Education roundup: Fruitvale chooses two furlough days
By The Bakersfield Californian
Fruitvale School District teachers, administrators and classified staff have finalized dates to take two furlough days to cope with state budget cuts.
About 330 employees -- 163 classified and management staff, 155 certificated staff, and 13 certificated administrators -- will have two unpaid days off: the day before spring break and the day after (March 30 and April 9), Superintendent Carl Olsen wrote in a Feb. 21 memo to Fruitvale parents and staff.
March 29 will be a minimum day for students and there will be no school March 30 and April 9.
The employee groups agreed in their contracts to furlough days in dealing with budget cuts. Recent legislation signed by Gov. Jerry Brown shifted education cuts throughout the state, Olsen said in the memo, which resulted in a $54-per-student cut at Fruitvale instead of the $32-per-student cut officials expected before the shifts.
"In the spirit of 'we are all in this together,' all other district employees, including administrators, confidential/management and support staff are also participating in this cost-savings effort together to absorb yet another state-initiated reduction to the district's funding," Olsen wrote.
The Rosedale-area district has cut $2.7 million from its budget in the last four years. The furloughs will save the district about $175,000, said Matt Torres, Fruitvale chief business officer.
The furlough days chosen will cause the least disruption to student learning, Olsen said.
Two other Kern County school districts could see furloughs this school year. Kernville Union School District staff approved contract language allowing for furloughs, but officials have not pulled the trigger. Delano Joint Union High School District will implement five furlough days this school year for management and classified staff, not teachers, school officials said.
Several more local school districts are analyzing the idea of implementing furloughs, said Mark Fulmer, chief deputy at Kern County Superintendent of Schools. Furloughs are always a last resort, he said.
"It truly is one of those things you don't want to do," Fulmer said.
The Bakersfield City School District board on Tuesday night approved an $8.2 million project to update telephone and Internet service in the state's largest elementary school district. After federal discounts, the district will pay just $1.5 million of the bill.
The project -- expected to start in the fall and be completed in six to eight months -- will include upgrades to phone systems in the 40-campus district, and also at two new schools. New features will include auto-routing of calls at schools, voice mail for all staff and an electronic directory.
"The new phone system will help us better communicate with staff, parents and the community," according to district staff.
BCSD's current phone system is 12 years old. Upgrades are expected to last at least 10 years. The cost breaks down to about $2,400 per school site per year for 10 years. About $1.1 million of the $1.5 million bill will be paid using cash from BCSD's general fund.
In other business, the board and district administrators recognized several people for receiving state accolades. They include: Principal Sammie Cervantez for completing National Board Certification renewal; Janie Flores, migrant education supervisor, for being selected as the California Association of Bilingual Education administrator of the year; teacher Francisco Flores for being selected as the California Association of Bilingual Education teacher of the year; teacher Lila Perez, for being selected as the Migrant Teacher of the Year, Region 21; and Principal Ruscel Reader for being selected as the Association of California School Administrators administrator of the year, and also for getting the "Valuing Diversity" award.
Registration is now open for a forum aimed to prepare middle school and high school students for college that will be held March 17 at Cal State Bakersfield's Icardo Center.
"College: Making It Happen!" is being presented by the California State University Chancellor's Office, CSUB and Paramount Farms, in partnership with the Southern San Joaquin Valley Cal-SOAP Consortium.
Students in grades six through 11, parents and community leaders are invited to participate in the free event, which runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The program is designed to communicate the importance of early academic and financial planning, and to educate students and parents about the choices available after high school.
Sessions being offered include graduation and college requirements, financial aid and scholarship opportunities, preparing early for college, career trends and more. Parent sessions will be offered in English and Spanish.
Register: mbaltazar@csub.edu or call 654-6157 by Feb. 29.
Congressman Kevin McCarthy is inviting local high schoolers to compete in the annual congressional art competition -- "An Artistic Discovery."
The winning entry will be displayed for a year in a corridor leading to the U.S. Capitol, and the winner will receive round-trip travel to an exhibit opening in Washington, D.C., in June.
In addition, awards will be given to those who place first, second and third in the following three categories: photography, computer generated art, and artwork of all other mediums. Artwork will be exhibited to the public at Metro Galleries in Bakersfield from May 8 through May 11.
The deadline to submit art is April 27. The artwork must be an original concept, two dimensional and no larger than 28 inches by 28 inches (the measurement should allow for framing), and 4 inches in depth. Paintings, computer generated art, photography, drawings, collages and prints are acceptable.
More information: 327-3611, 805-461-1034, or any high school art department in the 22nd Congressional District.
Know someone 8 to 18 years old who has made a significant positive difference to people and our planet? Nominate them for the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes award.
Ten winners nationally will each receive $2,500 to support their service work or for higher education.
The nomination deadline is April 30. More information, and to nominate: www.barronprize.org or www.facebook.com/BarronPrize.
-- Jorge Barrientos, Californian staff
For more education news, go to The Californian's education blog, The Grade, at www.bakersfield.com/ thegrade or follow The Grade's Twitter at twitter.com/TBCTheGrade.
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