MPUSD to discuss building priorities

Trustees with the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District will conduct a study session Friday, Aug. 26, to develop a criteria and priorities list of its next set of Measure P bond projects.

The board will receive information on future facilities needs categories including infrastructure, school/classroom facilities, athletics, and student programs.

Approximately $55 million in bond funds remains on the district's Measure P bond measure. Measure P was passed by over 71 percent of district voters in 2010. School facilities throughout the district are in need of significant modernization and upgrade due to age and programmatic need.

The meeting will take place at 5:30 p.m. Friday in the board room of the district office, 700 Pacific St., Monterey.

MPUSD celebrates energy savings

Energy measures implemented at the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District have earned them more than $2.2 million in savings, a milestone trustees celebrated at a recent board meeting.

The cost savings were achieved during the last 37 months, since hiring national energy conservation company Cenergistic, a MPUSD spokesperson said.

Trustees approved a four-year, $892,800 contract with Cenergistic in Nov. 2012. The company, then known as Energy Education Inc., has been implementing cost-saving measures based on analyzing energy consumption habits and changing behaviors. The contract does not include the salary of the district's in-house energy specialist, which is also paid from the energy savings.

As part of the program, MPUSD’s Energy Specialist David Chandler tracks energy consumption — including electricity, water, sewer, natural gas and fuel oil — using energy-accounting software. He compares current energy use to a baseline period and calculates the amount of energy that would have been used had conservation and management practices not been implemented. By tracking consumption and analyzing energy use, he can quickly identify and correct areas that need immediate attention.

CSUMB and MPUSD receive grant to prepare new teachers

Cal State Monterey Bay and Monterey Peninsula Unified School District have been awarded a grant by the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation to expand training for new K-8 teachers in implementing the state’s math and science standards.

CSUMB will get $600,000, and is among 11 California State University campuses earning S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation grants.

The grant will support CSUMB and Monterey Peninsula Unified School District in developing a shared vision for teacher preparation and professional growth. It will serve to support candidates, inductees, and new teachers’ understanding and implementation of research-based practices in Common Core State Standards - Math (CCSS-M) and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) classroom instruction.

Chili Cook-off Competition to Benefit MPUSD Teachers

The Monterey Peninsula Sunrise Rotary Club will host its “Chili for Children” Benefit Cook-off to raise funds for 2017 grants for teachers in the Monterey Unified School District. The event  is intended to help defer costs of special projects, class trips and other “extras” so teachers don't have to reach into their pockets to pay for them.

Funds from last year’s fundraising event enabled the Monterey Peninsula Sunrise Rotary Club to award in modest education grants to more than 35 teachers in January.

“Our Rotary Club is pleased to support education, and especially our local teachers, through these grants, which will help enrich the learning experiences of many students on the Monterey Peninsula,” John Byrne, the club’s president, said in a statement.

The event will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, June 11, at the YMCA in Monterey, 600 Camino El Estero, at the corner of Webster Street. Tickets are $25, and include a gourmet chili dinner, two beverages and more. Everyone's welcome. There will be live and silent auctions, a 50/50 drawing and prizes. For tickets, contact John Byrne at (831) 884-3944, or click here

Dual Language Academy promotes first graduating class

A big shout out to the first graduating class of the Dual Language Academy of the Monterey Peninsula. It seems like yesterday when a group of parents stood strong to keep their bilingual school together, and fought to extend it from a K-6 to K-8. And here you have it, the fully bilingual students heading to Stevenson, York, Marina High, Seaside High, Monterey High and the MAOS program at MHS.

Congrats to you all! And to all the Monterey County graduates, high school, community colleges and four-year universities. Your talents make our community strong. I wish I could go to every one of the ceremonies... if only I could clone myself and not forget to write dates down on my daybook...

MPUSD superintendent headlines Monterey County Business Council luncheon

PK Diffenbaugh, superintendent of the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District, will be the featured speaker during the monthly luncheon of the Monterey County Business Council.

Luncheons organized by the council are for members only. Find an application for membership here.

Diffenbaugh will be talking about recent district accomplishments and plans to continue moving the district forward.

The lunch will take place from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday, June 10, at Bayonet Grill, 1 McClure Way, Seaside. Cost: $25 advance, $30 at the door. For information call  (831) 216-3000.

Monterey High teacher Aristotle Constant wants your support

There could be fireworks -- or at the very least, lively public comments -- during Tuesday's regular board meeting of the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District, as supporters of English Teacher Aristotle Constant  promise to show up to support him.

Constant, an 18-year-veteran of Monterey High, was told last week he's being "'involuntarily transferred" to another school. Constant did what many in his position would do in a similar position: reach out to the community.

Last week, a Facebook page appeared announcing Constant's impending transfer. You can access it here. It's asking community members to call or email the superintendent and board members to prevent Constant be sent to another school.

Constance's die could be cast as the district issued a terse response that points out to the teacher's contract.

"All personnel are employees of the district and not of one particular school or department. The Superintendent and/or Executive Director of Human Resources is authorized to reassign and transfer all personnel provided the affected employees remain in their areas of certification and occupational competence. Employees shall not be reassigned or transferred outside the scope of their certificates-and/or major and minor areas of study without their written consent and appropriate action by the Board of Education."

Stay tuned. 

Dual Language Academy to host second annual international celebration

The Dual Language Academy PTA will hold its second annual international celebration from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 30. 

The event will feature grade level performances and cultural tables representing countries from around the world. Special performances by Sadza Marimba from Santa Cruz and Baile Folklorico Aguila Real from Soledad, a folk storyteller from Mexico, the Ash East Indian dancers, Viejitos dancers, and Baile Folklorico Aguila Real throughout the day and the Sadza Marimba band, joining us from Santa Cruz at the end of the day.

There will also be items for auction to benefit the school: theme park admissions, sport games, and chocolate.

At the Dual Language Academy of the Monterey Peninsula, 225 Normandy Way, Seaside.

MPUSD Jenn Gerard heads to the Center for Ecoliteracy in Berkeley

Jennifer Gerard, described as a "food innovator" for the changes she implemented at the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District, has been named program director for the California Food for California Kids initiative at Center for Ecoliteracy in Berkeley.

“Jenn Gerard has been one of the most creative and committed school food service directors in California and a leader in transforming school meals by serving healthy, freshly prepared meals made with California-grown ingredients,” said Zenobia Barlow, executive director of Center for Ecoliteracy. “She even developed unprecedented partnerships with local fishermen to incorporate Monterey Bay’s bounty into school nutrition programs. I know she will be able to grow the California Food for California Kids initiative to reach more children and more schools.”

While in Monterey, Gerard oversaw a transition to fresh meal preparation, salad bars and staff development, and launched a culinary program at Seaside High School that collaborates with Nutrition Services to develop, test and market new recipes. She earned the California Center for California Kids Innovation Award for her work in raising the quality of meals and connecting the classroom to the cafeteria.

 “I am honored to have the opportunity to devote myself to expanding California kids’ access to healthy, delicious locally sourced food,” Gerard said in a statement. “Together, we’re accomplishing an amazing feat: remaking an entire industry to better serve our children and farmers, fishers and producers.”

So long, Jenn. It was fun to work with you. Much luck in your future endeavors.

Foothill Elementary hosts science day

Foothill Elementary had what administrators believe is the school's first ever Science Day on Wednesday. Students had a chance to choose three different sessions of hands-on activities that addressed the Next Generation Science Standards, said Principal Lauren Park.

"Teachers presented science experiments in chemistry, botany, zoology, physiology, geology, and physics," she said in an email. "Students experimented on chemical changes, how electricity turns on light bulbs, extracting periodic table iron from food, how rate and time affects distance, how the human taste buds are affected, and much more!"

Judging by the photos  and Park's enthusiasm -- science day was really special. "Our teachers took the bold step to be innovative in coordinating the best experience for our students."

MPUSD schedules townhall meetings to "reimagine" high schools

Some of my readers will remember that I wrote about the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District's new effort to remake their high schools. For a refresher, read here.

The district has announced a series of town hall meetings to get input about the idea. The first one takes place at 6 p.m. today at Seaside Middle School.

Here's a poster with the full listing. See you around!

Jennifer Gerard gets award for food program at MPUSD

Jennifer Gerard, nutrition chief at Monterey Peninsula Unified School District, just received a 2015 California Food for California Kids Innovation Award for the program “Bay2Tray” local seafood procurement program.

The epicurean, whose programs and ideas we've extensively covered at the Herald, worked with local fishers to identify a new protein source: Grenadier, a by-catch that is usually discarded. This light and flaky fish made its way into the lunchroom in various forms: fish tacos, a chipotle-fish and cilantro-lime rice bowl, and fresh fish & chips. Students are responding enthusiastically, according to the Center for Ecoliteracy, which bestowed the award.

“We are privileged to honor the great work of entrepreneurial leaders like Jennifer Gerard,” Zenobia Barlow, executive director of the Center for Ecoliteracy, said in a statement. “And, thanks to the California Thursdays network, these innovative ideas are ‘catching.”

The idea for Bay2Tray began when Gerard noticed something problematic in her district. The students looked out over the Monterey Bay each day and then went back to the cafeteria for lunch to eat frozen fish sticks from who knows where. “It's a disservice to our fishing community,” Gerard says.

The California Food for California Kids Awards was presented to five school districts at a ceremonial dinner in San Diego. No word if they awardees were served grenadier.

MPUSD presents study on health care costs

For the second week in a row, officials at the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District will hear an important update on how the district spends money, this time about health care costs.

Trustees will hear from representatives of California's Valued Trust, one of the state's largest self-funded PPO public schools’ trust specializing in healthcare benefits for educational institutions. The presentation will focus on some of the factors and trends impacting the district’s medical and pharmacy costs.

Specifically, California Valued Trust will address regional factors affecting the cost of care in the Monterey Peninsula, as well as analysis on medical and pharmacy trends that are impacting the District.

It should be of interest to employees but also other people who care about how the district spends its money. Afterward, officials will hear a report on enrollment trends, also a item of great interest in the community.

Health care cost presentation starts at 6:15 p.m. at the Instructional Materials Center. 

It promises to be a long and informative meeting, as administrators will also present test results from the first round of the new generation of California assessments. Here's the agenda, in case you're interested. 

MPUSD will have a special report on special education tonight

If you're interested in special education, and you live in the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District, you should not miss tonight's report.

Two former administrators from El Dorado County and leading experts in special education will provide a summary of an independent review recently conducted of the MPUSD Special Education Program, and will present an overview of the following (according to the agenda:

District’s current special education program and present recommendations about staffing, least restrictive environment programming, response to intervention and instruction, including a review of the continuum of placement options for students with disabilities and financial consideration (cost containment and maximization of income).

Make recommendations concerning issues related to operation of regional programs, previously operated by Monterey County Office of Education, and transferred to Monterey Peninsula Unified School District several years ago. The review will analyze these programs to determine if the current structure is programmatically and financially, the optimum structure.

Determine how the District compares to statewide and SELPA data with respect to pupil count, special education income, special education expenditures, and local contribution to special education. A multi-year analysis will be prepared that includes comparative data to determine trends and areas that the District may want to focus on to a greater extent to contain special education costs.

Present on how the district is developing implementation strategies, considering financial and educational benefits related to the recommendations.

The meeting's open session begins at 7 p.m. You can watch it online, although sometimes the transmission suffers from technical difficulties and you risk missing the juciest parts.

PK Diffenbaugh not the only one in his family to make the news

Come to think of it, the name Diffenbaugh seems destined for headlines. Be it the Monterey Peninsula Unified Superintendent's or his best-selling author wife's, the name seems to capture a lot of attention.

Most recently, Diffenbaugh's brother Noah Diffenbaugh, Associate Professor of Earth System Science at Stanford University, was featured in the San Francisco Chronicle for his research on changing weather patterns that are causing California's drought. Actually, he's been featured in the newspaper several times.

Noah Diffenbaugh's research is fascinating and depressing at the same time. He and his team are predicting California's dryness is here to stay, thanks to the "Ridiculous Resilient Ridge." Check it out here.

Dual Language Academy hosts International Day.

Parents and teachers of the Dual Language Academy of the Monterey Peninsula invite the public to their First International Day, a continuation of the International Night tradition from the old Dual Language Immersion Program at Marshall Elementary.

The event seeks to enrich the lives of the students by sharing their culture or international experience. There will be tables representing different areas of the world  highlighting their culture with artifacts, special foods, clothing, musical instruments and traditions. Also, all students will be part of different performances, and guests from the community will perform. Invited groups include the Monterey Bay Chinese Lion Dance Team; El mariachi, and El ballet folckorico Aguila Blanca.

Admission is free. There will be food for sale and a silent auction. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday April 18. At the Dual Language Academy of the Monterey Peninsula, 225 Normandy Rd, Seaside.

Ord Terrace hosts Family Science Night

Ord Terrace Elementary School will host its third annual Family Science Night from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14.

Teachers will conduct hands-on activities based on grade level standards. Activities will feature animal habitats and camouflage, ecosystems, electricity, plant parts, animal adaptations, and even computer science.

Student work, such as ocean animal reports, travel brochures to the solar system, and visual displays of the stages of plant growth, will be on display. The event is open to the public.

“Our family math and reading nights have been very successful, and we have expanded the evenings to focus on science,” said Joe Sampson, Principal, Ord Terrace. “Family nights are an excellent way to showcase our students, staff and school to parents and the community at large.”

Ord Terrace is located at 1755 La Salle Street in Seaside.

Another charter proposal, scheduling changes for middle schools, and more at MPUSD

If you missed Tuesday's regular meeting of the trustees for the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District, you missed a good one. A lot of changes taking place, and it's hard to keep track. I may get to write stories about these later, but in case some other stuff yanks my chain. Like parents at La Mesa or thereabouts....

Darrick Jory, a 2014 graduate of Monterey High, presented a proposal to open a charter school at the district. It's called the Keystone Academy, and it would focus on technical education, the type that Jory insists his peers can't get at Monterey High.

I'm fascinated by Jory and his efforts. The district's not been very eager to accept charter proposals, but it's too early to say whether Jory's has any merit. And even though I've seen my share of proposals, I'm hardly an expert so I don't know how solid his is. If you want to take a look and give me feedback, here it is for your pleasure.

And...

Remember the $2 million cost over run to fix the heating system at Seaside High? Well, trustees and other interested parties remember it well. And during Tuesday's meeting, they hired a contractor to coordinate all the maintenance work that needs to get done over the summer, namely repairs on carpets, ceilings, playgrounds, windows, and any other item that needs to get done in the district's 18 schools.

CM Construction Services of Carmel will charge $230,000 to coordinate the work, which is expected to last through August 31. Who knows, if district officials find the agreement to their liking, they may continue using a contractor in the future.

Trustee Tom Jennings captured the sentiment well: "Not to cast doubt on past saff members, but we tried to do this in house and it has not worked out so well. Let's give it a shot for the summer projects, it may be the better way for our district to go forward. It may work beyond summer project."

And...

District administrators are exploring the idea of changing the eight-period day at the middle schools to a six-period day. The idea of having more periods during the day was to give students an opportunity to have more electives, but that never materialized, district officials said. The six period day would give students the same amount of instruction but with fewer transitions from class to class.

The idea of reverting back to days with fewer periods has been floating around for a while, namely because it's supposed to be more economical -- fewer classes, fewer teachers, lesser costs.

The district is still in exploration mode, but there appears to be curiosity and some buy in from teachers so far, said Allyson Schweifler, president of the Monterey Bay Teachers Association.

"Overall, based on conversations I've heard, people are amenable to the change. They're a little worried but if done right, it should be fine," Schweifler said. "Having teachers be part of the conversation helps alleviate some of those worries."

And there's more changes coming, with the district moving away from math classes such as Algebra I, Trigonometry and the likes and shifting to "Integrated math" which brings together those pesky concepts in a more cohesive way. It was about time!

And... stay tuned...

Meet Raven Thomas, future journalist

The best part of my job is the chance it gives me to meet new, neat people. That's exactly what happened on March 2, when I was writing about Read Across America at La Mesa Elementary in Monterey and I met Raven Thomas.

Raven, 9, is a fourth grader who wants to be a journalist. So she's been asking questions about how to create a newspaper for her school; and for days she asked Richard Radtke, her school principal, to meet with her to talk about her idea. She finally sat down with him on March 2, just as I was walking out the door. 

Raven is inquisitive and persistent, two of the most important qualities a journalist must have. I can't wait to have you in the profession, girl!

Library at Martin Luther King Elementary to be named after Mae Johnson

Trustees with the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District considered late Tuesday to name the library at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary in Seaside after the late Mae Carol Johnson.

The item was just for consideration and will be voted on March 24. (My earlier post implied the voting had already taken place.)

Ms. Johnson, who died Feb. 24, worked for MPUSD for 35 years as a substitute teacher, teacher, principal and mentor. She was the first female principal at Monterey High, where she served from July 1986 to June 1993. At Tuesday's meeting, several people who were touched by her   -- including Board President Bettye Lusk and Seaside Middle School Principal Joan Nugent -- spoke about their experiences and how much Johnson meant to them. MPUSD was a better district because of her years of service.

If you want to read the obituary I wrote, click here. 

A celebration of Johnson's will take place from noon-2:30pm Saturday at Shoreline Community Church, 2500 Garden Road, Monterey, CA. For more information, click here.