4 EDCAL May 30 , 2016

ACSA ’ s Chief Financial Officer David Gasser has announced he will retire effective July 15 .

“ The retirement of David Gasser is a huge loss for ACSA ,” said ACSA Executive Director Wesley Smith . “ David put in place sound transparent fiscal processes and communication strategies that made ACSA ’ s finances accessible by all members . Most important , David guided ACSA through the second worst economic downturn in U . S . history . His leadership not only allowed us to survive the Great Recession , but put us in a place to thrive when the economy improved as well .”

Gasser ’ s retirement date is a memorable one , since it will be 14 years to the day from when he joined ACSA in 2002 . Gasser previously worked as a consultant and in that capacity was interim chief financial officer for several clients before coming to ACSA . During his career he has served as director of finance and administration including IT operations for a software design firm , controller for a large regional retirement community and foundation for six years , group controller and audit manager for Wells Fargo Bank for 12 years , and four years as an operations analyst and bank examiner for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System .

Gasser leaves with many fond memories of colleagues and members he ’ s known over the years . He said he is proud of being able to help

Gasser turn the Financial Services Department around from where it was when he arrived .

That was accomplished by “ adding core values and beliefs , developing and completing continuous improvement lists with the help of my staff , getting us through the recession , obtaining initial financing and then refinancing the Sacramento building mortgage ,” Gasser said . “ Overall , ACSA is in a better place financially and departmentwise than what I walked into when I joined .”

Among Gasser ’ s duties as chief financial officer have been presenting the annual budget , financial results , investments and other fiscal information to the Finance Committee of the ACSA Board of Directors , and conducting annual finance workshops for new board members and region treasurers . Gasser has also served as staff liaison to ACSA ’ s Business Services Council

He came to ACSA as a well qualified candidate for the position . He is a CPA in California , having earned his experience requirements performing audits for KPMG , as well as the Federal Reserve . He is recognized as a Chartered Global Management Accountant by the American Institute of Certified Public Accounts . Gasser holds an MBA in accounting / finance from the University of Pittsburgh and an undergraduate degree in biology education with a minor in business management .

ACSA Human Resources Manager Karen Risoen said the association is working with executive search firms to find a replacement for Gasser .

“ It will take time ,” she said .

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced additional honors for 496 of the 779 elementary schools that were recognized as Gold Ribbon Schools last month .

Thirty-eight of those Gold Ribbon Schools have been selected as having an Exemplary Program in Arts Education or Physical Activity and Nutrition . Schools had to apply separately for those honors .

Additionally , Gold Ribbon Schools that are also Title 1 schools were recognized as Academic Achieving Schools . This distinction is given only to schools receiving federal Title I funds that aid in meeting the educational needs of students living at or

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bargaining and governance ; and the state budget . In addition to these concepts , the retreat will also include topics that will help build coherence between negotiating and the LCAP , as well as other factors that impact negotiations .

Other keynote speakers include Jim Pruitt , vice president , Labor Management Partnership for Kaiser Permanente Federation , and John Gray , president of School Services of California .

ACSA strongly recommends that the entire district negotiating team attends for the richest learning and planning possible . The

below the poverty level . “ I ’ m delighted to honor these schools and programs , which are doing a tremendous job preparing our students for 21st century opportunities and graduating lifelong learners in the process ,” Torlakson said .

Several Gold Ribbon Schools won multiple awards . One – Jefferson Elementary School in the Sanger Unified School District , Fresno County – won all three additional honors – recognized for being a Title I Academic Achieving School and given Exemplary Program Awards in both Arts and Physical Activity and Nutrition .

The Exemplary Program Awards were created in 2013 to celebrate those schools carrying out the goals in Torlakson ’ s “ A Blueprint for Great Schools ” report , which provided vision and direction for the California education system . That report was updated in 2015 .

More information on exemplary awards is available at www . cde . ca . gov / ta / sr / gr . Find the list of Title 1 Academic Achieving Schools at http :// goo . gl / 7G4IKE .

The 2016 Elementary Gold Ribbon Schools , as well as 2016 Exemplary Program recipients , Title I Academic Achieving Schools , Green Ribbon Schools , Civic Learning Award Schools , and the National Blue Ribbon Schools from 2015 , are being honored during regional ceremonies .

retreat will allow time for teams to plan and discuss strategies that are learned . Those who do not have a team can connect with others who deal with similar predicaments and discuss approaches that have been successful .

For more information and registration , go to www . acsa . org / Educational-Services / Conferences / negotiatorsretreat .

The retreat is being held June 21-23 at the La Quinta Resort , concurrently with the weCARE retirees conference . The room block for both events has been filling up fast . June 3 is the deadline to secure the $ 119 ACSA price per night .

A golf tournament attached to the events is scheduled for June 22 . Sign-up now at http :// goo . gl / forms / Sx9nlJ5F9Y to reserve your place in the tournament .

Whittier Union HSD has announced appointments for the 2016-17 school year , including Martin Plourde as superintendent , following the retirement of longtime superintendent and ACSA leader Sandy Thorstenson . Loring Davies will be promoted to deputy superintendent . Monica Oviedo and Kevin Jamero will serve as assistant superintendents of Business Services and Personnel Services respectively . Among new principals are Craig Campbell at Santa Fe High School , Tim Liggett at Whittier High School and Lily Bozigian at Pioneer High School .

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Ross Valley SD has announced the appointment of Judith Barry as the new principal at Brookside Elementary School . Barry is currently an assistant principal / elementary teacher at Edna McGuire Elementary in Mill Valley SD . The district also welcomes Gabe Lund as the new assistant principal at White Hill Middle School . Lund is currently an assistant principal / science teacher at San Jose Intermediate in Novato USD . n n n

Marcelino “ Mars ” Serna was selected as the family and community engagement project specialist for San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools . He spent nine years as the family involvement officer for San Bernardino City USD and coordinator of family and community engagement for Fontana USD for the past 14 months .

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Beginning July 1 , Lisa Andrew will transition from Partners in School Innovation , where she was the regional executive director , to become superintendent of Hollister SD . She will be taking over for Gary McIntire , who is retiring .

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Placentia‐Yorba Linda USD announced that Gregory Plutko has been selected as the next superintendent after an extensive three‐month search , which included input sessions with administrators and staff , a community open forum for parents and district stakeholders , and an online survey . Plutko was most recently superintendent of Huntington Beach UHSD and has served in executive positions with Corona‐Norco , Walnut Valley and Glendora USDs .

Send ACSA-member news for Transitions to Cary Rodda , EdCal assistant editor , at crodda @ acsa . org .

Build your cultural proficiency capacity to lead for equity :

Santa Clara COE June 3 , Equitable College Access Solano COE June 3 , Culturally Proficient Leadership

Equity Leadership ; June 17 Advocacy for LGBT Students Yolo COE June 3 , Equitable

Riverside COE June 3 , Grading Practices www . acsa . org / edservices • “ Trainings ”

of Certificated & Classified Personnel Learn www . regonline to … . com /

n Understand the various employment classifications as they relate to

evaluation and discipline of all employees _ June2016 Apply basic understanding to real or hypothetical situations

Registration : 8:00 – 8:29 a . m . | Workshop : 8:30 a . m . – 3:30 p . m . Continental breakfast and lunch will be served .

La Quinta Resort & Club www . acsa . org / Conferences

For 24 summers , practicing and aspiring school leaders have attended ACSA ’ s Summer Programs at UCLA . Some say this program is life-changing , others say it completely shifted their thoughts and focus in just one week . But what truly makes the experience unique lies in the heart of our summer programs – the powerful learning opportunities and the synergy participants create over the intensive , multiple day – and night – experiences on campus as a learning community .

Taken individually , each aspect of the programs can be found in many other professional development offerings . But the summer program opportunities occur in one concentrated period , each building upon the other , creating a synergy that goes far beyond the traditional professional development offering . These programs provide the much needed opportunity to spend a concentrated period of time learning , discussing and reflecting on educational leadership without the inevitable interruptions of the school day .

With California ’ s deep focus on school accountability , the administrator is looked to as an instructional leader , reflective practitioner , catalyst , a manager and a facilitator who ensures that student achievement is improving . Therefore , our programs are designed to address all of these roles . Realizing that there is no one blueprint for leadership , the challenge throughout the program is for each participant to take the learning from colleagues and nationally recognized experts and apply it to his or her situation . Our focus during the summer programs is on leadership and accountability leading to improved student achievement . Each program has been designed to include :

• Interaction with leading researchers in educational administration , a unique opportunity to “ get beyond the text ” and ask questions of researchers whose work you have read and studied .

• Small ongoing discussion groups of educators who have a common base of experience , while at the same time divergent viewpoints , with whom you can dialogue on the theories presented by the researchers and identify the practical applications you can use immediately .

• Time for individual reflection , often through journal writing , to consider how this can apply to your school setting and your leadership style .

• The opportunity to build a network of fellow administrators who face the same daily challenges as you and whom you know well enough to call upon

whenever you need support and advice . Principals Summer Institute

The 2016 Principals Summer Institute is June 19-25 . The seven-day , six-night program is designed for seasoned principals who have at least two years of experience as a site leader . The focus of the program is not the “ nuts and bolts ” of school leadership , but rather on creating cultures and practices of collaboration and leading change . Topics include leading instruction , working with diverse cultures , implementation of Common Core instruction , using technology to ignite instruction , creating systems and instruction for English learners . Faculty this year includes Horacio Sanchez , George Manthey , Jay Westover , Julie Adams , Susan Brooks-Young , Judge David Carter and Kate Kinsella . It also includes an afternoon of outdoor learning and a field trip to the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles .

New and Aspiring Principals Institute

The 2016 New and Aspiring Principals Institute takes place June 27-July 1 . It is a five-day , four-night program designed for those just finishing their first year as principal or those who have just been hired as principals . It ’ s also for assistant principals , deans , teachers and those that aspire to be a site leader .

This program does contain more of the “ nuts and bolts ” that new and aspiring leaders are looking for . Teams are divided by current position , so principals will be assigned to teams of principals , teachers are in teacher teams , etc . The focus of the program is on “ Putting Theory in Action as an Authentic Leader .” Leaders today need to know how to respond to today ’ s focus on accountability and lead change implementation , all while staying true to who they are as a leader . Faculty includes Sharroky Hollie , Julie Adams , Frances Gipson , Kenneth Williams and Jeff Eben .

For more about ACSA ’ s Summer Programs and other events , please go to edservices . acsa . org / events or contact Danelle Bowron at ( 916 ) 329-3827 or dbowron @ acsa . org .