Statement from Patrick Gemma, Ed.D., Superintendent
Sequoia Union High School District
State Board of Education Decision on the Everest Petition
On March 11, 2009, the California Board of Education heard the appeal of the Everest charter school petition - a petition that was twice denied at the local level. We are disappointed that the State became involved in what is clearly a local issue and that the State chose to grant the appeal.
Certainly, one can reasonably argue that the addition of another school in the Sequoia district is not needed. Along with the Sequoia district's four distinguished, award-winning comprehensive high schools and Middle College (in collaboration with Cañada College), the District has three charter schools, including two with capacity.
The District's four exemplary comprehensive high schools, which serve more than 8,000 students annually, offer college-going cultures, personalized small-learning communities, a robust portfolio of student enrichment offerings, and specialized programs for students across the academic and socioeconomic spectrums. The Middle College and three charter schools offer quality educational programs as well.
After careful, thorough and thoughtful review, the Sequoia district Board of Trustees and the San Mateo County Board of Education both denied the Everest charter petition. The findings of fact were accepted and the voices of the local community were heard. Locally, it was decided that the Everest charter school should not advance.
Unfortunately, the Everest petition was then taken out of the hands of elected officials here in our own community and the local decisions were overturned by officials who are neither elected or members of the local community. It was a daunting task to try to ensure appointed officials 150 miles away understood our local interests and needs.
In our advocacy these past many months for the best interests of all 8,200 of our students, and those who will follow, we confronted serious flaws in the charter school legislation. The legislation intended that new charter schools would be designed to meet the needs of all students, and particularly the needs of low-performing students; yet no new charter school proposal is required to fulfill this legislative intent. This is clearly a flaw in the current law.
Another serious flaw relates to accountability. Under the existing charter school law, taxpayer dollars leave the authorizing school district, which is overseen by an elected board of trustees, and are transferred to charter schools run by private organizations without elected board oversight.
A third flaw with current law is the fact that the financial impact to the authorizing school district cannot be considered. That's the law. The District argued before the State board that we currently face unprecedented economic challenges. The nation's economic downturn is the worst in our lifetime. The Lehman Brothers bankruptcy took a $6.1 million toll on the Sequoia district - one of the highest county investment pool penalties in the state. The new state budget exacts steep cuts to schools. As a basic aid district, Sequoia also faces a decline in property tax revenue. We're disappointed the State board chose not to support the Sequoia district community in these troubling times and chose instead to overturn the local decisions.
We now turn our attention to preparing facilities to house the Everest students in the fall. We're under way with clearing the land and preparing for the new school facilities on a neighborhood site in East Palo Alto. Along with spacious classrooms to accommodate the expected incoming class of 100 freshmen, the District has plans to develop the site with new fencing, lighting, parking and landscaping. As planning progresses, the District is working collaboratively with local residents and city officials in East Palo Alto. The District is on course to have the site ready before the first day of school in August. More than one-fifth of Sequoia district students reside in East Palo Alto but it is hoped that students in nearby communities in the District will also choose to round out the student body at the new school.
SEQUOIA DISTRICT NAMES PRINCIPALS AT CARLMONT, SEQUOIA HIGH SCHOOLS
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., April 22, 2009 - Superintendent Pat Gemma announced this evening that the Sequoia Union School District Board of Trustees has approved the appointments of two new principals, effective July 1, 2009.
Bonnie Hansen, currently instructional vice principal at Sequoia High School, Redwood City, has been tapped to succeed Morgan Marchbanks, who is stepping down after nine years to focus full time on doctorate studies at the University of California, Berkeley.
Raul Zamora, currently principal at Miramonte High School, Orinda, and formerly administrative vice principal at Carlmont High School, Belmont, has been recruited to succeed Andrea Jenoff, who is retiring as principal of Carlmont after ten years at the helm.
"We opened up recruitment nationally for both of these principalships, and the recruitment and hiring process was extensive and involved representation of all of the school's key constituencies" said Gemma.
"Both of these schools have undergone significant positive change over the past decade and we want to see the continuation of the upward trajectory at Carlmont and Sequoia. We are pleased that we were able to recruit two individuals with experience as part of the positive change that has occurred at the schools," Gemma continued.
Gemma says that the recruitments drew interest from a pool of highly qualified candidates and that he is "pleased the two outstanding educational leaders who were selected accepted the posts.
"Both Bonnie and Raul are strong student advocates and effective leaders who will retain and develop the outstanding programs and initiatives that have been put in place over the past 10 years, such as the biotechnology, medical magnet, and fine and performing arts programs at Carlmont, and the International Baccalaureate program and personalized learning communities at Sequoia.
"We are confident the two new principals will capably build on the recent records of success at both schools," he added. "Both Bonnie and Raul are also deeply committed to the Sequoia district's goals that focus on student achievement, a robust career-technical education program and other priority goals that will help to engage and prepare students to excel in a global, 21st century society."
Hansen started in the Sequoia district as an English teacher at Menlo-Atherton High School, Atherton, in 1995, and she has been in her current role at Sequoia High School for five years. She has a master's degree in education from UC-Berkeley and a teaching credential from UC-Davis. She is nationally board certified in English.
Zamora has served as principal at Miramonte in the Acalanes Union High School District in the East Bay since 2006, and, immediately prior, served as administrative vice principal at Carlmont for four years. He started his educational career as a high school music teacher in Anderson, Calif. Zamora has a masters in music education from the University of Illinois and will complete his doctorate in organizational leadership in July.
Established in 1895, Sequoia Union High School District serves the diverse needs of students in the San Francisco Mid-Peninsula region through four award-winning, comprehensive public high schools as well as a model continuation high school, a middle college (in collaboration with Cañada College) and an adult school. Through its robust portfolio of schools and specialized programs and services, state-of-the-art facilities and technology, and highly qualified teachers and staff, the District is committed to ensuring that all students are engaged and prepared to excel in a 21st century global society.
ACSA-Region 5 Awards/Installation Event Superintendent Gemma’s Acceptance of the Superintendent of the Year Award
April 27, 2009
Thank you for that warm introduction. It may be trite, but I’ll say it anyway: I am honored and humbled to receive this award. After nearly four decades in education, I appreciate this recognition by my peers.
As leaders in public education in California, all of us in this room face unprecedented challenges – be they the state budget crisis and national economy; changing student demographics; unfunded state mandates; unrealistic, questionable testing requirements; or the initiatives advanced by those who blindly believe competition of any sort is a panacea for all that ails us.
There is nothing simple or trivial about problem-solving to meet the challenges we face. I know you, like me, will not give up trying. We know this generation – and the ones that will follow – are counting on us, and none of us want to let them down.
In my view, there’s no greater calling than serving our youth and providing them with a high-quality education. Some of the most exciting and wonderful moments in a child’s life take place in classrooms across all of our districts . . . every day. Could there be a greater calling than this?
That’s why I know you’re like me, undaunted by the challenges and unwavering in a deeply-rooted commitment to our young people. I know that we will all continue to promote excellence in our schools by harnessing the incredible energy, commitment and passion demonstrated year-round by our teachers and professional support staffs.
We are undeterred because we know that what’s at stake – public education – goes to the very heart of our democracy. I am privileged to serve in public education in our great state, and I am honored to receive this award this evening. Thank you very much.
SEQUOIA DISTRICT'S GEMMA NAMED SUPERINTENDENT OF THE YEAR
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., April 24, 2009 - The Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) sets the bar high for selection of Superintendent of the Year.
ACSA says the individual must "have a handle on every aspect of education within the district, from the classroom all the way up to what comes down from the state and federal governments. The best superintendents are collaborative leaders, able to get the best out of site leaders and district staff, all with the focus of doing their very best for the students they serve."
On Monday evening at the Grosvenor Hotel in South San Francisco, Sequoia Union High School District Superintendent Pat Gemma, Ed.D., will be honored as this year's Superintendent of the Year for ACSA's Region 5, which encompasses all of San Mateo and San Francisco counties.
"We're pleased to learn of this honor," said Don Gibson, president of the Sequoia district board of trustees. "Superintendent Gemma is an exemplary educator who has achieved noteworthy success in his six years leading the Sequoia district.
"It's especially befitting that Dr. Gemma receives this honor at this time, when he is doing such a stellar job in navigating the District successfully through unprecedented economic conditions and other serious challenges. He has us headed into what promises to be one of the most exciting eras ever for the Sequoia district."
San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools Jean Holbrook, Ed.D., who nominated Gemma for the award, echoes the board president's sentiments. She says Gemma "understands the importance of visionary leadership and has implemented an annual goal setting process to bring that vision into reality."
Under Gemma's leadership, the Sequoia district has embraced a vision that focuses the work of faculty, administrators and professional support staff on engaging and preparing all students to excel in a 21st century global society.
In making the nomination, Holbrook also noted Gemma's leadership in passage of the bonds in 2004 and 2008 that are enabling significant facility and technology enhancements across the district - from state-of-the-art computer labs, updated classrooms and new libraries to professional-quality performing arts centers and new athletic fields, gyms and pools.
Holbrook also noted Gemma's advancement of a comprehensive career-technical education (CTE) program, which seeks to provide all students with support in identifying college majors and future careers. Holbrook says the CTE program "will be an enormous service to students and the future of San Mateo County."
"Never satisfied with the status quo, our schools have continued to distinguish themselves during Dr. Gemma's tenure," Gibson said. "Of the most recent graduating class, 96 percent of students went on to college following graduation. The District now offers a rigorous college preparatory curriculum and support to all students who aspire to higher education, including students 'in the middle' and first-generation college students.
"The superintendent's advancement of a robust CTE program will be an ideal complement as the District continues its exceptional job in preparing students for college, careers or whatever path they choose following gradation.
"The honor of Superintendent of the Year is well deserved," he added.
Also being honored from the Sequoia district on April 27 is Joni Gordon, administrative vice principal at Carlmont High School, Belmont, who has been named Secondary Co-Administrator of the Year for ACSA's Region 5. Gordon was noted in the nomination for her "energy, enthusiasm, drive to ensure equity for all students both academically and socially, and passion for supporting every student to make wise choices and build a successful future."
Gordon will also be installed as president-elect for ACSA's Region 5 on April 27.
Established in 1895, Sequoia Union High School District serves the diverse needs of students in the San Francisco Mid-Peninsula region through four award-winning, comprehensive public high schools as well as a model continuation high school, a middle college (in collaboration with Cañada College) and an adult school. Through its robust portfolio of schools and specialized programs and services, state-of-the-art facilities and technology, and highly qualified teachers and staff, the District is committed to ensuring that all students are engaged and prepared to excel in a 21st century global society.
A Message from Superintendent Gemma about changes to summer school in 2009
If the Sequoia district had it our way, we would accommodate, as we always have, all students who have expressed a desire to attend summer school this year. Unfortunately, given the state budget crisis and our other financial challenges, we cannot afford to accommodate all 2,300 interested students this year.
Like other school districts in the state, we were forced to consider cancelling summer school. Fortunately though, we have identified a way to accommodate students with a priority need for summer school this year.
To accomplish our goal of serving as many students as possible, we will consolidate our summer school at one site this year. Our general, districtwide summer school will be held this year at Sequoia High School.
In addition, we have determined priority acceptance criteria that first supports students who are just a few credits shy of earning their high school diploma. Another priority need is supporting students who are working to gain acceptance to University of California and California State University schools following graduation.
We estimate that we will be able to accommodate approximately 1,600 students in our summer school this year.
For students who are accepted into the district’s summer school, it will be important that they successfully complete the entire session. If students do not attend the first day of the summer session, they will be dorpped and their spot filled by a student on the waiting list.
For students who cannot be accommodated in the district’s summer school, we are gathering information about alternative opportunities that will be available in the community, and our school counselors will have this information to share with students.
PLEASE NOTE: Separate from the general summer school program that will be centralized at Sequoia High School this summer, we will continue to operate – at the four comprehensive high schools – our COMPASS program for incoming freshmen, and we will operate – at Woodside – our English Immersion Institute for English-language learners and our Summer Math Institute for incoming freshmen.
Our commitment remains strong to ensuring the continuing success of every student we serve. Counselors are available at each of our schools to plan for the individualized summer school needs of students. We thank our students, parents, staff and the community for your continuing support, and we appreciate your understanding as we work together to navigate our way through the current financial difficulties.
If you missed our districtwide Parent Information Night on Oct. 7th, you can view video of the event below:
District Overview:
High School Profiles:
Enrollment Information:
Our four comprehensive high schools are planning Parent Information Night events for parents of 7th and 8th graders. You are invited to attend events at the schools of interest to you:
Carlmont High School: Oct. 14, from 7 to 9 p.m. Menlo-Atherton High School: Nov. 10, from 5:45 to 8:30 p.m. Sequoia High School: Nov. 18, from 7 to 9 p.m. Woodside High School: Nov. 13, from 7 to 9 p.m.
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