February 25, 2005

ESUHSD NEWS BRIEFS

ESUHSD board abandons exploration of CoP financial solution

One week after the ESUHSD board of trustees passed a resolution to look into using Certificate of Participation proceeds to ease budget deficit woes for the remainder of the school year, county officials warned that it may be illegal. The financial mechanism could have generated a one-time infusion of cash of up to $9.5 million.

Watch the next issue of the Times for a more detailed update on the budget situation, as well as a summary of Board President Manuel Herrera’s state of the district speech.

ESUHSD Budget Task Force continue Feb. 28 , March 2

The East Side Union High School District’s Budget Task Force meetings continue Monday, Feb. 28, and Wednesday, March 2, at 6 p.m. in Cougar Hall at Evergreen Valley High School, 3300 Quimby Road at 6 p.m.

The Task Force is in the second step of the process, “Presentations By Stakeholders.”  These meetings provide an opportunity for Budget Task Force participants to gain a greater understanding of specific program areas of the budget that impact the educational community. Presentations can last up to 20 minutes, followed by a 5 – 10 minute question/answer period.

The Budget Task Force process will end with a report to the board of trustees in mid-to-late May, prior to the June 2005 budget hearings and the adoption of the 2005-2006 budget. Check the ESUHSD Web site (www.esuhsd.org) if you’d like to see past report or have further questions.

New ESUHSD board member hosts fund-raising inaugural dinner

Lan Nguyen is East Side Union High School District’s newest board member and first Vietnamese-American to serve on the board.

Here’s a pleasant switch: an elected official contributing money rather than asking for it.

To celebrate his inauguration as a new member of the East Side Union High School District, Lan Nguyen decided to make the celebration dinner a fundraiser for the popular Jose Valdes Summer Math Institute.

More than 200 people attended the event at Dynasty Chinese Seafood Restaurant, representing numerous organizations and elected officials. When the results were in, and Nguyen discovered that he had raised about $1,300, he decided to kick in another $700 of his own campaign money to raise the total contribution to $2,000.

“We knew that the Valdes budget would be reduced, and I wanted to help the Valdes students who would like to attend the summer institute,” said Nguyen.

Leadership Public Schools

Local college prep charter school enrolling ninth, tenth graders

Leadership Public Schools—East Side San Jose is a small college preparatory charter school that is currently enrolling students entering ninth and tenth grade in the fall.

This tuition-free charter school offers a small school environment with small classes pursuing a college preparatory curriculum and a four-year leadership program.

Information sessions continue Thursday, March 3; Saturday, March 12 and Thursday, March 24. Thursday information sessions are from 7 – 8 p.m. and Saturday sessions are from 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. at 1750 S. White Rd., San Jose, Calif., on the Mt. Pleasant High School campus, Portable 1216 on the southeast corner of the campus.

For additional information, call (408) 937-2709 or visit the Web site: www.leadps.org.