East Side Connect - February 2024

Hello East Side,

We are excited for ESUHSD’s 2024 Family Engagement Conference this Saturday. Among the workshops our staff have prepared are sessions on helping families navigate college and career preparation and tips for securing financial aid. You can explore all options on the RSVP form below. We will also be hosting a raffle with three brand new Lenovo laptops, Apple AirPods Pro, JBL headphones, and so much more. Each person in attendance will receive a ticket to win - even students! You could join with or without an RSVP, but please feel free to RSVP ahead of time at bit.ly/RSVP2024FEC

As you know, at East Side we are all about building equitable communities. I’d like to invite you to our 2024-2025 LCAP Sessions occurring at your school. At these sessions we will be gathering your input and feedback on the systems you believe will develop appropriate responses needed to ensure ALL students achieve at high levels with the nearly $20 million in LCAP funding that is targeted for supporting our Foster Youth, Homeless Youth, English Language Learners, and Low-Income students.

See the dates of the session at your school at bit.ly/2024LCAP

Sincerely,

Glenn Vander Zee

At the beginning of February, Santa Teresa High School’s Model United Nations (MUN) Club hosted the 53rd Annual Santa Clara Valley Model United Nations (SCVMUN) conference. Thanks to the planning and organizing by Santa Teresa students and their advisors, the club was able to welcome over 950 student delegates from more than 60 schools, including one from Rome, Italy. The Board of Trustees recognized the student organizers, including:

• Aarushi Arya, Secretary-General of SCVMUN

• Kim Le, Director-General of SCVMUN

• Nandhini Vijayakumar, USG of Finances

• Sophia Chen, USG of Records

• Teddy Nguyen, USG of Training

• Aparna Jayasankar, USG of Public Relations

• Giovanna Lima, USG of Delegational Affairs

• Aadithya Sethi, Samridda Mishra, Elise Beal, and Stuti Puranik, Class Liaisons

Principal Liz Gutierrez of Calero High School provided an overview of their programs and progress on student achievement. Among the highlights, Calero is improving student success through:

• Supporting students who have needs with attendance, behavior, and grades

• Visiting local colleges every semester with all students

• School staff reviewing each senior transcript and working one on one with students

• Regular home visits, CARE team discussions, and Saturday grade and attendance recovery sessions

View the Full Presentation

The Board discussed having an optional Supplemental Early Retirement Plan (SERP) for eligible ESUHSD staff. Staff choosing to retire early through this plan will receive a contribution from ESUHSD to their retirement plan equal to 65% of the annual base salary for the last school year of employment. Among the criteria to be eligible an employee must:

• be at least 55 years of age by June 30, 2024.

• have at least five (5) years of service with the District by June 30, 2024.

• be eligible to retire from CalSTRS or CalPERS by June 30, 2024.

• submit a signed written irrevocable retirement letter by April 12, 2024 effective no later than June 30, 2024.

Eligible employees will receive additional information from the Human Resource Department along with details about orientation meetings and individual counseling sessions. Further details are available in the full resolution and presentation below.

View the Full Presentation

View the Full Resolution

Teresa Marquez, Associate Superintendent of Educational Services provided the Board of Trustees a mid-year presentation regarding progress of ESUHSD’s 2023-24 Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP).

During the Presentation, Associate Superintendent Marquez provided all available midyear outcome data related to metrics identified in the current LCAP along with midyear expenditure and implementation data on all actions identified in the current LCAP.

Among the highlights:

• ESUHSD’s 4-year graduation rate has increased over 3% in the last two student cohorts

• Over $13 million has been invested to support College and Career Readiness for students

• 59% of students felt that their teachers held them to high expectations in class
  
  

View the Full Presentation

If you would like to participate in the 2024 LCAP development process, please visit bit.ly/2024LCAP to learn about school meetings focused on LCAP supports for students.

The Board Received an update regarding the work of the Safety and Positive School Climate Task Force. Among the highlights are that ESUHSD:

• Has begun study and efforts to introduce single or monitored multipoints of entry (fencing, gating and processes for entry during school hours)

• Will continue to engage with security entities and possible supports, as well as develop employee supervision training

• Will Continue to Develop Clear and Consistent Consequences for Disruptive Behaviors and Follow Through

• Will Conduct Site Based Comprehensive Safety Audits this Spring to include items identified by the Task Force and beyond

The Task Force will hold a future meeting to finalize site audit planning and identify work groups for long-term items.

View the Full Presentation

On March 2nd at 8:30 AM ESUHSD will be hosting the Family Engagement Conference at Yerba Buena High School. We will have workshops and resource fairs aimed at supporting family involvement in children’s education in one central place. We invite you to join us! There will be prizes, food, and dedicated workshops in Spanish and Vietnamese!

ESUHSD Family & Community Engagement Conference

Saturday, March 2, 2024

8:30 A.M. – 12:30 P.M.

Yerba Buena High School

1855 Lucretia Ave, San Jose

RSVP to the Family Engagement Conference

Both the Free Application for Financial Aid and California Dream Act Application are now open, and students can begin applying for financial aid for the 2024-25 academic year. The state priority deadline in California is April 2, 2024. Some colleges may have earlier deadlines and students should check with to make sure they are meeting those deadlines.

If you need support completing your FAFSA or CADAA application, you could attend a FREE Cash for College Workshop offered throughout San Jose. These are organized by the California Student Aid Commision (CSAC) whose mission is to help low-income and first generation college-goers complete the application process so they can access financial aid for education and career/technical training beyond high school.

Explore free Cash for College Workshops near you!

• Cash for College Workshop

Additional Details on ESUHSD’s Website