June 9, 2010

Dear Parents:

Thank you for a wonderful year! I’ve enjoyed getting to know you. Your children are capable and intelligent. It is a pleasure to work with them. I hope that your experience with our staff and district has been as rewarding.

Thanks to the support of our community, Measure L has been approved. Our appreciation and gratitude go to every individual who made this effort a success. Our financial condition will benefit from savings on energy costs and rebates from the electric company. 

Work on the solar energy project will begin as soon as possible. Minor disruptions while the project is underway will be offset by the financial benefits that this project will provide. Monte Vista’s new library, the Multi-Purpose Room at Vieja Valley, and upgrades to our technology program will follow in the years ahead. Thanks again.

Have a rewarding and well-deserved summer break. Let’s come back and make 2010-2011 another great year in the tradition of educational excellence for the Hope School District. Thank you once again for your help, support, and our delightful students.

Sincerely,

Dan Cooperman
Superintendent

May-June Superintendent Letter

My first year of service as Hope School District’s superintendent is rapidly nearing completion.  The year has been as challenging as expected, but it also has been a year of joy and delight as I had the chance to meet your children and our dedicated staff. Your children are bright and capable. Their scholarship and citizenship are tributes to the love and devotion that Hope District families provide for their children. Thank you for a great first year. I truly hope that the year has been successful for each of your children.  The staff and I look forward to another year of teaching and learning with the children and families of our district. Please contact us if there is anything that we can do to help. 

We are entering the time of year-end activities. Students in Grades 2-6 finish state testing this week. In addition to daily class work, students are now engaged in classroom plays, field trips, spring sings, and rehearsal for promotion ceremonies. Report cards and the last day of school are soon to follow.

We’d also like to congratulate the students, teachers, and parents who participated in the 2010 South Coast Mathematics Super Bowl. Our schools did well, placing, 3^rd, 4^th, and 6^th among the approximately thirty schools that participated.  It is important to recognize the academic accomplishments of these students, their teachers, and parents.

Here are a few updates on the projects that we’ve worked on this year.

Strategic Plan

The Board of Trustees approved the Strategic Plan at its meeting on May 10.  The plan is the result of a collaborative effort among parents, teachers, classified staff, and principals. The completed Strategic Plan will serve as a guide to our instructional program for the next three years.  Our overall vision is to make our district a standard of educational excellence, and to help children love learning and find their place in the world.  It is an exciting challenge and we look forward to it.

The Strategic Plan has a number of action plans that help us realize our goals and vision.  The action plans include sections that address professional development, benchmark assessment of student progress, planned interventions to help children achieving on, above, or below grade level, the needs of English Learners, educational technology, community service, parent education, and parent volunteers. It is a comprehensive document that maps a course to keep our district on a cycle of ongoing improvement. 

I hope you have a chance to review our Strategic Plan. It is now a new link to our district website. We’d love for you to read it and to share your comments with my office.

Budget

Budget reductions are a regular topic at meetings of the Board of Trustees. The reason for this focus is that the economic downturn has led state government to reduce funding to our district by over a million dollars in the next two years.  Consequently, we have had necessary discussions about how to manage our expenses and conserve resources so that we can reduce impacts to children in classrooms. Our Board of Trustees has given direction to protect class size and to minimize combination classrooms when possible, especially in early primary grades. Our outstanding teachers, principals, and classified staff are committed to providing your child a quality educational program. Regrettably, some reductions are necessary because of the shortfall in state funds. Nonetheless, I am confident that the professionalism and dedication of Hope School District staff will continue our reputation for excellence in Hope School District. 

Please contact your school’s principal or my office should we be able to answer any question regarding our district’s budget and the funding of all school districts throughout California.

Parents and community members are welcome at meetings of our Board of Trustees. The meetings are a great way to stay informed and contribute to the process. Our next meeting will be Monday night, June 28, at 7 pm in the Hope School District Board Room. 

Measure L—Renewable Energy Bond for Hope School District

Measure L is a general obligation bond affecting Hope School District voters on the June ballot. Measure L has been the topic of past newsletters, and additional information is available through links on our district web site. 

Measure L, if approved, would provide funds for the district to install photovoltaic power cells to reduce electricity costs and receive energy rebates, upgrade educational technology, build a permanent library for Monte Vista School, and renovate the Multi-Purpose Room at Vieja Valley School. The solar energy created would provide an estimated $900,000 in savings and rebates to the district over the first five years of the project.  A citizens’ oversight committee consisting of community members and representatives from local taxpayer associations will supervise Bond expenditures.  

If the measure does not pass, then payments on the current bond would end in 2026 and the construction projects would not take place.

An informational meeting regarding Measure L was held on Thursday night, May 13.

As superintendent, I must not advocate either for or against Measure L. What I can do, however, is to remind parents to register and vote in our upcoming June 8 elections. Every vote counts.

Hope School District Educational Foundation (HSDEF)

The HSDEF has provided funds that augment school library programs and academic achievement. One of the major HSDEF fundraisers is a golf tournament. This year’s tournament is scheduled tentatively for October 8.  Please pencil the date on your calendars. More information will follow in weeks to come. I am grateful to the dedicated and generous parents on HSDEF. I hope that you would consider joining us. Meeting dates are published in school newsletters.

End of School Year

The school year ends on June 9. The last day will be a minimum day with students in grades 1-6 dismissed at 12:45 PM.  School will resume on Thursday, August 26.  I will try to write again as the school year comes to a close. Until then, enjoy the last weeks of the 2009-2010 school year. Once again, I hope that this year has been productive for you and your children. Please call if we can help.  Thank you!

March-April Letter from Superintendent

We have finished spring conferences and are heading towards the last nine weeks of 2009-2010. Spring vacation is March 29 through April 2. State standardized tests will be administered to students in grades 2-6 starting May 4 through May 14. I hope that your children are doing well, learning, and happy with the school program.

Because we have been so busy in March and April, this month’s letter covers a two-month span.  Here are highlights from a district office perspective.

Measure L 2010—Renewable Energy Bond

Measure L 2010 is a general obligation bond that our Board of Trustees has placed on the June election ballot. Voters within the Hope School District may participate.  Here is some information about Measure L:

I hope that this information is helpful. If I can provide further information or answer any question regarding Measure L, please contact the district office. 

Budget

Next year’s state budget for public schools has yet to be finalized.  Estimates based upon the governor’s proposal project that Hope School District would lose $536,000 in each of the next two school years. As a result, the district must cut $190,000 from the 2010-2011 budget; and $120,000 in 2011-2012. This amount is far less than the one million dollars that would have been needed had we not saved money in anticipation of cutbacks. 

The Board is considering how the district can reduce expenses in order to meet the two-year, $310,000 reduction. Options are a discussion topic at board meetings. A decision will be made later this school year. In the meantime, the Board and I invite interested community members to attend Board meetings to receive updated progress and to provide comments or suggestions.

Parents can help. An accurate projection of the number of students we will serve in 2010-2011 would be very helpful. Please let the school office know if your children will attend our schools next year. A good enrollment projection enables us to staff schools with the right number of teachers and provide adequate resources. Please call, e-mail, or write to us with your families’ plans for next year.  Thanks in advance for your help.

Strategic Plan

A committee of parents, staff, and principals has completed a two-day meeting to develop a Strategic Plan. The purpose of the Strategic Plan is to guide us with specific and measurable plans to improve our instructional program.  This step is a challenge, because our district already has a strong record of academic performance.

So far, the plan has led to revision of our Board’s belief statements and given us four major target areas under student achievement, growth, and development. The planning committee devised strategies that will enable us to meet the goals in each target area. The draft of the Strategic Plan will be presented to the Board of Trustees on April 12. Following Board input, the draft Strategic Plan will be shared with staff, School Site Councils, and PTAs.  We want to be sure that all interested persons have an opportunity to read the Strategic Plan before it is taken to the Board for approval in May. If you should have any question about the Strategic Plan, please contact your school principal or my office. 

Professional Development

As parents know, students are dismissed at 1:30 PM on Thursdays so that teachers can meet and talk about student progress and instruction. Towards this goal, teachers met in February to talk about ideas for our new mathematics program. The meeting was very helpful, and as a result, teachers have asked to meet again district-wide on April 29. 

In the afternoon session to be held that day, teachers will meet in grade level teams. They will talk about learning goals for mathematics, how we assess children to see whether they have met those goals, and finally, how we modify our teaching to meet the needs of children who either need more help or who are prepared to do more challenging work. Our goal is to work as a team to provide our best effort to each of our students.

Spring Vacation

School is closed the week of March 29 through April 2.  School resumes on Monday, April 5.  We hope that you have a fantastic time with your children during this short vacation. It has been a challenging and rewarding year-to-date working with Hope students, families, and staff. I look forward to our continued partnership in the future. Thank you for your help and support. Please contact my office with any questions or comments.  Thanks again. 

February Letter from the Superintendent

The 100^th day of school is nearly upon us; the school year is more than one-half complete.  I hope that this letter finds your children doing well in school and enjoying their experience with classmates and teachers. When I visit classrooms I am consistently impressed with the high level of interest and enthusiasm that your children display for learning. You can be very proud of the result of the love and support you provide our students at home. The outcome is visible in Hope School District classrooms.  Thank you.

Here are some notes regarding district business as we enter February.

Strategic Plan

Thank you to those families that took the time to respond to the needs assessment survey. Staff and I are reading each response. We will use the information to talk about goals with measurable outcomes that would further improve our instructional program. The teachers and principals on the district’s Curriculum Advisory Council (CAC) will draft these goals and submit them to our Board of Trustees for approval.

A two-day workshop will be held in March for the CAC to apply these goals as we develop a strategic plan. Each school will have parent representation on the committee.  Principals will be contacting individual parents to ask if they would like to participate. If you would like to be considered, please contact your school’s principal. 

Professional Development—Math Adoption

As you may know, public school districts in California are required to adopt new instructional programs approximately every seven years. Mathematics is our adoption this year.  On Thursday, February 4, our teachers met in district-wide grade level teams to talk about ways to improve use of our new mathematics program. 

Since mathematics is a core curriculum area, we have dedicated our in-service time this year to mathematics.  Before school started, our teachers attended workshops and spent time planning for the new mathematics program. In October, we spent another in-service day working on mathematics. On February 4, we used the afternoon to meet and talk about the challenges and successes that we encounter with use of our new program. Through teamwork, our goal is to improve instructional quality for your children. 

State Budget

We have become close observers of the state budget process. At present, it appears that we will lose at least $200,000 in 2010-2011 to funding cutbacks. This amount could increase as state budget negotiations proceed. We have proactively set aside more than this amount so that we can avoid impact to our instructional program. To balance our budget, we have cautiously reduced central office budgets, slightly increased some class sizes, and reduced our deferred maintenance spending. Because of Basic Aid funding, we have been able to dodge more drastic cutbacks, and have even made a few program improvements, such as adding instructional assistants to our combination grade classrooms.

To date, we have lost over $800 per child since last February; the projected new cutbacks would lead to loss of another $200 per student. The budget outlook is an ongoing agenda item for Board discussion at our meetings. We will keep you posted through this newsletter.  Call at any time with questions.

Renewable Energy Bond

The Board of Trustees will discuss Monday night, February 8, whether to place a bond measure on the June ballot to improve school facilities, upgrade technology, and provide solar energy to our schools. 

The bond measure, if approved by Board and voters, would extend the current bond assessment that Hope School District property owners pay to cover the costs of the new construction. 

If you should have comments or would like to hear the discussion, please join us in the district office boardroom at 7 p.m. on February 8.  

Final Notes

We suffered graffiti vandalism at Hope School in late January.  If you see suspicious activity at our schools in after school hours, please let our local law enforcement agencies know.  It is difficult to prevent vandalism altogether, but through our joint effort,  maybe we can reduce this costly damage to our community’s schools. 

Parent-Teacher Conferences will take place March 1-5. Please make arrangements for student dismissal in grades 1-6 at 1:30 those days. Kindergarten dismissal is unchanged at that time.

Finally, please alert friends and neighbors within our attendance areas that our Kindergarten Registration programs will be offered at each of our three schools in February.  These events allow parents to learn about the kindergarten program and meet school staff.  The district benefits from early registration because it allows us to plan for staff to meet the students’ needs when they enter in the fall.  Kindergarten students for 2010-2011 must be five years old on or before December 2, 2010.  

That completes this update for February.  Once again, I hope that the school year is going well.  Please contact us at any time with questions or concerns.  Thank you.

January Letter from Superintendent

Happy New Year!  As your children return to class on January 4, here are some notes regarding Hope School District programs and activities for January.

General Obligation Bond to Fund Renewable Energy and Facilities Improvements

Hope School District is considering whether to place a general obligation bond on the June 2010 ballot to fund site improvements and install solar panels to generate electricity.  Following is an update on this planning effort as we move forward with deliberations regarding this measure.  

Last September, a Facilities Advisory Committee was convened and held two meetings. Committee members included principals, teachers, parents and district staff.  The committee met with bond and construction consultants to assess facility needs and modernization priorities.  In consultation with the Board of Trustees, the committee identified the following priorities:

• Improve the library at Monte Vista School to bring its facility to a level comparable to other neighborhood schools.
• Improve student access to computers and modern technology.
• Provide renewable energy improvements, including solar panels to reduce energy costs and save money.

The Board of Trustees is reviewing finance options and is considering placement of a general obligation bond measure on the ballot to fund the proposed improvements.  The proposed bond measure would extend the annual tax currently paid by voters. The present tax rate would be maintained without increase.

The earliest a bond measure could be on the ballot is June 2010. Any proposed bond measure would require an independent oversight committee and annual audits to ensure money is used only for voter approved school improvements and repairs. It may not be used for salaries, administration, or overhead costs. 

We will keep you informed regarding the Hope School District’s facility planning effort. A meeting will be held at each school in January to provide parents with more information and answer questions regarding the proposed bond measure.  Watch for additional information to announce meeting dates and times. 

A fact sheet is linked to this web site.  It contains answers to many of the most frequently asked questions.  Please contact me at 682-2564 should you have any questions regarding the potential bond measure. 

Strategic Plan

The district’s Strategic Plan will detail specific steps to produce measurable results to improve our educational program for all students.  Parents can help this effort in January by completing our needs assessment survey.

The survey will consist of five questions that will invite your written response.  The surveys will be sent to families in January.  It will be sent in two formats:  Electronic and by paper hard copy.  If your family has internet access, please watch your e-mail for a message to ask you to participate in the survey.  If your family has no internet access, a copy of the survey will be sent home to you with your child. 

A planning committee composed of parents, teachers, principals, and community members will use comments from the survey to outline a proposed Strategic Plan.  In the meantime, you can view the revised Statement of Beliefs that our Board of Trustees has prepared on our web site. These beliefs were drafted at our December 14 Board meeting. A focused belief statement is the first step to developing a plan that will benefit all students.

Kindergarten Registration

Kindergarten registration will take place at Hope School District schools in February.  Watch our district web site for a posting of the date, time, and location of each school’s meeting.  If you have a child that will turn five years old on or before December 2, 2010, please make plans to attend your school’s kindergarten registration  program. 

School and Field Maintenance

During winter break, our maintenance staff aerated and fertilized the lawns on our school playgrounds. Other routine maintenance projects were performed as well.  We want our schools to be in top shape, please contact your school principal or my office is there is something that we could do to help.

I hope that this update informs you about activities and programs from a district perspective. School newsletters and classroom updates give more information about the programs and activities at each school. I encourage your active involvement in your child’s education.  Students thrive when parents partner with schools for the educational benefit of their children.  I wish you and your child a happy and productive year of learning and growth in 2010. 

December Letter from Superintendent

As the winter holidays approach, please accept my thanks and appreciation for all that parents, staff, and students do to make our district outstanding. We are fortunate to be part of a school community that does so much to promote the academic and social growth of its children. 

The first six months as your superintendent have been a pleasure. I look forward to our time ahead. I intend to work hard to continue Hope’s success as a great school district for your children.

Here are some updates for December.

Emergency Phone System Test

Hope School District families should have received a taped phone message from the district office over Thanksgiving weekend. The purpose of the call was to test our newly installed phone message system. Please pardon the interruption to your holiday weekend. The test was a necessary step to be sure that our new system works in an emergency that requires phone contact with our families. Thanks for your patience. 

Now that the new system is in place, let’s hope that it never needs to be used!

Food Scrap Composting

Monte Vista and Hope Schools will start a new program to compost food scraps. This program is a joint effort among our students and teachers, our GATE program, and the City of Santa Barbara Environmental Services Division.  Through this program, school cafeteria food scraps are placed in specially marked yellow bins and collected for compost and conversion to soil amendment for agricultural use. 

In the process, the district pays less for trash collection because composting reduces the amount of refuse collected from our schools. More importantly, children learn the importance of conservation and recycling waste. 

Foodscrap composting is currently available only in schools within Santa Barbara City limits.  If the program expands, Vieja Valley School could join in as well.

Kindergarten Registration in February

We will advance the date of Kindergarten Parent Information Night to February.  Once schools have selected the exact date, you will be informed through this newsletter, our web site, and school newsletters.

Please let neighbors and friends within our district attendance areas know that we will hold this event in February.  The change enables us to project our attendance earlier for next year.  Since the number of students is an important component of budget planning, it will be very helpful for future kindergartners to enroll at these February workshops.

Parents are reminded that children need to be five years old on or before December 2, 2010, to be eligible for kindergarten in 2010-2011. 

Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) Parent Night

An informational night and student work exhibition was held on Wednesday night, December 2 at Vieja Valley School.  Approximately 65 parents attended.  Following a presentation by GATE Coordinator Carrie Garner, parents walked about the multi-purpose room to view projects completed by fourth, fifth, and sixth grade GATE students.  The students were present to explain their projects and answer questions from parents. 

We are grateful to the parents and students that attended. Your support and hard work is noteworthy. 

The Hope School District GATE Advisory Committee will meet on Wednesday afternoon, December 9 at 3:15 pm in the District Office Board Room.

Renewable Energy Bond

Perhaps you were one of the families contacted through a phone survey to determine viability of a school bond measure to provide photovoltaic power cells (solar cells), modernization, and technology projects to our schools.  If enacted, the proposed bond would extend current bond payments from property owners within our district. 

The Board of Trustees will review the results of the phone survey at its meeting on December 14.  At that time, the Board will discuss and consider a decision regarding a bond election to support renewable energy, construction, and technology. 

Curriculum Advisory Committee

Principals, teacher representatives, and I meet monthly regarding curriculum and instruction.  This group is called the Curriculum Advisory Committee. This month, we met in the Vieja Valley School Library.  Examples of discussion topics include our report cards, in-service for teachers regarding use of the new mathematics textbooks, and the future selection of textbooks for reading.

Strategic Plan

Parents will be asked to complete a survey in January as an initial step to develop a Strategic Plan. When finished, the Strategic Plan will guide the district in decisions to further improve our instructional program for every student. Our intent is to present the needs assessment survey online and in hard copy format so that every parent has a chance to respond. Your opinions and ideas matter to us, so please look for this item when children return to school in January.

Budget

The state budget situation is of ongoing concern. We await word regarding further mid-year budget reductions that could affect us. While the future is uncertain, we continue to budget cautiously as a hedge against further cutbacks to our program.  There will be a report on our district’s budget at the Board of Trustees meeting on December 14.

School Holidays

Parents are reminded that the last day of school before winter break is Friday, December 18.  That date will be a minimum day for students with kindergarten dismissal at 12:15 p.m. and dismissal for grades 1-6 at 12:45 pm. 

Classes will resume on Monday, January 4.

On behalf of the staff at our three schools, please accept my best wishes for a happy and safe holiday season. If we can help or provide information about our schools and program, please contact my office. 

Dan Cooperman

Superintendent

November Letter from Superintendent

November is Parent-Teacher Conference time.  Between November 12-24, students are dismissed from school early so that parents or guardians of each student have the chance to meet with their child’s teacher to discuss his or her academic progress and social development. 

 Your child’s school has either contacted you regarding the date and time of your conference, or you will be contacted very soon.  Our schools hope to meet with every parent. The conference is an important time to exchange information about your child and to solidify our teamwork to provide an outstanding educational program for your child. Children watch us closely—the act of meeting with your child’s teacher makes an enormous impression on your child’s view of the value that parents place upon school. 

On behalf of our principals and staff, please accept our thanks in advance for making time to attend this important event. 

 Budget Update

The state budget situation remains uncertain.  Some projections suggest that the state will be as much as $15 billion under its projected revenue. Since February, general purpose revenue to schools in California has been reduced by $865 per child, about $17,000 per classroom of 20 children.  That’s a substantial reduction, 18.4% below what state law requires. Our concern is that new reductions at the state level could negatively impact our budget. For that reason, we continue to plan and spend cautiously as a hedge against possible future reductions from the state.

As a strategy, the Board and I will discuss the level at which we should maintain our reserve in case of economic uncertainties. We want to be prepared in the event of further cutbacks. We will be discussing a prudent reserve level as an agenda item on our Board of Trustees meeting Monday night, November 9.

Overall, we are fortunate that Basic Aid has enabled us to withstand reductions while avoiding drastic cutbacks. We need to be watchful, however, and prepare for the future.

 Strategic Plan

The district will begin its Strategic Plan process next month. At that time, I will work with the Board to take our first steps to develop an action plan with measurable goals to further improve the excellent educational program of our district.

In March, a two-day planning meeting will be held with a Leadership Committee composed of staff, principals, parents, community members, and myself.  Working in collaboration with staff and parents at each school, the committee hopes to recommend a Strategic Plan to the Board of Trustees for approval in May 2010.

Renewable Energy Bond

A telephone survey of district voters will be conducted this month to determine public support for a bond election to provide solar shade structures, technology upgrades, and improved classroom ventilation for our district. 

These construction projects were based upon recommendations from a Renewable Energy Bond Planning Committee, composed of parents, staff, and principals. The meetings were held in September. 

Based upon the results of the telephone survey, to be reported in December, the Board of Trustees will determine if we proceed to a bond election in June 2010.

Hope School District Educational Foundation (HSDEF)

Over the past two months, I have had the pleasure of working with the fabulous group of individuals of HSDEF.  Mainly parents of children in our district, HSDEF  conducts district-wide fundraisers to generously donate to programs for all children in our district. 

This month, HSDEF donated $15,000 to the district to maintain our school library program.  Additional donations of another $15,000 are currently being planned.  All of us benefit from the work of these talented individuals. I give them my thanks.

In the meantime, the HSDEF wants to say thanks to our staff and school community. With that goal in mind, families are invited to the HSDEF Pancake Breakfast. This event is a collaboration with the local Kiwanis Club. It will be held at Monte Vista School in the lunch patio area.  The date will be Saturday, November 21. Breakfast will be served from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.  The Pancake Breakfast is a “friendraiser”. We hope you can stop by to see friends between soccer and football games and all the other activities families have at this time of year. Even though we’re all busy, we are going to eat breakfast that day, so we hope you will come and share that time with us. 

Emergency Phone Information Service

The Hope School District is planning to initiate an electronic phone message service that will be accessed to give information to parents and staff in the event of an emergency.  While we hope we never have to use this service, it will help our schools communicate with homes quickly in an emergency. Our experience with fire last year and the recent lockdown at Vieja Valley are just two examples of events where automated phone contact with parents would be helpful. This service should be in place soon. Please contact your child’s school if you should have any question regarding this new program.

H1N1 Virus Update

The district office is in contact with the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department to monitor the potential spread of flu-like illness that may be caused by the H1N1 virus. We monitor school attendance daily. In isolated cases when exposure was suspected, classrooms were notified. To date we are fortunate to have had few absences due to illness this fall.  In the meantime, we continue to encourage hand washing and other hygienic practices that discourage spread of cold and flu virus.

On the advice of the Public Health Department, we are sending information regarding precautions for families that have children with special health needs.  If children become ill, we ask that they remain at home until at least 24 hours after the fever has passed and the child feels well enough to participate in school activities. 

Professional Development Day, October 9

The staff and I are grateful to our families for allowing us a day for professional development on Friday, October 9.  The time was well spent.  Teachers worked with a math specialist from the County Education Office. Advice was shared regarding the best use of our new mathematics program, and teachers had opportunity to talk with each other about strategies that will further improve our instructional programs.  The staff and I will continue our efforts to refine mathematics instruction. 

Closing

 The year has begun well. We look forward to maintaining our partnership with parents when you visit us for Parent-Teacher Conferences. If we can provide information or assistance, please contact us right away. Thank you!

Dan  Cooperman

Superintendent

October Letter from Superintendent

The school year is underway. This month has given me the opportunity to visit our three schools while classes are in session.  These visits validated the quality of our district. Dedicated teachers, talented staff, outstanding students, and involved parents are each essential ingredients that make Hope School District a special place for children.  I am very happy to be part of this fine program.

Here is this month’s update.  I hope to see you when I visit our schools. Please call or write at any time if I can answer questions or provide assistance. 

Standardized Test Results, 2009

Parents of students in Grades 3 through 6 were mailed individual California Standards Test (CST) score reports for their children in August.  The California Department of Education released score reports for school and district performance in mid-September.

The students of Hope School District did well. Hope students met all goals for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), the federally mandated standard for student achievement. This accomplishment is noteworthy because the targets for performance were elevated by ten percent in 2009. 

In addition, school-wide Academic Performance Index (API) targets were met for our district and each of its three schools. In fact, our schools perform nearly at or above an API score of 900.  These scores are high—the statewide target for the API is a score of 800 on a scale of 200 to 1,000. 

Scores for some student subgroups, such as students learning to speak English, were not as high in comparison to the overall student population.  These disparities point to the continuing challenge of our high-performing district to address the needs of children who have yet to become proficient while maintaining and improving the high level of achievement for more advanced students. 

Faculty, students, and parents are to be congratulated for the outcome of their ongoing focus upon academic achievement and student learning. 

Budget Outlook

The state budget continues to look precarious, so we are planning our budget cautiously. In the meantime, Hope School District is in position to weather this financial storm because of its recent entry to Basic Aid status.  We have lost nearly $600,000 over a two-year period due to state budget reductions. As a result, administrative budgets are tighter and some class sizes may be larger.  Nonetheless, we have been able to avoid the reductions that other districts have had to face.  Moreover, some of the benefits of Basic Aid are being realized. We have started to build our reserve, a necessity in these uncertain times, and we have increased time for our reading specialists and implemented lead teachers once again for the 2009-2010 school year. In addition, the Board of Trustees has supported a district allocation of $5,000 per school to help pay the cost of our computer education specialists. This allocation should result in a slightly lower fundraising burden on schools and parents.

I have discussed our Basic Aid status at PTA meetings in September.  I will speak with the Hope School PTA later this month regarding the same topic.

Strategic Plan

At its September meeting, our Board of Trustees gave direction for the district to develop an instructional Strategic Plan. Programs for English Learners and advanced students are two target areas that the plan will address. The Strategic Plan is important because it will identify our instructional priorities and needs as we strive to improve our high-performing district.  Students and staff will benefit from a defined focus for our team effort to serve students and families.

The Board, parents, and staff will have representatives on the Strategic Plan Committee.  The committee will meet for a two-day workshop later this school year.  Results from this effort will be shared at the schools and in future editions of this newsletter.    

Renewable Energy Bond

A district committee of teachers, parents, staff, and principals met with consultants from Caldwell, Flores and Winters to discuss priorities for a potential bond election that could be placed before our district’s voters in June 2010. 

The committee talked about ideas that included solar energy panel shade structures, new lighting fixtures to conserve electricity, improved classroom ventilation, building modernization, and updated technology.  

Results from that committee process will be presented at the Board of Trustees meeting on October 12.  The Board will receive the committee input and decide whether to proceed with a survey of potential voter support. 

Professional Development

There will be no school for students on Friday, October 9.  On that date, teachers and principals will meet for in-service regarding recently adopted materials to teach mathematics. A specialist in mathematics instruction from the Santa Barbara County Education Office will lead our program.

Mathematics is a critical component of our curriculum, so we look forward to this opportunity to improve the instructional program for our students.

Parent Involvement

Parent support in the Hope School District is tremendous.  This support was clearly demonstrated at our Back to School Nights and the PTA meetings that I have attended.

Thank you for your time and commitment.  Your involvement is highly beneficial to the education of our students.  The staff and I appreciate your efforts.

Dan Cooperman

Superintendent

September Letter from the Superintendent

Welcome to the 2009-2010 school year.  School starts on Thursday, August 27.  Meet the Teacher Day is held at each school on Wednesday, August 26, from 1:30-2:30 pm.  Back-to-School Night will be Thursday evening, September 3. Your child’s school will provide more information.

Teachers and many classified staff members have been working at the schools since Monday, August 24.  I enjoyed meeting the staff. We are fortunate to have such dedicated and hard-working professionals to serve our children and families. Professional development was provided to familiarize staff with our new mathematics materials, and to make initial lesson plans with the new program. 

Additional support for use of the new mathematics materials will be held at a Professional Development Day on October 9.  Families please note that there is no school for children on that date.

We are projecting to serve 980 students this fall. That figure is nearly identical to the number that enrolled in 2008-2009.  The incoming kindergarten class is larger than our sixth grade, so it appears that our student population may grow over the next few years.

District Budget

I mentioned in my July letter that Hope District faced the possibility of budget reductions from the state.  Those cuts have materialized. Hope District will receive about $600,000 less than projected over two years, a reduction amounting to nearly 7% of our adopted budget. While that is certainly unpleasant news, the district’s entry to Basic Aid funding and one-time supplemental funds from the federal government help us provide a steady level of service in day-to-day operations.  While some class sizes may be slightly larger and administrative budgets tightened, we have been able to maintain district support for instructional assistants, counselors, and reading teachers.  Furthermore, we are taking proactive steps to ensure the school district’s financial future. These measures will help our district address possible future cutbacks from the state, or a decline in property tax revenue.  At the last meeting of the Board of Trustees, we even discussed the possibility of several ways to expand our program should circumstances permit.  Although our budget could be better, we are for the present unharmed by severe reductions in funding, unlike many other school districts that have suffered losses that result in deep cutbacks to academic programming.

H1N1 Virus

With the opening of school, the spread of seasonal colds and flu is likely.  Media attention has recently been drawn to spread of the H1N1 influenza virus, initially referred to as swine flu.  The Hope School District will monitor this situation closely.  We will be in contact with the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department and neighboring school districts to receive updated information.  In the meantime, here are suggestions from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department to deter the spread of H1N1 Virus, seasonal flu, and colds.

The best way to protect yourself and your family is to follow simple everyday actions that can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like influenza. 

·        Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.

Dispose of the tissue in the trash immediately after you use it.

·        Hand washing is the single most important thing you can do to prevent the spread of a cold or flu virus. CDC recommends washing hands with soap or warm water for 15-20 seconds each time.

·        Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth to prevent the spread of germs. 

·        Stay home when ill. Children and adults should stay home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever, or signs of a fever, without the use of fever-reducing medicine.  Stay home even if you have been using antiviral drugs.

H1N1 virus symptoms are similar to seasonal flu, which include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue.

Additional information from the health department will be shared with staff and parents as it becomes available.  We will cooperate with local health officials to assure that we respond appropriately to this evolving situation. 

Parent and Staff Thanks

In closing, I’d like to express gratitude and appreciation for staff and parents that worked and volunteered long hours to make the opening of school as smooth as possible for our students.  Parents and staff showed their care for our schools and children through their diligent efforts to clean our schools for opening day.

Hope District does its best to assure that our students receive a first-rate education.  Though we may face some uncertainty, I have learned this summer that the Hope School District serves a special community that works together to meet the needs of its children.  I am grateful that as parents, you are and have been members of this special community.  I wish you and your children a very pleasant and productive 2009-2010 school year.

Dan Cooperman

Superintendent

July Letter from the Superintendent

Welcome to the Hope School District web site. This is my first letter as the new superintendent.  I am excited and honored to serve such an outstanding district.  I look forward to working with you to provide an excellent educational program for your children.

During thirty-two years in public education I have been a teacher, principal and assistant superintendent. Most recently I was the assistant superintendent for instructional services in the Goleta Union School District.  Before that, I served as a principal in Goleta and Watsonville.  I began my career as a teacher in Los Angeles, and I taught in Watsonville before becoming a principal. 

I am married with two children. My son, Wesley, will be a freshman at Dos Pueblos High School in the fall, and my daughter, Julia, will be a sophomore at the University of Southern California. My wife, Mary, works at the University of California for the Education Abroad Program.

It’s been busy. The Board of Trustees and I met for an introductory workshop in June. I have met with our principals, and I also held several meetings with Superintendent Fausett and central office staff to ease the transition. We hired a new principal for Vieja Valley School, Mariann Cooley, and a new district Business Manager, Sandi Doria.  I will take time this summer to get acquainted with staff and parent representatives. If you are a PTA President, you may get a call from me!

While the first order of business is to learn about our district and community, I also want to work in the coming months with our Board of Trustees to create a process to develop a Strategic Plan with community and staff input.  A Strategic Plan is helpful because it would build upon our district’s strengths to guide us to the next level of program quality for students.

I am looking forward to the start of a new school year. I am deeply committed to public education, and I am especially happy to serve the Hope District. Our schools and students have a reputation for excellence.

I expect this new job to be the greatest professional challenge of my career.  To succeed, I will need your help. If you should ever have questions or comments, please contact my office.  Thanks for checking in and I look forward to meeting you!

State and District Budget Update

At this time, school districts throughout California expect revenue cuts once the state budget is finalized. Hope School District is no exception.  While recent entry to Basic Aid provides a margin to absorb some of the anticipated reductions, program cutbacks may be needed to balance our budget. Controlled spending now also limits the potential for additional spending cuts in the future. A proactive and cautious approach is advised, and I will work with the Board of Trustees and our business manager to maintain a steady course as the state budget process moves forward.

Calendar Notes

Parents and students are invited to visit their teacher’s classroom from 1:30-2:30 on August 26^th.  School starts August 27^th.  Students will be dismissed at 1:30 p.m. that day. Kindergarten hours are 8:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. each day.

Monday, September 7^th, schools will be closed for Labor Day. Finally, please note that there is no school for students on October 9^th due to a professional development day for staff.

Closing Thoughts

Parent involvement is critical to an effective educational program. It is a major component of success for our students. By earning your confidence and support  my goal is to maintain the level of parent engagement in Hope District schools.

In closing, have a wonderful summer with your families and children.  Thanks to all who have welcomed me to Hope School District. I will see you when school opens!

Dan Cooperman

Superintendent