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CALIFORNIA COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTSPromote | Influence | Advocate

CCSESA Newsletter2019

AugustVolume 17 / Issue 7

/News/Newsletter/August 2019 Newsletter

Leadership Link

Mr. Tim A. Hire Tulare County Superintendent of Schools

  • What led you to become County Superintendent?

    I have always wanted to make a difference for kids. That was the reason for going into teaching Agriculture specifically – that type of education taught more than just academics. It teaches real life skills, respect, responsibility, the value of hard work and the value of a dollar. That is what motivated me to become a teacher. What has motivated me to become an administrator and now a County Superintendent is the idea that I can have an impact on many more lives than I could have if I remained in the classroom.

    What inspired you to enter the field of education?

    My father taught math for 41 years and he has had a significant impact on my decision to be an educator. Complementary to that was getting involved in the local 4-H and FFA programs. I found those programs to be a tremendous resource for kids in terms of providing access and developing real world skills. It was after I was an assistant swine group leader that I made the decision to return to college and earn my teaching credential. I had also been a soccer coach and found that so rewarding that I knew I would love teaching.

    Do you have a particular goal that drives you?

    The personal goal that drives me every day is to be a champion for all kids. I want to ensure that all kids have every opportunity to get a high quality education, exposure to potential careers that they may not even know about and are supported to develop into self-confident, successful individuals.

  • What objectives do you hope to achieve?

    I want to provide the type of leadership that inspires and directs our resources at the County Office where they make a significant positive impact on students. I want the Tulare County Office of Education to be the conduit through which great educational practices get shared and implemented to increase student achievement. I want our office to be an known for creating opportunities for students to experiment, create, lead and achieve things they never dreamed possible. I want to develop strong partnerships with educators, industry, non-profits and elected officials that lead to increased exposure, relevance and future opportunities for students both inside and outside of the classroom.

    What are your interests?

    I enjoy sports. I still am playing soccer and baseball. I enjoy the outdoors as well. I love to go camping and I am an avid hunter.

    Who are the special people in your life?

    My wife, Nicole, and my children, Taelor (19) and Mason (17) are the most special people in my life. Without their love and support I would not have accomplished many of the things I have done in my life. I am fortunate to have loving and supportive parents as well. There are many more people that are special to me for a variety of reasons. I have been blessed with an extended family and a group of friends and colleagues that all contribute positively to the wonderful life I so much enjoy. I think that is why it is so easy to give back to our students and educators because I have been given so much.

From The Desk Of

Peter Birdsall Executive Director

The role of the county superintendent of schools has changed dramatically over the past eight years, placing less emphasis on services to students in county-operated programs and much greater emphasis on supporting, on an on-going basis, every school district in the county in strengthening their programs and services for children.  With this expanded role has come new responsibilities, including approval of the LCAP of every district and providing differentiated assistance to districts identified by the state.

While the role of county offices has clearly expanded dramatically over the past eight years, the statewide governance structure has also evolved with the creation of CCEE and the identification of a variety of “lead” agencies that comprise the State System of Support.  While these changes bring new resources, they have also led to confusion concerning roles of the various agencies.

Recognizing these changes, it is important to review the CCSESA organization structure to ensure that it most effectively facilitates and supports the mission of CCSESA to “strengthen the service and leadership capabilities of California’s 58 County Superintendents in support of students, schools, districts, and communities.”

It is critical that Steering Committee leadership are involved in these discussions, because a unique strength of CCSESA is the expertise of the Steering Committees.  These committees bring together staff from all the county offices to analyze and implement high priority issues for the county superintendents and to share and collaborate on issues of mutual concern.

At its August meeting, the CCSESA Board of Directors began reviewing these issues, with an eye to engaging all the county superintendents in these discussions, both within their regions and at the upcoming General Membership meeting.  We urge you to discuss these topics with your CCSESA Board members and leadership, so that we move forward with broad-based agreement to fully align the many extraordinary, collaborative resources of the county offices with the expanded role they now play in California’s education system.

COEs Help Prepare for 2020 Census

The US Census will be next conducted in 2020. The Census is used to determine funding for various federal, state and local projects, as well as to determine how many seats each state is allocated in the US House of Representatives.

As a part of a statewide outreach and education campaign, the California Complete Count (CCC) has been funded by the state to work to promote full participation in the 2020 Census. The CCC Office contracted with the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) to develop and pilot educational support materials about the 2020 Census for students and teachers in California. In Phases I and II, SCOE partnered with Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) for facilitation of the process. In Phase III, SCOE is subcontracting with Fresno County Office of Education to support the work statewide. In Phase I of the pilot program, completed in late 2018, twenty teachers from grades 5, 8, 11 and 12, created the curriculum, and piloted the curriculum in their classrooms. The curriculum focuses on United states history and governmental aspects based on grade level.

In addition to the developing pilot education support materials, the CCC Office schools outreach program provides contracts to County Offices of Education to support outreach, information, and community engagement with school districts with the with the highest hard-to-count populations. There are 32 counties that have “opted-in” to this project: Alameda, Butte*, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno, Imperial, Humboldt, Kern, Los Angeles, Marin, Mendocino, Merced, Monterey, Napa, Orange, Placer, Riverside, Sacramento, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tehama, Tulare, and Yolo.

*Administered by Tehama County

CCSESA Arts Update

Creativity at the Core Summer Institute 2019 Recap

On July 10-12, 2019, state, county, and local educators gathered in Monterey at the Monterey Tides hotel for CCSESA’s 5th Annual Creativity at the Core conference sponsored in partnership with the Monterey County Office of Education, CREATE CA, and the California Department of Education.

Educators heard from state leaders regarding Universal Design for Learning, California Arts Standards, Social and Emotional Learning, and arts education advocacy, among many other topics. Breakout sessions were offered by expert arts leaders including CCSESA Regional and County Arts Leads, California Department of Education leaders: Aileen Allison-Zarea, Jack Mitchell, Letty Kraus and Dr. Lindsay Weiss-Tornatore, and key arts organization leaders. On Day One, participants heard from Pat Wayne, Program Director for CREATE CA about the CREATE CA public will campaign and collaborated on an art making activity led by CCSESA Arts Consultant, Patty Taylor. Also, on Day Two, participants chose a studio opportunity where participants worked with a Monterey area artist to dive more deeply into one of the arts disciplines of dance, media arts, music, theatre, and visual arts.

Among many expert presenters included researcher, Dr. Ivonne Chand O’Neal, from MUSE Research shared information regarding creativity research and building inclusive learning environments and Dr. Ping Ho, from UCLA Center for Arts and Healing provided research on the power of arts with students undergoing trauma as well as brain-based research.

Participants had the opportunity to visit Doc Ricketts’ Lab, a historical site on Cannery Row and attend an outdoor musical production of Hello Dolly! at the Forest Guild Theater. An experience made possible by the Monterey County Office of Education and other community partners.

CCSESA Rural County Arts Cohort

CCSESA is pleased to announce the beginning of a Rural County Arts Cohort, as part of a new grant from the Stuart Foundation intended to strengthen and expand arts education in rural communities. CCSESA used an external panel of experts to review grant applications and make funding recommendations. The following county offices of education were selected for Opportunity #1 for implementation of county arts strategic plans: Amador, Butte, Humboldt, Mono, and Tulare. For Opportunity #2, the following county offices were selected to move forward with county arts planning in partnership with the California Alliance for Arts Education: Nevada, Mariposa, and Imperial.

On August 5, Opportunity #1 grantees gathered in Sacramento for a grant Orientation and Arts Integration training and collaboration. Facilitators for the session were Dr. Merryl Goldberg (CSU San Marcos and CREATE CA), Peggy Burt (California Alliance for Arts Education), and Sarah Anderberg (CCSESA). Participants included: Donna Custodio (Amador), Jennifer Spangler (Butte), Stacy Young (Humboldt), Shana Stapp (Mono), and Kate Stover (Tulare).

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