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SCCSBA President's Message

By Carol Presunka (Cambrian SD)

The holiday season is almost upon us which means a very busy time at our schools both academically and socially. 

We have had a busy time with the SCCSBA as well. Our Lunch and Learn topic on cell phone policies best practices was very informative. Thank you Danielle Cohen from CUSD and James Kim from CUHSD for sharing your best practices.  

Our Fall Dinner was well attended with almost 100 Board members and Superintendents. Thank you to the student panel on inclusion. Hearing their personal stories really helped us understand what to do to make neuro diverse students feel included and accepted.  And thank you to the SCCOE for organizing it for us.  

CSBA President Albert Gonzalez spent the day with some SCCSBA board members touring different districts in SCC. Thank you Orchard SD, Sunnyvale SD, Morgan Hill USD and Milpitas USD for hosting us.  

Representatives from CSBA presented an overview on AI at our November evening meeting. For more information you can visit the CSBA website at www.csba.org.

CSBA Delegates from Santa Clara County had lunch with Senator Cortese and heard his education priorities, and he had the opportunity to hear our concerns.  Thank you to Rita Abdel-Malek for organizing.

We had our second networking breakfast where board members had the opportunity to talk informally to their peers.

Last but not least, the Legislative Action Committee has combined all the results for the survey of top priorities among board members. They are working hard to make sure these priorities are being heard by our elected officials. 

Our next Lunch and Learn on Nov  20th is on School Safety with a presentation by CSBA.  There are no SCCSBA meetings in December but we hope to see you all at AEC and  the SCCSBA reception at the Anaheim Marriott Hotel on Thursday December 5. 

Please inform your newly elected board members that SCCSBA will be hosting a new board member workshop on Sat. Jan. 25th with a Board panel, a Superintendent panel and a CSBA overview, with a Q & A to follow each session.  Encourage your school districts to apply for the Hoffmann Awards.  The finalists will receive a professional video of their programs as well as recognition by their peers!

In case I don’t see you, I hope you all have a happy, relaxing holiday season!

Hoffmann Awards Application are Now Open Online!

Each year the Santa Clara County School Boards Association (SCCSBA) coordinates the Hoffmann Exemplary Award program where we honor outstanding educational programs in our county. This year is the 41st Annual Hoffmann Awards and applications are now open. The deadline to submit applications is end of Friday, December 13, 2024. Here is the link to the online application:

41st Annual Hoffmann Awards Application Form (google.com)

Begun in 1984, the Glen W. Hoffmann Exemplary Program Awards were initiated by the SCCSBA to provide recognition to successful school programs that have a significant impact on student success in our county. Each fall, school districts are invited to identify programs they consider worthy of commendations and consistent with a free, public education for all students. A program may be multi-district, district-wide, one school, or only one classroom. A district may submit up to three applications.

The 41st Annual Glen W. Hoffmann Awards will be presented at the Association’s Hoffmann Awards Dinner on May 7, 2025, at MetroEd. A​ video of each winning program is created by SCCOE Communications. View past Hoffmann Award recipient videos.

We look forward to receiving your applications! If you have any questions, please contact SCCSBA Executive Director, Bonnie Mace, at execdirector@sccsba.org

November 20 - SCCSBA Zoom Lunch and Learn on Campus Safety

Our next Lunch and Learn will be held on Wednesday, November 20 from 12-1:15 PM. The meeting will feature the topic of Campus Safety. Our featured guest speaker will be Angela Asch from CSBA, who will be talking about the safety toolkit. And we will have plenty of time for everyone to share what they are doing in their own districts regarding how to keep students and staff safe. Check your email inbox for the zoom link. All trustees are always invited to all of our meetings.

December 5 - SCCSBA and SMCSBA Reception CSBA AEC

We are excited to invite all trustees, superintendents, spouses and district staff attending the CSBA AEC in Anaheim to our Annual Reception. This year's reception will be held on Thursday, December 5 from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Anaheim Marriott. Please register for your FREE ticket at 2024reception.eventbrite.com

Thanks to our reception sponsor, Sodexo.

As in past years, we are also inviting members of the San Mateo County School Boards Association to this event. And so it's a great networking opportunity for both our SCCSBA and the SMCSBA members.

CSBA President Albert Gonzalez Tours School Sites in our County

SCCSBA was excited to welcome CSBA President Albert Gonzalez (also a Trustee of the Santa Clara Unified School District) on a site tour of schools around our county. He joined SCCSBA Officers Carol Presunka, Shali Sirkay and Chris Norwood along with Legislative Action Committee members John Horner, Bridget Watson, Isabel Jubes-Flamerich, Renee Lo and Executive Director Bonnie Mace.

The group first visited Sunnyvale School District's Ellis Elementary School for a discussion of how the district supports English Language Learners.

Next they travelled to Orchard School District where they heard from the Superintendent about special education and other issues that face small school districts.

Then, the group went to Los Paseos Elementary School in the Morgan Hill Unified School District to learn about the district's wellness centers.

And finally, the day finished with a trip to visit the Innovation Campus in the Milpitas Unified School District. "MUSD Superintendent Cheryl Jordan and the MUSD Board Communication Specialist joined the tour of the MUSD Innovation Campus. Through the lens of MUSD Strategic Goal #1, we provided a first class tour on the future of secondary education in Santa Clara County. It's all about the pathways," said Chris Norwood (SCCSBA Legislative Action Committee Chair and MUSD Board Member).

Thanks to CSBA President Albert Gonzalez for his years of service to CSBA, SCCSBA, and SCUSD

Albert Gonzalez has been an active member in education in Santa Clara County for the last 16 years.  

Albert served on the Santa Clara Unified School Board for 16 years.  He also served as the Region 20 Director for CSBA, and been on their Board of Directors since 2014, currently serving as the president of CSBA. He also served on the County Committee for School District Organization.

Albert is retiring from the Board to serve as a council member for the City of Santa Clara.  We congratulate Albert on his election, however we are also sad to lose him as a school board member.  His knowledge and leadership skills have been appreciated for years, and we know it will serve him well on city council.  We won’t lose him completely though, as he will continue to serve on the California School Boards Association for another year in the role of Past President.  

Good luck Albert!

CSBA Spotlight (csba.org)

Cybersecurity is still a priority for edtech leaders

In the 2023–24 academic year, artificial intelligence (AI) became more prevalent in classrooms, policies banning the use of cellphones at schools gained popularity and the U.S. Surgeon General issued a warning on the negative impacts of social media on youth mental health.

As education and technology become more intertwined, results of the State Educational Technology Directors Association’s (SETDA) annual survey, summarized in The 2024 State EdTech Trends Report, provide insight on how state education leaders (state chiefs, chief information officers and educational technology directors) view various edtech topics.

Four key findings emerged from the survey:

• As in 2023, cybersecurity is the prime edtech priority for state leaders in 2024, although fewer feel their state is giving sufficient funding to support cybersecurity.
• State agencies are stepping up to meet educators’ need for support on responsible adoption of AI policies.
• With a historic period of federal relief ending, leaders are experiencing anxiety about funding; home connectivity and access are still the top unmet needs in states across the country.
• State education leaders should encourage effective and equitable use of edtech as states begin to invest more in their own capacity.

Read More...

Mountain View Los Altos High School District

Welcome to Mountain View Los Altos HSD New Superintendent Eric Volta

Mr. Eric Volta grew up in the Santa Clara Valley and attended Santa Clara High School. He received a BA in History from Stanford University and was a four-year letterman on the football team. Eric has worked in public education for over 35 years. He has served in both teaching and leadership roles. He taught 9th through 12 grades in all types of classrooms including Advanced Placement courses and classes for English Learners.

During Mr. Volta’s tenure as a public-school educator, he has received numerous awards and recognitions including ACSA’s Superintendent of the Year for Region VI, California Interscholastic Federation Distinguished Services Award and the California Department of Education’s Principal Award. He also received a commendation from the City of Santa Clara for keeping students safe. Eric served on the California School Boards Association Superintendents Advisory Council and is currently on the board for the California High School Coalition. Eric brings a wealth of experience in all aspects of high school and district leadership.

Milpitas Unified School District

Best in Class: Milpitas High School’s 9 National Merit Scholar Semifinalists for 2024-25

Nine Milpitas High School scholars Jericho PaulMari De Guzman, Leslie Dong, Aditi Gupta, Ananya Gupta, Kyle Le, Oliver Ma, Lakshya Mehta, William Mito and Daniel Xu were recently selected as Semifinalists in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program. They are among more than 16,000 students nationwide in the 70th annual NMSP to earn the designation based on results from the Preliminary SAT exam. In February, these 9 students will be notified if they have advanced to Finalist standing, which then qualifies them for 6,870 scholarships worth nearly $26 million.

"My greatest motivation comes from the drive to constantly push myself to do my very best in whatever challenges I face. I also derive a lot of motivation from the support and encouragement (as well as competition) I receive from my family and friends," shares Jericho PaulMari De Guzman

Learn more about each of them in this special Q&A with our National Merit Scholars.

Berryessa Union School District

BUSD is honored as SVEF’s 2024 District Partner of the Year

It is exciting to share that the Berryessa Union School District was recognized with the 2024 District Partner of the Year Award, by the Silicon Valley Education Foundation on Saturday, October 5, 2024. BUSD students, teachers and administrators have benefited from several program offerings through the years, such as Elevate Math, Computer Science Innovation, and professional development offerings and symposiums. SVEF’s annual DreamMakers event was an inspiring celebration of the best in education - teachers, students, college mentors and BUSD! We look forward to continuing our work together to enhance educational opportunities for ALL.

MetroED

Santa Clara County Honors MetroED Teachers at the 2024 Teacher Recognition Celebration

On October 21, Marion Clark, Silicon Valley Adult Education's English as a Second Language teacher, received Metropolitan Education District’s Teacher of the Year Award. Elizabeth Belaski, Silicon Valley Career Technical Education (SVCTE) center’s Veterinary Science teacher, was honored with the Curiosity in STEM Award from The Tech Interactive. This award is given to a teacher who has demonstrated a passion for inspiring curiosity in their students. Read more about these educators