Tag Archives: Bill Huyett
New state budget is good news for Berkeley schools
The final numbers haven’t been completely crunched, and the legislature hasn’t passed the budget yet, but the fiscal situation for the Berkeley Unified School District for next year looks much better than previously thought.
Gov. Jerry Brown released his “May revise” budget on Monday and it contained an unexpected $6.6 billion in new revenues. Brown applied $3 billion of the money to K-12 education, which means BUSD won’t have to cut as much as $330-$700 per student, the numbers … Continue reading »
Berkeley school district faces deep cuts
Dozens of teachers and staff from Berkeley schools are planning to leaflet local BART stations Tuesday afternoon to get out the word that planned state budget cuts will decimate the school system.
The 4 pm leafleting, and a planned march in San Francisco on Friday, are part of a week-long effort called “State of Emergency” to pressure lawmakers into extending expiring taxes. Governor Jerry Brown wanted to place tax extensions on the June ballot to close a $26 billion budget gap, but couldn’t get the Republican support he needed to do so.
“If you believe the funding is inadequate for public education, the practical way is to extend the taxes we have in place,” Bill Huyett, the superintendent of Berkeley schools, told a group assembled Monday for a hearing on the BUSD budget. “Your job is to talk to your legislator or if you know a legislator who is in a Republican district, talk to them.”
“We need to get the word out,” said Josh Daniels, a school board member. “I can’t urge you enough. Don’t just walk away. Talk to your friends, your neighbors, your fellow staff. Get them involved.”
Without the tax extension, BUSD is facing a $3.7 million deficit for fiscal year 2012. That translates to a drop of at least $330 each student, although the numbers might get even worse. There is a chance the state will slash $700 from each student, according to Javetta Cleveland, the deputy superintendent for business. … Continue reading »
Berkeley releases safety plan to reduce guns at schools
The Berkeley Unified School District released a plan on Tuesday to improve security at the high school, but didn’t address one of the major recommendations made by the police – to put security officers in uniform.
The district will pay to have a police officer on campus five days a week instead of four; accelerate training for security officers; hire an independent agency to examine the district’s security procedures; create an ad hoc committee to examine whether to partially close the campus and require students to display identification badges; and install internal locks on classroom doors, among other changes. The measures will cost the district $89,000, according to the report.
But the long list of changes do not address concerns raised by the Berkeley Police Department in a letter sent to Superintendent Bill Huyett on March 31. In the correspondence, Berkeley Police Chief Michael Meehan said his “top recommendation” for the security program is to put safety officers in uniform. … Continue reading »
Is Berkeley High safe? Parents debate the question
In the middle of a meeting called to discuss guns and safety at Berkeley High School, the deputy district attorney in charge of Alameda County’s juvenile division stood up and announced that the community is not being realistic about how dangerous a place it is.
“I have seen the police report of every single person arrested at Berkeley High School this year,” Matthew Golde, the senior deputy district attorney for Alameda County’s juvenile justice center told a crowd of about 400 people at the Berkeley High School Community Theater. “Let me tell you the reality of the danger.”
Golde went on to say that in addition to the four gun-related arrests made last week, armed robbery is rampant at the school. Students routinely bring weapons and use them to strong-arm people on campus, at the park across the street, and on Shattuck Avenue. And groups of BHS kids regularly burglarize houses. … Continue reading »
Berkeley schools win $25m from federal stimulus funds
Berkeley Unified School District received $25 million in federal Qualified School Construction Bond (QSCB) tax credits, State Superintendent for Instruction Tom Torlakson announced on Friday. The $25 million will help support Berkeley High’s new stadium and new classrooms, and construction at the West Campus.
According to BUSD spokesman Mark Coplan, Berkeley was fortunate that it had some major projects that were “more than shovel-ready, they had shovels on the ground.” Statewide, $848 million in QSCB credits were awarded.
The federal tax credits will mean that the value to the BUSD will be closer to $40 million, according to Coplan, because of the reduced interest on the district’s bonds. “This further helps us to meet the commitment to our community to find matching resources to help support our significant construction plans, and the many green aspects of the projects that are so important to our students and the Berkeley community,” said BUSD Superintendent Bill Huyett on Friday. … Continue reading »
Berkeley school officials say gun incident handled properly
Despite the concern of some parents that Berkeley school officials let the 15-year old who brought a gun to Berkeley High flee before he could be detained by police, that was the best way to handle the situation, according to Superintendent Bill Huyett.
School security officers don’t have the authority to physically detain kids, tackle them, or lock them in a room, he said. The only time they intervene physically is when there is a fight going on, he said.
“We are not law enforcement agents, so we don’t lock kids in rooms, ever,” Huyett said on Friday. “The thing that is most important is to ensure safety for all students. We do secure the suspected contraband. I’ve had kids flee on me [when he was a principal] and my advice is to not physically intervene with them. I’ve always said, ‘Don’t give chase. Don’t physically entail. Turn it over to police.’”
The student was still at large Thursday evening, according to Sgt. Mary Kusmiss of the Berkeley police department.
On Monday, the 15-year old freshman allegedly brought a gun to school in his backpack. School started at 10 am, and by 11 am school officials had heard from multiple sources that the student had gotten a gun.
While safety officials were looking inside the backpack, the student fled. By the time Berkeley police arrived, the student was no longer on school premises. … Continue reading »
City supports public education with Measures H and I
As we reported last night, the results on Berkeley Unified School District’s Measures H and I proved thoroughly undramatic throughout the evening. Measure H, which approved a parcel tax to fund maintenance, required a two-thirds majority to pass. It actually surpassed 80%. Measure I, which allows for up to $210 million in bonds to be issued to fund a number of capital projects, needed a 55% majority. It received nearly 77%. Contrast those resounding results with neighboring Oakland, … Continue reading »
Berkeley schools improve in statewide tests
For the fourth year in a row, schools in the Berkeley Unified School District showed improved results in California’s Academic Performance Index (API). API scores are calculated by the state Department of Education based on results in a variety of standardized tests across multiple subjects in grades 2 through 11.
The school district’s API improved to 784 in 2010 from 767 in 2009. In a district where the achievement gap in a diverse student population has been a major issue, … Continue reading »
Berkeley High students at risk because of pot use
Students from Berkeley High are getting stoned in the park across the street from the school and in alleyways and other “out of the way” places in the downtown area, “morning, lunchtime, and mid-afternoon,” according to a new report which presents a plan to curb student drug and alcohol use.
Drug and alcohol use among Berkeley ninth graders is twice the state average and some students may be getting their pot from medical marijuana cardholders, the report contends. Eleventh … Continue reading »
Huyett: Sadness and shock over need for BUSD cuts
Berkeley Unified School District Superintendent Bill Huyett sent an email to families today outlining the cuts proposed by his Budget Advisory Committee. The proposed cuts will be considered by the school board which needs to pass a balanced budget by the end of June.
Among the cuts proposed are over $1 million in non-salary items, the elimination of six positions, and major cuts and fee increases at the Adult School. The cuts total $3.1 million from the General Fund budget, and come after $11 million in cuts over the last two years.
Huyett writes, “It is with a real sense of sadness that I watch the continuing economic crisis being compounded by a lack of resolve in Sacramento to prevent the financial collapse of school districts across the state.” Berkeley schools are spared some of the worst consequences of the state cuts, Huyett notes, because of Measure A (BSEP) and Measure BB (Facility Maintenance) funding, which provide additional local resources.
Huyett also describes his “shock” at Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger’s proposal to eliminate almost all funding for pre-school programs. About $3.6 million of the $5 million spent in Berkeley on these programs would be cut if the governor’s proposals are passed.
The full text of Huyett’s statement comes after the jump: … Continue reading »
