What a gal.
Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan, D-Alamo, is voluntarily cutting her pay 10 percent or nearly $12,000 a year.
A press release from her office says the newly elected lawmaker sent a letter to Controller John Chiang requesting the salary adjustment. State legislators earn $116,098 a year plus $170 in per diem for each day they are in session.
“Recognizing that we must lead by example, the Assembly has reduced its budget 10 percent and has directed the savings to the Employment Development Department (EDD) to support California’s families,” Buchanan said in a press release. “Further, I will direct the State Controller to reduce my salary 10 percent. I cannot, in good conscience, ask others to sacrifice if I am not willing to do the same.”
Read more for Buchanan’s full press release.
Speaker announces appointments to commissions on special education, early learning
SACRAMENTO – Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) today announced the appointment of Assemblymember Joan Buchanan (D-Alamo) to the Advisory Commission on Special Education and the Early Learning Quality Improvement System Advisory Commission.
“For nearly 20 years, I have worked to improve the quality of education in our schools and I am honored to have the confidence of Speaker Bass with these appointments,” said Buchanan. “I look forward to working with the members of the Special Education Advisory Commission to find ways to serve the diverse needs of our special education students.”
SACRAMENTO - Assemblymember Joan Buchanan (D-Alamo) was honored Monday evening at the annual San Ramon Valley Education Foundation (SRVEF) dinner in Danville, CA. The honor recognizes Assemblymember Buchanan’s 18 years of distinguished service on the San Ramon Valley Unified School District Board, prior to her election to the Assembly.
“Joan’s on-going service and commitment to our students and schools is remarkable. The foundation is thrilled to honor her 18 years as a school board member,” said Vanessa Chan, Executive Director of the San Ramon Valley Education Foundation.
SAN RAMON, CA – Elementary school children from the San Ramon Valley Unified School District were honored last night at a reception held in the San Ramon District Office of Assemblymember Joan Buchanan (D-Alamo). Art created by students at Alamo, Golden View, Green Valley, Live Oak, Vista Grande and Walt Disney Elementary Schools is currently on display as a part of a program to celebrate young artists in the 15th Assembly District. Students and their families, along with art specialists, teachers, and principals attended the event.
“Art education is critical to fostering the creative and imaginative minds of our youth,” Buchanan said. The San Ramon Valley Unified School District has a Visual Arts program that encourages creativity, while learning about master artists and discovering a wide-rage of art mediums. This program is made possible through funds from the PTA’s, the San Ramon Valley Education Foundation and local non-profits. Buchanan continued, “By displaying the beautiful art work of students in the area we demonstrate and acknowledge the importance of this program.”
Young artists honored by Buchanan
Students from five elementary schools in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District were called to the district office of Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan (D, 15th) for a reception in their honor to celebrate their work as artists.
Students from Alamo, Golden View, Green Valley, Live Oak, Vista Grande and Walt Disney elementary schools, along with their families and teachers, attended the Thursday reception. The young artists were presented with a certificate of commendation for their work, which Buchanan has displayed on the walls of her San Ramon office.
"Art education is critical to fostering the creative and imaginative minds of our youth," said Buchanan, a former school board member.
MOUNTAIN HOUSE — After a forgotten form cost the Lammersville School District $8 million, the district won an appeal to get most of the money back, but it will still lose $1.4 million.
On Feb. 25, Lammersville officials were able to convince the State Allocation Board that the district completed all its other paperwork to receive state matching money and that one form should not block the funding.
The district filed the appeal in July and had known about the form since 2007.
SACRAMENTO - The California State Assembly’s Education Committee (5th Extraordinary Session) today began a series of hearings on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s Race to the Top competitive grant program. The hearing at the state capitol brought together people from government, education and the public to discuss the best way to insure California will receive its share of more than $4-billion in federal stimulus money set aside to improve education nationwide.
Assemblymember Joan Buchanan (D-Alamo) – who sits on the Assembly Education Committee - says its not only important to make sure California receives its allotment of the education related stimulus funds but says its also crucial the money is spent wisely, “Obviously its critical, with the cuts we’ve made that we want to be sure to get our fair share. However, we also want to be sure that the programs we implement are consistent with our long term effort to improve student achievement.”
SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Joan Buchanan (D-Alamo) participated today in the first hearing of the Fifth Extraordinary Session on Education to address the legislation needed for California to be eligible for federal Race to the Top funds. Buchanan was appointed by Speaker Karen Bass (D-LosAngeles) and Assembly Education Committee Chair Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica) to serve on the Committee on September 15, 2009. The Fifth Extraordinary Session was called by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on August 20.
Race to the Top is President Obama's education reform initiative that asks states to develop innovative solutions to increase academic achievement among all students. The President has allocated more than $4 billion nationwide to this effort.
Lammersville School District Superintendent Dale Hansen (right) leads a group of dignitaries during today’s ground-breaking ceremony for Questa School in Mountain House.
The kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school will be the third elementary school in the new community and ground construction is already under way at the site on Montebello Street.
As 2009 moves toward a close, school districts in the Tri-Valley area are watching and waiting to learn whether they will qualify for some of the approximately $4.35 billion in federal funds promised by the Obama Administration under its Race to the Top program.
“We’re watching anxiously,” said Superintendent Brenda Miller of Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District. There is little else the district can do. The funds will be awarded competitively. The U.S. Department of Education has circulated a tentative set of guidelines for the competition. However, no firm criteria are expected until the end of the year.
Not every state will even qualify to apply, according to information made public to date. For example, states will be dis- qualified for having a “firewall” that prevents linking student performance data to evaluations of teachers and principals. California could have been disqualified on that basis alone. However, legislation signed last month by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger eliminated the firewall.
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