Board Communication Corner

FUHSD Student Graduations 2022 – June 2-3

Each of the five Trustees attended the 2022 graduation ceremonies at their assigned high schools, allowing them the privilege of handing diplomas to the students. But those weren’t the only graduations that the Trustees attended.  n addition, the Trustees attended graduation for Adult Education (June 21) and Middle College (June 23). The graduation season is filled with excitement and hope. As the Trustees often say during the graduation ceremonies, “graduation is not an ending, but rather a beginning of learning in a wider arena.”

Farewell Breakfast – June 30

The Trustees attended an informal breakfast at the District Office to say farewell to the District Office employees who are not returning next year. Those leaving expressed their appreciation for the opportunities provided by FUHSD, especially for the relationships that they built. This was also the final opportunity for the Trustees to say goodbye to Superintendent Polly Bove who has held the position for 16 years. Polly passed the torch onto the incoming Superintendent, Graham Clark.

May has been a busy month for the School Board Trustees.  Here is a partial list of the events they have attended.

Staff Appreciation Lunches

The Board of Trustees hosted end-of-year appreciation lunches for staff members at each of the school as well as Educational Options, Adult School and the District Office. The burritos and lunch provided to the staff were a hit. 

Santa Clara County School Board Association HoffmanN Awards – May 11

FUHSD Trustees attended the annual Hoffmann Awards, the first time in three years that this county awards event was held in-person. Although FUHSD did not enter any programs this year, it was enlightening to hear about the efforts of other school districts in our county.

Grand Opening and Dedication of LYNBROOK GSS Building, Theatre and Gym Lobbies, and Athletic Fields – May 12

Trustees, District Office staff, Lynbrook staff and students, members of the construction teams, and neighbors of Lynbrook came together to celebrate the completion of new facilities at Lynbrook High School. 

School Concerts and Plays

Trustees had the pleasure of attending several school concerts and plays at the high schools. Trustee Jeff Moe attended Fremont High School’s Spring Concert in the newly renovated Shannon Theatre. The performances featured the Wind Ensemble, Concert/Symphonic Band, and the String/Chamber Orchestra, along with a special appearance by the FHS choir. The concert was outstanding, which was no surprise for the award-winning Fremont High School band, orchestra and choir.

Murphy Awards – April 9

Board Members Jeff Moe, Naomi Nakano-Matsumoto, Rosa Kim and Bill Wilson attended the 56th Annual Murphy Awards dinner, hosted by the Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce. Receiving the honor for Outstanding Educator of the year was Leo

Flores, Special Education teacher at Fremont High School. FHS Principal Bryan Emmert gave a moving introduction, highlighting Leo's hard work and dedication to his students. Then Leo gave a heartfelt talk about his journey and how the FHS staff helped him as a student and motivated him to give back to the students of FHS.  After finishing his talk, the crowd of 150 gave Leo a prolonged standing ovation.  

Pictured at right: Outstanding Educator of the Year Leo Flores, with FUHS Foundation Board Member Loy Oppus-Moe and FHS Principal Bryan Emmert

Sunnyvale Bike for Boba Ride – March 25

Recent Fremont High School Graduate Ari Feinsmith led a large group of bicycle riders through Sunnyvale, starting at Homestead High School, passing Fremont High School, and then ending at Boba store. Approximately 80 bicyclists participated include FUHSD Trustees Naomi Nakano-Matsumoto and Jeff Moe. The purpose of the bike ride was to:

• Encourage the use of bicycles for transportation;
• Thank the city of Sunnyvale for their work in making streets safer for bicycles; and
• Encourage the city of Sunnyvale to continue the work of improving bicycle path safety.

To improve safety, Ari suggested that the City of Sunnyvale convert a stretch of Homestead Road from part-time bike lanes to full-time bike lanes. In addition, it would be nice if the bike lanes were buffered from car traffic, but, Ari added, that depends on the available road width, which city staff is currently studying.  

Happy Lunar New Year from Silicon Valley Chinese School – March 3

Trustee Jeff Moe, along with Superintendent Polly Bove and Deputy Superintendent Graham Clark, received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Silicon Valley Chinese School to commemorate the Year of the Tiger and to show their appreciation for the strong relationship with Fremont Union High School District over the past 40+ years. Likewise, the three representatives of FUHSD expressed our appreciation for the Silicon Valley Chinese School’s contribution to the education of our students. 

Annual SCCSBA Legislative Brunch – February 26

The FUHSD Trustees attended the annual SCCSBA Legislative Brunch via Zoom.   John Fensterwald from EdSource did an excellent job as moderator. The attendees included Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond President, CA State Board of Education, along with three state senators and four state assembly members.  

Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond shared:

• High performance tutoring from well-trained teachers can help students recover from COVID-related learning loss;
• Younger students (lower elementary age) experienced the largest learning loss;
• California is now above average in core education funding;
• The biggest joy for teachers is experiencing that they are successful with students; and
• As we recover from COVID, schools should become more relationship-oriented, more restorative, and more responsive, culturally and otherwise.

Lunar New Year Celebrations

Trustee Rosa Kim attended Lunar New Year celebration events at two of the language schools that use FUHSD school sites. At Silicon Valley Chinese School, a parent volunteer dressed up as the third prince, known as a divine prince with a playful spirit, visited each classroom and shared New Year’s greetings and took pictures with students. Also, students received a red envelope symbolizing good wishes and luck for the new year ahead.  

At Silicon Valley Korean School, students played various Korean folk games outside the classrooms which were run by high school student volunteers. Many students wore traditional Korean clothes (Hanbok) and enjoyed traditional activities together to celebrate the cultural holiday. 

Due to the pandemic, the celebration of both schools was somewhat limited and smaller than usual Lunar New Year celebrations. However, the events were filled with joy and festivity. Trustee Kim shared that it was great to celebrate Lunar New Year with the school communities and see students connected with their cultural heritage in a fun way. 

2220 Brown Act Survival Training - February 2

Several FUHSD Trustees attended a legal update on the Brown Act, conducted by the law firm Dannis Woliver Kelley (DWK). In general, the Brown Act requires local government business (including school board meetings) to be conducted at open and public meetings, except in certain limited situations. During a board meeting, board members can only discuss and take action on items on the agenda, and the agenda must be established at least 72 hours before the board meeting. The Brown Act is based upon state policy, which requires the community to be informed. Here are a few points presented during the training session:

• Committees and subcommittees formed by the board are also subject to the Brown Act
• At each meeting, the Board president should remind the public that board members cannot comment on issues raised during public comments if the issue is not on the agenda
• Education committees like the LCAP Parent Advisory and English Language Advisory Council are subject to “mini-Brown Act” requirements, including:
  • Publishing an agenda at least 72 hours before the meeting
  • No action can be taken outside of agenda items
  • Less formal than normal board meetings with no closed sessions or special meetings

Santa Clara County Office of Education, State of the COE – January 31

Several FUHSD Trustees attended the Santa Clara County Office of Education's annual State of the County Office of Education address, presented by COE Superintendent Mary Ann Dewan.  Here are some of her key points:

• When students are equipped with every tool to help them succeed, there’s no limit to what they can achieve to uplift their communities.
• Student mental health and wellness has declined in recent years, partly due to COVID, and it requires serious attention by all school districts.
• Student physical health also needs attention in light of national studies that show one-in-three children in the US are overweight or obese. This underscores the importance of physical education.
• Environmental education is very important and one way to teach students about the environment is to create school gardens.

CSBA Conference - December 2-4

All five FUHSD Trustees attended the annual California School Board Association (CSBA) conference, either in-person or remotely. Over 100 training sessions were offered, with Board members attending up to seven sessions. Also, an excellent keynote address was given by Dr. Victor Rios. The training sessions were divided into seven groups:

• Community Engagement and Advocacy
• County Offices of Education
• Equity and Opportunity
• Funding and Finance
• Leadership through Governance
• Small School Districts
• Wellness and Mental Health

FUHSD Treble Exchange Concert - November 8

Four of the FUHSD Board members attended the annual FUHSD Treble Exchange Concert. Treble choir members from each of the five high schools participated. Participants received training from guest clinician Dr. Anna Hamre, Professor Emerita and former Director of Choral Activities at Fresno State University. The concert was funded by the High School’s Foundation. The students gave a fantastic performance that was enjoyed by all members of the audience.

Saratoga State of the City - November 6

Trustee Jeff Moe attended the annual Saratoga State of the City presentation. The presentation began with the Saratoga Youth Commission conducting an online quiz about Saratoga and its history. Next, Mayor Yan Zhao gave an excellent presentation, summarizing the accomplishments of the City of Saratoga over the past year. One of the challenges of the future will be to add the required 1700 new homes in Saratoga. Mayor Zhao stated that the process for adding the new homes will the carefully planned and input will be collected from the entire community.

Diwali Festival of Lights – October 16

Board members Bill Wilson, Naomi Nakano-Matsumoto and Jeff Moe attended the 2021 Diwali Festival of Lights celebration at Memorial Park in Cupertino. Among the attendees were several elected officials from the area who eagerly joined in the celebration of our rich cultural diversity. The festival was sponsored by the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce. 

FUHSD Board Member Bill Wilson, Cupertino City Council Representative Hung Wei, FUHSD Board Members Naomi Nakano-Matsumoto and Jeff Moe, and San Jose Water Company Vice President (and Monta Vista High School parent) John Tang at the Diwali Festival of Lights in Cupertino

The Tournament of Bands – October 9

Board members Rosa Kim, Naomi Nakano-Matsumoto and Jeff Moe attended the 50th Annual Cupertino Tournament of Bands competition at Cupertino High School.  Twelve high schools participated, including all five high schools in the Fremont Union High School District. The event was festive, and the large audience was wowed by the outstanding performances of all the marching bands. At the end of the tournament, Trustee Nakano-Matsumoto presented the award to the Field Show Music winner.

FUHSD Marching Band Expo - Oct. 2

Trustee Rosa Kim attended the FUHSD Marching Band Expo at Homestead High School stadium on Oct. 2. The Fremont, Homestead, Lynbrook, Monta Vista and Cupertino High School Marching Bands and Color Guard students performed their exhibition shows in front of parents and community members. Each team presented colorful and elaborate performances with a variety of music, including a musical repertoire and game theme song. It was a great opportunity for district families to see all the five marching bands’ unique performances in one place. Throughout the show, magnificent spectacle and wonderful music filled the stadium. Cheerful messages from families and friends to students were announced before the performance of each team. The audience sincerely applauded and cheered the students who returned to the field for a big performance after a year off. 

Kudos to all the FUHSD marching band and color guard students, teachers and parent volunteers who made this wonderful event possible!

"The Twisties": Youth Sports, Competition, and Mental Health webinar – September 15

Trustee Jeff Moe attended the webinar titled "The Twisties": Youth Sports, Competition, and Mental Health," sponsored by the Parent Education Series. The presenter was Dr. Steve Smith, a Teaching Professor in the Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology at UC Santa Barbara, who specializes in psychotherapy with athletes and healthy models of youth sport. Here are Dr. Smith’s main points:

• Sports are great for kids both short and long term. Studies show that team sports decreased rates of anxiety and depression even as adults.  
• Sports can provide a critical outlet for youth in dysfunctional family situations.
• Athletes need a strong sense of self upon which they can support the pressure of sports.
• Give your child time to process the outcome of a game. Don’t talk with them about the sport until two hours after the game
• Having fun is the most important factor for children to remain in sports. This can include having fun with friends, playing catch with grandpa, eating pizza or orange slices after the game, etc.
• The benefits of sports are experiential, not outcome oriented. However, tracking winning and losing is okay because it teaches perseverance.
• The healthiest athletes have a broad range of interests, beyond just sports.
• Avoid specialization in one sport, at least until the age of 13 or 14. Youth who specialize:
  • Are more prone to injury;
  • Are more likely to burn-out and drop out;
  • Experience less social skill development; and
  • Are less likely to get college scholarships.

Tour of Monta Vista High School Cafeteria – September 23

Food Services District Manager Divya Puri gave the School Board Trustees a tour of the Monta Vista High School cafeteria during lunchtime. The food services staff worked feverishly to prepare the food in advance of lunchtime, in order to facilitate the quick and safe pickup of lunches. The number of lunches served has almost tripled since pre-COVID times. Use of a remote hand-truck helps expedite the distribution of lunches. Inside the cafeteria, six checkout lines are operated. As a result, 800 students can be served lunch in less than 10 minutes. 

After lunch had been served to the students, the trustees were given samples of the food, which had been made from scratch. Eating the delicious food was the favorite part of the tour for some of the Trustee’s. A big thanks to Divya, MVHS Food Services Manager Edgar Rodriguez, and Edgar’s entire staff.

Cupertino Chamber of Commerce Star Awards – August 26

Four trustees, along with Superintendent Polly Bove, Deputy Superintendent Graham Clark, Associate Superintendent Trudy Gross and Lynbrook High School (LHS) Principal Maria Jackson, attended the annual Cupertino Chamber of Commerce Star Awards, where LHS teacher Michele Quindipan was presented with the 2021 Educator of the Year award. 

Michele has taught math at LHS for 17 years. During that time, she has advised several clubs including the Breakdance, Knitting, Link Crew and Filipino clubs.  Currently, she advises the Acts of Random Kindness and Economics clubs. She has held the position of math department chair  and currently is a member of the school site council.

Michele is thankful to Rita Korsunsky for inviting her to be part of FUHSD. She also extends her gratitude to the LHS staff, especially her Professional Learning Community members that include Vivian Frazita, Sarah Kraemer, Linnea Romander, and Elizabeth Slaughter, "who continue to encourage her to learn and explore to help engage all students.”

Santa Clara County Office of Education - Budget Perspectives Workshop – July 19

Several Board members attended the Zoom Budget Perspectives Workshop, sponsored by the Santa Clara County Office of Education and Capital Advisors Group. Guest speak State Senator Laird started the workshop by calling this the “best education budget in modern times."  Here are some of the highlights:

• The 2020-21 State General Fund revenues are $60 billion higher than the forecast in early 2020 ($118.7 billion to $178.1 billion);
• State reserves increased to $25 billion;
• The education “Rainy Day fund” increased to $4 billion; and
• 100,000 more college students will get financial aid.

The workshop also focused on new legislative actions regarding:

• Independent Study;
• Biweekly reopening status reports;
• Expanded Learning programs; and
•  Expansion of Universal Transitional Kindergarten.

Tour of the Sunnyvale Shelter – June 29

Four trustees along with Superintendent Polly Bove and Associate Superintendent Tom Avvakumovits participated in a tour of the Sunnyvale homeless shelter at the invitation of County Supervisor Otto Lee. The tour was led by Andrea Urton, CEO of HomeFirst, the non-profit organization managing the shelter program. Here is some of the information provided by Andrea:

• About 70% of the people in the Sunnyvale shelter are men and 30% women, a ratio that is consistent with the other shelters. Several families are housed in the shelter.
• The Sunnyvale shelter is one of several throughout the county that is managed by HomeFirst. There are a total of 2000 beds and an estimate of 11,000 homeless in our county.
• Most people in the shelter can stay up to 3 or 6 months, but there are a few who stay longer.
• The needs of each person/family admitted to the shelter are evaluated individually. A big emphasis is placed on helping with job placement and permanent housing placement. 
• If a homeless situation can be resolved within 30 days, there is a good chance it will remain resolved. Homelessness that lasts more than 90 days is more difficult to resolve and the solution is harder to sustain.
• Some homeless individuals do not want to move into a homeless shelter because of the shelter rules and requirements.
• It costs twice as much to provide services to unsheltered homeless as it does to provide services to sheltered homeless.
• Up to 10 students attended school remotely from the Sunnyvale shelter during the last school year.  lmost all the students were elementary school age.
• Andrea shared her experiences with homelessness as a child and young adult. Andrea said that what saved her was her determination to stay in school. Along that line, she said it’s important to help individuals who are homeless develop a sense of resilience.

EducationAL Options Senior Celebrations

Trustees Jeff Moe and Roy Rocklin and Superintendent Polly Bove, along with members of the District Office, attended the annual senior awards at Education Options. The awards were held in the lovely outdoor quad area of the Education Options facility. The Educational Options teachers took turns describing the awardees and presenting certificates. Several students received college scholarships. It was inspiring to hear the variety of pathways that the Educational Options students took to successfully conclude their secondary education. 

High School Graduations – June 1-4

Each school board member participated in the graduation ceremonies at each of the five comprehensive high schools. Rather than hold a single graduation ceremony, three to six smaller ceremonies were held at each school to allow for social distancing in light of COVID-19. Over 90% of the students participated in the on-site graduation ceremonies. It was the first time in over a year that many students were able to see their classmates in person. The students were excited, though still a bit subdued, due to the newness of venturing outside.

Cupertino Rotary Poetry Contest Awards – June 9

Trustees Jeff Moe and Bill Wilson attended the Cupertino Rotary meeting at which the Cupertino Rotary Poetry Contest awardees read their poems. The students poems and recitations were outstanding. Cupertino Poet Laureate Jing Jing Yang provided a brief description of each poem. Congratulations to the awardees listed below.

HM = Honorable Mention

Most of their poems can be read at this site: https://tinyurl.com/crpoems2021

Hoffmann Awards Celebration - April 28

Several Board Members attended the annual Hoffmann Awards celebration via Zoom, sponsored by the Santa Clara County School Boards Association (SCCSBA). The Hoffmann Awards recognize outstanding education programs in Santa Clara County. This year’s winners were:

• Mandarin Immersion Program, Cherrywood Elementary School, Berryessa Union School District;
• Achieving Success w/ Student Intervention, Support and Therapy (ASSIST), Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District;
• REA2CH (Reaching Everyone in Academics, Arts, Character and Health), Luther Burbank School District;
• Edenvale Adopt-a-College Program, Oak Grove School District; and
• Units of Study in Reading, Writing and Phonics, Ellis Elementary School, Sunnyvale Elementary School District.

A special congratulations to Sunnyvale Elementary School District, our feeder district, for their winning program, Units of Study in Reading, Writing and Phonics.

Trustee David Guidry from the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District did an excellent job moderating the event. Also, thanks to Santa Clara County Office of Education’s Communications Department for creating the award videos. 

Staff Appreciation Lunches – May 11-18

The Trustees, along with Superintendent Polly Bove and members of the District Office, attended the annual Staff Appreciation lunches at each of the high schools, the District Office and Education Options. This was the first time in a year that the Board Members were able to meet with groups of educators, and it felt great!  

Teachers and staff were excited to be back in school in full force and to be with students, even though the number of students on campus is relatively low. The feeling while attending the first school appreciation lunch was a combination of excitement and nervousness, but by the second and third lunch, the nervousness dissipated, and the excitement grew.

Santa Clara County School Board Association Legislative Event – March 6

Several Trustees attended the annual Santa Clara County School Board Association Legislative Event, which was in a Zoom format this year. The moderator of the event was John Fensterwald from EdSource. State and county elected officials shared their thoughts and plans on education legislation.

The keynote speaker was Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond, President, CA State Board of Education. Her message included:

• Teachers are doing a great job creatively utilizing remote learning tools
• Students will return to school with more insecurities. Affirm what students do know and build on that.  
• Don’t stigmatize students who suffered from learning loss
• Don’t go back to the way education was before the pandemic – find a new and better way

Stop Asian Hate Rally – March 27

Several FUHSD Trustees attended the Stop Asian Hate rally outside the Saratoga City Hall, demonstrating our support for the wonderful diversity of our community.  Hundreds of community members attended. The event was hosted by the following mayors:

• Yan Zhao, City of Saratoga
• Liz Gibbons, City of Campbell
• Darcy Paul, City of Cupertino
• Marico Sayoc, Town of Los Gatos
• Shawn Leuthold, City of Monte Sereno

2021 Brown Act Training – January 26

Several Board members attended the Brown Act Training hosted by the law firm, Dannis Woliver Kelley (DWK). The Brown Act applies to local governmental agencies such as school boards and city councils. The central provision of the Brown Act requires that all “meetings” of a legislative body be open and public. The Brown Act definition of the term “meeting” (Section 54952.2) is very broad and encompasses almost every gathering of a majority of elected Council/Board members.  Here are some of the highlights from the training session:

• There are a complex set of restrictions on board member use of social media, so much so, that it may be wise for board members to avoid social media.
• Speech by the public during public comments is generally protected by the first amendment. However, threats are not protected.
• A board by its rules may limit public comment to a total amount of time on a particular issue and/or for each individual speaker.
• The public’s right to comment should not be confused with or extended to provide an opportunity for members of the public to question, discuss, or debate with members of a board or staff.
• Laws protect student privacy, so the board president can remind public not to mention names of students during public comments and can mute a member of the public who violates that.
• Student board members are not subject to the Brown Act.
• Board meeting minutes are not for collecting comments, rather to record transactions, that is, a record of what the board transacted.

Cupertino Rotary Annual Speech Contest – February 3

Trustees Bill Wilson and Jeff Moe attended (via Zoom) the Cupertino Rotary Annual Speech Contest. Congratulations to the five high school students who participated.  For the first year, the contest was conducted using Zoom and the students demonstrated mastery of the use of this medium. Cupertino Rotary invited student representatives from the three high schools whom they sponsor for the speech contest, Cupertino, Lynbrook, and Monta Vista. Homestead and Fremont high schools are sponsored by Rotary Clubs in Sunnyvale.

Below are the student contestants. Their 5-minute speeches can be downloaded from the Cupertino Rotary site for a limited time:

• Abhay Acharya – CHS Sophomore (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RMWFTi6Rl3YZWiDM1K4JiJkgiEdKFZyc/view?usp=sharing)
• Navya Rao – MVHS Senior – 2^nd place (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hYUztJxaYH-K7cWhKx1zhVP4x1RR7Ni7/view?usp=sharing)
• Janvi Prasad – CHS Sophomore – 1^st place (video not available)
• Tanik Anbu– LHS Sophomore (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XdPKvqctaNCsDHomgIcuq5M7Tf0l_NAt/view?usp=sharing)
• Alaina Mupparthi – CHS Junior – 3rd place (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BiGj3lTtzOOsrwZzJHM_hvKG6QWNdxVr/view?usp=sharing)

Ethnics Studies for K-12 Education - Dec. 7

Trustee Naomi Nakano-Matsumoto and Rosa Kim, along with superintendent Polly Bove, attended the annual meeting of the Asian Pacific Islander School Board Members Association. The keynote speaker, Dr. Karen Korematsu, shared her expertise on Ethnic Studies as daughter of civil rights icon Fred Korematsu and founder and Executive Director of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute:

• We are all immigrants and Ethnic Studies is a story about immigrants. It is about diversity and inclusion. It helps our students gain more empathy and understand the struggles of other ethnic groups. 
• One semester is for providing an overview of Ethnic Studies. The overview must include: 1) Engaging, humanizing investigation and analysis about ourselves and some of the historical origins of social equity and racial trauma, 2) Examining and engaging with theories and frameworks, and 3) Exploring possibilities of healing-centered engagement in every aspect of our lives. 

Following the keynote speech, there was a panel discussion on implementing Ethnic Studies with insights from educators who have already implemented or plan to implement the Ethnic Studies course in their schools. Below are some of their comments. 

(*Panelists: Sarabjit Kaur Cheema-trustee of New Haven Unified School District, Diana Nguyen-teacher of Sequoia High School, and Dr. Mary Sieu-superintendent of ABC Unified School District) 

• Ethnic Studies is about healing. Bring in the community. Plan lesson materials to create valid, well-researched questions. With this process, students build the community. 
• How teachers develop their program: Building in the community is critical. Collaborate by speaking to locally grown colleagues or local organizations on how to match the curriculum to local needs. Cover local histories.  
• There is plenty of data supporting Ethnic Studies programs. ABC Unified School District implemented Ethnic Studies and Cultural Studies in their high school for the third year. So much comes from the personalization and customization of people learning about their own culture as well as other people’s cultures.
• Worked collaboratively with local community colleges. They provided administrators with training for social justice, as part of the Ethnic Studies program

Budget, Economy and Forecasting 2021 Presentation - Dec. 1

Trustee Jeff Moe attended a zoom presentation on the status of the state of the California budget. The speakers included State Controller Betty Yee, State Treasurer Fiona Ma, Director of Department of Finance Keely Bosler and the Capitol Advisors Team. Although the news on the budget is good, parts of the economy are struggling with high unemployment and it will take a while to recover.  Below are some of the main points from the presentation:

Dramatic improvement in the state revenue estimates over the June Budget Act:

• High income earners are doing well, and they pay the big majority of personal income tax;
• Strong stock market led to higher than expected capital gains tax;
• Corporate taxes, especially the tech sector, are higher;
• Sales taxes are higher; and
• As a result, the state has a one-time windfall (aka unexpected revenue) of $26 billion.

It is an anomaly to have strong General Fund revenues while increasing pressure on food banks and programs and services related to physical and mental health

New education spending projection (Prop 98 Guarantee) is $84B, which is $13B higher than projected in June and the same as the January pre-covid forecast.

Dealing with Burnout – Dec. 5

The Fremont Union High School District Foundation Student Organization presented a zoom panel on how students can deal with burnout, which was attended by Trustee Jeff Moe. The panelists were Emily Bersaglia, Homestead High School psychologist; Sarah Sotoudeh, an FUHSD graduate currently attending college; Malavika Eby, a current FUHSD student; and Mano Tatapudi, a member of the Foundation Student Organization, who was the facilitator.

Here are some suggestions from the panelists on how to deal with and/or avoid burnout:

• Reach out to others so you feel that you aren't alone;
• Study together with friends by having the phone line open while working on a subject;
• Allocate time to hobbies and things that you like to do;
• Plan out your year/schedule. If you have overcommitted, you don't have to continue to do everything;
• Give yourselves regular breaks, recharge yourself;
• Finding a work/life balance is important and needs to be more deliberate during COVID-19;
• Taking an AP class in a subject that you don't like can cause burnout;
• Procrastinating on everything is a symptom of burnout;
• Prioritizing your tasks can help you recover from burnout;
• To stay focused on your tasks, turn your phone over, or put it out of reach and don't bring it into your room when you sleep;
• Make a to-do list with small to-do tasks that give you a sense of success and making progress; and
• If parents are on the student's case and causing stress for the student, the student can talk to a counselor who may help talk with the parents.

The Self-Driven Child: Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives – November 13

Trustee Jeff Moe attended a Zoom education event hosted by San Mateo County and the Parent Venture. Dr. Bill Stixrud and Ned Johnson, co-authors of The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives, gave the presentation. Here are some of the major points from their presentation:

• There are four things that make life stressful: Novelty, Unpredictability, Perceived Threat and Low Sense of Control (NUTS), with low sense of control being the biggest one.
• Fostering children’s autonomy can help children build self-motivation, face their anxiety, and develop intrinsic motivation.
• Instead of wanting their children to work hard, parents should want children to want to work hard (in other words, be self-motivated).
• Developing self-motivation and an inner drive requires three things; a sense of competency, a sense of relatedness (relationship with others) and autonomy.  Like a three-legged stool, you must have all in equal amounts.
• Having parents and tutors being the source of motivation for school is detrimental. 
• Messaging from parents to their children should include, I love you too much to fight with you about your homework, I will do anything I can do to help you, I am confident in your ability to make good decisions about your own life, and I am confident that you will learn from your mistakes.
• Homes should feel like a safe place. Both stress and calm are contagious.  Parents can help their children by taking care of their own (parent’s) emotional and physical health.
•  Don’t worry about kids who aren’t excited about anything. Some of the problem is that they are exposed to a limited number of things (soccer, violin, etc.) and none of those resonate yet. Passion will come naturally.
• Parents should be authoritative (it’s important to set limits), but not authoritarian.  Rather than requiring a student to finish their homework before they can play on the computer, negotiate when the student will do his/her homework.
• Some children are precocious, others are post-cocious. Children may not be on an optimal path at age 7 or even age 17.  Some need more time to develop.  There are unlimited number of paths to success.

Leveraging Partnerships for Student and Family Success – October 17

Trustee Jeff Moe attended the zoom workshop titled, “Leveraging Partnerships for Student and Family Success” sponsored by the Santa Clara County Office of Education. The presenters were Margarita Arroyo, who shared the Bridge to Kinder Program sponsored by SOMOS Mayfair, and Adria Colomer, who shared about Amigos de Guadalupe. Both presenters exuded enthusiasm for their mission to help students overcome barriers and achieve success in their education. Here are some of their main points:

• Partnerships can happen if missions align and the parties have common goals
• Parents must be involved in the solutions
• Students need advocates, and parents make the best advocates
• All programs invite parents and extended families to participate
• Generally, newcomers into the community are especially in need of support

Reading Without Walls – October 24

Trustee Jeff Moe attended a webinar hosted by the Santa Clara Office of Education titled, “Reading without Walls.” The keynote speaker was Gene Luen Yang. Gene is the author of American Born Chinese, which became the first graphic novel to be nominated for a National Book Award and the first to win the American Library Association’s Printz Award. In 2016, Gene was appointed as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.

Gene advocates for learning through reading. Here are some points from his talk:

• Growing up, Gene could relate to the Superman comics, because like Superman, he had two identities. One identity was the Gene who spoke only Mandarin to his family at home. The other identity was the Gene who spoke only English at school.
• Gene encourages reading books about characters who look or live differently than you, topics you haven’t discovered, or formats that you haven’t tried. Doing so promotes diversity and opens readers’ eyes to new ideas and experiences. It is a way to spread appreciation and understanding for others and to learn new and exciting things.
• We should read “mirror books," those with characters with whom we can relate, to teach us to love ourselves.
• We should also read “window books," about other people and cultures, to teach us to love others.

Dr. Victor Rios Anti-Racist Parent SEMINAR – September 15

Trustee Jeff Moe attended a virtual seminar featuring Dr. Victor Rios who spoke on the subject of being an anti-racist parent. Dr. Rios has a practical and down-to-earth presentation style which makes his messaging very memorable and impactful. Here is a summary of some of his main points:

• Dr. Rios talked about his challenges growing up in Oakland. His father left their family before Dr. Rios was born. As a three-year old, when his single mom went off to work, his seven-year old brother took care of him. By the age of 15, Dr. Rios was a triple felon.

• Then in high school, he had a teacher who believed in him, listened to him and encouraged him to graduate from high school and later enroll in college.
• Dr. Rios worked very hard in high school to make up for the lost learning in earlier years. He continued that work ethic through graduate school, obtaining his Ph.D. from Berkeley in 4.5 years, much faster than the 7-year average.
• Dr Rios believes that getting a college education is key to advancement. With a college education, you will normally get a better-paying job. However, even if you don’t get a good job after college, you can pass on to your children the skills of studying, how to interact with teachers, and help your children to build social capital.
• Parents should be active in their children’s education - “Teachers will listen to parents who speak up.”
• We should change the label “at-risk” student to “at-promise” student.
• Parents and educators need to be aware of different cultures, to teach children to be proud of their culture but understand the dominant culture, which will help them get ahead.
• He encourages teaching virtues of learning to get-along and talking about racial issues.
• Listen to each other’s story to improve racial literacy.
• Dr. Rios advocated for mentoring students, exposing students to people with a college education and helping students envision the possibility of a better and brighter future.
• Help empower students to know that they can change their lives, but it will take hard work; they will have to overcome barriers and be resilient.
• In addition to helping our own children, parents can help provide services for all children, such as cyber mentoring.
• The transformative parent teaches their children to advocate for social justice.
• Parents need to participate; schools/teachers can’t do it all.
• “At Promise” students need more emotional support and less informational support. Communicate that you believe in them and have their back.
• Today’s youth give Dr. Rios hope for the future; they care about kids left behind and are pushing us to be anti-racist and leave no one behind.

Annual City of Sunnyvale State of the City and Community Awards – September 19

Trustee Jeff Moe attended the Annual City of Sunnyvale State of the City and Community Awards. Mayor Klein started the presentation with an impressive list of accomplishments and plans. Next, two of our very own FUHSD members were recognized:

The Educator of the Year Award was given to Jesus Ramirez from Fremont High School for his outstanding work inspiring and encouraging students in his role as Family & Community Liaison. 

The High School Student of the Year is Peri Plantenberg from Homestead High School for her work around climate change.

FUHSD Alumni Career Paths Panel – September 19

Trustee Jeff Moe attended the FUHSD Alumni Career Paths Panel, which was sponsored by the FUHS Foundation Student Organization. Five graduates from FUHSD gave sage advice to current high school students. Here are some of the main points:

• A couple of the former students knew in high school what career path they wanted to pursue, but most did not. The panelists recommended that students to keep an open mind and try new things, and take advantage of opportunities as they arise. It’s likely that your career path (and major) will change over time.
• Networking is very important. Use your high school network, connect with people and schedule informational interviews.
• Advise for their younger, high school self: Work hard, but have more fun, enjoy the moments, panic less, be brave, trust yourself, STEM is great, but there are lots of other great career options, you don’t have to take every AP class just because everyone else is taking them
• Three of the panelists took classes at DeAnza while in high school and loved those classes.
• Soft skills (interacting with people) are important as well as English Language Arts (writing skills and analytical reading).
• More important to learn how to think rather than what to think.

ntroduction of Dr. Lloyd Holmes, New President of De Anza College – Aug. 5

Trustees Jeff Moe and Bill Wilson attended the Cupertino Rotary meeting where Dr. Lloyd Holmes, the new President of De Anza College gave an introductory speech.  Dr. Holmes began his presentation by talking about his early life:

• He was born in a small town in Mississippi. His mother was widowed at the age of 27. His family lived on welfare until the children were old enough to be home alone. Not until he was in first grade did his home get indoor plumbing.
• Dr. Holmes belonged to several clubs in high school.
• He played the piano at several churches in the area.
• He attended community college and majored in Physics. His grades dropped to B’s (he had gotten A’s in high school), so he switched majors to accounting.
• Dr. Holmes passed up free tuition at Black colleges to attend the University of Mississippi where he encountered racism. For example, seating at the football games was segregated. Black seating was in the end zone. However, he persevered and eventually received his masters and Ph.D. at the University of Mississippi.

Dr. Holmes also shared some of his values and priorities:

• Don’t let the situation that you are in determine where you end up.
• No matter the experience, I have control over how I perceive things. I’ve got to believe that I can make things better.
• Quoting Mark Twain, "The two most important days in your life are the day you were born and day you found out why." A big part of life is finding your purpose.
• I have come from being extremely poor to becoming president of the best community college in the U.S.
• He is very student oriented, saying that we are here because of the students, not vice versa and that we must prepare and build-up our students so they will come back to community as better citizens.
• We have to instill hope with students with whom we interact, so they feel like they belong, have the ability to make choices, and have fun.
•  Dr. Holmes plans to address food and housing security of students at De Anza.
• Communication is key.
• He “grew up” on student services side, not academic services so his focus will include making the environment better for students.

A Healthy Approach to College Admissions by Denise Pope of Challenge Success – Aug. 6

Trustee Jeff Moe attended a Zoom Webinar on the college admissions process conducted by Denise Pope, co-founder of Challenge Success. As Dr. Pope shared, “Thanks COVID-19 for making the complicated and stressful college application process even more complicated and stressful.” We need to learn to live with uncertainty.

The two biggest sources of stress for high school students are: 1) school workload and 2) college admissions. Here are some of the reasons why college admissions is stressful:

• More people going to college (which is good) making it feel like a scarcity;
• Economic and general uncertainty; and
• US News rankings of schools.

It’s best to go to a college that fits your interests rather than one that has more prestige. Dr. Pope recommends actively engage in learning (mentorships, internships, extracurriculars, professors who know their students). Engagement (not college prestige) is what matters in long term outcomes like pay and job satisfaction. Dr. Pope added that community college might make sense for more students in this time of COVID-19.