School Board Sets Goals for 2013-14

On February 28, 2013, at a special meeting, the Albany School Board, integrating feedback from the community and staff, set four goals for the spring of 2013 and the coming school year.

1)   With input from district stakeholders, set short and long term financial priorities for restoring personnel and programs that have been cut in the District when the state begins to restore funding.  These priorities might also include new programs/innovations if we have the funding.

2)   Determine the Facilities Master Plan for the District. This plan must include both short-term goals (such as seismic upgrades) and long-term planning for the District’s future needs.  Two issues that the Board recognizes as influencing the design and timing of this process are: a) the need for seismic retrofitting or possible replacement of buildings at Oceanview and Marin schools and b) the fact that one of our parcel taxes, Measure  I, is set to expire in 2015.

3)   Identify a minimum of two research-based strategies appropriate for our student population that would effectively address the achievement gap that exists in Albany schools, and begin implementation of the strategies.

4)   Improve communication between the Board and our District’s stakeholders.  One strategy for improvement is to regularly disseminate Board meeting highlights making reference to these four goals.

The Board observed that we are not going to be receiving much more money this year than last.  Instead, the passage of Prop 30 means only that the state has stopped cutting school budgets. However, we anticipate that funds will be restored over the next few years, and it's important to have decided the priorities that will govern which staff and programs are restored, and in what order.

The goals that we have established are important because they provide direction to the Superintendent and District staff as they plan future action steps in our District strategic plan.  The purpose of the strategic plan is to identify specific steps District staff will take to improve the quality of education we provide our students.  School board goals are distinct from the strategic plan in that they specify actions to be taken by the Board rather than merely a direction for the District at large.

For more information about the strategic plan, see: the district website:

http://www.ausdk12.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=97077&type=d

To ask questions about or provide feedback on our School Board Goals, feel free to contact any or all of the Board members.

Paul Black, President, prblack@ausdk12.org

Jonathan Knight, Vice-President, jknight@ausdk12.org

Pat Low, plow@ausdk12.org

Allan Maris, amaris@ausdk12.org

Ron Rosenbaum, rrosenbaum@ausdk12.org