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Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Announcement of TUHSD Board of Trustees Vacancy & Procedure for Application

Dear Tamalpais Union High School District Community,
Trustee Sheri Mowbray has filed a letter of resignation from the Tamalpais Union High School District Board of Trustees with the Marin County Superintendent of Schools.  Ms. Mowbray’s dedication and service to our schools has been exemplary and her presence on the board will be truly missed. 
 
The Trustee vacancy will be filled by Board appointment.  Beginning today and ending at 12:00 noon on Monday, July 7, 2014, the Board will be accepting applications to fill this position.  The application, FAQs, and relevant Government and Education Codes(s) are available on our website, www.tamdistrict.org. 
 
On Tuesday, July 8, 2014, the Board will meet in open session beginning at 6:00 p.m. at the District Office to review all applications and to interview candidates.  Candidates should make themselves available for this meeting.  When the interviews are completed, the Board will make a selection.  Pending acceptance by the selected candidate, the Board will appoint immediately.  The appointed individual is immediately an official and fully operational board member.  
 
Applications will be accepted every day from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with Kaley Cloney in the District Office, beginning Wednesday, June 25, 2014.  Any application received after 12:00 p.m. on Monday, July 7, 2014, will not be accepted. 
 
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call Board President Bob Walter at (415) 456-6060.
 
Sincerely,
Tamalpais Union High School District Board of Trustees

Tamalpais Union High School District Board Approves Teacher Raises & Contract Changes

The Tamalpais Union High School District Board of Trustees unanimously approved a two-year contract agreement with the Tamalpais Federation of Teachers at their meeting on June 25, 2014.  The agreement impacts approximately 268 teachers, counselors, and librarians.  The chief negotiator for the district was Superintendent Laurie Kimbrel, and the chief negotiator for the teachers' union was President of the Tamalpais Federation of Teachers, Aaron Pribble.  Negotiations began in December 2013.
 
Terms of the contract include: 
 
2014 - 2015
4% raise on the salary schedule
1% of salary in a one-time payment
.04% increase in district paid benefits
 
2015 - 2016
3% raise on the salary schedule
1% of salary in a one-time payment
Increase in district paid benefits at rate TBD
 
The total increase for 2014-2015 is 5.04%, or about $5,200 per teacher.  The total increase for 2015-2016 is 4%, or about $4,342 per teacher.
 
The total cost of this settlement to the district is about $2.5 million dollars.  The Tamalpais Union High School District is a community-funded district that receives its revenue almost exclusively from local property taxes.  The teacher raise is made possible because of recent increases in property tax receipts due to the rapid increase in home sales and prices.
 
Other key contract provisions include:
  • Agreement to maintain the counselor-to-student ratio of 325:1 for at least three years.
  • Agreement on a job description and compensation for counselor leaders.
  • Stipends for freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior class advisors.
  • Compensation for teachers who write letters of recommendation.
  • Increases in teacher hourly rate for curriculum development and professional development work.
 
Superintendent Laurie Kimbrel said, "I am very pleased that we reached an agreement with our teachers in a relatively short period of time because of our shared belief in collective bargaining through collaboration and mutual problem solving.  We have addressed several long-standing issues, such as the counselor leader position and the long hours that our teachers spend writing letters of recommendation.  In addition, we have provided a generous salary increase to our teachers who have worked over the past few years to create a district curriculum, courses of study, and an assessment system which is aligned to the Common Core Standards."

Board president Bob Walter added, “This agreement is the fruition of on-going, considered, and mutually respectful dialogue between the District’s negotiators and the Tamalpais Federation of Teachers negotiating team. It bespeaks the enormous respect that our governance team, Dr. Kimbrel and the Board of Trustees, has for our teachers. What remains most remarkable for me is how, throughout our negotiations, the often voiced question and shared common concern of everyone at the table was, ‘What's best for our students?’”
 

 

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

TUHSD Student Achievement Continues to Increase

As the school year comes to a close, we once again find ourselves in a time of both celebration and reflection.  Another year has passed, we have celebrated the academic, creative, and athletic successes of our students, and our graduating seniors are on their way to new adventures.  June is a time for teachers to calculate final grades and for report cards to be sent to families, and at the district office, we are poring over data from the year in order to determine the trends and patterns that point us in the direction of improved outcomes for students.
 
There is no doubt that we are moving in the right direction for our students, and the data from the last five years confirms this.  Our students are performing considerably better than state and national averages, and TUHSD student achievement increases year after year.  As a district, we track many data points.  Here are just a few highlights of our success:
 
College Enrollment and Completion Rates
This is the first year that we have had college entrance and completion rates available to us as a district.  In the coming years, we will continue to work to ensure that more students are prepared for success in post high school education.
  • TUHSD has a far higher percentage of students who enroll in and complete college within six years than both the state and national averages.  In fact, our college completion average is 15.8% higher than the national average.
 
Advanced Placement Courses
The research is clear--access to rigorous coursework in high school is one of the best predictors of success in a post high school environment.  The statistics for our Advanced Placement courses are just one way that we assess rigor in our schools.
  • Total number of AP courses taken per school year has increased from 2918 to 3729 over the past five years.
  • Percentage of students scoring a 3 or higher on the AP exam (generally considered a passing grade) is 21.8% higher than the California average and 24.5% higher than the national average.
  • The percentage of students scoring a 3 or higher on AP exams has increased over the past several years even with the huge increase in numbers of students taking the courses.
 
SAT
The SAT website defines the test as a, "...standardized assessment of the critical reading, mathematical reasoning and writing skills students have developed over time and that they need to be successful in college."  Many of our students are also now choosing to take the ACT assessment, which is accepted by almost every college and university.
  • Average SAT scores for all demographic groups at TUHSD have increased over five years.
  • Total number of TUHSD students tested and percentage of students tested has increased over the five year term.
 
Graduates Meeting UC/CSU Requirements for 2007 - 2013
The University of California and California State University systems have set minimum entrance requirements for admission.  Our courses are aligned with UC/CSU standards, and courses that meet the entrance requirements are noted in our course descriptions.
  • There has been a 7.4% increase in the number of students who graduate with UC/CSU requirements over the past five years.  This is well above the state average.
 
Academic Performance Index Growth Scores
The Academic Performance Index (API) is calculated by the state and incorporates a variety of measures including state assessments.  The new state assessments, which are aligned to common core standards, will be given for the first time in spring 2015.
  • API grew district-wide from 2009-2013.
  • There has been a reduced gap between the achievement of our Hispanic students and non-Hispanic students from 2009-2013.
  • There has been a reduced gap between low income and non-low income students from 2009-2013.
  • All subject areas have shown a positive trend in average growth over the past five years.
 
These data points are a source of pride for our skilled teachers, staff, administrators, and trustees.  As a district, we continue to monitor many data points so that we can be sure that our great schools continue to perform well and benefit ALL students.  We are committed to ensuring that all students, even the highest achieving, learn and grow during their four years of high school.  Continuous improvement is often difficult to attain in a high-achieving system, and so we are immensely proud of these accomplishments.
 
As a community, we have so much to celebrate this June.  Our students are served well not only by our teachers and schools, but by the dedicated parents and community members who work so diligently to provide support and guidance.  At the Tam District, what is best for students is the tenet that guides our work.  Working together, we will continue to prepare today's students for tomorrow's world.