By JIM ROTHGEB
The Press-Enterprise Despite pleas from teachers and parents, the San Jacinto Unified School District governing board on Friday authorized the district office to notify 56 teachers and four administrators that their jobs may be cut by this fall.The five board members voted unanimously to approve the potential layoffs, thus trimming about $3.75 million in salaries from the 2008-09 budget weakened by state cuts and declining enrollments. The affected employees, most with only one to two years in the district, include 35 elementary school teachers, 15 secondary school teachers, six counselors, three assistant principals and one principal.

The total number of layoffs is strictly a worst-case scenario, said Diane Perez, assistant superintendent of personnel, and is based on state budget forecasts which await final numbers. Even without the final budget, state law requires that certificated employees be notified of potential staff reductions by March 15.

Other cuts approved Friday, including a 2 percent pay cut to all school administrators, are expected to save another $850,000. That would achieve the district’s goal of cutting $4.6 million, calculated after Gov. Schwarzenegger announced that state funding for schools would be considerably less for the coming year.

SJUSD administrators emphasized that no programs are due to be cut.

The vote came before a crowded board room as teachers showed their solidarity. Board Chairman John Norman said he was impressed by the turnout but the tough decision still had to be made.

“The whole state has been thrown into turmoil over these (state budget) cuts,” said Norman. “I am thoroughly upset with our governor and the legislature because they waited so long to tell us.”

He softened the impact by adding that “six years ago (the San Jacinto board) chose to cut about 45 employees and eventually not one of them was laid off.”

Cutting teachers will trim millions from the budget but will also expand class sizes, which was addressed by several teachers during public comments.

“Cutting teachers and increasing class size is just plain wrong,” said San Jacinto elementary teacher Venus Rodriguez. “Increasing the ratio to 30 students for one teacher is an unbelievable task.”

Darren Lamb, fine arts chairman at San Jacinto High School, urged the board to think of other ways to trim the budget.

“Make the cuts as far away from the classroom as possible,” Lamb said. “The challenge is for you now is to be as innovative as you can.”

Alternatives suggested by other teachers included using reserve funds to pay teachers, cutting transportation costs, switching the staff to a four-day work week, and leveling class size ratios to 25-to-1 across the board.

Next week, Perez and Mary Lou Caldwell, president of the San Jacinto Teachers Association, will visit the district’s 14 schools and personally notify each affected teacher that they could be out of a job.

The district serves about 8,900 students.

Reach Jim Rothgeb at 951-763-3453 or jrothgeb@PE.com

http://www.pe.com/localnews/sanjacinto/stories/PE_News_Local_H_hlayoffs08.42b92d0.html

By ELDON KLEIN/The Valley Chronicle

GETTING THEIR ATTENTION: San Jacinto Mayor Jim Ayres reads a Dr. Seuss book to first-graders in teacher Linda Skipworth’s class at Hyatt Elementary School for Read Across America Day last Friday. ELDON KLEIN / The Valley Chronicle

Students and teachers across the San Jacinto Valley donned tall hats and read aloud stories to mark Dr. Seuss’ birthday.

Read Across America is a project of the National Education Association that was created to honor the March 2 birthday of beloved children’s author Theodore Seuss Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss. The goal is to get children across the country reading.

Because March 2 fell on a weekday this year, schools celebrated the birthday on other days.

In San Jacinto, Hyatt Elementary marked the birthday on Feb. 29, and it was a very festive occasion. Teachers wore outfits from the Dr. Seuss books, and students wore tall red-and-white hats, a la “The Cat in the Hat.”

Throughout the day, students named Dr. Seuss’ stories as their favorites.

“I like to read,” first-grader Jeremy Thomas said. “My favorite books are ‘The Cat in the Hat’ and ‘Green Eggs and Ham.’”

Said classmate Yaquelin Campos: “I like ‘Green Eggs and Ham.’ I like books about bears and books about flowers.”In the library, a table was covered in Dr. Seuss’s books, red and white hats, and a large stuffed Cat in the Hat.The students began the day by singing “Happy Birthday,” sharing a birthday cake, and watching Dr. Seuss videos in the cafeteria. Later, visiting dignitaries such as San Jacinto Mayor Jim Ayres went from room to room reading from a Dr. Seuss book for 15 minutes at a time. Firefighters, San Jacinto library employees, school board members, Ramona Humane Society employees, and parents and grandparents of Hyatt students also read to the students.

Students from San Jacinto High School played a part in the celebration, acting out “The Cat in the Hat” for children, followed by a Dr. Seuss-themed lunch in the cafeteria complete with Dr. Seuss videos.

Other activities included a reading competition in pajamas and the design of picture books - Dr. Seuss-style rhymes encouraged!

First-grade teacher Linda Skipworth, looking like a twin of the Cat in the Hat, called Dr. Seuss one of her favorite authors. She summed up the point of the celebration.

“Reading opens so many avenues and adventures in your life,” she said.

James Kruk, assistant principal at Hyatt Elementary, set up the event. “It’s great to see the doctor making kids smile. We are here to promote reading and to keep the children happy and educated.”

http://www.thevalleychronicle.com/articles/2008/03/07/news/schools/01edseuss.txt

SAN JACINTO HIGH: Students say program instills traits such as leadership, responsibility.

By ELDON KLEIN/The Valley Chronicle

San Jacinto High School’s FFA students have found that not only does raising livestock earn them awards, but it teaches them skills ranging from leadership to responsibility.

The students took home awards at the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival in Indio in February, including first place in the Best Barn category for having the cleanest and best-looking display. They also took fourth place in a pen of three in market swine (the three best animals of one species) out of all Riverside County FFA entries.

Melanie Stanley is the San Jacinto High School FFA adviser and she teaches agricultural biology at the school. FFA members must be enrolled at the time in an agriculture class, and there are 145 members, each of whom are taking her class.

“The students purchased the pigs in November, and they have had to feed and water them twice a day every day,” Stanley said. “The pigs were purchased by dairymen from San Jacinto and sold to the students, who raise them until they are entered into fairs and finally sold at auctions.”

Selling the animals is a plus, according to Josh Morois, the FFA secretary.“It helps raise money because we sell the animals we raise,” he said.He added: “I like raising animals. The FFA helps me make money and build leadership.”

The five students who entered the competition this year made $300 each from the pigs sold.

Stanley said raising pigs is a good project “because they are one of the less expensive large livestock projects for students to purchase and the least expensive to feed. They also generate the most return dollarwise in a Junior Livestock Auction, and they are pretty easy to care for.”

She added that after their first fair and auction, students who raised the animals will then have some money to spend on other more expensive livestock projects for the next fair, using their earnings from the sale of the pigs at the auction.

The five students who entered the pig competition at the fair received a blue ribbon for market pigs. Gabriel Grgetich, vice president of the high school’s FFA, made it to the final round of novice FFA swine showmanship, and Sarah Lincke, FFA reporter, received first place in market.

Seth Simpson did not participate with pigs.

Instead, he entered Himalayan rabbits he raised. He received first place for Himalayan Senior Buck; best of show for Himalayan rabbits; first place in fur for Himalayan rabbits; and third place in the poster contest.

All students entering animals in the fairs must have a 2.0 grade point average. They must also attend weekly meetings and earn their own money to purchase the pigs and feed them. Since there is no room for the animals on the school campus, the pigs are kept at two dairies in San Jacinto.

Tyler Miley, treasurer for the local group, said, “I like being in the FFA because we get to work with animals. It has helped me learn hard work and responsibility by being a member.”

Stanley says the FFA members have plans to expand.

“The FFA is working towards building a fully functioning horticulture area where we could raise or grow our own ornamental plants and fruit and vegetables on campus. Eventually, we would like to have a community garden where the students could teach members of the community how to grow their own vegetables.”

 http://www.thevalleychronicle.com/articles/2008/03/07/news/schools/03edffa.txt