By Keri Luiz
Assistant Editor

The new Career Tech Education Committee and changes to district curriculum will be topics of discussion Thursday night at the regular meeting of the Benicia Unified School District Board of Trustees.

In December, two trustees, André Stewart and Dana Dean, were added to the new committee, and on Thursday the board will discuss the panel’s structure, size and make-up, as well as its goals.

“I’m just thrilled that we have board members that are so committed to career tech ed, and have already impacted it in such a positive way,” Superintendent of Benicia Schools Janice Adams said.

“We’re extremely lucky to have both of those board members that are so committed, as the whole board is, for career tech ed. So I think it will move our program along.”

Also Thursday, Dr. Karen Dubrule, district director of curriculum, will present a new high school course for approval: Environmental Science Senior Seminar/Internship, a “capstone class” for ECH2O, the high school’s “green” academy. “It was an expectation of the grant (from California Partnership Academies) that this be included,” Dubrule said Tuesday, adding that completion of an outline for the new course hinges on board approval.

Dubrule also will ask for approval of course outlines for Benicia High’s weight training class and its elective Academic Decathlon course, a competition among students across the state.

Adams will ask the governing board to consider and approve the Single Plan for Student Achievement for each school site in the district. SPSAs aim to create a cycle of continuous improvement of student performance and to ensure that all students succeed in reaching academic standards.

“Every school is required by the state of California to develop a single school plan for student achievement,” Dubrule said. It is up to the district to decide what template they want to use for that.”

The plans will not tie into the national Common Core standards just yet, she said. “While we are implementing the Common Core, we’re already starting in kindergarten and first grade, because they don’t take the (California Standard Test),” she said.

“So there won’t be any negative repercussions if we move from exactly what the state standards are for those grade levels.”

If You Go
The Benicia Unified School District Board of Trustees will meet in open session at 7 p.m. Thursday in the district board room, 350 East K St.

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