GLENDALE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD MEETING WRAP-UP

CLASS SIZE

The Glendale Unified School District board approved an application for a class-size-reduction program, which provides incentive funding for schools to reduce class sizes for kindergarten through third grade.

WHAT IT MEANS

If granted by the California Department of Education, the district hopes to receive about $7 million in funds to help improve student-to-teacher ratios in primary level classrooms.

NEW HORIZONS

The board approved a memorandum of understanding with the New Horizons Family Center that would create a joint even-start education program to help students from low-income backgrounds. The school district will provide a certified teacher to help tutor and support staff at the family center four days a week, while the center will provide a teacher on Fridays, as well as a facility and method of transportation for students ages 5 to 15 to move between schools and the center.

WHAT IT MEANS

The program will focus on promoting the role of families in education by including parents and students in activities for English-language and literacy development.

CONSULTING TEACHERS

The board recognized the contributions of the district’s 18 consulting teachers, who help train new, second-year or “referred teachers” who have received poor evaluations. Each of the support providers is paid $1,500 for every 50 hours spent training a teacher. While the state recommends each consulting teacher assists only two trainees, Glendale’s support providers each train four or five teachers, said Joanna Junge, director of professional development programs.

WHAT IT MEANS

The district needs to recruit more consulting teachers and is exploring ideas for recruiting new ones, including possibly reorganizing teacher workloads to be specific to school sites, Junge said. Such a reorganization would allow each service provider to work more closely with teachers, without having to spend extra time shuttling between schools.