State award nominations window open
Education California | The official newspaper of the Association of California School Administrators Volume 48 | Number 7 | September 18 , 2017
ACSA resources on DACA available
Gary Sutherland works every day to enhance the lives of his adult students and colleagues .
Impacting adult learners
Gary Sutherland was motivated to become a school administrator by a desire to positively impact the lives of the students and teachers he serves . It is evident ACSA ’ s 2017 Adult Education Administrator of the Year found the right calling .
“ Mr . Sutherland is an exceptional administrator whose experience , leadership and compassion have played a significant role in the development and implementation of a robust range of high quality adult education programs throughout El Dorado County ,” said County Superintendent Ed Manansala .
Destiny Stallings reached her lowest point after losing her grandfather and uncle .
Finding the hope
Destiny Stallings has a tough exterior that she often uses as a defense mechanism .
“ I don ’ t tell people a lot ,” she said . “ I don ’ t want people to see me as weak and take advantage of me , so I keep it to myself . I act like everything is OK when really on the inside it ’ s not .”
See DESTINY , page 6
ACSA has dozens of immigration and DACA-related resources available for members online at www . acsa . org / undocumented .
“ It is our duty as educational leaders to deliver a healthy and safe environment on our school campuses , while also providing students with the resources they need to grow into the next generation of American leaders ,” said ACSA Executive Director Wesley Smith . “ We want to provide our members with answers to the tough questions they ’ ll get from families in their communities .”
The resources include legal fact sheets and videos in English and Spanish , infographics , family preparedness plans , as well as a full tool kit for supporting undocumented students and families . There are also suggested hashtags listed to use district social media to deliver information .
Regarding DACA , members have access to resources from the Department of
In her supporting role , Laryn Bishop helps ensure the smooth functioning of her district .
ACSA ’ s Every Student Succeeding Awards program includes our 19-part series leading up to the ESS luncheon at the 2017 Leadership Summit . Watch the videos on these remarkable recipients at Facebook , YouTube and www . acsa . org .
Homeland Security , the Immigrant Legal Resource Center , as well as Five Things to Know about the DACA decision .
“ There are concerns in our communities statewide about the potential impact on students moving forward , including some parents or guardians keeping students out of our school campuses ,” Smith said . “ There are also employees who work in our schools who may be impacted by the DACA order . It is time to deliver the facts and have
See DACA , page 5
Providing stellar support
Exceptional leadership doesn ’ t require having a job title at the top of the organization . It isn ’ t about publicity , nor does it need to be widely seen to make a wide and powerful impact . Many times , those creating lasting change , ensuring the smooth dayto-day function of a district , and leading beyond limits are those in supporting roles .
One such leader is Laryn Bishop , chief assistant to the superintendent at Solano County Office of Education . ACSA is proud to recognize her as the 2017 Confidential Employee of the Year .
See SUTHERLAND , page 2 See BISHOP , page 2
The pressures of becoming the man in the family after his father left brought on anger issues for Chris Garcia .
Overcoming his anger
It started when he was 10 or 11 years old . Chris Garcia ’ s father left the family , and Chris did not know what to do . The pressure of becoming the new man of the house , while still trying to be a kid , was too much to process .
“ At first you want to think , ‘ Oh my gosh ,’” said Cindy See CHRIS , page 6
Strategy input . ACSA President Lisa Gonzales announced the association is beginning a new strategic planning process . She urges regions to be prepared for Oct . 12 Leadership Assembly input by posing the following questions to members : What are the top three professional trends that will shape school administration over the next five to 10 years ? What are the top three trends impacting public agencies in general ? What “ macro ” trends impacting society as a whole will have an effect on the profession ? Address questions on the process to ACSA Chief Operations Officer Scarlett Vanyi at svanyi @ acsa . org .
Open enrollment . The California Public Employees Retirement System annual health Open Enrollment period for the 2018 calendar year runs Sept . 11-Oct . 6 . Members enrolled in CalPERS health plans have the opportunity to review coverage options from the system ' s seven HMOs and three self-funded PPOs . For more information , visit www . calpers . ca . gov .
Bright Schools . Schools are encouraged to take part in the California Energy Commission ’ s Bright Schools Program . The program provides services , including energy audits , to identify energy savings projects that may be eligible for funding . The application submission deadline is currently scheduled for Jan . 12 , 2018 . With that deadline fast approaching , LEAs are encouraged to apply for the program soon . The application form is available at www . energy . ca . gov / efficiency / brightschools .
Results delayed . At press time , the California Department of Education was expected to publicly release delayed results for the 2016- 17 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress . The delay occurred when it was discovered a small amount of data was wrongly aggregated on the public web reporting site . Individual student achievement levels and scale scores reported to LEAs were correct . Visit www . caaspp . org .
Periodicals Dated Material
State award nominations window open
ACSA ’ s new online nomination submission platform is up and running . All nominations for ACSA Administrator of the Year Awards and Special Awards will be submitted through the new website .
“ ACSA is pleased to be able to streamline the process for our members ,” said Awards Coordinator Emily Senecal . “ Technology now allows us to take something as complex as ACSA ’ s Awards Program and move to an online platform . This will allow much more accurate communication for nominators , region leaders and state awards committee members , simplifying what was a fairly convoluted process .”
Nominators from every region will use a single portal to nominate their colleagues for the following statewide ACSA Awards :
• Administrators of the Year in 21 jobalike categories .
• Marcus Foster Award for Administrator Excellence .
• Ferd . Kiesel Memorial Distinguished Service Award .
• Partners in Educational Excellence
Award .
• Robert E . Kelly Award .
• Valuing Diversity Award .
All nominations for these awards will have a single region deadline of Jan 12 , 2018 . The nomination entry period opened
See AWARDS , page 4