- Welcome to our board meeting! Bienvenidos! Maligayang pagdating! Huan ying! Youkoso! Hafa Adai! Shalom! Khosh amadid! We have many ethnicities, languages, and cultures in our Sweetwater community and all are welcome! We want each student, each staff member, each family, and each community member to feel welcomed in our district. We want to be sensitive and aware of how we are treating each other in all interactions. We are so glad you are here joining us tonight!
- This governance team (Board of Trustees and Superintendent) has held 45 regular board meetings in the past two years. In addition, we also had 39 workshops and special board meetings. All 84 gatherings have been in service of and motivated by what’s best for our students and staff. Since we started around July 2015, our Board has been very clear with their vision of “putting students first!” I appreciate and recognize how our Board has not only established a clear vision where every decision is made with students as the priority; but, they literally followed up with actions that demonstrate they put students first! Some examples include: Resolution 4468 Advocating for and Protecting Each of the District’s Students, Staff, and Families; designating $37M for HVAC projects across the district ensuring all classroom and meeting spaces are conducive to teaching and learning; and, in November 2016, our Board updated BP 0410 – Nondiscrimination in District Programs and Activities/Title IX. This policy states, “The Board of Trustees is committed to equal opportunity for all individuals in education. District programs and activities shall be free from discrimination based on age, gender, gender identity or expression, or genetic information, sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, ethnic group identification, marital or parental status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation; the perception of one or more of such characteristics; or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics. The Board of Trustees is determined (and committed) to provide students, employees, community members and job applicants a safe, positive environment where they are assured of full and equal employment access and opportunities, protection from harassment or intimidation, and freedom from any fear of retaliation for asserting their rights in accordance with law.”
- These actions are so important during a time in our country when sometimes things are not always so clear. Our Board and our district stands up for the rights of each individual! We believe that respect is essential in building and rebuilding relationships. We value the principle of equity and a positive transformational climate and culture. Dr. Fulcher shared with Sweetwater teachers and counselors recently that, “…our work on equity begins with self-reflection around beliefs that are often formed by experiences of where we live, socialize, work, and/or attend school. Equity and culturally responsive education requires knowledge of specific cultures, student groups, and families in our school community. To sustain our work around equity, the district is adopting a framework to facilitate understanding of how we experience the complex interconnections of various groups within which we all live.”
- I just wanted everyone to know that we aren’t waiting for someone at the county, state, or national level to tell us what to do. We know what to do and with the support and direction from our Board of Trustees, we are working together to make Sweetwater a safe place for each person!
- I believe one key to building the type of culture necessary to make this happen is empathy, and that empathy is directly relational to being inclusive. I encourage each person in this room and each student, staff, family, and community member outside this room in Sweetwater to live in a constant attitude of empathy that leads to being inclusive. This is the Sweetwater Way!
- Let me share some Sweetwater celebrations and Congratulations:
- Six high school students from throughout San Diego county were selected to work at The San Diego Union-Tribune under an annual program designed to help young people learn about media careers and journalism. Two of the six high schoolers in the journalism scholars program are from SUHSD: Congratulations to Diego Dela Rosa, BVH and Darnell Carson, ELH. In addition to their work experiences, these scholars were paired with mentors from the U-T newsroom. Using various technologies, the students produced their own written, photographic and video stories. You can view their projects at sandiegouniontribune.com/journalismscholars/ Darnell was chosen as this year’s $5,000 scholarship winner.
- The California Music Education Association selected Tamara Frazier – CPM, for the Middle School Specialist Award and Danielle Bruce – HM, for the Richard Levin Orchestra Education Award.
- Art Lopez – SUHI was appointed by State Superintendent Tom Torlakson to serve on the California Computer Science Standards Advisory Committee.
- Beth Saldaña, SUHSD Bus Driver, was selected as the new California School Employees Association (CSEA) Secretary at the state level and now sits on the CSEA State Board of Directors.
- The word about Sweetwater is out! Our collaboration with SUHSD labor groups has made its way to the state level. During the CSEA Annual Conference, the Director of Field Operations, Keith Pace, mentioned the Sweetwater CSEA Chapters 258, 471, and 731, along with Labor Rep Cynthia McDaniel, during his annual report to state delegates as a successful negotiation story. Mr. Pace cited the collaborative approach that CSEA used negotiating with the District – including being able to add three additional days to their work year for the purpose of professional development and the establishment of a Classified Advisory Committee at school sites to ensure classified employees have a voice in decisions that affect them – all as examples of purposeful collaboration.
- We are definitely better and stronger together!
- Thank you for the opportunity to serve and support each of you!