2 EDCAL May 20, 2019
Classified employees receive honors from SPI
Whether they are feeding students,
getting them to school or participating in
leprechaun hijinks in a kindergarten class-
room, California’s classified school employ-
ees are an integral part of each student’s
success.
State Superintendent of Public
Instruction Tony Thurmond will honor
six outstanding classified school employ-
ees during a luncheon on May 23 in
Sacramento during California Classified
School Employee Week.
“Meeting students’ basic needs, as well
as their social and emotional needs, is
essential to ensuring that every student can
learn,” Thurmond said in a press release.
“These dedicated employees make sure
that kids have healthy meals, safe transpor-
tation on school buses, and have someone
to talk to during difficult times in their
lives — allowing California’s students to
reach their greatest potential.”
The annual program honors classified
school employees from six different cate-
gories. This year’s recipients were chosen
from more than 100 nominations state-
wide.
Here are the 2019 Classified School
Employees of the Year, with information
taken from their nomination forms: impeccable and that all rules and regula-
tions are followed. She is responsible for
planning, cooking, and distributing 7,500
meals to Westminster elementary school
sites each day.
In the 24 years Watkins has worked for
the district, there has not been a single day
that students have not received a meal. She
is one of the most reliable, hard-working
individuals at the district. On many occasions, teachers and staff
report escorting a crying child to the office
during yard supervision and witnessing
Brobak quickly assessing the situation,
providing necessary first aid, and ensuring
the student feels safe and as comfortable as
possible.
Maintenance and Operations: Kim
Bramsen, director of maintenance
and operations, Ballard School
District There is not a single “hat” that Maria
Arroyo doesn’t wear at Daly Academy,
where she has been a behavior specialist
for 12 years. The work that Arroyo does on
any single day is nearly unmatched — it
takes a special type of person to do it all
with a smile and a desire to do it well so
that students have an amazing day.
She understands trauma-informed care
and never takes things personally. The chil-
dren immediately know they will be loved,
cared for, and educated.
Child Nutrition: Debora Watkins,
food service cook, Westminster
School District Michelle Brobak has run the Del Rey
Elementary front office with heart for the
last seven years. Students trust her and feel
safe. She is calm and reassuring, particular-
ly when dealing with injured students and
their concerned parents.
Debbie Watkins has an incredible work
ethic and goes above and beyond to ensure
the cleanliness standards in the kitchen are
Beyond taking great care of the school,
Kim Bramsen has been an integral part
of the community at Ballard Elementary
School for the last 21 years.
An elementary school with around 120
students, Bramsen gets to know each child
by name and establishes relationships with
them. He is always a willing participant in
the hijinks of the kindergarten classroom,
whether it involves leprechauns and their
mischief or regaling the children with his-
torical tales of the school house.
Office and Technical: Michelle
Brobak, school secretary, Orinda
USD
Dissection bill fails
Cathy McBride, third from left, testifies
to the Assembly Education Committee in
opposition to AB 1586 (Kalra), which pro-
posed to ban all dissections in California
public and private schools. Making the
argument in favor of local control, “dis-
section is already an optional classroom
activity that students themselves have
the right to opt-out of participating in,”
McBride said. “In some schools dissection
is a valuable teaching tool, and in others
students may have access to technology or
a combination of both, but they have the
flexibility to make these determinations
locally. AB 1586 is counter to local control
and would remove hands-on learning
opportunities and educational choices from
California students.” The bill failed to pass
out of the committee.
Para-Educator and Instructional
Assistance: Maria Arroyo, behavior
specialist, Chula Vista ESD
Support Services and Security:
Benito Torres, police officer, Stockton
USD
During his 19 years of service with the
Stockton Unified School District Police
Department, Officer Benito Torres has
worked in many capacities. He exudes the
definition of role model and mentor for the
students.
He is passionate about so many things,
especially making a difference in the lives
of others. That includes taking a call on his
personal cell phone at 1 a.m. from a scared
BUDGET
Continued from page 1
Director Edgar Zazueta said the additional
funding for professional development was a
direct result of ACSA’s advocacy.
“This is another example that the gov-
ernor’s office – they heard us that yes, we
need to invest in our teachers, we need to
invest in those efforts for those folks in the
classroom, but it’s really important that we
also dedicate some funds for school admin-
istrators in professional development,”
Zazueta told ACSA’s Leadership Assembly
on May 9, the same day the governor
released the revised budget.
Zazueta said that while ACSA is
pleased with the expenditures, there is
more that could be done for the state’s
highest needs students.
FYI
Classified School Employee Week
May 19-25, 2019
California’s Classified School Employee
Week was established as an official
week of statewide recognition in 1986
through Senate Bill 1552.
cadet whose house was just shot at, helping
a family who can’t afford medication for
their child, and simple everyday actions
that make everyone he encounters feel safe,
heard and important.
Transportation: Ramon Moreno, bus
driver, Greenfield USD
Ramon Moreno is a bus driver for spe-
cial education students who get services in
other school districts in Monterey County,
a position he has had for the last 12 years.
He is always conscientious about students’
feelings and well-being. There are times
where his routes result in very long jour-
neys due to traffic or delays.
During these times, Moreno engages
with students when they become irritable
or sad. He is in constant communication
with parents during these delays. He per-
sonally communicates and informs parents
of transportation time changes in his route.
These are tasks that he does not have to
perform but is willing to do to ensure
students are comfortable and parents have
peace of mind.
“We’re happy that there’s more money,
but there’s no new LCFF dollars,” Zazueta
said. “That’s kind of status quo, but posi-
tive given what we expected.”
The state’s base per-pupil funding set by
Prop. 98 is currently $81.1 billion. While
this marks a return to pre-recession levels,
Smith indicated that the governor, law-
makers and education stakeholders have a
responsibility to create opportunities that
pull California out of the bottom 10 in
per-pupil funding.
“As we work with lawmakers through
the budget process, we will push to solidify
full and fair funding for public education
through voter-approved legislation that
will provide our students with the ongo-
ing resources they need to be college and
career ready,” he said.
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