Secrecy by school districts blasted. Board of Education members Mike Spencer of West Covina Unified and Ramon Miramontes of Pasadena Unified each called for more transparency from their staffs on the issue of teacher misconduct. Pasadena Star News sent Public Records Act requests to 28 school districts in San Gabriel Valley requesting information on teacher misconduct. While two districts--Arcadia Unified School District and Bonita Unified--have now released information, 26 others have cited employee privacy concerns as a reason to keep their records private.
Arcadia Unified School District releases records of two teacher misconduct investigations that resulted in dismissals. The first was 48-year-old Robert Harbicht, a substitute teacher who was found drunk at work. The second was Phillip Sutliff, dismissed from the district in 2007 and sentenced to 12 years in state prison for sexual misconduct (rape) with a girl at Arcadia High School.
Local school districts provide more detailed plans for in-person learning. Arcadia Unified School District will start in-person classes for Transitional Kindergarten through 5th grades.
Arcadia Unified School District accepted into national network of innovative school districts, called the League of Innovative Schools, a national coalition of forward-thinking school districts organized by Digital Promise, a nonprofit organization with the mission to accelerate innovation in education and improve the opportunity to learn for all through technology and research.
Outstanding Educator Awards honor 17 area teachers, presented by Assemblymember Mike Fong. Grace Shahinian from Camino Grove Elementary (Arcadia Unified School District) was among those honored.
Arcadia Unified School District Superintendent Dr. David Vannasdall gives a district update each month in this column. The district celebrated Arcadia Unified Teacher of the Year Jan Dickson.
Seven area schools designated as "California Distinguished," including Camino Grove Elementary, Highland Oaks Elementary, and Longley Way Elementary from Arcadia Unified School District. The others are from Azusa Unified, San Gabriel Unified and Pasadena Unified school districts.
Arcadia Unified School District's First Avenue Middle School music teacher Michael Danielson is one of only 16 teachers to be recognized as a 2019-2020 Teacher of the Year.
Arcadia Unified School District celebrates its 2018-2019 Teacher of the Year, Janice Dickson. She is a 4th grade teacher at Longley Way Elementary School.
Arcadia Unified School District named to the 2018-2019 Educational Results Partnership Honor Roll for its high achievement in student success for the second consecutive year. Arcadia Unified School District is one of only 26 public school districts to receive this recognition.
Congressional races: a look at the positions taken by candidates in local districts. In District 28, Democratic Rep. Judy Chu, is now running to represent a recently redrawn district that includes Alhambra, Monterey Park, Rosemead, and Arcadia. Her major issues include education, foreign policy, small business, and transportation. Her opponent is Republican Wes Hallman, a pilot and senior vice president of Strategy and Policy for the National Defense Industrial Association.
Arcadia Unified School District fights for fair funding in Sacramento at the 2018 California State Parent Teacher Association (CA PTA) Legislation Conference.
2011 Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) scores show a majority of area schools are progressing. California's STAR program assesses public school students' knowledge of the math, English and science in grades 2 through 11. At Arcadia Unified School District, these are the percentage of students who scored proficient or advanced in core subjects: English-Language Arts 83.9%; History 76%; Mathematics 82.4%; Science 84.7%; Science end of course 80.4%. STAR scores from other area schools are given.
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.
Eight school districts in the West San Gabriel Valley, including Arcadia Unified School District, showed year-to-year increases in Academic Performance Index (API) scores. The API measures student proficiency in English and math.
Arcadia Unified School District offering free COVID-19 rapid take-home tests for every student through the month of January. They held a drive-through pick-up event on January 4 and 5 at Arcadia Performing Arts Center at 188 Campus Drive. In addition to these rapid tests, which were provided by the California Department of Health, the district also has their regular testing located at Arcadia Education Center, which is for Arcadia Unified School District students and staff, free of charge.