Before the Los Altos School District board concluded its final meeting of the 2006-2007 school year, trustees approved a list of goals for next year.
The list, which covered curriculum, facilities, finance and communication, outlined goals district officials hope to achieve in the 2007-2008 school year.
Curriculum goals
Increase each student’s level of engagement in and ownership of his or her own learning.
The district plans to continue the integration of its digital resources in the core program, spreading the mobile laptop program next year to fifth and seventh grades.
Patty Weisman, retiring assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said many of next year’s curriculum changes will include integrating critical thinking into writing and an array of other subjects.
“We are asking our teachers to come up with activities for their students which include problem solving,” Weisman said.
Understand the educational, social and emotional impact of the full-day kindergarten program, the English language learner program and a possible middle-school program.
The full-day kindergarten, which concludes a three-year pilot program at the end of the next school year, will be under review by the board of trustees and staff. With Bullis-Purissima School set to reopen in August 2008, the kindergarten program might have to be relocated if it continues to run.
Representatives of the district and the board said they plan to look more closely at the benefits of changing district elementary schools to K-5 programs and changing junior high schools to middle-school models serving sixth, seventh and eighth grades. The possible reconfiguration has been touched on at board meetings for some time, but the idea has gained momentum recently as a possible solution to help absorb growth during the redrawing of attendance areas.
Implement best practices for the delivery of special education services for district children.
Prepare teacher leaders to consider pursuing administrative careers.
Next year the district will bring back former principals Linda Eckols and Stephen Peck and the retiring Weisman in a limited capacity to advise teachers interested in pursuing administrative roles in the future.
Facilities goals
Establish long-term plans to ensure excellent learning environments at each school site.
This goal includes refining Phase II construction plans and determining the timing – and amount requested from the public – of the next general-obligation bond election.
District officials said they will explore the feasibility of creating a new elementary school site to deal with the high concentration of growth in the district’s northern area.
District officials have been fulfilling their responsibility to house Bullis Charter School on a year-to-year basis. The district hopes to address and identify a long-term solution and costs for permanent BCS placement and a possible location for the full-day kindergarten program.
Ensure successful reopening of Bullis-Purissima Elementary School.
District officials said they are working next year to complete the Bullis modernization project on time and within budget. District officials will work to secure all necessary equipment, instructional materials, faculty and administration.
Finance goal
Ensure long-term fiscal solvency.
District officials said they hope to identify a target reserve level and begin funding toward that level. Currently, the projected reserve level for the district drops below the state mandated 3 percent in 2009.
Other tasks district officials have set to complete include exploring the parcel tax increase, reducing outsourcing of special education and developing a long-term plan for funding capital expenditures.
Communication goal
Improve the district’s ability to communicate with the community and market its services and accomplishments.
The district board of trustees voted and approved a new logo and mission statement, which district officials said they plan to integrate into all communications next year. Officials also said they hope to establish a communication calendar and maintain timely communication with the community.
