Summer School Attended by More Than 700 Students
FCMAT Presents Special Education Review
Torrey Pines High School Aquatic Center Groundbreaking Ceremony on September 5
Ethnic Studies Community Engagement Nights
The SDUHSD held a regularly scheduled board meeting on August 8. No decisions of consequence were made by the Board, although staff presented an analysis of two topics of interest.
First, staff reviewed attendance at summer school. Over 700 students participated, and by all accounts summer school was a success for those students.
Second, the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) conducted an independent review of our Special Education services. The report provided some interesting suggestions but missed the mark, in my opinion, in one key area – our need to listen to and work more cooperatively with the parents of our Special Education students.
I believe we need a fundamental change in our culture to focus more on “customer service”. I was surprised to learn that we don’t ask parents at the end of each IEP process how they believe the district performed. Only by truly listening to parents and being open to change can we hope to significantly improve our service to families. I am convinced that we can do better.
For those who want a bit more detail on the Special Education review, you can find a summary of the FCMAT report here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NZsm_C_9o4nhVNWkbBJ6KUu1MT5Mb3jf/view?
There was also a good write-up by local reporter Karen Billing that can be found here:
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/.../san-dieguito.../...
The presentation to the Board and the public did not include the full report with all the data. I asked when that would be available, and the answer was, soon but the staff is still digesting the information.
Outside of the Board Meeting, I’d like to point out two other items of note.
The District will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the Torrey Pines High School Aquatic Center on September 5th from 10am to 11am on the high school campus. More information to follow in what I’m sure will be a splashing kickoff success to our long-awaited swimming pool complex!
Finally, the District continues to work on the development of the Ethnic Studies curriculum to be piloted later this year in anticipation of a formal course offering beginning in the 2025/26 school year.
The District is offering three more “Community Engagement Nights” for members of the community to discuss Ethnic Studies with members of district staff. All meetings will be at Earl Warren Middle School from 5:30pm – 7:30pm on the following dates.
Tuesday, September 17
Tuesday, October 8
Thursday, November 7
All members of the public are invited, but this may be of most interest to parents who will have students taking the class (current 7th and 8th graders) as part of their 2030 California Graduation Requirements. Many 9th graders will have the opportunity to experience this class in pilot form this school year in their English 9 classes. I attended the first meeting on August 14th with about 30 community members and parents. Dr. Staffieri, Bryan Marcus, and several teachers facilitated the Engagement Night.
This meeting was to obtain feedback on the first unit of the proposed Ethnic Studies class, titled “Identity” and consisted of 13 draft lessons.
On August 22 at 1:00 pm, the Board will hold a special Study Session meeting at the District Office to discuss this first unit. If you have any questions or comments, you can email me or the Board and Superintendent. You are always welcome to attend the Board meetings.