Messages from Superintendent,

  Jim Hogeboom...


Welcome Back! (Start of 2009-10 School Year)
Thursday, August 20th, 2009
Welcome Back! (Start of 2009-10 School Year)
Thursday, August 20th, 2009
Welcome Back!!!

As we begin the 2009-10 school year, much has changed since I wrote my first Superintendent’s Message to you at this time last year. For many of us, last year was the most difficult we have ever had in education. The state budget crisis resulted in unprecedented and brutal budget cuts to Lucia Mar as well as other school districts throughout the State. The loss of funds affected all of us and impacted every program we offer. Yet even in the face of these severe cutbacks, there is reason for optimism as we start the new school year.

Our district lost over $10 million in state general funds since the beginning of the 2008-09 school year. Our school board made some very difficult decisions, but as a result of deep budget cuts we have been able to balance our budget. Unfortunately, since 92% of our general funds are spent on salaries and benefits, the bulk of these cuts were in personnel. Ninety certificated teachers received their final layoff in May, and we have been able to hire back about thirty of those teachers so far. Some members of our classified staff were also laid off or had their hours reduced. It was painful to have to make these reductions, and we miss our colleagues. We do face difficult challenges with larger class sizes and fewer resources available to help us meet our students' needs. However, our staff has shown it is not only resilient but more than capable of meeting these new challenges ahead. Many members of the community are also stepping forward to offer assistance to our schools and our students.

On the positive side, the deep cuts have put the district in a strong fiscal position. With the steady guidance of our Deputy Superintendent for Business, Mary Stark, it appears we will not have to make further cuts this year. Business office staff is presently analyzing the federal stimulus funds and related requirements to see how these can help us get through the school year. These are one-time funds that must be used in the next two years, so we have to be careful how we use them. We will be presenting a plan to the school board for recommended use of these funds in September.

We also have added great new people to key positions in the district as a result of retirements and restructuring. Michelle Ellis was hired as our new Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, and she has reorganized her department with some new faces and a new attitude of improved customer service. Andy Stenson, former Fairgrove Principal, is our new Director of Student Achievement and brings all of the right skills to help us continue our gains in student achievement. At our school sites, we also have six new principals in our schools. At the elementary level, Brett Gimlin takes over at Nipomo Elementary; Lara Storm at Fairgrove, and Debbie Schimandle at Shell Beach; Ron Walton moved from Nipomo Elementary to Oceano Elementary. At our middle schools, Tom Butler is the new principal of Paulding, moving from Oceano Elementary, and he is joined by new assistant principal Jim Empey. At Judkins Middle School, Ian Penton is the new principal, joined by assistant principal Dan Neff. At Arroyo Grande High School, Mike Mostajo joins the team as the new area administrator.

I am also very excited about the remarkable gains made in our student achievement results from last year on the California Standards Tests. Even with the difficult year we had, our teachers produced gains in student achievement in math and language arts that we have not seen in Lucia Mar for a long time. Overall, math scores jumped by over 5%, and Language Arts by 4%, which is a huge increase over previous years. These gains mean that 401 more students in our district were proficient or advanced in math from the previous year, and that 314 more were proficient or advanced in Language Arts. Thanks to everyone for producing such amazing student learning results.

Finally, I want to mention our Thematic Goal for the year: Working Together to Achieve Results and Pride. My goal is for us to be the best school district in not only our county but also the state. By working together, focusing on results, and restoring pride in Lucia Mar we are well on our way towards meeting this lofty goal. It is important to me that we treat our employees, students and parents right, and that we are known as a class organization that achieves fantastic results. With our strong community and parent support, as well as a strong teaching and support staff, we will rise to the challenges in these tough economic times to ensure our students not only maintain academic excellence but continue to grow and thrive. If you have any suggestions, comments or ideas for how we can improve, please email me at Jhogeboom@lmusd.org. Thanks to everyone for your positive attitude and commitment to our students. It is indeed an honor to serve as your superintendent.

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