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As the last few school districts in San Jose are finishing the pandemic school year and beginning their summer breaks, school districts across the state are planning for and collectively committing to ensuring that reopening of schools this fall means in-person instruction is the default education program for the 2021-22 school year. Taking the complex...
Funk: How my successor can succeed by focusing on equity
The East Side Union High School District Board of Trustees last month announced that Glenn Vander Zee would be the next superintendent of schools for the district. Currently, he is my associate superintendent for human resources. I am very grateful that the board decided to hire a homegrown person to be East Side’s next superintendent....
Funk: Sacramento needs to lead on reopening schools
For the past week or so, Gov. Gavin Newsom has been making the rounds to school districts across California touting that two-thirds of the approximately 11,000 schools have reopened under the AB/SB 86 incentive plan. At every stop, Newsom states that he expects schools to fully reopen in the fall. That means “full, in-person instruction,...
Funk: Is Sacramento offering an incentive or bribe to reopen schools?
Gov. Gavin Newson and the Legislature on March 1 struck a deal to accelerate the reopening of schools. The deal includes $2 billion in incentives to schools if we open at least one grade level in high school and provide in-person support for students most impacted by the pandemic. These include foster youth, homeless, English...
Funk: All school employees need COVID-19 vaccines — not just teachers — before reopening
The pressure is mounting across the country for schools to reopen. The Federal Government has provided financial resources to schools to help pay for the personal protective equipment needed to provide a safe environment for employees and students to return. Gov. Gavin Newsom presented a financial incentive in his January budget proposal for schools to...
Funk: Let’s use COVID-19 lessons to revamp public education system
When I reflect on the last eight months of leading a school district during this pandemic, I think about a quote from Rahm Emanuel, “You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that: it’s an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.” All of us...
Funk: What it takes to reopen San Jose schools
How do you define leadership? Plug the word into Google and a plethora of leadership quotes pop up. One that resonates with me is by Julian Weissglass: “Leadership means taking responsibility for what matters to you.” The “you” is really an “us,” representing the students, staff, families and communities that make up East Side Union...
Funk: How East San Jose schools are keeping students, staff safe
As reported by Sonya Herrera in San José Spotlight Nov. 10, East San Jose ranks No. 1 in new cases per capita in the county. This is not new news to us who work for East Side Union High School District (ESUHSD). According to county data, 1,988 people tested positive for the virus in the...
Funk: Literacy program at Oak Grove making difference for English learners
In education, we preach the seven keys to college readiness. They include advanced reading in grades K-2, advanced reading in grades 3-8, advanced math in grade 5, Algebra 1 by grade 8 with a C or higher, Algebra 2 by grade 11 with a C or higher, 3 on Advance Placement (AP) exam or a...
Funk: Career technical education should be a requirement
In East Side Union High School District (ESUHSD), we are committed to building capacity amongst all staff members to ensure equity and inclusion are essential principles of our school system. Specifically, we are building capacity to attain equitable ESUHSD communities where: All students are welcomed as they are; Strengths and areas of growth for all...