Happy 2020!  Here are some highlights of the year so far:

1. School Board Passes Anti-Vaping Resolution

2. Fund Education Now Week Feb 3-7, 2020

3. EduTrack Foundation launch

4. Superintendent Friday Letters

School Board Passes Anti-Vaping Resolution

On January 13th, our first MDUSD school board meeting of 2020, we unanimously passed a resolution asking local cities to ban the sale of flavored tobacco and vaping devices.  

I encourage you to read the entire resolution and share it out far and wide.  Then please call or email your city council members in Concord, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, Clayton, Pittsburg and Martinez to ask them to take action immediately.

As a school board member and parent, I've been hearing a lot about students in our high schools and middle schools that are vaping, that are addicted, and that are struggling to cope.  Contra Costa County Supervisors passed a similar resolution on November 12, 2019.  I joined MDUSD parents and students, along with TUPE and many community members at that meeting, to speak in favor of the resolution.  The stories the students told were heartbreaking, and the county found that the vast majority of students get vape devices from storefronts.  The county ban is only for unincorporated areas, so banning the sale within city limits would make a huge difference.

The FDA, CDC, and California Department of Public Health have issued health alerts urging everyone to quit vaping altogether, no matter the substance or source.

The popularity of electronic vaping devices has soared among youth, with a national increase of 135% within the past two years. According to the National Youth Tobacco Survey, 1 in 20 middle school students, as well as 1 in 4 high school students are vaping. A 2016 survey showed that one in three 11th graders in Contra Costa admitted to having vaped.

We also passed a resolution recognizing Fund Education Now week, Feb 3-7, 2020, in which school districts throughout Alameda and Contra Costa will have actions each day to inform the community and state legislature of our dire need for education funding.The growing Coalition includes Contra Costa County students, teachers, staff, school board members, parents, and superintendents united to bring full and fair funding to California public education.

Join us!

• Follow @CCCFundEd and @MtDiabloUSD on Twitter
• Visit www.cocoschools.org/cccfunded to see how you can participate in Fund Education Now Week.

EduTrack Foundation Launch

Dr Martinez often talks about the importance of student voice. Here's some news about students taking action right here in MDUSD!  Concord High graduate and former ASB President Aasim Yahya is now a university student at Cal, but he's still working on building up student leadership here in our high schools.  On Saturday he, sister Azeema, mom May, and a dedicated new team of Board members launched the nonprofit EduTrack - to provide scholarships as well as student-led college and career programs.

"We believe that students are the best individuals to educate and equip their own peers with college and career resources. That's why our high school programs provide students with the ability to empower their peers. All of our high school programs are led by high school students who use both the resources and guidance of our EduTrack staff and digital tool box to build their own on-campus programs. We are committed to creating our high school programs at sites that serve students who identify with primarily underrepresented or underprivileged communities." Interesting in bringing a program to your campus? Visit http://www.edutrackfoundation.org/get-involved2.html

Superintendent’s Friday Letter

Read Superintendent Dr Martinez’s January 10th and January 17th Friday letters. They include key information such as the newly elected DELAC leaders (District English Language Advisory Committee) and DVC's Diamonte Scholars (offering college credit during high school on a path to transfer & career for STEAM - science, tech, engineering, art, math).

These are always posted at mdusd.org and on Facebook & Twitter.  To receive these as emails, send a message to superintendentsoffice@mdusd.org to request to be added to the Superintendent’s email list.

Next School Board meeting January 27th

Here is the agenda.  Items include reports on Holbrook Dual Language expansion and Governor's budget, info/discussion of draft 2020-21 School calendars, and a resolution to support the Public Preschool, K-12, and College Health and Safety Bond Act of 2020 that is on the March ballot.

Visit https://mdusd.org/agendasminutes to see all meeting agendas & videos.

As always, share your ideas with our board via email or attend and speak at our board meetings.

Sincerely,

It was great to see recent Concord High ASB President Hannah Jenevein at the EduTrack event!

Thank you East County NAACP for organizing another beautiful MLK Jr Day celebration!

Hi friends,

I hope you all have a restful and rejuvenating winter break!

A huge thank you to all of you who have engaged with our district.  Together we are making a difference - every one of you who donated to HOPE or MDUSD Education Foundation, taught students and are grading finals, led field trips, wrote school goals as a site council rep, coached a team, negotiated a contract, led a student or parent organization, drove a school bus, or much much more. We should all be #MDUSDProud.

The biggest #breakingnews this week is that MDUSD reached a Tentative Agreement with Mt Diablo Education Association (MDEA)!  This was made possible by many hours of negotiation by dedicated teams of teachers and administrators.  See details and quotes from MDEA president Anita Johnson and Superintendent Martinez here.

And here are a few key updates from this month:  

December 16 School Board mtg 

We held the last MDUSD school board meeting of the year this week on Monday. The agenda included:

• Organizational meeting - Congratulations to President Lawrence and Vice President Mason!  
• Review of SPSAs (single plans for student achievement) - Have you read your school plan? Find every school SPSA plan here on MDUSD website (under Parents/Reports&Plans).  Have ideas about how to improve it?  Contact your principal or site council reps.
• Review & approval of tentative agreement between CSEA & MDUSD for 2018-19 - Note that Contra Costa County sent MDUSD a letter in response to this, asking us to make $5 million in budget adjustments in order to stay fiscally solvent.  Truly, our state must do better to fully fund our schools.

Also at the meeting, President Lawrence encouraged people to donate to HOPE (homeless & foster youth in MDUSD - Venmo @MDUSDHOPE), and last I heard your donations surpassed $10,000!  Truly when we act as a community, we can all help take care of every student. Your generosity is deeply appreciated.

Threats

In two of our schools recently, as has happened at schools in nearby districts and nationally, students have made threats of harm.  In both cases, thankfully, the police investigated and found them to be non-viable. I think it’s important now to clarify our district policy for these types of instances, and also to remind everyone how each of us can “Say something” as Sandy Hook Promise encourages. 

Did you know our County Office of Education houses a full time coordinator for Sandy Hook Promise, and a team of fully certified trainers who will implement the SHP Know the Signs programs in every high school and middle school in Contra Costa County?  These programs include:

• Signs of Suicide,
• Threat Assessments,
• Say Something, and
• Say Hello. 

Find descriptions & contact information on the CCCOE website.  Ask your principal if this has begun yet at your school. 

There’s also a volunteer group that speaks to parent groups about Be SMART – BeSMARTforKids.org that reduces child gun deaths by encouraging responsible storage of guns and providing free gun locks.

• Secure all guns
• Model responsible behavior around guns
• Ask about presence of unsecured guns in other homes
• Recognize the risks of teen suicide
• Tell your peers to be SMART

We all can help ensure that every student feels valued and included, in a safe and welcoming school environment.

Budget

Many parents, teachers and community came to ask our school board to increase salary, lower class sizes, and add more nurses, librarians and counselors.  I hope that all of you will campaign for and vote for the needed revenue to make that possible. Right now the revenue we receive from the state has not kept up with expenses, and so districts across CA are deficit spending and making major cuts.

One source of revenue that we can act on is the Schools & Communities First measure, gathering signatures now for the Nov 2020 ballot.  This initiative would be a start, but still not nearly enough for what we need, and IF it passes it won’t go into effect until 2022.  Out of the $11 billion it expects to raise, just $4 billion would go to schools statewide. 

That sounds like a lot, until you realize the Stanford Getting Down to Facts II study found that our state needs $25 billion in education funding just to reach national average. The study has a calculator where you can enter a school district and it will estimate needed dollars based on demographics. It says MDUSD would need: $5,067 more per student = approx. $150 million more per year.

This is why other school districts are exploring or placing parcel taxes on the 2020 ballot.  We can’t wait for 2022 and we are all facing major cuts right now.  Local taxes might be the only thing that can avoid massive cuts.

Save the date for a week of action called Fund Education Now, Feb 3-7, 2020, in which school districts throughout Alameda and Contra Costa will have actions each day to inform the community and state legislature of our dire need for education funding.

Superintendent’s Friday Letter

Read Superintendent Dr Martinez’s December 20th letter here.  These are always posted at mdusd.org and on facebook & twitter.  To receive these as emails, send a message to superintendentsoffice@mdusd.org to request to be added to the Superintendent’s email list.

Happy Holidays and Winter Break!

Hi everyone,

Our MDUSD school board meeting for November is tonight, 7pm at Dent Center at 1936 Carlotta Drive, Concord.  See agenda here. You can attend in person, or to watch from home go to https://mdusd.org/agendasminutes to watch the video of any meeting live or recorded.

Board Policy for Emergency planning 

As mentioned, we are analyzing and updating Board policies related to Emergency management.   See tonight's agenda item 19.2 - where information and sample policy will be provided. Your feedback and ideas are welcome!

You can also share your ideas on your local school safety plan anytime, directly with your Site Council or Principal.  Each school Site Council approves and submits one for their school for district approval by March 1^st of each year, and all are listed on the district website here: District list of school safety plans

Presentation of Mt. Diablo Unified School District's Enrollment Data for the 2019-2020 School Year

This is item 16.1 on tonight's agenda.  The District carefully reviews attendance each year in order to ensure that services provided to students at each school site are responsive to the needs of the students attending our schools. This presentation will provide data on the overall enrollment of the District and schools based on California Basic Educational Data System (CBEDS) data that is certified each year.

The variance from the 2018-2019 and the 2019-2020 school years will be reviewed, and the District will share enrollment data for each District school. Further, staff will share information regarding some of the steps that will be used to project enrollment for the 2020-2021 school year.

Superintendent’s Friday Letter

Read Superintendent Dr Martinez’s Nov 15th letter here, including student safety, special ed resources and more.  These are always posted at mdusd.org and on facebook & twitter.  To receive these as emails, send a message to superintendentsoffice@mdusd.org to request to be added to the Superintendent’s email list.

See you tonight!

p.s. I got to meet my idol, Dolores Huerta, this weekend!  Si se puede!

Hi everyone,

It is a busy time in MDUSD, and the past few weeks have included everything from election map decisions to negotiations, with PG&E power outages thrust into the mix to keep us all on our toes.  Here are highlights, information, and how you can be an active part of solutions:

Superintendent’s Friday Letter

Read Superintendent Dr Martinez’s Nov 1^st letter here, including his take on responses to emergency events and more.  These are always posted at mdusd.org and on facebook & twitter.  To receive these as emails, send a message to superintendentsoffice@mdusd.org to request to be added to the Superintendent’s email list.

By Area Trustee Election Plan decided – maps & order

At the School Board meeting October 28, 2019, the Governing Board approved a resolution calling for a transition to Trustee Areas, beginning with the November 2020 election. We selected the “Purple-A” map and indicated that new Trustee Areas 3 and 5 would be the two areas up for election in 2020. All elected members of the Governing Board, whether they continue to be from “At-Large” elected areas or by “Trustee Areas” will continue to hold the responsibility of governance for the entire District.

Thank you to everyone who gave feedback at meetings and online!  Your ideas really shaped the map design and our decisions.  See details at https://mdusd.org/boardelections

Emergency planning

Have you experienced a utility emergency at your school site recently?  My kids have, and my home was without power for 3 days.  When emergencies happen, we all pitch in to help.  That is why Trustee Lawrence and I went to Northgate on Oct 28^th - to help in whatever way we could.  We ended up volunteering on fire watch, checking each classroom & hallway for any fire danger, and ensuring areas were cleared of people once the decision was made to gather in a central location.  The principal, superintendent, fire marshall and facilities director were there and leading the situation.  But for us as school board members, experiences like this help inform our decisions on how to improve the big picture policies we decide on.  That’s why I visit and volunteer at as many sites as I can across the district. 

Here is some relevant information:

• At the Board level, we are analyzing and updating Board policies related to Emergency management. This will be on a future Board meeting agenda, where you can give input as well.
• Did you know about your specific school safety plan?  Each school Site Council approves and submits one for their school for district approval by March 1^st of each year, and all are listed on the district website.  Be sure to give your site-specific input to your principal or site council.
  • District list of school safety plans
  • Oak Grove Middle School safety plan – Page 37 lists utilities emergencies. Given the very difficult circumstances that OGMS went through last month, what do you think should be added to ensure this school (and every school) can handle water shutoff more effectively in the future?
  • Northgate safety plan – Page 55 lists how to sign up for community alerts. Page 48 lists items for the school toolkit, including “1 flashlight (batteries in package)”.  What should it say instead - “1 flashlight and 1 lantern per classroom.”?   Should crank or solar powered be recommended?  Together as a team, your school community can determine the most effective plan for the unique layout of your school.
  • All Site Councils: have you ensured that all of your school parents know what is in your emergency plan? I know that the full plans are long and dense, but perhaps share out specific items from it like your school communication plan and Appendix B: ABC’s – Three Steps to Protect Your Child During Emergencies in The School Day

Finances

I was heartened to see so many teachers, staff and parents out rallying on Oct 28^th, showing through action how much they care about our students.  Our community is passionate about educating every student well, and achieving that by providing more nurses, librarians, and counselors, high enough pay for teachers and staff to afford to live here, and low class sizes. 

I was disheartened to be asked why the school board “doesn’t care”.  Actually every one of us volunteers endless hours of our time because we do care.  We oversee the direction of the district, and our fiscal duty as school board includes:

• Approve and oversee the school district budget
• Serve as good stewards of taxpayer funds

We care very much and are carefully analyzing how to prioritize budget needs in an incredibly underfunded education system.  How would you prioritize among all of those requests?

Let me share one simple way to look at MDUSD finances - how fast the ending balance is being spent down: from $70 million unrestricted ending balance just two years ago, to just $30 million in June 2019. 

MDUSD Actual ending balances:

This deficit spending is unsustainable and cannot continue much longer.  Therefore, any new spending must come out of currently allocated expenses, and the vast majority of our expenses are in people. Yes, you did read that right.  That means in order to do all the things we agree are needed, from lowering class size, to raising teacher and staff salaries, to increasing numbers of nurses and librarians… our main means to do so is to remove current people from their jobs.

To give you an idea of the magnitude of this -

The district saved $5 million from the cost cutting and layoffs last spring, which were incredibly painful.   Parents and teachers at just about every school can tell you about losing their favorite teacher or vice principal.  I don’t know anyone who wants that to happen again.  Yet that brought our actual ending balance to $30 million (vs the budgeted estimate of $25 million).  Saving $5 million was impactful, however expenses were still more than revenue, so we spent down our ending balance by $8 million.  (see detailed actuals 2018-19 here)

And so, to give you an idea of scale: one million dollars is the equivalent of anywhere from 10 to 30 positions. 

Now consider: how much money am I asking the district to “find” for new spending?  Am I okay with the resulting layoffs, program & course cuts needed to achieve that? 

There are no easy answers.

Given all of this, are you fired up?  Worried?  There are actions you can take for the future of our schools:

1. Learn about where CA stands as a state, and help educate others that the struggles MDUSD faces are actually what districts all across CA are facing: fullandfairfunding.org . Our state legislators had the opportunity this fall to raise education funding to the national average with a bill AB39 that was co-authored by our local rep Bauer-Kahan.  Yet that bill was watered down to an “intent only” bill and still did not receive enough support to pass.  Clearly our legislators do not understand the immediacy of our student needs.
2. Please copy any email or speech you’ve given to the MDUSD school board requesting additional funds, and paste that into an email to our state representatives and the governor:
   1. grayson@assembly.ca.gov, Assemblymember.Bauer-Kahan@assembly.ca.gov, Senator.Glazer@senate.ca.gov, governor@governor.ca.gov, gavin.newsom@gov.ca.gov
3. Consider what you can do to support local funding sources for our schools, while the state funding is clearly lacking. Some other districts have robust education foundations and local parcel taxes that help narrow the gap, while MDUSD has a new and growing foundation (mdedf.org) and no parcel tax.  
4. Let me know if you are interested in joining a countywide coalition that is forming in Contra Costa, modeled from this one in Alameda: https://www.acoe.org/funding

Coming up

Speaking of funding…

The League of Women Voters of Diablo Valley is presenting the Schools and Communities First Initiative on Saturday, November 16^th, 10:30 am – noon, Concord Library, 2900 Salvio St., Concord, CA 94519.  Fix Prop 13 with the Schools and Communities First Initiative on the November 2020 Ballot. This initiative will not touch Propositions 13 protections for any residential property, agricultural land, or small businesses. The money will go to schools and local governments. The League of Women Voters of Diablo Valley will describe the Initiative, answer questions, and explain how you can help.

Board meeting Monday Nov 18th

Our next school board meeting is Monday Nov 18th, 7pm at Dent Center at 1936 Carlotta Drive, Concord.  See agenda here once it is posted. You can attend in person, or to watch from home go to https://mdusd.org/agendasminutes to watch the video of any meeting live or recorded.

Onwards together for our students,

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the Wren Arts Magnet art show, complete with book fair and cotton candy machine.  Such fun and great parent attendance.  Thank you MDUSD Education Foundation for funding schoolwide Art in Action!  Mr Young here said he would not have attempted this bird art project if it weren't for Art in Action guidance and training.

And thank you Shore Acres for inviting me out to Thrilling Thursday fun runs last week!  What a wonderful way to get in shape and get the wiggles out before school to be ready to learn.  Ms Bever's class was buzzing with math epiphanies afterwards!

Here are a few highlights of events you can attend and actions you can take in MDUSD right now: 

• Transfers
• College Fair
• Giving to HOPE
• Trustee Area Maps

It's Transfer Request Time for Grades 6-12!

Are you considering schools other than your currently assigned school for middle or high?  If so, now's the time to visit schools to make an informed decision, and turn in your application to request a transfer if desired.  Find the online application and details here.  Due Nov 15th!

Did you know about the Career Pathways available in Mt Diablo schools?  Take a look at all the various industry sectors and community partners throughout our district schools here. Students or parents can click on Health Science, Engineering, Transportation, Education, Computer Science, Culinary or Digital Media, and see which schools offer those pathways.

Are you a business owner or leader who would like to connect students to internships, relevant industry projects, or career exploration?  You can join the Mt Diablo Business Alliance - see details here. Their next meeting is on Dec 2nd, 4pm at College Park High School!

College Fair Thursday Oct 24th, 6:30-8pm

It's never too early to plan for college.  Stop by Ygnacio Valley High tomorrow night (Thursday) to the districtwide college fair, meet reps from many different schools, and find out how to make a plan! Details here.

Giving Season - How You Can Donate to the 2019 HOPE Holiday Gift Card Drive

Mt. Diablo Unified School District is committed to making sure that all students arrive at school ready and able to learn. To supplement services, our Homeless Outreach Program for Education (HOPE) is requesting donations for our holiday program to support our homeless
students in the School District.  Please forward and share!

El Distrito Escolar Unificado Mt. Diablo está comprometido a garantizar que todos los estudiantes lleguen a la escuela preparados y disponibles para aprender. Para complementar nuestros servicios, nuestro Programa de Educación y Asistencia para Personas sin Hogar (HOPE) está solicitando donaciones durante la época de días festivos para apoyar a nuestros estudiantes sin hogar en el Distrito Escolar. 

Board meeting Monday Oct 28th

Our next school board meeting is Monday Oct 28th, 7pm at Dent Center at 1936 Carlotta Drive, Concord.  See agenda here once it is posted. You can attend in person, or to watch from home go to https://mdusd.org/agendasminutes to watch the video of any meeting live or recorded.

Agenda will include:

Final Public Hearing on By Trustee Area Election Process

At the September 23 and Oct 14 School Board meetings, public hearings were held on by trustee area scenarios.   See all maps & FAQs at https://mdusd.org/boardelections

1. The board decided to remove three of the maps from consideration: red, green, blue
2. The board would now like to hear community input on the remaining 3 draft maps: pink, purple, purpleA.
3. The board is now exploring additional options of the order of elections. That means it is possible that different areas will be chosen for the 2020 election than what has so far been designated on the draft maps. 

Current draft maps (pink, purple, purpleA) show Areas 3 & 5 with elections in 2020, because all three other areas have current trustees whose terms do not end until 2022.  This ensures that all 5 areas will have representation on the board starting in 2020.

However, technically the board could choose different areas. See "Election Sequencing Selection" "Selección de Secuencia de Elecciones" district news for details on the options.

Please share your perspective as a parent, student, staff or community member to inform the board decisions! 

Tell us which map is your favorite and which 2 areas you think should be up for election in 2020 and why.  Here’s how:

• to speak to the Board in person, attend the final Public Hearing at Board meeting October 28, 2019 or
• to submit your thoughts online anytime (in English or any language) click on https://mdusd.org/feedbacksurvey 

I hope to see you out and about!

Sincerely,

p.s. are you receiving the Friday letter from our Superintendent Dr Martinez?  If not, email superintendentsoffice@mdusd.org and they'll add you to the list. or follow @MDUSD on Facebook or Twitter to see them.

PG&E Power Outages Over

Thank you to all who helped in planning and communicating about potential power outages in MDUSD!  In the end only one school was affected, stayed open, and handled it smoothly.  It's great to see everyone come together to ensure safety preparedness for all students and staff!

Board meeting Monday Oct 14th

Our next school board meeting is Monday Oct 14th, 7pm at Dent Center at 1936 Carlotta Drive, Concord.  See agenda here.  You can attend in person, or to watch from home go to https://mdusd.org/agendasminutes to watch the video of any meeting live or afterwards.

Key agenda items include:

• State and Local Indicator Presentation 
• Public Hearing on By Trustee Area election process

State and Local Indicator Presentation

Click here for the slides.  Staff will report on the results of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) assessments administered in the spring and the local district indicators which must be submitted by November 1, 2019.

MDUSD website also lists CAASPP resources for parents in various languages, including free resources to navigate parent teacher conferences and help your child succeed: https://mdusd.org/caasppresources 

Here is an additional report from EdSource: http://caaspp.edsource.org/ showing data on CAASPP statewide, by district, or by school.

Public Hearing on By Trustee Area Election Process

At the September 23, 2019 School Board meeting, a public hearing was held on by trustee area scenarios.   See all maps & FAQs at https://mdusd.org/boardelections

1. The board decided to remove three of the maps from consideration: red, green, blue
2. The board would now like to hear community input on the remaining 3 draft maps: pink, purple, purpleA.
3. The board is now exploring additional options of the order of elections. That means it is possible that different areas will be chosen for the 2020 election than what has so far been designated on the draft maps. 

Current draft maps (pink, purple, purpleA) show Areas 3 & 5 with elections in 2020, because all three other areas have current trustees whose terms do not end until 2022.  This ensures that all 5 areas will have representation on the board starting in 2020.

However, technically the board could choose different areas, and a majority of the Board asked on Sept 23^rd to hear all of the options. See "Election Sequencing Selection" "Selección de Secuencia de Elecciones" district news for details on the options.

Please share your perspective as a parent, student, staff or community member to inform the board decisions! 

Tell us which map is your favorite and which 2 areas you think should be up for election in 2020 and why.  Here’s how:

• to speak to the Board in person, attend Public Hearings at Board meetings on October 14 or October 28, 2019 or
• to submit your thoughts online anytime (in English or any language) click on https://mdusd.org/feedbacksurvey 

Enjoy your weekend!

Sincerely,

PG&E Power Outages

As of Oct 8th, 11pm...

All Mt. Diablo Schools are Currently Open -click for more details-

Todas las Escuelas de Mt. Diablo están abiertas actualmente -haga clic aquí para más detalles-

The District will continue to monitor the events, and will provide updated information to the community should there be any need to close schools, or modify school schedules. We believe that keeping schools open provides a safe place for students to be.

Update on By Trustee Area Mapping

At the September 23, 2019 School Board meeting, public hearing #3 was held on by area trustee elections.   See all maps & FAQs at https://mdusd.org/boardelections

1. The board decided to remove three of the maps from consideration: red, green, blue
2. The board would now like to hear community input on the remaining 3 draft maps: pink, purple, purpleA.
3. The board is now exploring additional options of the order of elections. That means it is possible that different areas will be chosen for the 2020 election than what has so far been designated on the draft maps. 

    

   Current draft maps (pink, purple, purpleA) show Areas 3 & 5 with elections in 2020, because all three other areas have current trustees whose terms do not end until 2022.  This ensures that all 5 areas will have representation on the board starting in 2020.

   However, technically the board could choose different areas, and a majority of the Board asked on Sept 23^rd to hear all of the options. See "Election Sequencing Selection" "Selección de Secuencia de Elecciones" district news for details on the options.

Please share your perspective as a parent, student, staff or community member to inform the board decisions! 

Tell us which map is your favorite and which 2 areas you think should be up for election in 2020 and why.  Here’s how:

• attend Public Hearing #4 October 14, 2019, or Public Hearing #5 October 28, 2019 to speak to the board in person, or
• click on https://mdusd.org/feedbacksurvey anytime to submit your thoughts online in English or en español.

Sincerely,

p.s. thanks to all who walked/ran the Break a Sweat for Education race!  It was so uplifting to see so many of you from all different schools & communities join in healthy exercise together to raise funds for the MDUSD Education Foundation and Yours Humanly!

Did you read about our Superintendent in the news?

And here are a few upcoming opportunities to get involved:

1. Sat Sept 21st - Free fingerprinting 
2. Monday Sept 23rd - Hearing for By-Area Trustee Elections
3. Tuesday Sept 24th - Achievement Gap Town Hall
4. Register now for the Oct 5th Break a Sweat Run for Education!

Sat Sept 21st - Free Fingerprinting for parents at Cambridge Elementary School

10am-1pm.  This is for parents in:

• Bay Point – Shore Acres, Rio Vista, Bel Air
• Concord – Cambridge, Fair Oaks, Meadow Homes, Ygnacio Valley Elementary

Parents receive fingerprinting, Live Scan background check, and Tuberculosis screening at no charge. A great way to get set up to volunteer this year!

Mon Sept 23rd - Public Hearing for By-Area Trustee Elections

This Monday night, 7pm, there will be a public hearing for by-area trustee elections held during the regular school board meeting.  This process is moving forward to ensure our district complies with the CVRA.  Please give your input!

The goal of the CVRA (CA Voting Rights Act) is to create more opportunities for those who have been under-represented to have a voice in the system.  The law says each of the areas must be near equal in total population (<10% difference).  It also says that we must look at the Voting Age Population numbers to create as many areas as possible with a majority of underrepresented voters.  Lastly, it says that all incumbents serve out their current terms, and then the order of area elections should prioritize the majority underrepresented areas.

Based on community input, three more maps were designed (pink, purple, purpleA). See maps and details at https://mdusd.org/boardelections

Click on each map. 

• Which map do you think provides the best opportunity for minority representation? 
• Within that map, which areas do you think should be up for election in 2020 vs 2022?
• Click the online feedback form in English or Spanish to give us your thoughts!  Or speak at a public hearing:

Monday, September 23, 2019 Public Hearing

Mt. Diablo Unified School District Offices/Board Room, 7pm, 1936 Carlotta Dr., Concord, 94519. Third public hearing. See agenda here: https://mdusd.org/agendasminutes

Monday, October 14, 2019 Public Hearing

Mt. Diablo Unified School District Offices/Board Room, 7pm, 1936 Carlotta Dr., Concord, 94519

This will be the fourth formal Public Hearing to solicit public input on draft maps of trustee areas and proposed sequence of elections. The meeting will include resolutions to adopt the trustee-area maps and proposed sequence of elections.

Click here for printable flyer in English y Espanol

Want more wonky details? Read this ACLU guide about CVRA.

Tues Sept 24th - Closing the Achievement Gap Town Hall

State Superintendent Tony Thurmond would like education partners to share how the California Department of Education (CDE) can best assist them in working to close the persistent achievement/opportunity gap. Click here for details.

Date: Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Time: 3:30 to 5:00 p.m.

Interactive Virtual Town Hall: Various County Office of Education locations and livestream

Register now for the Oct 5th Break a Sweat for Education walk/run to benefit MDUSD!

The Yours Humanly annual "Break a Sweat For Education" 5K fundraiser benefits Mt Diablo students - and there's still time to register now to join the MDUSD Education Foundation team and be a part of the fun!

To sign up, go to: http://bit.ly/MDEDFTeam2019

On the right side, click "Join Team" to register.

Can't make it that day, but want to help support STEAM opportunities in our schools? Simply click Donate on that Team Page.

The 5K Run & Walk is open to all ages (strollers too!) and the Kids Fun Run is free for participants 10 and under.

Hope to see you there! 

Sincerely,

Happy September!

In this message:

1. Additional Community Meeting for By-Area Trustee Elections
2. Full & Fair Funding for Schools: will you take action?
3. Emerge California applications due Sept 24th

Additional Community Meeting for By-Area Trustee Elections

By community request, one more input meeting was scheduled for By-Area Trustee Elections: Wednesday Sept 11th!  All are welcome to attend, and translation to Spanish is provided. (other languages upon request)

And two more maps were designed (see pink and purple). See maps and details at https://mdusd.org/boardelections

Click here for printable flyer in English y Espanol

Can't attend? A digital feedback form has been added to the District’s website so you can provide your input online in English or Spanish.  

Wednesday, September 11, 2019 Community Input Meeting

Meadow Homes Elementary, Multi-Use Room, 5:30-6:30pm, 1371 Detroit Ave., Concord, 94520

Monday, September 23, 2019 Public Hearing

Mt. Diablo Unified School District Offices/Board Room, 7pm, 1936 Carlotta Dr., Concord, 94519 

This will be the third formal Public Hearing to solicit public input on draft maps of trustee areas and proposed sequence of elections and summarize input from community forums.  The meeting may include potential Board action to narrow number of published draft maps for final consideration, and/or to direct the creation of one or more revised draft maps.  

Monday, October 14, 2019 Public Hearing

Mt. Diablo Unified School District Offices/Board Room, 7pm, 1936 Carlotta Dr., Concord, 94519

This will be the fourth formal Public Hearing to solicit public input on draft maps of trustee areas and proposed sequence of elections. The meeting will include resolutions to adopt the trustee-area maps and proposed sequence of elections.

Full and Fair Funding for Schools: Take 1 minute for Action

I've heard from many of you who are asking for smaller class sizes, more librarians and nurses, and higher pay for teachers and staff.  I would love to guide our district to do every one of those things, however the struggle is to find what is currently affordable within our fiscal means.

Please share your stories with our state legislators, so they can see and feel how immediate these needs are for our students, teachers and staff... their constituents.  They need to raise our state investment in public education at least to the national average, as soon as possible!

We need you now as together we try to make a seismic shift in school funding in California.

What you can do

• Social Media: Post this to twitter and Facebook:

@BauerKahan @AsmGrayson @Steve_Glazer, The time to be BOLD is NOW! Will you be bold & stand with educators, students & community to put Full & Fair Funding on March 2020 Ballot so voters can decide to support education funding? #FullandFairFunding #March2020 #Education #BeBold

@BauerKahan @AsmGrayson @Steve_Glazer, The time to be BOLD is NOW! Will you be bold and stand with educators, students, and the community to support a School Facilities Bond? #FullandFairFunding #March2020 #Education #BeBold #OurBuildingsAre50yrsOld

• Call your legislator: Ask him or her to be bold for education.  Put Full & Fair Funding on the March 2020 ballot, pass a school facilities bond, and show that education truly is a priority by funding it. (state your specific example of the need in 1-2 sentences, e.g. Our school district Facilities Master Plan just identified $1Billion in facility needs, yet our local bond that taxpayers recently supported is $150 million) 
  • Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan: (916) 319-2016  https://a16.asmdc.org/
  • Assemblymember Tim Grayson: (916) 319-2014  https://a14.asmdc.org/
  • Senator Steve Glazer: (916) 651-4007 https://sd07.senate.ca.gov/

• Spread the word: Reach out to your fellow parents, teachers, and neighbors to ask that they join in this historic fight!  Share www.fullandfairfunding.org 

Emerge California Applications Due Sept 24th

Are you a woman who has thought about running for office, whether it be city council, school board, water board or state level office?  Consider the EmergeCA program. As an alumnus I highly recommend this as a deep learning opportunity with women from around the state who all strive to serve and improve their communities.  Feel free to contact me directly for more information.

Find online webinars here, starting this Friday Sept 13th, some of which specialize in recruiting minorities and LGBTQ women in particular:

https://ca.emergeamerica.org/training/recruitment-salons/

Emerge California offers an in-depth, six-month, 70-hour training program that provides aspiring women leaders, who are Democratic self-identified women in the State of California, with cutting-edge tools and training to run for elected office and elevate themselves in our political system.

But hurry!  Applications and recommendations are due Tuesday Sept 24th at 11:59pm sharp!

Next MDUSD School Board Meeting - Monday September 23rd

See all board meeting agendas and schedule here: https://mdusd.org/agendasminutes

Thank you for joining together for all students!

Sincerely,

How was the first day of school?

We have so many positive and wonderful teachers, staff and parents in our district who worked hard for a smooth and welcoming start to the school year for all students.  Thank you all!  It was not easy, especially with that off-the-charts heatwave.

At the school board meeting last week, we officially appointed Dr. Robert Martinez as the new MDUSD superintendent.  The decision was unanimous, and we are looking forward to seeing his experience and passion take flight here in our schools, bringing everyone together to ensure quality education for every student.  His first official day is today.  Welcome Dr. Martinez!

Meanwhile we have also been busy with two key items that need your attention:

1. Maps for the 2020 by-trustee-area election: attend a community meeting
2. Full & Fair Funding opportunity: will you take action?

And this week Congressman DeSaulnier is holding an Immigration Town Hall.  See details below.

Community Meetings for By-Area Trustee Elections

Your perspective is needed! 

Please plan to attend any one of these community forums to give your input on draft maps for the five trustee areas. See the conceptual maps and details at https://mdusd.org/boardelections

Flyers publicizing the forums have been translated into multiple languages:  
Arabic | Chinese | Dari | English| Farsi | Hindi | Korean | Pashto| Spanish | Tagalog |Vietnamese

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Loma Vista Adult School  Noon – 1 p.m.

Willow Creek Center 5 – 6 p.m.

Pleasant Hill Middle School 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Pine Hollow Middle School 5 – 6 p.m.

Foothill Middle School 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

District Office/Board Room 5 – 6 p.m.

Riverview Middle School 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Translation available upon request. 

Full and Fair Funding on the March 2020 Ballot?

Are you feeling frustrated with the budget reductions our schools currently face?  I am. And we are not alone.  Schools across CA are in the same boat.

CSBA (CA School Board Association) just informed us that there is serious momentum for the legislature to place a Full and Fair Funding education initiative on the March 2020 ballot and to have a bill number for this by Labor Day. That will give us just a couple of weeks (September 13^th is the deadline)  to push it over the top.

We need you now as together we try to make a seismic shift in school funding in California.

Background on Measure

This measure would raise $15 billion dollar a year for K-14 education through increased taxes on incomes over $1,000,000 a year and a 5% increase in corporate taxes. This initiative would provide approximately $2,000 per ADA in each district (i.e. almost $60,000,000 extra a year for MDUSD). CSBA just got back poll results that show that such an initiative placed on the March ballot would be almost unstoppable given its popularity with voters.

What you can do

• Social Media: Post this to twitter and Facebook:

@BauerKahan @AsmGrayson, The time to be BOLD is NOW! will you be bold and stand with educators, students, and the community to put Full & Fair Funding on the March 2020 Ballot so voters can decide to support education funding? #FullandFairFunding #March2020 #Education #BeBold

• Op-eds: Write an op-ed using this template: https://1drv.ms/w/s!AmfpubkWg1sdhRBuAEpX6aS1dEl2
• Call your legislator:
  • Rebecca Bauer-Kahan: (916) 319-2016  https://a16.asmdc.org/
  • Tim Grayson: (916) 319-2014  https://a14.asmdc.org/
• Spread the word: Reach out to your fellow parents, teachers, and neighbors to ask that they join in this historic fight!

Immigration Town Hall Thursday Aug 22nd

6:30-8pm, Meadow Homes Elementary, 1371 Detroit Ave, Concord.

Congressman DeSaulnier will provide a firsthand account of what he witnessed at detention facilities during his two visits to the southern border and share the work he is doing in Congress to protect immigrant rights and ensure detainees are treated with the dignity they deserve. 

Legal resources and information about immigrant rights—regardless of immigration status—will be available in English and Spanish. A translator will be on hand during the event. RSVP online: https://desaulnier.house.gov/town-hall-rsvp For information call 925-933-2660.

Please share this Safe Haven Resolution with parents & community, to know that the Mt Diablo school district is dedicated to educating all children regardless of immigration status. This resolution was unanimously passed by the school board in Feb 2017, and includes stating that no student data on immigration status is collected by MDUSD, and ICE officials are not allowed on any school campus without prior approval from the superintendent.

Also, here is a useful article with recommendations on how schools should respond to ICE raids.

Next MDUSD School Board Meeting - Monday August 26th

See all board meeting agendas and schedule here: https://mdusd.org/agendasminutes

Thank you for joining together for all students!

Sincerely,