[BHS etree] SUPT: BUSD Public Forums Focus on Education Issues in January

[bhs at idiom.com]

BUSD Public Forums Focus on Education Issues in January

A series of public forums are being planned for 2005 as part of the BUSD
district-wide planning process. Everyone is invited to these events, which
are co-sponsored by the Berkeley Public Education Foundation. The first
two forums bring to Berkeley one of the foremost experts on school funding
in California (Jan. 25), and an educator who has worked with several
states on defining what are the critical elements necessary for all
schools (Jan. 31). More forums will be announced soon. These events are
free and open to the public.

Ken Hall
Chairman, School Services of California
"The Future of Education Funding in California"
TUESDAY, JANUARY 25 at 7:00 pm in the Berkeley High Library, corner of
Addison and Milvia Streets in Berkeley.

Ken Hall will discuss not only the implications of the Governors budget
proposal for next year, but what school districts can expect from the
state in coming years. Since the state provides three quarters of K-12
education funding statewide, this is crucial information for us to
understand.

Hall started School Services of California, Inc. (SSC), in 1975 and today
serves as Chairman of the Board for the Sacramento-based consulting firm.
The company serves more than 800 California school districts, county
offices, and statewide educational associations annually. SSC serves
California's public education with special emphasis on: school management,
finance and governance, state capital legislative assistance, collective
bargaining fact finding, and school executive training.

In addition to being Chairman of the Board of SSC, Hall is well-known for
his personal expertise in school management, business, and public finance.
He is author of numerous articles on school finance and budgeting; has
written numerous workshop curriculums aimed at serving California
superintendents and school board members; has served as an expert witness
on numerous legal debates including Serrano vs. Priest, the Federal
Bankruptcy Court case in the mid-1980's for the bankruptcy of San Jose
Unified School District; and for the salary disputes following the
insolvency of Richmond Unified School District. Mr. Hall has been chairman
of the Working Group on Finance and Facilities for the Master Plan For
Education on behalf of the State Legislature.

 
David Conley
Associate Professor, University of Oregon
"Approaches to Adequacy: What Are Essential Elements of Schools?"
MONDAY, JANUARY 31 at 7:00 pm in the Berkeley High Library, corner of
Addison and Milvia Streets in Berkeley.

Professor Conley will talk about various approaches to figuring out
exactly what are the essential elements to a quality education, a field
often termed "school adequacy." 

Dr. David T. Conley is the director of the Center for Educational Policy
Research. Conley acts as consultant to the state of Oregon's Quality
Education Commission, and has worked on adequacy studies in Oregon and
Hawaii. His areas of teaching and research include the high school-college
transition; standards-based education; systemic school reform; educational
governance; and adequacy funding models. Under Dr. Conley's direction, the
project Standards for Success recently released its final report,
Understanding University Success. His articles appear in journals such as
Educational Administration Quarterly, Educational Policy, and
International Journal of Education Reform. His latest book is Who Governs
Our Schools?, published by Teachers College Press.

For more information, see the district website at www.berkeley.k12.ca.us
or call 644-8549.



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Mark A. Coplan
Public Information Officer, BUSD
510-644-6320
Mark_Coplan at berkeley.k12.ca.us
Berkeley Unified School District
2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Berkeley, Ca 94704-1180