November 14, 2012

Dear Friends and Colleagues of San Rafael City Schools

The passage of Proposition 30 is a welcome sigh of relief for the students and staff of San Rafael City Schools, and California.  Thanks to the electorate of California, state funding for public education will be approximately the same level of revenues we received in 2011–2012.

The passage of Proposition 30 came right on the heels of the annual football rivalry between San Rafael High School and Terra Linda High School.  The TLHS Trojans won this year’s Bell Game, played at SRHS on November1st.

The District remains focused on our “North Star,” charting the trajectory for all students that are predictive of college/career success.  In 2011-2012, the District received a research study conducted by an independent doctoral statistician/researcher that identified what happened to students after graduation from SRCS.  Based on the review of more than ten years of high school graduate data, the analysis identified:

• 70% of the district’s high school graduates Start College
• 60% return for a second year
• 30% complete a Bachelor’s degree within a 6-year period; and, these percentages represent a 10-year trend

These initial findings led to inquiries about possible commonalities and/or similarities of the cohort of students who successfully achieved a Bachelor’s degree within the 6-year window.  This “deeper dive” in to the K-12 experiences and performance achievements of this cohort of students did provide a “pathway of a academic milestones ”predictive of college and career readiness.

SRCS is among a limited number of school districts from California and across the nation to submit a federal Race to the Top–District (RTT-D) application. This grant provides a unique opportunity for school districts to design and implement personalized models of teaching and learning that can deepen and accelerate the achievement of college and career preparedness for all students, particularly historically underserved students and families.

The Packard Foundation provided the consultation services of The Glen Price Group to assist and support the District through the application process. A writing team of K-12 teachers, district leaders, support staff, parents, and students developed our $13.8 million proposal.  The presidents of each of our teacher unions, Katie O’Donnell (San Rafael Teachers Association K-8) and Chris Simenstad (San Rafael Federation of Teachers, 9-12) both deserve special recognition for their leadership and vision. To learn more, you can visit the district’s new Race to the Top webpage:

I am also very happy to congratulate Davidson Middle School principal Dr. Harriet Maclean.  Dr. Maclean was selected as one of four finalists for the American Association of School Administrators’ (AASA) 2012 Women in School Leadership Award. The winner will be announced in February 2013 at the AASA National Conference in Los Angeles.

As the holidays approach, watch for HeadsUp “Shop Local for Schools” fund-raising event scheduled for Wednesday andThursday, November 28-29, 2012.

Wishing you all the best as the holiday season begins,

Mike

Dr. Michael Watenpaugh

Superintendent of Schools