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| Susan E. Miller Interim Superintendent Thanks Community Return to Top of Page
Community Thanks Susan E. Miller Interim Superintendent Return to Top of Page
“A Heartfelt Thank You”
By Susan E. Miller
Interim Superintendent Dear Community Members: I want to thank you for your support and for allowing me the privilege of serving the Sacramento City Unified School District as its interim superintendent for the past year. During these past several months I have come to an even deeper appreciation for the diversity of our district, the engagement of our parents and community, and the dedication, commitment, and talent of all employees. As a twenty-five year employee, and a prior Sacramento City Unified student, this year has truly been an honor and extremely rewarding. It is true that we had many challenges. And, as with many other organizations across our nation and state, one of the most difficult challenges was the historic economic reality which continues to force dramatic cuts—not only in education—but in many other social services and programs. Yet, despite these cuts and the resulting stress in our schools and communities, Sacramento City Unified continues to find ways to move forward for students. Student academic performance increased. Dropout rates decreased. John F. Kennedy and C.K. McClatchy earned state distinguished school status, and Golden Empire received national recognition. Additionally, we just received a two-year $1.3 million grant to further our high school reform effort. Across the district, parents, students and school staff came together in family nights to encourage literacy, math skills, culture, learning, achievement and fun. Students took part in their community through acts of service, and community members joined our schools in countless volunteer efforts that included landscaping, internships, and contributions of time and other resources. Other local governments and organizations also offered funding, talent, and support of students and programs. These community efforts enhanced and stretched limited district resources, and demonstrate how much our students and schools are valued. When I was named interim superintendent, I listed three areas of focus: student achievement, fiscal solvency, and relationships. I also stated I did not wish to be a “caretaker” superintendent; my goal was to keep the district moving forward during a time of transition. Thanks to the tremendous support you have given me so generously during these past 12 months, we can say we moved forward and continued to advance student achievement. Our strategic plan with its focus on continuous improvement and student success remains a solid foundation upon which present and past district leaders can and have led the district forward. I am proud to have been a part of this record. When the 2009-10 school year begins, a new leader will take the helm to continue our movement forward. He or she will need and depend upon your commitment to students and family. Based upon my experience of the past year, I know you will provide that support and that it will be deeply appreciated. Your support and encouragement and that of our Board of Education have been invaluable. I will return to my previous position as associate superintendent when a new leader is hired, and will continue to be a home grown cheerleader for our students, families and communities. Thank you for a year of learning again and again how very special our district—you and our students—are. I have grown personally, both as a leader and as an educator, and will continue to assist our district in whatever way possible. Elk Grove, California 95758
Driving Directions
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Return to Top of Page “Multiple Pathways” By Susan E. Miller
Interim Superintendent |
Last month, our district launched the next step toward redesigning our high school programs to better meet student needs now and for the future. This next step, called “Multiple Pathways,” builds on the work that we have already implemented since 2002.
Multiple Pathways IS about combining college prep academic rigor and high level, hands-on career preparation for each student in each high school.
As many of you know, as one part of its high school redesign, Sac City Unified created Small Learning Communities or SLCs at its large, comprehensive high schools. Each SLC has a group of approximately 400 students paired with a cluster of teachers focusing on core subjects which are woven into a career theme.
The district also created six small high schools centered on separate themes such as health professions. Another part of the redesign effort included increasing graduation requirements to better align coursework to that demanded by California universities for admission. Each student is on a college bound track should he or she so choose.
The result? Since 2002, Sac City’s high school enrollment, graduation and college going rates have increased. Dropout rates have decreased. Families have 42 options to better meet student interests and learning styles.
Structure and choices are one part of high school redesign, but so are:
• more teacher collaboration,
• greater student voice and
• creation of real alternatives for students in high school and for
college admission and careers after graduation.
In a changing global economy, a high school diploma is only the first step toward creating satisfying and productive life for self and family.
Research into the success of students who participate in multiple pathways programs demonstrate higher graduation and college going rates than their counterparts, as well as greater earning power after graduation. Multiple Pathways is about helping students keep options and choices open for students so they are well-prepared to decide the future they want for themselves.
Our high school redesign work is pioneering . . . and evolving as we learn and adjust from both missteps and successes.
We are ready to deepen our work by launching the next step—Multiple Pathways. It offers what students at all levels tell us they want: more relevance and greater challenge.
Multiple Pathways will not demand new facilities or great expenditures and the return will be invaluable. It will involve more internships, mentors, and relevant and rigorous hands-on learning for all students.
Please take time to check the Multiple Pathways website and the videos of students speaking to what they are learning in a multiple pathways program at www.connectedcalifornia.org
See how students and schools are moving beyond the conventional, and false, option of choosing either college or job preparation. Success demands the word “and”—as in college and career prep.
At Sac City we are increasing the number of well prepared high school graduates, and we want to accelerate our progress. That’s why we are embarking into multiple pathways.
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| “Working together can lead to success for every student” By Susan E. Miller Superintendent In a few days we will begin another school year and on Sept. 4 we will learn how much progress each of schools has made as measured against state and federal performance targets in English Language Arts, Mathematics and other disciplines. The rankings will also let us know how well we are meeting the needs of specific groups of pupils such as African Americans, Latinos, Hmong, Special Education and disadvantaged children. This data is critical as we move forward to update our strategic plan for 2008-09. Our mission of ensuring the success of every student by name has not changed; our policy priorities have not changed and above all, we know we must work more efficiently and more collaboratively to increase achievement among all groups of pupils. As a young teacher, I was lucky enough to be mentored by Ventura Lopez, a principal at Maple Elementary. I was working as a substitute kindergarten teacher in the district and supervising a preschool when he persuaded me to teach newcomer children at Maple elementary school. He was a man before his time who worked to ensure that each child, no matter their race, ethnicity or economic status, succeeded. He was a gust of wind who blew open the doors of opportunity for children in our district. His passion for student success lit a flame in many teachers and employees, and despite his death at the age of 49, his energy and passion continue to inspire. Across the district and in our community, we have many more examples of such heroes. When school begins, we will ask our community to help us share those stories. Please submit your stories about accomplishments, heroes, celebrations and obstacles overcome to the Communications Office. Watch the Connection and the web site (www.scusd.ed) to learn how you can share your stories, photos and video footage. By sharing our stories, our strategies and creativity, we hope to continue the focus and determination so necessary to help us realize our mission—the success of every student by name. As a district, we must reach out as never before to our students, families and employees to recognize our common ground and common purpose in order to truly realize our mission. Take time to share. We look forward to your contributions. Click here to email Interim Superintendent Susan Miller
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"Moving Forward"
By Susan Miller
Dear Community Members:
As the district’s new Interim Superintendent, I am honored to serve in this position and appreciate the support of our Board of Education and District staff. I look forward to faithfully serving our community’s students and families and to continuing the good work of former Superintendent Maggie Mejia. Thanks to her leadership and the support of many people, our District has made genuine progress in increasing student achievement and in narrowing the achievement gap. We will continue our focus on student performance and on closing the gap. In these difficult budget times, we will also work to ensure effective and efficient stewardship of our resources. Over the coming weeks, District staff and I will review student achievement data and work with our Board to update our strategic plan, “Success for Every Student by Name.” As we move forward, we will communicate updates on the strategic plan to the Board of Education, our sites, and community and receive input. On a personal note, I have served in the District since 1984 and am a proud product of Sacramento’s public schools. This experience has afforded me a strong appreciation for how much our community supports our District and its students. That support has allowed us to leverage resources on behalf of our pupils throughout our pre-K through adult system and to enjoy strong working relationships with city, county, and state leaders. We must continue to build on these relationships and work to continue strengthening an already strong foundation. Our students and schools benefit from an engaged community and strong partnerships. Please accept my gratitude for your support and the great opportunity to serve Sacramento and “to give back” a small portion of what I have received from this community as both a student and educator. Click here to email Interim Superintendent Susan Miller
“State fiscal crisis, declining enrollment force difficult facility decisions”
By Susan E. Miller
Interim Superintendent  View video
Welcome to our web site! We are beginning a monthly video message on different topics of interest. This month, our first topic is district facilities. As many of you know, we have begun a series of 11 meetings across the district to seek your ideas and thoughts about how we can best use our facilities—both school sites and real property assets. What do I mean by best use? We want our schools and offices to be the best learning and working environments possible AND to be fully and efficiently used. Because of the years-long state budget crisis and our declining enrollment—10,000 students in 10 years—we have made many budget reductions. Some of these cost cutting measures included: reducing central office administration, realigning our programs, and elimination of year-round education to name a few. Additionally, right now we are: freezing hiring, reducing the use of outside consultants, scrutinizing equipment purchases, and freezing travel unless required by a grant or urgent district business.
Last summer when we approved our budget for 2009-10, we also saved the cost of living adjustment, or COLA, that the state issued to school districts. This proved to be a prudent move as now we are facing historic mid year cuts of $12 to 20 million. That reserve of approximately $5 million will help us meet these drastic mid year cuts, but more savings and cuts will be needed. These reductions are in addition to the more than $90 million cut from our general fund over the past seven years. While these are indeed difficult times, please be assured that our Board of Education and district are committed to providing a quality educational program, building positive community relationships and being fiscally prudent. These challenging times demand creativity and communication to ensure quality educational programs and fiscal solvency. To do this all areas must be examined and analyzed. This includes our school and district facilities. We are conducting 11 community meetings throughout our school district to discuss neighborhood needs, ideas for school consolidation and even closure. I hope you can make one or more of the meetings scheduled now through February. Your input and ideas will help us shape the recommendations we take to our Board of Education. Please check our website for the schedule of upcoming facility meetings, posted ideas, questions and comments. Thank you for your assistance and support. | Click here to email Interim Superintendent Susan Miller Superintendent's Prior Messages Return to Top of Page |
“Test results show improvement, but we have more work to do” By Susan E. Miller
Interim Superintendent
California recently received the results of its Academic Performance Index (API) and Annual Yearly Progress (AYP). The news for Sac City revealed solid progress as well as a stubborn performance gap among different groups of students. Good news includes a district increase of 15 points in our API. At the elementary level the schools seeing the largest gains included Theodore Judah (75 points), Cesar Chavez (50 points) and Tahoe (48 points). At the middle school level Rosa Parks (54 points), California (41 points) and Einstein (39 points) saw the greatest increases in their API. At the high school level The Met increased its API by 55 points and Rosemont increased by 37 points. We also were pleased to note that we had increases at every grade level and among our targeted groups with the exception of English learners. Our largest API increases were seen for African American students (96 points) as well as our Asian and Hispanic students (both 99 points). In measuring our Annual Yearly Progress (AYP), the federal targets under No Child Left Behind increased between 10 percent and 11 percent in both English Language Arts and Mathematics. This ongoing “raising of the bar” will continue through 2014 when the federal target reaches a 100 percent proficiency requirement for every student in the nation. This progress confirms we are on the right track. However, a deeper look at the data also reveals that while all student groups have steadily increased their performance over several years, the gap between white students and Hispanic, African American, Hmong, Mien, Lao and English Learner students persists because we must accelerate their progress in order to close the achievement gap. This is a major focus area for the coming year, and I will discuss some of the strategies we will use to help us meet this goal in future issues of The Connection. As I close, I wish to express my appreciation and that of our Board of Education to the students, parents, teachers, administrators and staff who work so diligently to ensure pupil success. It is due to their efforts that we have been able to report another consecutive year of progress. (Editor’s Note: Academic Performance Index and Annual Yearly Progress results are listed by school on Page 3 of The Connection.)
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Superintendent's Prior Messages
“Work begins for new school year” By Susan E. Miller
Interim Superintendent Dear Community Members: I hope your summer break was re-energizing and productive. As another academic year approaches, families and staff across the district are busily preparing for Sept. 2. To our new students and staff, welcome! To our parents, thank you for selecting Sac City schools for your children. To our new employees, thank you for bringing your commitment and talent to the students of our community and for deciding to join our team. In this issue of The Connection, we have listed a partial list of the accomplishments achieved last year. Our students and staff have much to celebrate and much to build upon. Last month, I indicated my focus would be to coordinate an update to our 2006-08 strategic plan, “Success for Every Student by Name.” I will work with our Board of Education and staff to create a new roadmap for 2008-09. I also have three priorities: increasing student achievement and closing the performance gap among different groups of students, maintaining fiscal solvency, and the ongoing work of strengthening relationships and building new ones. The California Department of Education just released the statewide test results for 2008. At the district level, we are reviewing the results and will then update the strategic plan. School administrators and teachers will also engage in a similar process for their sites. Data results (received just prior to writing this column) appear to reveal another year of overall increases in both English Language Arts and Mathematics. More detailed information will be published in future issues of The Connection. Work on the three focus areas has already begun. Over the summer, the district offered staff development or training to instructors to expand their tool box of skills to assist students of diverse backgrounds. We also offered targeted summer school classes to help students improve their proficiency in core subject areas and boost their confidence for the coming year. In the budget area, as of Aug. 8, when I prepared this column, we were still awaiting a state budget. The district submitted a balanced budget as required by law to our county office of education in June. Once a final state budget is in place, we have 45 days to amend our district spending plan based on the state funding we receive. California districts receive approximately 80 percent of their state funding from the state, so fiscal decisions made by the Governor and Legislature greatly affect our own fiscal health. We will continue our cost-cutting measures and pursuit of new revenue sources. Other efforts undertaken this summer include planning “chats” at schools to meet with parents and staff, as well as meetings with community members and employees. As meetings are scheduled at schools, we will use fliers and our Connect-ED system to notify parents and employees. A key element of continuous improvement is listening, and I am looking forward to the school “chats” and community meetings. Staff will also be using new technologies to increase communication and knowledge sharing throughout the district. We hope the new tools will assist us in becoming better partners with students, staff and community. Finally, I want to express my deep appreciation to all our families for all they do to ensure students attend school every day, are well rested and prepared to learn. We have a great team ready to help students learn and thrive. Please accept my best wishes for a successful and productive new school year. Click here to email Interim Superintendent Susan Miller
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“A message about our budget”
By Susan E. Miller
Interim Superintendent
The economic disasters which plague our nation and state have also greatly affected our district’s budget. Over the past seven years, we have cut more than $100 million dollars. For this current year spending plan, we cut almost $30 million dollars after historic mid-year cuts. School districts across the state and nation are facing similar challenges. This means fewer dollars for programs to help students succeed and stay in school. It could mean: Larger class sizes Fewer nurses, counselors, and mentors, Downsizing or eliminating extracurricular activities, and Reducing the employee training that updates and sharpen skills.
We are working to keep cuts as far away from the classroom as possible by continuing to reduce central office duplication and seek efficiencies. As central office functions are reviewed, we will also be working to provide more support to students and school sites with fewer resources. Spending money doesn’t necessarily mean a better education, but not enough money can slow down our students’ progress and cause talented and dedicated employees to leave our district or leave education all together. That would be a tragedy not only for our district and pupils, but also for the future of our city, state, and nation. Fortunately, many of the things that can help us make the best use of our resources and help children excel are things that require little or no funding: Ensuring that students are in school unless they are ill Not scheduling doctor’s appointments during class time Making sure students are completing homework Welcoming parents and volunteers to our schools Shutting off equipment such as computers, printers, and lights when not in use Working as a team at school sites and central office Encouraging children to be all that they can be
As we work through these difficult times, it is critical that each one of us realizes that we are leaders by example and through our commitment to one another and especially to the children and families of our district. Over the coming weeks and months, our Board of Education must make difficult decisions about How we use our school sites and other facilities, Reducing our workforce and Eliminating or shrinking programs.
These decisions will affect our students, employees, and community. As a district we are working to ensure that student achievement and the well-being of both students and staff are uppermost in our priorities in addition to financial stability. We must continue to be Thoughtful about our spending Continue to search for new revenues and Make the best use of all our resources—not only of our funding, but also of our facilities and our greatest resource: students, parents, employees, and community.
We hope you share your ideas for making the best use of all our resources and assets and that whenever possible you encourage a young person in your life and can find time to volunteer in our schools. We will get through this ongoing state crisis, and I am confident that we will find the creativity and innovation necessary to emerge stronger.
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“Significant budget cuts continue”
By Susan E. Miller
Interim Superintendent
As I prepare this column, the Legislature has approved a 17-month spending plan that includes significant mid-year reductions for 2008-09 and 2009-10. The Governor is expected to sign the budget and to further reduce the legislative plan by another $600 million in line-item vetoes. The historic marathon negotiations to close a $40 billion state financial shortfall resulted in a budget that eases education cuts somewhat but still means significant additional reductions for school districts around the state including Sac City.
We will have to reduce our 2008-09 general fund budget by $9.4 million. The general fund budget is the dollars that we can spend without restrictions for specific uses. Other “restricted” funds must be spent for specific purposes, as determined by the state or federal government or by grants. Our budget team is reviewing the 2009-10 state budget to determine its impact on Sacramento City Unified. Our preliminary estimate is that we will need to meet another $15.7 million in spending cuts next fiscal year (June 30 to July 1).
Our Board is weighing staff recommendations to meet these challenges. Board members will take action on March 5 on potential options for meeting the mid-year reductions. They will act on reducing open contracts, borrowing plans, and potential use of one-time funds. Options for 2009-10 are under analysis. Under consideration are central office reorganization, lease agreements with charters, decreased overtime, retirement incentives, and changes in how we use our school sites and other facilities. The ideas generated from our recent series of community meetings aimed at how to best use our campuses and other sites will be used to help us weather the economic storm we all face. In addition, we are working closely with our district’s employee bargaining representatives to find savings and generate new revenue.
As we prepare our budget we want to ensure that we analyze cuts by identifying value to students and their achievement, program and operations results and perform a cost and funding analysis.
The Board of Education and district staff are committed to analyzing our resources and needs not only to meet deficits but more importantly to continue improving our student achievement, our communication and engagement with students, parents and community, and our operations at all levels throughout the district. We need and welcome your input. Soon, there will be a link on our web site to provide you an opportunity to send us your ideas. |
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Superintendent’s Message “District enters PI status; steps to increase student performance will continue” By Susan E. Miller
Interim Superintendent
Our district has entered Year 1 of Program Improvement (PI) under federal accountability requirements outlined in the No Child Left Behind law. While we saw gains at every grade and among every group of students, we did not increase performance sufficiently for two groups: African American and English Learner pupils. In each case, we missed the target by one percent or less. While this is disappointing to all who are working every day to increase student achievement, please know that administrators, teachers and support staff are working diligently and passionately to help all students meet proficiency targets. As federal performance targets continue to escalate, more and more districts are increasing performance, but not at a rate sufficient to avoid PI status. This is our situation and why a primary focus of our strategic plan is about accelerating our annual progress and closing achievement gaps among different student groups. Next year, federal targets will increase again by 10 percentage points. As we look at the seven similar urban districts (Fresno, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Bernardino, San Diego and San Francisco) with whom we compare ourselves, all but San Diego are in PI. Long Beach is in Year 2, and the others are in Year 3. Under Year 1 of PI status, we have four requirements: Notification to parents
Conduct a self-assessment
Incorporate assessment findings and recommendations into the district plan submitted to the state Department of Education
Set aside 10 percent of Title 1 funds for Professional Development.
All of these four requirements are completed or underway. In addition, even prior to receiving the PI notification, we began increasing staff development. In crafting our strategic plan and our framework for closing the achievement gap, we began the work of self-assessment and will incorporate our findings in the district plan submitted to the state. To exit, we must meet targets for two consecutive years. Please know that we are committed to meeting our 46 performance targets next year, to exiting PI status and to continue accelerating our progress so that each student in our district is meeting proficiency targets and succeeding in the classroom. | Click here to email Interim Superintendent Susan Miller Superintendent's Prior Messages |
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“40 assets key to student development” By Susan E. Miller
Interim Superintendent
As educators, our job is more than teaching reading or math or science. It is part of our duty to help each child realize their full potential and, in partnership with parents, help them make positive choices in their lives. Over the last four years, the district has been engaged in giving students the tools, or assets, that can support them in making sound decisions in their lives. The 40 Developmental Assets is a youth development effort developed by the Search Institute (you can read more about it at www.search-institute.org). The 40 Developmental Assets represent the relationships, opportunities, and personal qualities that young people need to avoid risks and to thrive. These assets are divided into two major groups: internal assets and external assets. The internal assets deal with commitment to learning, positive values, social competencies and positive identities. The external assets focus on support, empowerment, boundaries and expectations and constructive use of time. These areas are critical to ensuring our children have the tools necessary to succeed academically, socially and emotionally. This framework is built on a strong foundation of research and has strong evidence-based results. The higher number of assets a child acquires, the greater his or her success in school and the lower his or her likelihood of being involved with negative behaviors. This week, we have begun training some of our lead teachers and key community partners in how to best bring the 40 Developmental Assets to their sites and organizations. The 40 Developmental Assets is not another program or another curriculum. It is a way of life and practices that are easily adopted by those of us who believe our children are our most important resource. In many ways, the 40 Developmental Assets build on what many already practice. It is our goal that every student is exposed to the relationship building and resources that they need. As parents, you are our most important partner. We will soon roll out training that can help you become part of our community to help students gain the 40 Developmental Assets. But we will also look to you to train others in how to develop these assets in children. This is a community effort. The message that is begun at home, must be reinforced at school and in the neighborhoods in which we live. I look forward to watching all of our children develop and acquire these assets. | Click here to email Interim Superintendent Susan Miller Return to Top of Page |
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