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Worst-performing districts ranked for 1st time
« on: Feb 28^th, 2008, 8:51am »

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http://www.mercurynews.com/centralcoast/ci_8389673?nclick_check=1

Worst-performing districts in state ranked for 1st time
RAVENSWOOD FOURTH-WORST OF 96 LISTED
By Sharon Noguchi
Mercury News
Article Launched: 02/28/2008 01:36:27 AM PST

For the first time, the state has ranked nearly 100 of California's most academically troubled school districts.

The Ravenswood City School District, serving East Palo Alto and eastern Menlo Park, was ranked the fourth-worst district in the state. Pajaro Valley Unified in Santa Cruz County was rated the 15th-worst. East Side Union High School District in San Jose was 65th-worst and the Hollister School District the 67th-worst.

Those are the only districts in the South Bay, on the Peninsula and in Santa Cruz and San Benito counties on the state Education Department's list of 96 poor-performing districts.

The list is compiled as part of an effort to improve education for the nation's poorest children. The 7-year-old No Child Left Behind Act has forced state education officials to impose sanctions on districts not making enough progress toward meeting academic standards.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state schools chief Jack O'Connell on Wednesday offered carrots and sticks - increased funding and help from experts, coupled with threats of "abolishing and restructuring" districts - to the six worst-performing districts, including Ravenswood.

The state will also intervene in the 90 other poor-performing districts, which must now allow consultants to help revise curricula and teaching methods. The districts were singled out for low scores and lagging improvement on standardized tests.

Officials in the targeted districts Wednesday lambasted
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the state for demanding improvement while financially cutting them off at the knees.

Mary Anne Mays, Pajaro Valley's interim superintendent, called the situation "absolute insanity," noting that the district was in the midst of making $11 million in cuts ordered by Schwarzenegger.

The governor has proposed slicing $4.8 billion from K-12 funding over 18 months to help close the state's bulging deficit.

Superintendents in the targeted districts said Wednesday that such drastic cuts could halt recent progress in raising test scores.

"Whatever they ask us to do, we will be unable to do it" because of the cuts, said Mays of Pajaro Valley.

Ravenswood Superintendent Maria Meza de la Vega said her district's extremely low ranking took her by surprise. State investigators who had visited in January had issued a generally positive report, she said.

What the state promises doesn't always materialize, local school officials say.

East Side Union Superintendent Bob Nuńez said the district this year spent more than $1.4 million to help ninth-graders struggling in math and reading - but the state reneged on its funding promise.

IF YOU'RE INTERESTED

A list of lagging school districts and information on the state sanctions can be found at www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ti/leaspiyr3.asp.

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