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Riverside County Superintendent of Schools delivers annual education update
Mr. Kenneth M. Young, Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, on February 27, 2008, highlighted the academic achievement of Riverside County schools against the backdrop of state budget cuts during his annual education briefing “State of Education in Riverside County.” (View video | notes | slides - pdf)
The event at the Riverside County Office of Education was attended by more than 100 schoolteachers, principals, students, and administrators from districts around the county.
In addition, local legislative leaders and community members were on hand to hear how Riverside County schools continue to grow in enrollment and test scores are also on the rise.
The county’s enrollment is slowing but has passed the 422,000 mark, Young said. Riverside County has the fourth largest enrollment in the state. Riverside County’s population passed the 2 million mark.
The Riverside County Office of Education is serving more than 30,000 students in 450 classrooms at 162 different school sites. RCOE offers programs in Special Education, Career Technical Education, and Alternative Education.
Young highlighted schools and districts that have shown significant gains measured by the Academic Performance Index. Riverside County schools have increased 127 points on the API scale since 1999.
Romoland School District had the most growth in eight years with 196 points, followed by Coachella Valley Unified with 182. Two schools hit the 900 mark on the API – Abbey Reinke Elementary in Temecula Valley Unified and Victoriano Elementary in the Val Verde Unified School District.
Mecca Elementary School had the largest API increase in one year at 79 points; Coombs Middle School in Banning Unified had the most growth for middle schools with 81 points; and Jurupa Valley High School was the most improved high school with 57 points.
Young singled out Ortega High School in Lake Elsinore, recently named as a Model Continuation High School in the state.
Van Buren Elementary School in the Desert Sands Unified School District was recognized for a 363 point gain in eight years; Jefferson Middle School in Desert Sands grew by 245 points in eight years; and Rancho Verde High School in Val Verde Unified grew by 150 points in eight years.
Young congratulated Alvord Unified ($196 million), Menifee Union ($31.5 million) and Palm Springs Unified ($516 million) for passing local bonds to build schools.
He singled out Dr. Jay Hoffman, Superintendent for the Nuview Union School District, for winning the Ferd Kiesel Award from the Association of California School Administrators, and for Nuview Union winning a Golden Bell Award from the California School Boards Association for its “Preschool for All” program.
Three other districts received Golden Bell Awards – Senior Exhibition, Riverside Unified’s North High School; Banning Unified’s New Horizons High School Peace Crew United; and Corona-Norco Unified’s Library Program at Susan B. Anthony Elementary School.
Young congratulated Hemet High School for winning the county Academic Decathlon for the 10th year in a row. He highlighted RCOE’s new Education Leadership Services Division, the conversion of Regional Occupational Programs to Career Technical Education, and a program called “Capturing Kids Hearts” to help students remain in school.
Young cited proposed education budget cuts of $4 billion, saying it would amount to about $800 per child or $320 million for county schools. At the same time, county schools are under pressure to meet the mandates of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The state has 97 districts facing sanctions under the NCLB law, including one in Riverside County.
“Those funding cuts and that delay (in new funding) will be disastrous to public education and they’re inconsistent with the public’s continuing mandate to improve student achievement,” Young said.
For information contact:
Rick Peoples,
Public Information Officer
Telephone: (951) 826-6642
Fax: (951) 826-6199
rpeoples@rcoe.us
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