Some of Gene Lucas' Ideas for CUSD

By E. F. "Gene" Lucas

CUSD is presently failing many of its students. We need to assure that all students have the opportunity to achieve the best education possible, through better curriculum, better instruction, and better advisement.

Hello, my name is Gene Lucas. I'm a candidate for the Chico Unified School District Governing Board, and I'd like your vote. I'd like to spend the next few minutes discussing my vision for Chico Unified. I think that's what the governing board should be all about - setting the vision - defining measurable goals. The administration then facilitates those goals with appropriate curriculum and materials, and the teachers implement them to maximize student learning. If the team works together, then success is inevitable. I feel that the Board is presently delinquent in the educational goal area¸ spending too much of its time on administrative matters. The primary purpose of Chico Unified is to provide a first class education for the children of the district, and that should be the main focus of the Board.

First, a minute about me. I am a semi-retired engineer and manager from Silicon Valley. I worked for IBM, RCA, and GTE before I retired to Northern California in 1987. There, I established an all-volunteer community library, and helped set up several more. I also worked for 5 1/2 years as a part-time Career Technician for Lassen County, and I also served a short time on the Shasta County Board of Education. In 1996 I came to CSU-Chico and received my Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Instructional Technology. My Master's Project was an off-campus, technology-assisted, learning system, which we later implemented and performed successful research on. I am very experienced in the area of technology in education and "smart" classrooms. I presently work part-time as a Site Coordinator in the After School Program at the Butte County Office of Education, which leaves me plenty of time to do the Board's business. I am also a veteran, a father and stepfather of 6, and a grandpa. But enough about me; so here we go - in no particular order.

My vision for Chico Unified is for every student to achieve the highest level of education that he or she is capable of. I believe in setting high goals, and then providing the means for their achievement.

At the present time, Chico Unified is failing many of its students. Most students are not prepared for the next phase of their education, or their lives, whether that be the transition from 3rd to 4th grade, from primary to secondary school, or from secondary school to college - or the world of work. As an example, about half of academic students (statewide) fail the English Placement Test - the EPT - or the Entry Level Math Test - the ELM - when they start college. They have to attend no-credit "bonehead" English or "bonehead" math classes when they enter college, which makes completion in 4 years a virtual impossibility.. My position is that our academic students should achieve SAT math and SAT English scores of at least 550, which exempts them from having to take the EPT and the ELM, and allows them to go directly into college-level math and English classes.

Most of our non-academic students leave high school with no marketable skills at all. This must change. My position is that every non-academic student should leave high school with at least enough marketable skills to be able to get a good entry-level job with upward mobility.

New topic - Our students, as California students, are next to last in reading according to the national report card, and we are ahead of only the Virgin Islands, Guam, and the District of Columbia in math. The chart below details this sad condition:

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores for California

2005 4th reading BB=50% B=29% P=17% A=4%

2005 8th reading BB=40% B=39% P=19% A=2%

2005 4th math BB=29% B=43% P=24% A=4%

2005 8th math BB=43% B=35% P=17% A=5%

2002* 4th write BB=20% B=57% P=21% A=2%

2002* 8th write BB=22% B=55% P=22% A=1%

• Latest figures available

This is the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading, math, and writing report card for California - 2005 for reading and math, and 2002 for writing. As you can see, the BB code is below basic, the B code is basic level, the P is proficient level, and the A is advance level. You will note that 79% of our 4th graders read at or below basic level, and only 17% are considered proficient. The other figures are about as bad. We are only ahead of Mississippi in reading. I'd like to see us flip this chart. Massachusetts does about twice as well as we do, and they don't even speak English there. They "Pahk" the "Cah." Our children are the victims of the California education system, but there's nothing that says we can't augment and improve it so that our kids are successful in school. I feel that we should measure ourselves against the NAEP standards, not the California standards, with the eventual goal being to match the best of the other states. Our kids are NOT stupid, and our teachers are competent. Given the proper curriculum, books, and support our kids should do as well as anybody.

Writing training at Chico Unified, and other California schools, is inadequate. Our graduates are not prepared to seamlessly integrate either into business or higher education. Surveys of business leaders have shown that lack of writing ability (everywhere) is their major complaint about new hires. And the number of students placed in remedial English in college shows that we don't do the job there either. I think we should use the SAT II writing Test as our model, and aim to have every student be able to pass it. Writing training should begin in the early grades and continue throughout the educational process. I believe every course should include a written component. Even if we don't test to the writing standards, we should still teach to them.

I look upon the residents of the district as the employers of the Board, and I feel that their desires should be given very serious consideration. I will make myself available for inputs from all parties - including students. If you have any questions, call me at 891-5223. If I'm not there, leave a message. I will get back to you.

While I favor the Performing Arts complex at P.V., I do not support siphoning off the Prop. "A" money for the 3rd high school for "other purposes." I agree with Mr. Francisco that the complex could (should) be built with developer's fees. The people voted the bond money for a 3rd high school, and I think they should get one. However, I don't like the present fixed-seat auditorium design for the center. It limits the utility of the facility. I personally favor a fixed-seat, tiered, balcony with a flat, removeable-seat, main floor. This would allow the main floor to be used for a variety of activities.

I don't think the 3rd high school should be a pre-Butte installation at a separate location. I personally favor spending the money on a technical high school co-located on the present campuses, and utilizing the present administration. This school could serve the needs of those students not going on to higher education. Students could attend regular classes at the present high schools, and attend technology centers on a part-day basis. Specialties that come instantly to mind, include: business, pre-nursing, computer technology, Internet technology, construction, etc. We really need to better serve our non-academic students, who make up 60% of the student population.

I am very committed to career counseling, after all I did it for 5 1/2 years after I retired (and believe me, it wasn't the money). I saw what it could accomplish - 70-80% vice 50% going on to post-high-school education - a necessity in the 21st century. Most students are totally oblivious of careers in high school, despite the fact that what they do in high school has a dramatic, even draconian, effect on their future career opportunities. A perfect example of what I mean is nursing training, where candidates must take high school biology before they can enter nursing programs, which also have other requirements they are probably not aware of. I would like to see all students have an Individual Career/Education Plan in their file - to be reviewed at least annually. Career advising is "in" right now in Sacramento, and CUSD should investigate funding opportunities in this area.

Many children come to school not ready to learn. Some estimates are as high as 30%. Chico Unified needs to establish a program of working with the parents of young children, so that they can properly prepare them for entry into the school system. It should be possible to coordinate funding for this program with the Butte County Children and Families Commission (First 5) whose charter is to see that "All children in California come to school ready to learn." If children do come to school not ready to learn, then they need to be placed in remediation immediately.

I think CUSD should follow-up on its students after they graduate, - with surveys. Otherwise, how will they know if they succeeded or not? Did academic students go on to college? Did they succeed there? Did non-academic students find good jobs - or end up in dead-end, minimum wage, ones? And why did student X drop-out? CUSD needs to know these things so it can correct shortcomings in the educational program.

I don't want to take too much of your time, but I hope this short presentation has given you a good idea of what I believe in about education. If you feel these ideas have merit, then I urge you to vote for me in November. But even if you don't - please vote; and please share this information with your friends.

Now I'd like to thank you for your time and attention. I hope to see you later -- at a board meeting.