Corcoran Unified School District

District Update

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Notice is hereby given that on Tuesday, February 28, 2012, a public hearing will be held with respect to the Corcoran Joint Unified School District intent to establish a schools facility improvement district and to incur bonded indebtedness to fund school facilities.

The hearing will commence at 6:30 P.M., or as soon thereafter as the matter can be heard, and will be held at the offices of the Corcoran Joint Unified School District, 1520 Patterson Avenue, Corcoran, CA 93212.  Interested persons wishing to express their views on the District’s establishment of a schools facility improvement district may attend the public hearing and provide testimony on such topic.

The District has adopted the following Resolution of Intention, which states the District’s intention to establish a schools facility improvement district.

Resolution No. 1070 – Intention to Establish School Facilities Improvement District

SFID Map

Karen Frey, a CUSD Board member, was honored  at the recent Corcoran Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner as the Woman of the Year. A Corcoran native, Mrs. Frey graduated from Corcoran High School, as well as her two children. Currently, her two grandchildren attend Corcoran schools. All of them were present to see her receive her award.

Karen first served more than two terms as a Board member in the late 80’s/early 90’s. She returned to CUSD as a Board member in 2008. She has been clerk of the Board and currently sits on the Curriculum and Human Resources Sub-Committees. Additionally, Karen serves as Treasurer for the Kings County School Board Association and was recently appointed as a member of the California School Board Association Delegate Assembly where she represents the school districts of Kings County at the State level. During her first stint as CUSD Board member, she earned a Masters in Boardsmanship through CSBA.

Mrs. Frey has been volunteering in Corcoran classrooms for years. Currently, she volunteers in a classroom at John C. Fremont for several hours three times a week.

Over the years, Mrs. Frey has been a member of Cotton Heirs and the Corcoran Guild for Valley Children’s Hospital – both organizations that benefit the youth of the Valley. She has been a 4-H leader, managed a Bobby Sox girls’ softball program and serves as captain of the ladies organization at Kings Country Club. Golf is a hobby she truly enjoys.

Karen’s late husband, Darrell Frey, was the executive director for the Corcoran Chamber of Commerce. She has continued to do what she did during his tenure there, and that is devoting countless hours as a volunteer for their activities. She can be found at Sticks and Flicks and is known to spend an entire day helping at the Cotton Festival. In addition to community involvement, she has served her church faithfully and well, volunteering time for the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany, where she has also been president and secretary of the church board.

Congratulations to Karen Frey on an award well-deserved! Congratulations also go out to Mark Cartwright, husband of Fremont Principal Lora Cartwright, as Man of the Year; CHS Senior Felipe Garcia as Junior Citizen of the Year; and Explorer Post 1500 as Organization of the Year.

This past summer Mark Sanders, John Muir Middle School teacher, attended the California on My Honor: Civics Institute for Teachers, which is a residential institute for K-12 teachers held at the Administrative Office of the Courts in San Francisco, and sponsored by the Judicial Council of California and California State University San Marcos. Teachers from throughout California became involved in deeper understandings of the judicial branch while working with judges, attorneys and fellow teachers.

They developed engaging civics curriculum based on the California History and Social Science content standards in the area of civics. Participants field-tested projects in their classrooms and returned with samples of student work at a follow-up held in San Francisco on October 28, during which they collaborated, discussed, reflected and followed up on the project. They also had a VIP tour of the main courtroom of the Supreme Court of California.

“Participating teachers in the institute were of the highest caliber in their field – interested in improving their practice in the area of civics education,” stated the director of the program, Fran Chadwick, Ed.D. of California State University San Marcos. “Your district is to be congratulated as you obviously employ bright teachers with enthusiasm and a strong ethic toward life-long learning.”

It is not easy to challenge what we do and set goals that can even seem unattainable.  Our nature is to take the safe and easy route and “not create any waves.”  Many take the position of those who ask the question, “why take the risk?” This can be true in just about every facet of our lives.

I would say that this position is accepted when it comes to those who are isolated and are not responsible for others.  This is not accepted for those of us who are responsible for the educational welfare of students.  The reality is there is too much at stake for our kids for us not to have what some call “big hairy audacious goals.”

We need to stretch ourselves for our students’ sake and we set the tone and create the capacity for them to stretch themselves.

The District’s aging buildings were not built for today’s demand for power! Technology and air conditioners have put a strain on the old systems that have to be modified to keep up with demand.  You can always depend on George for a world of information.  The District relies on George whenever data is needed for calculating power usage and historical information about all the buildings and mechanical workings.  He knows when, how, and what was done to just about everything in the District.  Thanks George, for being a great resource and loyal employee of the District!

What limits do we have when it comes to student learning?  How do we bring ourselves and our students to the next levels?  Can we grow and can our students grow to the next level?

Firstly, allow me to emphatically answer the last question.  We can go to the next level because growth is inevitable when we are doing the right things for the right reasons.  I will take it a step further and assert we will grow to the next level.

How do we measure our growth?  We base it on the success of our students, and that is measured by the ratios of those that demonstrate proficiency in the standards compared to those who are not.

The limitations we tend to put on ourselves and our students is in the human tendency to perceive the constant inevitability of the status quo.  We break that tendency by increasing our focus, attention, and efforts to improve our practices while paying attention the stark comparisons between our students’ performances compared to those of like students in other schools and districts.

The fact that the students of these schools and districts are just like our students and have proven poverty, family background and social status need not affect student achievement and provides hope and confidence to those who are willing to change.  To those of us who are a little more cynical and not as accepting of the challenge, the comparison provides a contrast that hopefully compels and motivates us to challenge those forces that limit us and our students.

•After the first week of school are your students closer to meeting the goal of reading at grade level?

•If you do not know, how do you as the educator go about finding out? (How do you keep monitoring this, even weekly?)

•If you do know, what evidence do you use?

I fondly remember one of my high school football coaches who promoted the idea of me leading a chant after every game; win or lose:

“Every day in every way we get better and better and better!” I remember saying this especially after the few games we lost. The saying was even more meaningful. In order for us to help our students break the “reading barrier,” we have to be engaged in their progress weekly. We cannot afford to have a “wait and see” attitude because the task of improving reading works on a day by day basis. We ask the question, “how are my students doing today with their reading?” And, more importantly, “what am I doing about it if they are struggling?” Whether they are close to your goals or far, the day-by-day work is still the same: provide tasks where every day in every way, they get better and better and better!

Why do hospitals focus a great deal on patient welfare?  Why do companies that create airline parts spend time and resources on quality control?  Why is it professional athletic coaches spend so much time analyzing the outcomes of their contests?  The answers are obvious.  They all have to do with the outcome of their work.  Why is it then education has been viewed in many cases so differently?

Here is a list of reasons I think why we have received a pass in this regard:

1. Students do not always want to learn.  We cannot force them to learn.
2. Students come from homes and backgrounds where education is not important.  They are not motivated to learn and they have too much ground to make up academically.
3. Students are not always responsible; they need to take responsibility for their education.
4. Learning is the responsibility of parents and students.  Teaching the material in a powerful way does not guarantee student success.

These are all good reasons.  In fact, for the most part, they are true.  However, focusing on why we should not focus on student learning does not solve the problem.  Students need to learn.  In fact they have to learn in order for them to have a chance in life.

The answer to effective student learning across the board for all students lies in a shift of our thinking.  When teachers, schools, school districts and district leaders focus on student learning much the same way other professions focus on the results of their work, all the roadblocks listed above become non-factors.  When we focus on our results, we tend to put our energies in the right direction.  We already know effective schools and effective teachers make a huge difference.  However, how do we really know that?  Is it because people work hard and are talented?  Is it because we have so many professionals on staff, and many of us have college degrees?  These are critical factors, but having or being all the above does not guarantee success.  The most talented coaches and talented athletes do not guarantee a great team.  They know they have to focus on their outcomes: score points and play defense.  Anything short of that focus maximizes failure.

So it is with us. We have many, many gifted professionals in this District.  The only way we are going to use these gifts effectively is to effectively utilize the purpose of any gift: give it away.  That gift is student academic success!