Superintendent's Monthly Message
May 2008
Union School District has a great deal to celebrate this month. We are extremely proud to announce that Noddin Elementary School was recognized as a California Distinguished School this year. Only 343 schools in the state met the stringent criteria required to obtain Distinguished School status. Congratulations to the entire Noddin staff and community for their combined efforts to achieve this prestigious award!
Congratulations are also in order for Sandy Carboni-Wardwell from Noddin School and Tom Shui from Oster School. The Junior League of San Jose presented each of them with the coveted Crystal Bowl award in recognition of the hours of volunteer service they have given to their respective schools. We appreciate all that they have done for our schools, and we are sincerely grateful to the many, many volunteers who support our schools daily.
On May 5th, the district will recognize the Teachers of the Year and Classified Employees of the Year. Congratulations to the following employees for being selected by their colleagues for this honor:
| School | Classified Employee | Teacher |
|---|---|---|
| Alta Vista | Jennifer Cooper | Christy Mills |
| Carlton | Archie Denton | Laura Better-Henry |
| Guadalupe | Leonard Yamat | Joanne Sato |
| Lietz | Diana Jones | Lori Schultz |
| Noddin | Marty Dorr | Michelle Castaneda |
| Oster | Carrie Pesavento | Dawn Ullmark |
| Dartmouth | Diana Eschman | Ashley McCole |
| Union | Kathy Knudson | Shane Seeger |
| District Office | Sarena Glancey | |
| Maintenance & Operations | Elias Perez |
I want to personally thank everyone for their help in getting such a high response rate to our district survey. All of our schools dramatically increased their survey returns over last year, and Guadalupe School and Noddin School met the district goal of achieving a greater than 50% response rate. Great job, all! We intend to use the results from our survey to inform our priority planning for the future.
A vital element in planning is, of course, the state budget forecast for next year. In mid-May, the governor’s May Revise budget proposal will be announced. We are hopeful that schools will be saved from the drastic $4.8 billion dollar budget cuts that have been proposed. The Education Coalition, a partnership between groups such as the California Teachers Association and the Association of California School Administrators, is working with state and local legislators to preserve the minimum guaranteed state funding to schools. We will know more about the impact of the budget after the May Revise. We will post up to date information on our web site as soon as it is available to keep you informed.
Best wishes for a great end of the school year!
Dr. Jacqueline M. Horejs
Superintendent