My visit to a fab tea shop in Temecula @CA_tea http://ping.fm/FaTzy

How will this chane life in Temecula? http://ping.fm/l0hTD

School Closings in Temecula????

My children are proud Roadrunners at Rancho Elementary. The thought of their school closing is heart breaking. I know budgets are tight, but I would be interested how much we could trim at the the district office before even considering destroying strong community schools in Temecula. People move to Temecula for the strong sense of community and the outstanding schools. If we lose our schools, do we lose our community? Below is the email sent out by Carol A. Leighty, Ed.D. Superintendent

The Board of Education of the Temecula Valley Unified School District is making very difficult decisions in order to balance our budget for the 2010-2011 school year. Despite the deeply appreciated agreements from our employee associations and management for furlough days and the deeply regretted but necessary employee lay-offs, a gap of approximately six milllion dollars still exists.

As the board continues to deliberate, staff brings many items of information to them in order assist in their decision making.

Once again, the closing of a school continues to be an option to further reduce the deficit. We did close Sparkman Elementary in 2009. This was a difficult decision and not made lightly. Faced with even deeper cuts this year, the board and staff agreed all possible options must be considered.

At the meeting of March 16, staff presented to the board many options to further close the budget gap. Some of these options include reducing Home to School Transportation, realignment of Athletic funding and another elementary school closure.

The following schools were identified due to their enrollments: Paloma, Pauba Valley, Red Hawk and Rancho.

Staff provided information regarding the impact of a possible school closure to the identified schools and surrounding school communities. This data resulted in a recommendation to the board that NO additional elementary schools be closed. The board agreed they are not interested in closing another school at this time.

In the future, if additional state budget cuts reduce our funding yet again, a school closure may be revisited. Should that be the case, we will notify affected sites prior to Board discussion.
Please be assured the TVUSD School Board is carefully gathering information and making difficult but necessary decisions to keep our district fiscally solvent. The budget information shared last night was for information only and no action was taken.

Sincerely,


Carol A. Leighty, Ed.D.
Superintendent

Budget Cuts Hit Temecula Unified School District

find out more at www.lifeintemecula.com

Dear TVUSD Parents and Guardians,

In recent weeks, the Temecula Valley Unified School District Governing Board has made a number of decisions that will greatly impact our students and our schools. Most of these are a result of the $20-$26 million budget shortfall our district faces. With 2010/11 budget preparations underway, our Governing Board has begun the process of approving reduction measures that will keep our district fiscally solvent.

One significant action, recently approved, is the implementation of Work Year Reduction Days. Since nearly 87% of our expenditures are for salaries and benefits, reducing the work year is one of the few options we have to balance our budget. In efforts to reduce operating costs, our entire school district will close down for nine days between now and the end of the 2010/11 school year. That is, two days this year and seven days next year.

Please note, the Work Year Reduction Days this year are Friday, March 12th and Friday, May 28th. All of our schools, offices and facilities will be closed on these days and students will not attend school. The two Work Year Reduction Days this year as well as the seven days next year are reflected on updated Student/Teacher Calendars posted on the TVUSD web site, www.tvusd.k12.ca.us.

Our employees have agreed to reducing their work years, some by as many as twelve days, saving our district millions of dollars. This collaborative effort, made possible by our employee associations, management team and Governing Board, will allow us to avoid making the type of drastic cuts we all strive to avoid.

In 2010/11, the school year for our students will be reduced from 180 days to 175 days. The work year for our teachers will be reduced from 185 days to 178 days. While the loss of school days is troubling, when faced with making over $20 million in budget reductions our options are few and far between. Reducing employee work years’ will not resolve our budget problems entirely, but it proves to be the best solution to address an extremely difficult situation.

Another action, recently approved, is an adjustment to our school year calendar. In the upcoming 2010/11 school year, you will see a change to our start and end date. The first day of school has been moved up by three days to Wednesday, August 11th. The last day falls on Friday, May 27th, due in part to the reduced school year.

The decision to adjust the school calendar was approved by our Governing Board last year after discussions with teachers regarding semesters at the high school level. By moving the start date up, the first semester will conclude prior to winter break. Currently, students leave for a two-week break, return for a week and then take final exams. Research supports a more cohesive instructional program by taking finals prior to the winter break. The best way to achieve this is to adjust the start of the school year.

Our Governing Board has also approved an agreement to increase class sizes in grades K-12 for the upcoming school year. This is yet another budget reduction measure. The chart below shows our current class sizes and class sizes next year.

Class Sizes: Current Year vs. Upcoming Year

Grade2009/102010/11 
Kindergarten2122 
1st Grade2123 
2nd Grade2125 
3rd Grade2126 
4th – 5th Grade3233 
6th Grade3436 
7th – 8th Grade3638 
9th grade Algebra and English 2436-38 

As a result of this adjustment, our board approved preliminary layoff notices for approximately 160 certificated (teaching) staff. It is our hope that the number of preliminary notices distributed in March will be greatly reduced by the time final layoff notices go out in May.

Additional layoffs will occur in our management and classified ranks.The board is also considering other programmatic reductions to assist in balancing our budget. What is most unfortunate is that all of these budget reductions would not be necessary if not for continued cuts in funding by the state of California.

Please know that we are far from done exploring our options to save jobs. We continue to look for creative ways to retain as many of our teachers and staff as possible. Our Governing Board and I are very proud and grateful for the spirit of collaboration, trust and sacrifice our employees have shown. Often, it is in the face of adversity that we recognize our strength as individuals, as parents and as a community. Much like our employees have banded together, I believe our school community can come together to make it through this difficult year ahead.
I hope you will find inspiration in the incredible achievements our students continue to make each day. Year after year, we see our future generations making tremendous strides in academics, athletics, the arts, and in community involvement. I truly believe we are succeeding in providing options and opportunities for all of our students to achieve.

As a district, we will continue to move forward, realizing that while we may have a steep hill to climb, we will get through it by working together and retaining a sense of optimism for the future.

Sincerely,

Carol A. Leighty, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Temecula Valley Unified School District

Top Ten Tuesday Blog: My Top Ten Ways to observe Lent

I am a Cradle Catholic so Lent is my way of preparing for Easter, but many Christian Churches observe Lent as well. I guess you could say “Lent, It’s Not Just for Catholics Anymore”. Here are my top ten ways to observe Lent. If this list doesn’t work for you I hope it at least peaks your interest enough to ask your church or place of faith how it prepares for the Easter Season. In all weeks , but especially this week my top ten is never in order.

• Observe Ash Wednesday. I attend Mass on Ash Wednesday, and receive the ash cross on my forehead after Mass. I do not eat any meat, and have only a main meal and two smaller meals with no snacking in between. I also do this on Good Friday.
• Know what Lent is: According to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, “Lent is a 40-day liturgical season that begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes at the Great Vigil of Easter. Sundays are not included in the 40-day count because every Sunday is a joyful celebration of Jesus’ resurrection. Though not biblical, Lent has long been a tradition in the Christian Church, and it is thought that the tradition of the 40 days recalls the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness, fasting and being tempted by Satan (Matthew 4:1-11). Lent is considered a time of penance and discipline.” This is a pretty general description but with a quick Google Search you can find out so much more.
• I decorate my home in some purple decor; this reminds me of the suffering and death, but also royalty and hope of the resurrection.
• I Spend Lent with additional prayer, reflection and repentance. Lent is a time for soul-searching, facing great challenges and overcoming mistakes. This may be the perfect time to get back in touch with your spiritual life if you have strayed. We all fall off the wagon start with some forgiveness for you.
• I follow the tradition of Lent by fasting, done in honor of Christ’s own 40-day fast in the desert. I do this by giving up meat on Fridays and just being more aware of my intake. You can do this in whatever way seems appropriate to you - its intensity varies from total abstinence to refraining from eating meat. Many churches focus less on fasting and encourage charitable deeds.
• Give up something you love for the 40-day period or add a daily deed of faith, symbolizing the Lenten season’s return to simplicity and purity. I have given up gum as a child and as an adult I have given up Diet Coke and drive time radio and music - as long as the meaning of its absence or addition holds significant value to you.
• I make room for Easter and the new life of spring. While this season might be tinged with solemnity, it should also be a time of looking forward to renewal and triumph. I like to start this season with gardening getting back in touch with the rebirth of Spring.
• Meat Fast on Fridays: The fast food restaurants start with Fish Sandwich specials and Catholic Churches everywhere will be having their Fish Fries. If I make an oops and have meat by accident on a Friday, I start over again on Saturday.
• Understand Good Friday: According to churchyear.net, “Good Friday is the Friday within Holy Week, and is traditionally a time of fasting and penance, commemorating the anniversary of Christ’s crucifixion and death. For Christians, Good Friday commemorates not just a historical event, but the sacrificial death of Christ, which with the resurrection, comprises the heart of the Christian faith. The Catholic Catechism states this succinctly: Justification has been merited for us by the Passion of Christ who offered himself on the cross as a living victim, holy and pleasing to God, and whose blood has become the instrument of atonement for the sins of all men (CCC 1992).
• Prepare for Easter: I love hiding eggs for the kids, pretty Easter dresses, and planning Easter Dinner, but don’t forget the reason for the season. Easter is the amazing season of forgiveness. Remember if Jesus did all that He did so you can be forgiven; bring forgiveness into your life for yourself and others.

Tuesday Top Ten: Family Weekend Trips in Southern California

• Getty Museums: There are now two Getty Museums in Los Angeles the Getty Villa and the Getty Center. Have a fun filled weekend of culture and fun and visit both. Both Museums have family rooms and I suggest visiting them first, this will allow you to find the galleries that have the most to offer children. The Getty Villa will require parking reservations so you will need to plan ahead for this weekend adventure. The Getty Villa also has the bonus of sitting in the middle of beautiful Malibu so you may want to plan a little time to head to the beach. I would suggest finding a hotel between the two locations.
• Ronald Reagan Museum: Did you ever want to hop a ride on Air Force One? The Ronald Reagan Museum is now the home of the Air Force One used during four Presidents. Walk through a bit of history and see what first class really looks like. The museum is also home to a piece of the Berlin Wall, Marine One, and is the finally resting place of President Ronald Reagan. I suggest getting the headphones for the kids so they can hear the historical significance of the displays. We stayed at a lovely Homewood Suites in Thousand Oaks. It included both Dinner & Breakfast.
• Hollywood : The Walk of Fame, the el Capitan, and the Griffith Observatory are just a few Hollywood stops that make up a great weekend. A map to the stars home or a trip down Sunset Boulevard is an adventure that many native Californians take for granted, but have you ever shared it with your kids? Parking in this area may be difficult so arrive early for whatever plans you make.
• La Brea Tar Pits : Can a pit of tar be a fun outing for the kids??? Heck yeah! Mammoth bones found in the middle of Los Angeles is an amazing thought for adults to ponder, let your kids give it a try too. This museum and tar pit is full of California Science and History. It is a great outing on its own or mixed with the Museum of Natural History and California Science Center .
• Channel Islands : Okay let’s be honest my favorite part of this trip is the hotel Embassy Suites Mandalay Beach - Hotel & Resort there are many trips that we just hang out at the hotel (example last weekend) , but from the hotel you can see the channel islands and there are numerous tours available in the area to boat or kayak the islands. The trip is a little outdoors and a little luxury.
• Disneyland : Okay I know this is not creative, but 99.9% of kids will choose a trip to Disneyland. The hotel has some great specials during the off season so you can enjoy a full of Disney weekend. However if you can’t stay on the resort I suggest the Hampton Inn or the Embassy Suites on Harbor Blvd. I have stayed at both. The Embassy Suites on Harbor offers a Managers Reception (Free drinks & snacks) and a free full service breakfast. The Hampton Inn offers fun family rooms with bunk beds and a kid friendly bathroom and don’t forget about the free breakfast in the morning.
• Crystal Cove: Warning an overnight trip to Crystal Cove needs to be booked 6 months ahead of time, however a day trip can be planned in seconds. This is what California was like back in the 60’s. If you sit on the beach you wouldn’t be surprised to see a scene from Beach Blanket Bingo or Gidget played out. This is my favorite beach in California. It is an awesome mix of beach and tide pools. The parking can be difficult so start out early and plan to stay late.
• Balboa Park: A trip to the San Diego Zoo or an afternoon at the Fleet Science Museum is just a few of the fun things to do at Balboa Park. My description won’t do it justice go to their website and plan a weekend or the whole week. This is such a jewel of Southern California. Plan to pay a decent amount for a hotel, I am yet to find a reasonably priced hotel in San Diego, but the fun and education is well worth the extra $$$$.
• Big Bear Weekend: The kids of Southern California all want to see it….. SNOW! Kids in So Cal don’t get snow days from school or know the feeling of frostbite setting in their nose, so this is their big chance. Big Bear is their chance to go sleigh riding and to build a snowman. Planning this trip is always risky because you will need to book a room long before the snow is ready to fall so say a prayer and book a night at a cabin or lodge.
• Norton Simon Museum & Huntington Garden : Springtime is the best time for this adventure to Pasadena. If you have a ballerina in your life she will love the huge collection of Degas that the Norton Simon Museum displays. If you have a young man in your family he will love running through the gardens at the Huntington. The Norton Simon will be a day of leisure enjoying great art from scores of art periods. The day at the Huntington Library will require lots of walking, dress comfy, wear hiking shoes , and DON’T FORGET THE CAMERA.

Tuesday Top Ten: Family Weekend Trips in Southern California http://ping.fm/yHiRi

Whatever Wednesday : Nick Jonas & The Twitter Concert http://ping.fm/YC06N