Schools

PUSD Sets Goals for Next Year

School board discusses goals for 2010-11 school year

The Pleasanton Unified School District revealed its four goals for the 2010-11 school year Tuesday night: student achievement, safe schools, communication and budget.

The goals were set using various measures such as data from previous years, collaboration among stakeholders, student-centered ideas, best practices and No Child Left Behind Act targets, Superintendent Parvin Ahmadi said.

"We know some of them are ongoing," Ahmadi said. "It is important to keep in mind and look back at your progress throughout the year… and look at what we're successful at and what worked and what didn't work."

Find out what's happening in Pleasantonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

District officials stressed focusing on the goals and finding ways to reach  them.

Providing rigorous and accessible curriculum for all students and closing the achievement gap is the aim for student achievement this year.

Find out what's happening in Pleasantonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Increasing the number of students who score at proficient or above levels on standardized tests in English-language arts and math as well as raising the number of students who participate meaningfully at school are additional goals for student achievement, said Cindy Galbo, assistant superintendent of educational services.

The strategies to reach this goal include ensuring consistency in intervention programs and training parents to help students at home and in the classroom, Galbo said.

"We would like to expand other opportunities for volunteers," Galbo said. "To be an extra resource in our classrooms for students who need extra help.

Ensuring that children feel safe so that they can learn and be productive, socially responsible citizens is the base of the district's safe schools goal.

The areas the district will emphasize to achieve a safe school are its wellness guidelines, increasing student and staff understanding of stress – academic, social and emotional – and looking at expulsion and suspension outcomes.

Communication goals for this year are based on promoting awareness, understanding and involvement of the entire community.

Outlining the appropriate use of social media, such as Facebook and MySpace, implementing common practices such as publishing school-board updates and actions, improving communication with subgroups who score low on standardized tests and providing more communication materials in multiple languages are the strategies the district hopes to use.

Remaining fiscally responsible and improving educational programs for all students are the budget goals for Pleasanton Unified, and the district is hoping to achieve them by maintaining positive certification at all reporting periods, working with its bargaining units and aligning school spending with student-achievement goals.

Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Luz Cazares said the district hopes to maintain its 3 percent reserve, enhance revenue, reduce spending and make sure its funds go to student-centered programs.

"It is not just a set of numbers. It's a spending plan," said Cazares, who added that the budget will reflect the district's priorities.

Board member Pat Kernan said the goals and the plans to reach them will be a challenge but that he was confident the board, which will have two new members after the elections in November, will work with the district to oversee the progress.

Kernan and board member Jim Ott will be leaving the board and two of three candidates will be elected into office in November.

"The challenge for the new board and district is to be proactive," said Kernan, who emphasized that the public must realize that budgets statewide are not balanced.

"People have to know that. For the board, with the economic times we're in, we have to see the data that supports the achievement," Kernan said. "This is a new era and it's going to be exciting. 

Ott said he was happy with the collaborative effort of the staff in outlining the goals and strategies for the year and was also confident that the school district will serve its students and communities well.

"The question is how do you take the district to the next level without the money for it … this district is up to it," Ott said.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here