League Forum on Schools May 28, 7-9 PM @ EHS

Board of Education President Barbara Kahn and Superintendent Sean McPhetridge of the Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) will present “New Directions for Alameda’s Public Schools” at the League of Women Voters of Alameda’s (LWVA’s) free public forum

on Thursday, May 28, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at Encinal High School in Room 605.

President Kahn and Superintendent McPhetridge will discuss the many new directions and challenges facing Alameda’s public schools in an era of limited resources. Efforts to improve STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) offerings, launch a magnet school such as Maya Lin, strengthen school security, or change curricula sometimes conflict with the desire for smaller neighborhood schools. The transitions to Common Core State Standards, new statewide CAASP tests, and the new Local Control Funding Formula also affect Alameda’s public schools.

The largest challenge now facing AUSD is how to upgrade its aging facilities under the Facilities Master Plan using funds from Measure I, the 2014 facilities bond. With only $179 million available to meet the estimated $500 million in AUSD facility needs, some of those must remain unmet. (Conflicting priorities such as the community-driven effort to add solar energy installations complicate this process.)

“With many new developments happening here, in California, and across the country, I am excited that we are working together to keep improving education for students and families in Alameda,” said Superintendent McPhetridge. “Alameda Unified School District, like the community of Alameda itself, has much to be proud of: great families, great schools, great students, and certainly great teachers and support staff. But we have old facilities. Thanks to the taxpayers and citizens who voted for our Measure I facilities bond, we can rebuild and renovate our aging facilities to create 21st-century learning environments for kids and families. I am excited about that work. It’s about time.”

McPhetridge is also “excited that AUSD is now planning new career technical education programs with the College of Alameda, the City of Alameda, the Peralta Community College District, and local business people to create work-based learning opportunities for our students. I am grateful to Wilma Chan and the City of Alameda for joining local industry and civic leaders to help us revitalize career technical education in AUSD.”

The League of Women Voters of Alameda, a 501(c) (3) nonpartisan and nonprofit public policy educational organization, offers voter service and citizen education activities to increase citizen participation in our democracy, study community issues, and support positive public policy solutions. Membership in the League is open to all women and men.

For more on this free community forum, please visit the LWVA website (http://www.LWVAlameda.org/calendar.html) or Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/LWVAlameda), or contact LWVA Program Chair Gayle Thomas (events@LWVAlameda.org; 510-289-1268).