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Valley Schools Chief Julie Haff - The Best Year Ever
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Valley Schools Chief Julie Haff - The Best Year Ever
Hard Work, Tough Decisions Pay Off with Strong Student Achievement and Positive Employee Relations
By Mary Bryant
Most California school superintendents would not describe last year as the best year ever. Shouldering much of the state's massive billion-dollar deficit with little notice, working already on shoestring budgets, coping with disgruntled teacher unions and fearing growing federal mandates, most school chiefs found little joy or praise last year.
That wasn't true for San Lorenzo Valley Superintendent Julie Haff. She says it was her best year ever.
What's her secret for success?
Haff says there is no single answer. But she mostly credits the district's response to declining enrollment nearly a decade ago. Losing students meant administrators had to learn to plan ahead, work outside the box and get good at making ends meet. She adds that the district is also blessed with a very active parent roster and essential teacher support.
What was the good news?
That's the easy answer. Last month, as measured by state testing, San Lorenzo Valley schools tested better than most in the county, test scores climbed for every school in the district and all of the district's traditional schools bested the magic API (Academic Performance Index) target of 800.
"It is the result of a lot of years of hard work," Haff said.
What kind of work makes for student achievement?
Haff said that the district has been better at preparing teachers to teach subjects critical to student performance on yearly state-required exams. That effort included a decision two years ago to create weekly collaboration time.
"It has paid off big time," Haff said.
How much does it cost to bring the teachers together at school site once a week – usually on Wednesday morning – to discuss student achievement?
Nothing.
"The teachers wanted it," Haff answered.
She said that working with the district's elected school board, teachers agreed to work extra each week without additional pay. Haff believes that working together, teachers are seeing the difference.
Getting Parent Buy-In
The San Lorenzo Valley school district currently operates two elementary, one middle school and a high school campus. At one time it operated four elementary schools; however, as local real estate prices climbed, the Valley no longer enjoyed the abundance of families.
Since the state pays school districts based on student attendance, the loss of children means a decline in the district's budget.
By the beginning of this decade, the district's money problem had turned from bad to worse. For a moment, the district even considered trying to turn the district into a larger charter organization to increase revenues.
Following an upswell of criticism and controversy with some of his board members, then-superintendent Drew Meyer resigned. In 2002, Haff was appointed as superintendent. She said her first job was to convince the board, parents, teachers and the public that closing two elementary schools was necessary – a move that was vehemently opposed by many parents.
However difficult at the time, Haff says that closing the two schools and doing so before they created a budget problem was necessary and now plays a big part in the district's relatively good fiscal health.
Besides not compounding deficits and fully depleting reserves, the Quail Hollow and Redwood elementary sites are partially rented, which bring in revenues most districts don't enjoy.
Likewise the district moved out of an administrative building, selling the facility to new owners Mountain Community Resource Center.
In addition, the district passed a maintenance resource district on top of a second school facilities bond, keeping campus construction and upkeep away from the district's general fund.
Also, unlike many other local schools in the county that are charging parents for students to play sports, Valley parents raise the money each year to fund programs.
Haff said that the booster club alone raises $100,000 annually, while other fundraising provides instructional supplies.
Watching operational costs is also critical.
"You can't have an extra teacher or two," Haff said, adding overestimating enrollment can cost $60,000 a year per teacher hired for kids who don't show up.
But that hasn't eliminated all the pain of massive state cuts.
While some of the district's $1 million a year in cuts was offset by federal and state subsidies, the district struggles financially.
Haff said that means even closer scrutiny.
"We are very strategic in how we are spending our money," she said.
She said the board kept lower classroom sizes, using the state's offset allowances.
"We took advantage of whatever the state would allow us to do," she said.
The budget even allows for $60,000 for art and music.
Does this mean the district doesn't have money worries?
No, it just means the district doesn't have as many budget worries. The state is currently not making payments to school districts, deferring payments until October. Haff said she was worried the state wouldn't make the October payments.
"The way they fund schools is very unfortunate," Haff added.
The Best Year Yet
Haff started at the San Lorenzo district teaching first grade in 1978 at Quail Hollow. She had already been teaching in Cupertino, but wanted to work closer to home. She believed the Valley schools also to be safer.
"I thought it was a great place to raise children," she recalled. "I wouldn't have stayed if I didn't love it."
She believes that generally parents have been very satisfied with their schools. And even though parents didn't talk as much about their children attending college as they do today, she said students regularly left the Valley for private and public universities.
Serving All Students
Then why have Valley schools suffered a lower academic reputation throughout the county over the years, triggering the school board's decision several years ago to begin denying some inter-district transfer requests?
"For the rest of the county looking at SLV, I don't think they saw that," she said. "I think people view it as a blue-collar school [district]. … For people who really understand the school, we have all types [of families] here."
Haff said for the most part that the socio-economic differences enrich the school experience. She believes that the district does a great job of helping students into different career tracks.
"I think our school offers a great program for the student who wants to go Harvard, Columbia," she said. "We also have kids who leave high school and go to work. We are trying to do a good job helping them as well."
What about Scotts Valley's international baccalaureate program that has lured some Valley parents away? The San Lorenzo Valley school district, like every other in the county, offer Advanced Placement or AP classes for students wanting to qualify for stiffer university requirements.
"There are some schools that think AP is better," Haff said, noting that the University of California system does not recognize the IB program.
How is the fight to keep Valley students in Valley schools?
"We had 40 new students [from other schools outside the district] that started in [San Lorenzo Valley] High School this year," Haff reported.
The district's charter school also helps parents who want to home-school kids, keeping them associated with the district and state standards.
"People are looking for different things … it is a different opportunity for students," Haff said.
The district's only high school enrolled 750 students this year, about 150 students below what is considered ideal for a public high school.
She said that the high school has two more years of declining enrollment, but from there the district is expected to reach bottom.
"Then we are stable at about 175 students per grade level," Haff added.
Keeping Parents Happy
Haff said that a few years back the district surveyed parents about what they valued most.
It wasn't much of a surprise to find smaller class sizes, arts and music programs and counseling among the valued programs. She said the results of the survey hang in the school board's meeting room as a reminder what not to cut.
In more recent surveys, Haff said that more than 90 percent of parents responding approved of the way the district was managing schools. Haff said she often gets stopped in the grocery story with stories about how the district is working well. That wasn't the case in 2002 when Haff took the superintendent's job.
She also says the district's elected board members work hard and respect that she needs her long weeks to tend to school business.
Haff said that former superintendent Meyer warned her that board members would take 20 percent of her time.
"They don't have a need to sit in the office with me," she added.
What else has she seen change during the past seven years?
The district is having a easier time attracting teachers.
"We are attracting teachers who want to come here and be part of this environment," she said. "I think our teachers are behind us."
Are there teachers who don't meet the goals?
Haff says "Yes," a few. But that the majority work hard, which make the few stand out and feel the pressure. Some are terminated, which Haff acknowledges is an arduous process in California.
And while the district had a veteran staff who support the district, Haff believes bringing new teachers into the mix is essential.
"What new teachers bring is an openness to the collaborative process," Haff added.
Two Wishes
For Haff, most of her problems could be fixed with money. But, other than miraculously reorganizing California's spending priorities, what one thing would she change?
She answers that she has to have at least two wishes. OK, what two?
The first is for a universal health care program to spread the costs of providing health care to workers across the nation.
"We only pay $6,500 a year for health care coverage and it is costing $18,000 [to insure] a family," Haff said, noting that in Scotts Valley the district pays the entire cost and is "having significant financial troubles."
What's the second wish?
More time for teacher training. While her teachers often attend training during off-hours, when Haff started teaching there were 10 days of teacher training a year and now there are three.
"You cannot maintain the skills and teach them new skills in that time," Haff said.
With 32 years on the job, Haff says she is also a veteran and admits when she took the job as superintendent she didn't plan on staying more than five years.
Just approaching her seventh anniversary date as schools chief, Haff said she is planning to stay. At least as long as the board approves her work and the parents remain pleased.
"If people want me to stay, I will stay here," she said. "Right now, I'm in a pretty good place. I love what I do and I'm enthusiastic."
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