Goal setting is a fundamental component of reaching high
standards and realizing positive outcomes. This is why on an annual
basis, the Gilroy Unified School District school board and staff
set ambitious goals for the District.
Guest Columnist Debbie Flores
Dear Gilroy Community,
Goal setting is a fundamental component of reaching high standards and realizing positive outcomes. This is why on an annual basis, the Gilroy Unified School District school board and staff set ambitious goals for the District.
Six goals are in place for the 2010-11 school year:
– 1) Increase the level of student achievement throughout the district across all subgroups
– 2) Enhance fiscal accountability that supports sound fiscal management principles and practices
– 3)Ensure the recruitment and retention of a highly qualified workforce
– 4) Ensure that schools are safe and orderly for students
– 5) Ensure that facilities provide equitable sound learning and working environments
– 6) Enhance Board governance and communication with stakeholders.
The first goal, increasing student achievement, is our top priority. Our strategic plan involves a concerted effort both at the district level and school level. On an annual basis, each school site develops a Single Plan for Student Achievement. These plans are reviewed and approved by the school board in a public meeting and lay out in great detail specific strategies that will be implemented to increase student achievement.
Annually in November at special board study sessions, the principals give reports to the board about their progress. There are many ways that the progress of individual school sites is measured including two important benchmarks – state and federal. California measures the performance of schools on a rating scale called the Academic Performance Index (API) with a minimum goal of 800. To date, five of the District’s schools have met the target – Dr. TJ Owens Gilroy Early College Academy (892), Eliot (836), Luigi Aprea (852), Las Animas (826), and Solorsano (814). Four other schools are very close to the 800 API target/goal and likely will reach it at the end of this school year – Brownell, Glen View, Rucker, and Christopher High School.
In addition to reaching the state API target, the goal is for each school to meet the federal Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) target. This is a complicated measure which is often compared to a high jump (to simplify it) with the bar raised higher each year. The 2010-11 target for each school and every subgroup is for roughly 65 percent of students to score at the proficient and advanced ranges on state administered tests.
We are making steady progress as a District with more students scoring at these ranges (including socio-economically disadvantaged, English Learners, and special education). Yet, the federal “bar” has risen so quickly and so high that we have had difficulty keeping pace. Many districts in the county, state and nation are experiencing the same challenge.
Nonetheless, all our efforts are designed to assist each school and subgroup to meet this standard. Eliot Elementary School is a great example of a school that has found ways to meet both the federal and state requirements even as the targets have increased. We hope to replicate what they are doing at other elementary schools in the near future
I would also like to say a few words about goals 2 through 5. We are in the most challenging fiscal times that public schools have ever faced. For several years, districts have had to make major cuts to balance their budgets due to inadequate funding from the state and the poor economy. By taking a number of proactive steps, we have been able to balance our budget and maintain fiscal accountability. This year, we will implement strategies that have worked for several years including creating a budget development calendar, providing frequent updates about the budget, scheduling a number of budget meetings, and soliciting input from stakeholders about the budget. I would like to thank over 1,000 GUSD employees who agreed to take a 4-day furlough this year to help us balance the budget.
In the human resources/recruitment arena, our goal for several years has been to hire the most highly qualified staff we can find including hard-to-fill positions in math, science and special education. This year, we hired over 38 new teachers in these areas which was the result of a very aggressive recruitment plan that was implemented last spring (2010).
We have continued to grow as a district and now have over 11,000 students. Thanks to the generosity of the voters of Gilroy and the passage of not only Measure P but prior bond measures, Gilroy has excellent school facilities for housing students. Two new facilities – Las Animas and Christopher High – have been great new additions to our facilities program and have helped with overcrowding at the elementary and high school level. This year, architects will be assigned to begin planning and designing three major construction projects at Rucker, Rod Kelley, and the Dr. TJ Owens Gilroy Early Education Academy (GECA).
School safety is also one of our top goals and is comprised of several efforts. These efforts are focused on emergency preparedness, positive behavior through programs like Character Counts, and a no tolerance policy for inappropriate behaviors/actions.
Setting high goals is the first step in a comprehensive strategic plan designed to take our district to the next level. The board and staff are committed to excellence and believe that we can achieve the highest performance levels. We will settle for nothing but the best for each and every student we serve.
Deborah A. Flores is the superintendent of the Gilroy Unified School District. She can be reached at De***********@*********ca.us
