Baldwin Park Unified officials are inviting community members to preview proposed TK-12 text books for English Language Arts, Dual Language and English Language Development. Comment periods will be held from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center, 4640 N. Main Ave., on Wednesday, Jan. 11, and at North Park Continuation High School, 4600 Bogart Ave., on Thursday, Jan. 12 and Friday, Jan. 13. The textbooks align with the recently enacted California Standards, which provide a greater emphasis on critical thinking and non-fiction material review than California’s previous standards.
Baldwin Park Unified Seeks Applicants to Fill Board of Education Vacancy
The Baldwin Park Unified Board of Education is seeking applications from District residents who wish to apply for an open seat created by the resignation of Blanca Estela Rubio, who was elected to the state Assembly in November. Residents must submit candidate information sheets by 4 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, 2017 to the Office of the Superintendent. The sheets are available via the District website, www.bpusd.net, or at the District Administration Center, 3699 N. Holly Ave., Baldwin Park. Top candidates will have an opportunity to make an oral presentation to the Board of Education. Rubio’s term runs through 2019. The Board expects to fill the vacancy by Feb. 13.
Students from Vineland Elementary School and Sierra Vista High School helped spread holiday cheer at Baldwin Park Unified’s District office on Dec. 16, a week before the start of winter break. Students from Vineland – clad in their pajamas – decorated the District Office lobby Christmas tree while Sierra Vista High’s choir serenaded the District administrators with Christmas carols during their winter lunch.
Follow-up Story: Baldwin Park Unified’s Sierra Vista Junior High School held its first Color Run on Dec. 21, raising money for programs that foster a positive school climate, including academic incentives and brunch activities. Students were encouraged to wear tutus, neon shorts and headbands.
The Governing Board of Education held its annual organization meeting on Dec. 6, selecting Christina Lucero as president for a second consecutive term. Teresa I. Vargas will serve as clerk/vice president, succeeding Board Member Carlos Lopez. Board Member Santos Hernandez, Jr. continues in his second year as a member. A brief reception was held to honor outgoing Board Member Blanca Estela Rubio, who was elected in November to the California State Assembly and officially announced her resignation from the Board. The Board will proceed with the process for a provisional appointment to select a new member by Feb. 13.
Baldwin Park Unified property owners saw their first savings on December’s tax bill from the District’s refinancing of $74.8 million in facility bonds, a decline in the tax rate of $57.78 per $100,000 in assessed valuation over 2015-16. The savings, which take advantage of a drop in interest rates, add up to $20.8 million over 21 years. The refinancing lowers the 2016-17 repayment costs for the bonds to $105.10 per $100,000 in assessed value. Rates can fluctuate year to year until the bonds are repaid in 2037.
Follow-up Story: Two Baldwin Park Unified schools explored computer science this week as they learned coding through the annual Hour of Code, a global movement that reaches millions of students in more than 180 countries. Central Elementary, which pioneered the effort for Baldwin Park in 2015, engaged all of its 508 students during events spread across the week. Students coded in the school’s computer labs from 8:10 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. daily. About 125 Vineland Elementary students in second through sixth grades also took part in the event. Teachers at the school used the program to reward hardworking students in each classroom, those who have shown the most growth academically or socially. The event was held for an hour each day.
Gabriela Flores, a senior at Baldwin Park Unified's North Park Continuation High School, has grappled with poverty, homelessness and even her mother’s deportation, all without faltering in her pursuit of a diploma. Now, she is poised to graduate early with a strong academic record and perfect attendance.
For her resiliency in the face of adversity, Flores, 17, has received an Every Student Succeeding Scholarship from the Southern California chapter of the Association of California School Administrators. The 24, $100 scholarships, awarded in November at the Huntington Library, honor students who exceed expectations.
Follow-up Story: Students at Baldwin Park Unified’s Bursch Elementary School created artwork on Dec. 12 and 13 to beautify Los Angeles County animal shelters during the first stage in a national campaign launched by nonprofit Portraits of Hope to promote pet adoptions. Students painted wooden cutouts of animals and abstract images to decorate the shelters. Bursch is one of just two Los Angeles area schools participating in the program thus far.
Follow-up Story: Baldwin Park Unified’s Central Elementary School once again topped all city schools in collecting canned goods for the City of Baldwin Park’s annual Christmas Food Basket Program, which provided the food to residents. Central collected 5,260 cans during the effort. The figure – nearly double the number raised in 2015 – may stem from a competition created by student leaders that awarded the top class in each grade with playground equipment and the top students with a special lunch with the principal. Other participating schools are De Anza, Elwin, Foster, Geddes, Heath and Walnut elementary schools, Holland and Olive middle schools, and Jones and Sierra Vista junior high schools. Photos are available.