Visits by new Superintendent Jose Banda to schools in the Sacramento City Unified School District gave teachers and school staff a chance to tell the new boss what is important to them. At Cesar Chavez Intermediate School, Superintendent Banda was greeted by a class of bi-lingual students, "Good afternoon, Mr. Banda."
During his visit, teacher Azarel Iniguez asked her students about their futures.
"When you go to college, what will you become? What kind of professional are you going to be?"
Antonio Medrano is the principal at Cesar Chavez. He says he hopes the district will help the school adapt to the new nationwide curriculum standards called Common Core.
"Have more specific directions on how we are going to lead this work and do it better," Medrano says. "And also if they can provide assessments or benchmark assessments for students."
Superintendent Banda says he is confident Common Core will improve childhood education.
"Very excited about the possibilities that that presents to our children," Banda says. "High standards- it's gonna be a good road map setting high standards for kids about what we expect them to learn that prepares them for college career and for life."
Banda says the district will soon begin soliciting ideas for the new five-year strategic plan.
"Making sure we are fully inclusive of our community," Banda says. "It should take into account what everybody wants to see happen in education."
Principal Medrano says he hopes the plan includes a new classroom for bilingual students.
Gina Chavez has two children who had attended district schools, but she says she pulled them out and enrolled them at a charter school. She says teachers couldn't provide proper instruction in classes with 40 children.
"A smaller class size would be great for our kids because they need that attention," Chavez says. "It would also be great to address keeping sports in schools and art classes, music."
Banda says the strategic plan should be finalized by the end of the school year.
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