Individual students and the Arcadia Educational Foundation (AEF) raised about $840,000 for the Arcadia Unified School District (AUSD) during its annual appeal last year, enabling the district to reinstate 12 teaching positions. Budget cuts from the state have created "serious challenges" for Arcadia schools over the past 4 years, said AUSD superintendent Joel Shawn.
Arcadia High School student Nancy Xu, a senior, launches children’s book diversity campaign. She has written a children’s book called Hana and Arnie, a tale of a girl and an armadillo taught their village to embrace immigrants and diversity. She has a Kickstarter campaign.
Arcadia Unified School District (AUSD) releases personalized learning thought exchange results. Personalized Learning is an innovative new campaign led by Arcadia Unified School District (AUSD) Superintendent David Vannasdall. In May 2017 AUSD utilized a thought-sharing platform called Thought Exchange to facilitate community and student feedback. The report covers five major principles that personalized learning should constitute: 1) Differentiated Learning 2) Class Size and Assistance 3) Individual Learning 4) Students' Current Skill Assessment 5) Parent-Teacher Communication.
Hundreds of teachers across the San Gabriel Valley are facing layoffs again this summer and experts say cuts could be far more drastic if a solution to the state's budget problems is not reached. About 20,000 teachers in the state have been put on notice that they could be laid off if school districts do not receive the necessary state funding. Arcadia Unified School District (AUSD) sent out notices to about 16% of its teachers.
How can you help the Arcadia Educational Foundation? The Arcadia Educational Foundation (AEF) is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 1981 in response to substantially reduced federal and state funding for California public schools, administered by parent and community member trustees, to raise funds for Arcadia Unified School District. AEF runs the annual summer school program, offers $25000 in teacher grants each year, funds district-wide phone and text communication system, and has also funded teacher positions due to state-wide budget cuts.
Arcadia Unified School District (AUSD) hosted its first ever Fireside Chat to talk about personalized learning becoming the future of education. Keynote speakers were Superintendent David Vannasdall and Board of Education member Kay Kinsler.
Arcadia Unified School District has faced the reality of mid-year school budget cuts for the past 3 years. To prepare for a possible fourth year of mid-year cuts, the AUSD school board is exploring the option of a parcel tax, an amount to raise hopefully a few million dollars that would help offset what the State is expected to take away. Arcadia School Board Vice President Joann Steinmeier and colleagues are investigating the need for a parcel tax and what form it might take to get passed at the March election.
Arcadia Unified School District (AUSD) Deputy Superintendent Robert Leri has resigned. Arcadia High School Principal David Vannasdall will take on the additional role of Deputy Superintendent March 1 and leave his job as principal at end of school year to become Deputy Superintendent. Other personnel changes within the school district. AUSD is trying to cover a projected $7 million annual budget deficit with a proposed 5-year parcel tax. Arcadia Educational Foundation is doing its annual solicitation.
Arcadia Unified School District (AUSD) staff and students delve into the world of virtual reality. Can VR change empathy toward others? Stanford University project, led by Elise Ogle, investigates.
Federal legislation aimed at bringing more teachers back in the classroom is providing Pasadena-area school districts with more than $12.3 million, according to the California Department of Education's preliminary figures. Many district officials are wary of immediately using the money to hire teachers, saying they will likely have to lay off the teachers next year. The money comes from President Obama's $26 billion Jobs Bill for teachers and other government jobs. A chart shows preliminary allocations to San Gabriel Valley school districts. Arcadia Unified School District is scheduled to receive $1,667,871.
Arcadia Unified School District (AUSD) introduced the new $7.5 million Facilities and Maintenance Yard Tuesday, which is the culminating project of the $218 million Measure I bond that spanned more than ten years. This school bond measure was voted on and passed by the Arcadia community in 2006. Jim Leahy, retired Executive Director of Facilities was honored for his contribution.
Arcadia City Council approves $55.7 million General Fund budget for fiscal year 2015-2016. Officials anticipate revenue totaling $59.7 million, enabling $4.5 million in funds transfers toward road and park improvements, staff equipment upgrades, a boost to the general liability and workers' compensation fund, establishing a reserve fund for building a new City Hall and nearly $500,000 in new programs and employees.
A parcel tax in Arcadia appears to pass. Voters appear to have narrowly approved a parcel tax measure that will raise $3.4 million for the Arcadia Unified School District each year for the next five years, according to preliminary results. If the outcome is finalized, property owners would pay $228 per parcel per year in an effort to stave off additional cuts in the classroom. Measure A, which required a two-thirds vote to pass, was approved by 67.61% of those who voted in the district's boundaries. The vote should be finalized tomorrow.
Arcadia Planning Commission denies Marvin Fong's plan for a large development at 2236 Hollis Lane. The proposed project is 4 times larger than the existing property, which upset a grass roots group effort to prevent "mansionization."
Arcadia High School coach James O'Brien, who has led the cross country team to two CIF State and three CIF-Southern Section championships, has been fired. He was told the reason was, "We want to go in a different direction." He will remain a teacher at Arcadia High School.
Arcadia Police Department receives a $137,000 grant for a year-long program of special enforcements and public awareness efforts to prevent traffic-related deaths and injuries.