Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District approves agreements for some Cal State Fullerton interns; charter school appeal expected soon

 

A decision by the College of Education at Cal State University, Fullerton, to withdraw student teachers from the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District in April 2022 hasn't affected students in the university's other divisions from completing internships in district classrooms.

Since the beginning of summer, the district renewed three agreements with the university that will place Cal State students in classroom settings for the next two or three years. Each of the agreements was approved on a unanimous vote by trustees.

And according to comments at an August meeting, district officials are in contact with College of Education administrators to return student teachers to the district's 34 campuses. Assistant Superintendent Issaic Gates said he's “hopeful” Cal State student teachers will be back.

The university had six student teachers in the district at the time of the withdrawal decision, down from the 70 to 80 normally placed in district elementary, middle and high school class-rooms, according to EdSource, a non-profit newsroom covering public education in the state.

One factor in the decision to withdraw student teachers was the district's decision to prohibit the teaching of critical race theory, the first district in Orange County to establish such a ban in 2022.

Currently, the district has nearly 30 agreements with colleges and universities regarding the placement of interns in the district. Statements accompanying most of the agreements note the institutions screen interns, with participation in the pacts assisting in future recruitment.

The recently renewed pacts with Cal State include a Teaching Internship Program Agreement to provide support for non-credentialed teachers, an Affiliated Clinical Site Agreement for athletic training students and a Communicative Disorders Program Agreement for use by speech-language pathologists.

Other agreements approved by trustees in June, August and September include pacts to place student teachers, counselors, physical and occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists and speech-language pathology assistants with Central State University, Mary-ville University, Chapman University and Calvin University.

Others: Nova Southeastern University, Rancho Santiago Community College, Point Loma Nazarene University, Massachusetts Emerson College and Cal State University, East Bay.

* * *

The recent denial of a charter school petition submitted by California Republic Leadership Academy on a 5-0 trustee vote will be appealed to the Orange County Board of Education.

Currently, Orange County has 42 charter schools, including the 23 authorized by the county board. Some of the board-authorized charters were approved after being denied by districts.

The California Republic Leadership Academy has a county board-approved charter school for kindergarten through eighth grade students in the Capistrano Unified School District.

Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District: crossing guards, federal funds for Chromebooks and superintendent's Monday Messages

 

Funding for two programs that benefit students attending local schools has been approved by Yorba Linda City Council members and Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District trustees.

One of Yorba Linda's longest-standing civic responsibilities – providing school crossing guard services – recently was approved on a 5-0 vote for the current school year under a new three-year contract that drew only two bids in response to the city's advertisements.

The city began providing crossing guards soon after incorporation, with service that started in 1969. Since then, the program has grown so that the familiar yellow-vested guards now cover 23 intersections throughout the 20-square-mile city.

Total cost for the three years under the new pact will be close to $1.3 million, with $409,687 spent in the current fiscal year for 23 guards working some 78 hours for each of 180 school days. In all, the city will be providing 14,040 hours of crossing guard services this school year.

The winning bidder was Santa Fe Springs-based All City Management Services, which bid the city contract at $32.08 per hour. A second bidder at $30 per hour was “deemed unresponsive” because the company did not include all of the city's requirements in its proposal.

In subsequent negotiations, All City Management lowered the per-hour rate to $29.18, which reduced the first-year cost $41,000. The company specializes in crossing guard services and provides personnel for 13 of the 16 county cities that responded to a survey from city officials.

The contract allows two additional one-year renewals after the three-year contract term. All City Management has provided the crossing guards for the city's intersections for 19 years.

School district trustees recently voted 5-0 to use federal funds to pay part of the $2.6 million cost for new Chromebook laptop computers for elementary, middle and high school students.

The cash will pay for 4,101 new Chromebooks for middle and high school students and replace 3,168 obsolete Chromebooks for elementary school students and other technology needed by the district through Dec. 31.

The Emergency Connectivity Fund will reimburse the district $1.2 million from a $7.171 billion allocation for schools and libraries administered by the Federal Communications Commission.

* * *

Part of newly hired Superintendent Alex Cherniss' emphasis on “expanding our community outreach” is a regular “Monday Message” newsletter now available on the district's website.

The Aug. 21 newsletter notes that this year's “primary focus will be on bringing all of our students up to grade level and beyond through targeted academic support, foundational curriculum supplementation and after-school intervention programs.”

Also, he's launched four advisory committees to meet bimonthly for one hour online via Zoom for elementary, middle, high school and special education parents and guardians.