resigned from the board after it was revealed that without approval from the rest of the board, she signed a contract to hire Bryan Caples of Redding as superintendent. As we come to the close of this year, it seems appropriate to look back and take stock of some of the major changes that have taken place that improve our schools. Three years ago, AGSD designed our Pathways program, and last year our dropout rate decreased to .05%, which is a big improvement. Whenever you see these folks out and about in your communities, be sure to thank them for the good work that they do every day, to make our world a better place for us all. Copyright 2023 Alaska Gateway Schools. Pharmacist by training, I am currently completing my studies with a Master in Management at emlyon Business school. The new money is to be used for increasing teacher pay, expanding prekindergarten programs, and establishing more wraparound services in high-poverty schools. On the state assessments, scores across the state declined a little, and so did AGSDs. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. This is why every parent should read to the their child many times a week when then are preschool age. If passed, the state's property tax would decrease and districts would rely more on sales and oil tax revenue. Singh Mrs. Valerie Warning Mr. Scott Williams District Central Administration Dr. William Short, Superintendent Dr. Dennis Chakey, Assistant Superintendent Dr. It is no secret that there is a growing national teacher shortage, or that Alaska has struggled for many years to keep quality staff. Our four neighborhood elementary schools house grades kindergarten through fourth grade and include Evergreen Elementary, University Park Elementary, Dr. Cleveland Steward, Jr. Thank you for visiting. They dont have 2019 data loaded yet. In 2018 we had a 79.5% retention rate, and in FY19, last year, we were at 86.4% staff retention, resulting in the smallest group of new teaching staff to the district that I can rememberjust 6 teachers. It lists graduation and poverty rates. We have 155 students in grades 1 - 5 across the district who are using Lexia. Just greeting new teachers with a simple hello goes far to help feel wanted and welcome. One of the emails also indicates the board president in December signed a proposed contract with the candidate without first obtaining board approval. Gateway School District 9000 Gateway Campus Boulevard, Monroeville, PA 15146 | (412) 372-5300 | Website QUICK STATS Student-Teacher Ratio 14:1 Number of Schools 7 Number of Students 3,396. Our faculty and staff are committed to providing a quality education to our children in an effort to help them reach their fullest potential and to prepare them for their future endeavors. This week we begin school, and are looking back at how we did last year, and looking forward with anticipation to establishing and meeting new goals for the upcoming year. Last year AGSD was nominated by the Tanana Chiefs Conference for the Alaska Head Start Associations School District Collaboration Award, and I was very proud that AGSD was selected by the Association to receive that distinction. The Record Searchlight has also filed requests for records from the district regarding superintendent hiring. In the middle of this year's session, a task force made up legislators, district superintendents, and school finance officers proposed what it called the "Fair School Funding Plan." Officials at two school districts where he worked saidthey did not have confidence Caples could create a healthy work or learning environment. September 28, 2020. Reporter Damon Arthur welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834, by email at damon.arthur@redding.com and on Twitter at@damonarthur_RS. In 2013 the districtwide dropout was just under 12%, which means that 20 to 30 students quit school that year. Getting a high school diploma is one the keys to getting ahead in todays world of work, and for students who are ready to put in the hard work, the school district is ready to design a program that will help them to complete their high school program. The same student can dropout each year that they are in high school. West Sonoma County Union High School District Superintendent Chris Meredith welcomed Principal Chuck Wade, along with vice principals Giana De Persiis Vona and Patricia "Trish" Delzell, who will lead the Sebastopol school starting in August. At this point, proposals haven't been formalized into a bill, those close to the process havetold local media. We are a PreK-12 school district, with 9 outstanding schools, serving an estimated 2,200 students. It is the little things that are easy to do that makes a difference, creates continuity in our schools, and improves the whole system for everybody. During a Jan. 18 meeting, the board voted to bypass its policy in hiring a new superintendent, which prompted Redding attorney Adam Pressman, hired by the citizen's committee, to warn the trustees at the meeting that their actions violated the law. But, this year we had close to a 90% retention rate of teachers who were offered contracts, which is the best the district has ever had. In order to move forward, we need to know where we have been, and how we are doing. "Petitioner has no plain, speedy or adequate remedy at law, in that unless respondents are commanded to set aside their decision to 'bypass' policy 2120, respondents will install a superintendent via an arbitrary and capricious selection process.". Help local journalism thrive bysubscribing today. To do that, we have started to use Staff Exit Surveys in order to understand why a teacher is deciding to leave. The suit filed Thursday also asks a judge to issue an injunction prohibiting the district from hiring a superintendent until the court rules on the overall lawsuit. One example this an explicit goal for the entire district is to have every third grade student reading on grade level by the end of the year. Frank Cook, Mike Cronk, and Daisy Northway will be replacing Lisa Conrad and Jill Kranenburg who decided not to run for their fifth term, and Stretch Blackard, who stepped up and volunteered this past spring to finish up the remaining term of an open seat. A reading specialist from the states came up and spent all day training our teachers to effectively use this very powerful reading diagnostic and instruction tool. We partner with the community and its agencies for resources to assist our students in realizing their talents, and we are proud of the role our community plays in supporting our children. Another, dubbed the Education PROMISE Act, would implement several spending provisions that a bipartisan state-appointed commission recommended last year, and add $1 billion over a yet-to-be determined number of years. It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Gateway School District website. Monroeville, PA 15146, Visit us on Facebook! In a rapid-fire shakeup, Gateway Unified School District Superintendent Jim Harrell was dismissed without cause last week after a decade on the job. 1907, papermaking school. The new grants we have received are allowing us the financial resources to do such things as hire a career counselor for next year, create a Maker-space lab in the school that will allow students to learn 3-D design and printing, and implement new course programs like Greenhouse Agriculture. Pathways is the AGSD drop-out prevention program, and last year 10 of the 26 students who graduated in the district were Pathways students. I was interested in why some teachers stayed in their communities, and what school systems could do to better support their teachers. The Challenge was developed by hundreds of Alaskans with a shared commitment to make our schools better. Its current formula is more than 25 years old. This fall two of our schools made incredible gainsTanacross and Northway. The Strategic Plan has 6 elements that focus on students, staff, and community culture. (opens in new window). "I've always had pretty good success at unifying staff. That's very upsetting to people. We are dedicated to providing an education that not only meets the academic needs of the students, but also considers their physical, emotional, and social development. We are working toward developing as a system that also will help us to address the SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) needs of our students. At the start of this year, 96% of our K-5 students district-wide, were below proficient in reading. AGSD has also been using a formative reading assessment from an intervention program called Lexia, which is both an assessment and a diagnostic program. It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Gateway School District website. All of our new staff also take a UAF course on how we do things in AGSD, so that they are familiar and comfortable with our systems. Larry Hogan, a Republican, as of now isfaced with signing or vetoinga newly passed measure that would over the next two years contribute $850 million more in state revenue toward schools. Gateway School District is proud to be an Equal Opportunity and Workplace Employer that does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, national origin, disability or genetic information. download the Adobe Acrobat Reader DC software. Trustees Dale Wallace and Phil Lewis voted against the measure. The Board meets for a public Study Session and Regular Voting Meeting each month, with the exception of July, and conducts periodic committee meetings to address specific areas of need in the District, such as . Being a volunteer member of the school board is a way of demonstrating not only a deep sense of commitment to enriching the quality of life in our community, but also a willingness to work hard to improve it. The NAEP tests a sampling of studentsfor example 4th grade students in Eagle and 8th grade students in Dot Lake school, and then the same for West or Lathrop High School. 9000 Gateway Campus Boulevard The Administrative Team is led by Commissioned Officers of the State, the Superintendent of Schools and the two Assistant Superintendent of Schools, as well as, 10 directors, supervisors, and coordinators in the areas of Human Resources, Finance, Special Education, Transportation, Food Service, Facilities, Technology, Communications and Safety, and Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. They will be happy to share assessment information about your student with you. HUNTINGTON The Gateway Regional District School Committee has named Kristen Smidy, the principal of Hampshire Regional High School, as the district's next . . Gateway School District is a highly rated, public school district located in MONROEVILLE, PA. The state's legislative session runs throughout the year. So we hired a person who is a Reading Interventions specialist. None of the board members said at the meeting who they wanted to hire to fill the post, which became vacant when the Haynes and Clifford voted in December to fire former Superintendent Jim Harrell. (opens in new window), Visit us on YouTube! A week after the Jan. 18 meeting, a lawyer for the Freedom From Religion Foundation sent the board a letter telling trustees that they violated the U.S. Constitution when it held a prayer before its meeting. The exciting thing is that we KNOW we can change this, with help from parents who read to their kids, and make sure they dont miss too much school. But early in the process,the effort stumbledafter teacher groups, school administrators, legislators, and school funding advocacy groups couldn't agree on teacher pay, weights for some student groups, and whether to base school funding on attendance or enrollment. Teaching in the Institute diversified in the 1920s, with courses on electricity, electrochemistry and electrometallurgy, hydraulics, industrial physics, practical mechanics . Academically, we offer a wide range of programs to meet the needs of our students including a broad Special Education Program and Advanced Placement and Honors Courses. It is with this in mind that the School Board has made it a written to goal to improve the retention of quality educators. Hats off to the teachers at those schools who are showing serious improvements in reading with their students. They learned the complexities of school finance and education law. In 2016 the district was able to retain 52.9%, which is pretty low. Social Worker,Teacher,Home and School Visitors. During the nearly six-and-a-half-hour-long meeting the board voted 3-2 to bypass its formal hiring process but after meeting in closed session for more than two hours, it took no action on hiring a superintendent. But Caples hiring had been in the works for weeks before the Jan. 18 meeting, and a contract to hire him had already been signed by Clifford, according to the Jan. 17 email from Henson to trustees. Read more:Redding reacts as investigative report sheds light on 'alarming' use of police force. The good news is that research says that children who do attend quality preschool programs have a good chance to catch up! Thu, 12/22/2022. This year, after a lot of focused work, AGSD had one of our lowest teacher turn-overs ever. Formative assessment is much more useful. But the fact is, that many students in our district start kindergarten well behind, and unless we can get them caught up by the time they are in the third grade, statistically they often never catch up, and remain behind throughout their school years. We are VERY excited to let everyone know that GAP is back, and that we will be starting up the program this fall. That's what prompted us to start doing these public records access, to file these because the rumors are all over out there. This month the board has been threatened with legal action for possibly violating the states open meeting law, the Brown Act, and for voting to bypass the board policy in hiring a new superintendent. If they felt that they were making a difference, they stayed. Several proposals were killed at the last minute during last year's legislative session after lawmakers couldn't agree on new spending patterns. With many teachers now leaving Alaska, finding good teachers, and getting them stay here has been a real task! so how did we do? 2023 www.redding.com. Overall, we have a ways to go, but we are clearly on the right track. On the goal of improving Quality Staff Recruitment and Retention, I am happy to report that we have 100% retention of our principals and principal-teachers, for the first time in many years. "No amount of monetary damages or other legal remedy can adequately compensate petitioner for the irreparable harm that will occur from the violation of law described in this petition," the lawsuit says. I had to move to get out of the district. All rights reserved. In addition to the controversy surrounding the possibility of hiring Caples, the Gateway school district trustees have come under fire for other issues during the past several weeks. I have a son that graduated a few years ago, my youngest is in 5th grade. It is not only important for teachers to know what their students' assessment results are like, but students also need to know how well they are doing. RAVE is a program that is designed to train students with the workplace and technical skills that they need to be competitive seeking local employment opportunities, which dovetails well with the Variable Schedule. Three teachers retired after many years of incredible service to our students, include Marlys House (25 years at Eagle), Leland Monroe (21 years at Tok) and Paula Canner (13 years at Tok). The Gateway Unified School District voted on Wednesday to distribute a community survey asking what parents, teachers and others want to see in the school . I did a statewide study on Educator Retention a few years ago, of nearly 400 administrators and teachers who worked in rural and bush communities from all across Alaska. Being a board member can sometimes be a difficult and thankless job, requiring learning about difficult and complex issues and then responding to the often competing interests of constituents, but it is also a highly rewarding way to give back to the community. The trustees have had other legal threats leveled against them during the past month. Our drop-out prevention program is called Pathways, and we have 26 students enrolled across the district. Gateway School District isproud to be an Equal Opportunity and Workplace Employer that does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, national origin, disability or genetic information. We've heard rumors of that contract. This seems like an obvious goal, and in many ways it is. As a state, Alaska has an average educator turnover rate of about 40%. Dr. William Short Unlike a formative assessment, the NAEP does not given much useful information that will help to guide instruction. It is so encouraging to see their progress. I must advise you to postpone approval of this contract until new legal counsel can be located and they have time to review all relevant information and advise you on the negotiation process, he said. Some of the things we are doing include a workplace satisfaction and school climate surveys, asking about how the district is doing as an employer, and looking at what we can do to address the problems we learn about. GAP will provide after school opportunities to students all across the district by creating experiential programs that include art and music, and that will provide homework and tutoring to students who need it after school. One key to solving this problem is to more intentionally develop meaningful relationships with our students. Turner said he felt he had the skills to help move the district and the community forward. The shakeup is expected to continue during . All Pennsylvania school districts are overseen by a publicly elected Board of School Directors. All rights reserved. "But everything is based on some foundational principles that you learn throughout your career and trust is a big piece, really establishing great relationships.". So, while we are all working hard toward achieving the academic goals that are embedded in our strategic plan, we also are working hard on the wellbeing of the whole child through improving our daily practice and long term policies. Ms. Robin Mungo Mr. John Ritter Dr. Mandal. Address 9000 Gateway Campus Boulevard Monroeville, PA 15146. The plan would require the state to increase overall state funding for schools by 10 percent over the next two years. Gateway Unified Superintendent Search Survey. Many of our students have less than a 2000 word vocabulary when they start kindergarten, and are already two years behind. While credentialing commission did not specify why Caples credentials were suspended, there is a public record of his work with several North State school districts. Gateway Unified School District emails to its board of trustees appear to confirm the board is interested in hiring a man whose teaching and administrative credentials were suspended. Most schools have what is called a standard bell curve like a single camel hump, related to student performance. It is a program called Compass, and it is a way for parents to compare one school to another school in the district, or across the state, or the same school from one year to the nextfrom school year 2016-17 to 2017-18, for example, (which are the only years they have).
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