Page 4 - Reedley Exponent 4-26-18 E-edition

The Reedley Exponent A4 Thursday, April 26, 2018 Editorial & Opinions
Serving “The World’s Fruit Basket” since 1891
A Mid Valley Publishing Newspaper
Founded March 26, 1891, in a two-story building on the corner of 11th and F streets, by A.S. Jones
Fred Hall — Publisher
In my OPINION One has to realize that the so-called “deep
state” is feeling empowered — if not omnipo-
tent — when the Justice Department and FBI
feel they can, with impunity, literally thumb
their nose at Congress and fail to comply with
a request to produce requested documents. It
grows even worse when one pauses to consider
the length of time the agencies have failed to
comply. These are records, I might add, that
rightfully deserve transparent openness for
public scrutiny and rightfully belong to the
American people. They should never be the
stuff of tell-all books by people who are sworn to protect the nation’s secrets.
Our Congress represents, or should represent, the will of all Americans, especially since we are the ones who elected them to represent us. Granted, even they do not always act in a manner which is indicative of the mandate which they are provided. How often have you noticed that they promise one thing while a candidate and deliver quite another once they get back to the “swamp” that is Washington, D.C.? With this current crop in Washington, a good housecleaning would serve Americans well.
Undoubtedly, our forefathers would be spinning in their graves were they aware of just how bad politicians and the bureaucracy have become in their dominance of the political discourse. These people who are so deeply embedded in the clandestine, backroom dealings of our capital cities—that certainly would include Sacramento as well as Washington — are literally making a mockery of the entire demo- cratic process. They feel completely comfortable in acting and doing as they damned well please!
A good place to make a start toward installing a “fix” would be an honest discussion with the “loyal opposition” and make sure they understand that the Democratic party and their candidate, Hillary Clinton, lost the election. For roughly a year-and-a-half they have been in complete denial. Through their childish actions they have man- aged, at least with some success, to impede the president’s agenda. We do have a tax cut in place and with Donald Trump’s legislative and regulatory actions we are witnesses to success in our economic sector. It’s time to act like an adult and realize that Mr. Trump won the electoral college which is the way we elect our president here in the United States.
We know that Hillary won California, so with the attitude of most of the state’s elected officials it’s completely possible that she could named president of California. With all the goofy stuff that the gov- ernor, the Legislature and the attorney general are pulling it cer- tainly would be a nice fit with their agenda. Sadly for that group, there remains a substantial number of common sense people who call the Golden State home and completely disagree with biased liberal thought. We’re doing our best to stop them from completely over- running us!
It seems to us to be a rather small request that bureaucrats honor subpoenas and formal requests from those to whom they are mandat- ed to report; elected politicians and their bureaucratic minions should be aware that even thought they are in power, there is no provision in our system that was implemented to allow them to abuse that power. I would remind them that, as sure as we’re talking here, a day of reckoning is coming. The United States of America has withstood all kinds of challenges—many of them much stronger than this current crop of dunderheads. When all else fails, return to common sense,
But, that’s only one man’s opinion.
Check out mayor’s prayer breakfast
Jon Earnest — Editor
Chris Aguirre — Sports Editor Felicia Cousart Matlosz — Panorama Editor Budd Brockett — Editor Emeritus
QUOTE
“I find that a great part of the information I have was acquired by looking up something and finding something else on the way.”
— Franklin P. Adams (1881-1960)
Fred Hall
A good community event that of- ten gets overlooked is the annual May- or’s Prayer Breakfast, which is held in conjunction with the National Day of Prayer. This year’s breakfast will be at 7 a.m. on Thursday, May 3 at the Reedley Community Center.
Not only is there a free breakfast available, there is a keynote speaker. This year’s speech comes from Julie Mendoza, the CEO for the dynamic HOPE Sanger (Help Our People Em- manuel). The nonprofit organization has been instrumental in helping the homeless and needy in the Sanger community.
A freewill offering will be taken at the breakfast to assist the Community Youth Fellowship program. It’s time — and a little money — well spent.
••• Congratulations again goes out
to Reedley police officer Michael Velasquez, who was introduced to the Reedley City Council on April 24 af- ter being sworn in on April 18. Police
Photo Contributed
Officer Michael Velasquez, center, stands with his parents, Mila and Michael Sr., after his swearing in ceremony on April 18.
Chief Joe Garza told the council how Velasquez went through the Reedley Explorers and Cadet program, then became a reserve community ser- vice officer before being sponsored through the police academy — mak- ing him a true home-grown member of the ]department.
In last week’s cutline information,
we misidentified Mila Velasquez, Michael’s mother. She proudly looked on April 18 as her husband, Michael Velasquez Sr., pinned the badge on their son.
••• Jon Earnest A surprisingly
cool April goes out with a bit of siz- zle, as this week the Central Valley receives its first series of 90 degree days. Warm, sunny weather comes just in time for the annual Street Faire and Car Show on Sunday, May 6 in downtown Reedley. That will be a welcome change from last year’s event that featured cool weather and a threat of rain.
Vendors, food, music and enter- tainment activities will be part of the day-long event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. along G Street from Pioneer Park to 12th Street.
By John Campbell
Guest columnist
The announcement that Riverview Elementary is a 2018 California Distin- guished School was an ex- citing and proud moment for the Kings Canyon Unified School District. The signifi- cance of the award was put into a more impressive per- spective when we learned that only four districts out of 33 in Fresno County had schools chosen for the rec- ognition. In Tulare County, only one school was honored.
I am very proud of the work done by Riverview students, staff members, current and past adminis- trators, and families. Riv- erview’s success is repre- sentative of the team effort taking place every day in KCUSD by nearly 10,000 students, thousands of fami- lies and more than 1,100 dis- trict employees.
The Distinguished School honorees were se- lected using three state in- dicators: performance and progress on test scores, English learner progress and suspension rates. The indicators show us the tip of the iceberg and are not the only indicators our district uses to measure success. To better understand the state indicators used for selecting the distinguished school hon- orees, here’s a deeper look at what produces these results.
Test scores are one significant way the state measures school districts. KCUSD students have shown marked growth on the Smart- er Balanced Summative As- sessments. In the past three years, scores in English lan- guage arts have increased 12 percent, and math scores have increased 10 percent.
The results could, in part, be attributed to in- structional initiatives in five areas across the dis- trict: professional learning communities (PLCs); foun- dational skills; academic writing; English language development; and pilot pro- grams in math and science.
PLCs provide time for teachers to work collab- oratively to analyze student
assessment results, reflect upon teaching practices and make adjustments to meet student needs.
Foundational skills en- sure students are learning to read while providing opportunities to reinforce their learning. Academic writing is emphasized for all students. Teachers in grades K-8 implement informative explanatory writing strate- gies to help students reach their academic goals of writing coherently and con- cisely. In our high schools writing is incorporated into all subject areas. English language development en- sures students acquire the skills needed to communi- cate effectively using the English language. Finally, analyzing math and sci- ence standards has helped teachers and instructional coaches determine the con- tent and appropriately pace lessons to students so there is standardization across the district. This allows our stu- dents who transfer schools within our district to do so seamlessly.
Efforts districtwide to support English language learners (EL) have resulted in great progress. In addition to their regular instruction, EL students are supported daily with focused time to learn how to listen, speak, read, and write academically using the English language. These students are tested annually to assess their progress. This test along with other indicators helps students achieve a reclas- sification as fluent English proficient. KCUSD’s English learner progress indicator shows students achieving reclassification at a rate of 20 percent, well above the state average of 11 percent.
The final indicator for the Distinguished Schools Award is suspension rate,
or, to better explain it, the measures being taken to positively impact student behavior. The district recog- nizes that when students feel safe — physically and emo- tionally — it helps to create a healthy culture conducive to good behavior.
Several years ago, a Cul- ture and Climate Task Force was created around the dia- logue of student discipline. This group of approximately 40 stakeholders annually dis- cusses character formation, discipline, safety and well- being. Their vision provides guidance into the strategies currently in place and those being considered.
Every school in our dis- trict has a social worker or licensed therapist to provide social and emotional sup- port. Every teacher and clas- sified employee who works with students in grades 7-12 has received training to rec- ognize the signs of depres- sion and suicidal ideation. The KCUSD transition team helps students as they man- age the academic and social challenges of entering and exiting high school.
With an emphasis on school culture and climate, KCUSD has established model programs that posi- tively impact student be- havior and create additional learning opportunities. The restorative justice program works with the juvenile of- fender to expediently ad- dress the offense, issue a consequence, and provide the opportunity for the stu- dent to correct the mistake. The success of the program can be seen in the very low 4.5 percent recidivism rate.
Expanded afterschool programs at all elementary and middle schools have helped to keep students en- gaged in positive activities and create relationships with adult mentors. Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support (PBIS) teams at each school site help to ad- dress student behavior. Each team — comprised of an administrator, PBIS coach, teachers and classified staff — meets frequently to re- view discipline data, develop solutions that ensure posi- tive learning environments
and create affirmative ways to highlight good behavior.
Recognizing that the health of the family can impact student conduct, KCUSD also offers sup- port to families. All school sites offer Parent Academy classes to assist with man- aging and working through the challenges of parenting. Many services are provid- ed through our partnership with the Jefferson Adven- tist School Based Health Center. In addition to pro- viding a medical clinic, our partnership with Adventist Health helps to educate students and their families about the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle.
It is indeed an honor that Riverview was selected as a 2018 Distinguished School. When we take a detailed look into the state indica- tors and data used to select the honorees, we uncover a multi-faceted system woven together to support student success. Test scores are the result of hours of prepara- tion in PLCs and assisting students in the mastery of foundational writing, math and science skills. English learner progress is the re- sult of concerted efforts to assist our students with attaining English language fluency. Lastly, suspension rates, or the efforts taken to positively impact student behavior, are illustrated by the district’s focus on stu- dent character formation, discipline, safety and well- being.
At KCUSD we recog- nize the value of the state indicators because they are the lens used by the state to award the Distinguished Schools. However, we also realize that distinction can be measured in many other ways.
Congratulations River- view! We are proud to have you represent the 22 schools in Kings Canyon Unified where we continue to work hard at all levels to provide opportunities for our stu- dents to reach their highest potential.
John Campbell is the superintendent of the Kings Canyon Unified School Dis- trict.
Defining a Distinguished School
Have an opinion? Want to share it?
Weigh in. Let your voice be heard.
Send us your letter to the editor for publication on this page in print and our e-edition.
email to jon@midvalleypublishing.com