By Keri Luiz
Assistant Editor

The Benicia Unified School District Board of Trustees last week approved a student achievement plan for Matthew Turner and Joe Henderson elementary schools and Liberty High School, and also heard a report on the proposed new districtwide financial and human resources software system.

The Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) was presented to the board Thursday by the principals of Matthew Turner, Joe Henderson and Liberty. Its purpose is to create a cycle of “continuous improvement of student performance,” and to ensure that all students succeed in reaching academic standards set by the state Board of Education.

School Site Councils — including principals, teachers, parents and others — develop such plans each year, but “this year we added something new,” Superintendent Janice Adams told trustees. “Those areas are preparing students to succeed in college and career without the need for remediation; that each student will receive consistent and rigorous instruction using Common Core standards at all grade levels at every site; that we implement and support all aspects of professional learning communities to provide systems to support all of the work; and that students will employ technology thoughtfully to prepare for a successful college and or career.”

According to www.corestandards.org, Common Core are “standards define the knowledge and skills students should have within their K-12 education careers so that they will graduate high school able to succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing academic college courses and in workforce training programs.” They have been adopted in total or in part in California and 45 other states.

Following the presentations by Matthew Turner Principal Leslie Beatson, Joe Henderson Principal Carin Garton and Liberty Principal JoAnn Severson, the strategic plans for the three schools were unanimously approved by the present board members. Trustees Dana Dean and Steve Messina were absent.

“I am very proud of our district,” Director of Curriculum Karen Dubrule said. “Our district is unique in that we have a developed strategic plan.”

Also Thursday, the board heard Chief Business Officer Tim Rahill’s report on the search for a new financial and human resources software system for the district.

“Due to the rising cost and continued lack of system support and development from our existing financial system, the school districts within Solano County as well as the Solano County Office of Education conducted a formal request for proposal for a new financial human resources system,” Rahill told the board.

The five districts and county received four bids and interviewed two of the bid applicants. “Each interview included several representatives from all of those districts and the county office,” Rahill said. “It consisted of a two-day demonstration of the software by each applicant. It was a total of four days.”

The consortium of the five districts and county office unanimously selected Escape as the new system, he said. “The annual cost of Escape will be less than the cost of our current system,” Rahill said.

Rahill said the district has been paying $95,000 per year for the current system, though the cost has been slightly lower this year.

Conversely, “For the first five years of Escape starting next year, the district will pay about $78,000 per year. After we pay off the implementation cost, it will be about $45,000 per year,” Rahill said.

“By selecting Escape as our new financial and HR software system, our district will save money, will provide an integrated, user-friendly and comprehensive program for our district, and also will be part of the Solano County school district consortium all working together with the same system and having those resources available in our other districts as well as the county office,” he said.

Approval of the new system will be voted on when the board meets Dec. 13.

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