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School Site Council make-up does not comply with state law

By Satvika Iyer

The School Site Council (SSC) at MHS is out of compliance with California law because student and teacher members were not elected by their respective peers, Interim Principal Charles Gary, Jr. said.

California Education Code Section 65000 stipulates that “a school that operates a program that requires a School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA), pursuant to Section 64001, shall establish a schoolsite council.”

District plans to open MHS extension at Innovation Campus in fall 2024. Project still needs $25 million

By Savan Bollu

The MHS extension at the Innovation Campus is tentatively scheduled to open in the fall of 2024, Executive Director of Learning and Innovation Priti Johari said. The extension will expand career pathway programs for high schoolers and alleviate overcrowding at MHS, Johari said. The facility will also house Calaveras Hills High School, the Milpitas Adult Education Program, a community college extension, and the district offices, she added.

The Innovation Campus will be completed in three phases; the target date for completion of the third phase is fall 2025, Superintendent Cheryl Jordan said. The district successfully passed Bond Measure AA in 2018, which allocated $66.8 million to develop the Innovation Campus, according to the MUSD website. However, the district still needs $25 million to complete the Inno - vation

“We couldn’t predict in 2018, when we calculated the amount of money that we needed, that we were going to go through a pandemic, and there would be a gas shortage and drought and all these other things that drove the costs up more than 50%,” School Board President Chris Norwood said.

MUSD has been talking to local legislators like Ro Khanna and asking corporations for donations to cover the costs, Norwood said. The district is not very interested in asking taxpayers for more funding when it could be used for other resources, he added.

“Currently, we have applied for matching bond dollars from the state, and we expect to get around $12 to $13 million,” Jordan said. “The board and I have been working very diligently to get business partners as well as institutes of higher education interested in supporting and becoming partners. For example, one is KLA. This is the third year of their three-year agreement and they’ve done $750,000 in exchange for naming rights of the STEAM lab.”

The Innovation Campus will have a capacity for around 500 MHS students, Norwood said. Other programs at the campus include an early education research center and a workforce development center, he added. The Innovation Campus will have local-industry-related programming like manufacturing, environmental science, biotechnology, and virtual design, he said.

“We’re looking to partner with businesses in the city to provide internships, apprenticeships, summer jobs, job fairs, and those types of things for our MUSD students,” Norwood said.

Teachers from MHS will relocate to the Innovation Campus upon completion, though details are still being planned out, Nor-

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SBAC opt-outs lead to lower school rating

By Varun Ravuri

The number of student opt-outs for the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) test at MHS increased significantly last year, impacting MUSD school ratings, Assistant Principal Amanda Gross said.

According to the California School Dashboard, MHS is rated currently as “very low” for English language arts (ELA) and “low” for mathematics.

The participation rates for the ELA and mathematics portions of the 2022 SBAC exam were 59% and 57%, respectively, according to the California Department of Education’s website. In 2018 – the last year for which the participation report is available on the website – the participation rates were 95% and 94%, respectively.

“The school and district seem like they have not made the gains that we potentially have in the last few years because our parent exemptions went in as the lowest score possible per individual,”

Gross said.

In order to promote SBAC testing and improve scores, various courses of action such as practice tests and homeroom activities have been planned to be set in place to better prepare juniors, Gross said.

“There will be a letter that … we send out electronically to both parents and students via ParentSquare about the test itself and the need to take it,” Gross said.

In the past, having access to a larger number of student scores allowed the English department to utilize them to decide what novels and skills to focus on, and help plan out curriculum, English teacher Heidi Shannahan said.

“When we used these tests every year (to measure progress), we could know what kind of class a particular student should be placed in, and a group of scores helped determine where they were at at the end of the year,” Shannahan said.

However, to improve prepara- tion for such standardized tests and further encourage students, she believes teachers and the state should work together more. on establishing and applying state standards in accordance in what is taught at school, and make the common core expectations more clear, which can boost scores, Shannahan said.

“There does not seem to be a direct correlation between what is being taught in the classroom and what they kids are being asked to do (on the SBAC tests),” Shannahan said.

Other than knowing how they compare to their peers and other students in the state, the SBAC test does not particularly benefit test takers and is not reflected on transcripts, and there is no other motive for students to take it and do well, Shannahan said.

Students tend to opt out because they “may feel that it allows for more time to study for AP tests, some students would like

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“The SPSA is designed, implemented, and monitored by the SSC to ensure that the LCFF (Local Control Funding Formula) funds are being spent effectively to support the school’s improvement efforts to attain the highest possible levels of teaching and learning at the school,” according to MHS’ website.

For a secondary school, California Education Code says that the SSC should consist of the principal or a principal designee, teachers, non-teacher school personnel, parents, and students, all chosen by their peers.

At one of the SCC meetings this school year, only two teachers and two students were present, and none of them were elected, Gary said.

“The two students there left the meeting right after they finished their report, before we had even begun to review the SPSA,”Gary said.

Associated Student Body (ASB) class commissioners are appointed to the role of SSC representa-

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State deficit could impact MUSD

By Erick Johnson

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced an expected deficit for California’s state budget for the upcoming 2023 fiscal year on Jan. 10, causing concern over possible cuts to education funding across the state, according to reporter Sophia Bollag from the San Francisco Chronicle. If this shortfall were to happen, school districts will be forced to revisit their budgets, Bollag reported.

While no immediate budget cuts are expected, the district nevertheless prepares for such a contingency, Chief Business Officer Wendy Zhang said. The district is aware that most of its funding comes from the state, she said.

“We have a budget of approximately $174 million,” superintendent Cheryl Jordan said. “We get the bulk of our funding from the state in the form of the Local Control Funding Formula.”

The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) and excess property taxes are responsible for adding $111 million to the budget, and that accounts for approximately 75% of the budget this school year, according to Zhang’s Approved Operating Budget (AOB). The remainder of the budget comes from local, state, and federal revenues, according to the AOB. Of the $111 million from the LCFF, $57.4 million came from local taxes, while the rest was granted by the state as aid, Zhang said.

“(Funding is) based on the number of students who are English learners, from low-income backgrounds, (or) might be at risk of homelessness or foster youth,” Jordan said. “The district gets additional funding dollars the higher that percentage of our population is, which is about 32% right now.”

Overall, MUSD had a revenue of $150 million and would have spent $165 million, according to the AOB. MUSD has been forced to pull money from several of its reserves to compensate for this loss, Zhang said. If the state or federal government were forced to reduce budgeting for school districts, MUSD would not be immediately affected, but will eventually have to begin saving money, Zhang added.

“We can encourage attendance across the district,” Zhang said. “Attendance across MUSD is at 96%, and if it increases just one percent more, that can result in the district receiving one million dollars.”

Beyond that, if the district disciplines itself in its spendings, it will face no problems, Zhang said.

Take SBAC to secure better community future

Last school year, an unprecedented number of students opted out of the annual Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) exams, offered through the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) System. For the English Language Arts (ELA) exam, 197 out of 714 students opted out of the exam; for the mathematics exam, 310 students opted out, according to https://caaspp-elpac. ets.org.

Compared to the 2018-2019 school year, this was roughly a 55% increase in opt-outs for the ELA exam and more than a 146% increase for the mathematics exam. Since MHS collectively only was able to attain a 71% testing rate, which is under the 95% threshold set by the state, MHS has been given a “low performance” rating on the California School Dashboard. Students should be concerned with these numbers because choosing to not take the test means you are preventing the school from receiving as much performance data as they could. SBAC data is important for your parents, teachers, and administrators because it provides them with a clear picture of what they could be doing better and ensure learning standards set by local educational agen -

Mandate preventative education on substance use

cies, the state of California, and the nation.

Especially for students who are considering taking the SAT or ACT exam, taking the SBAC in your junior year can be helpful in ensuring that your test-taking nerves are completely gone before you embark on the three-hour test.

Beyond moral obligations, the SBAC also plays another important role in property values. A major concern is if large numbers of students continue opting out of exams and the school’s low-performing status persists over a long period of time, prospective home buyers will be discouraged from living in the city and sending their child to the school district. According to realtor. com, homes in top performing school districts receive 42% more views compared to ones in low performing school districts. While it won’t affect your college admissions, it is up to you to ensure the continued success of our school and city. Even if one is on-the-fence on taking the SBAC exams due to, say, pure laziness, or maybe they would rather not go through the stress of taking a 3 hour long test, for the future health of our school and community, students should do their part in ensuring a brighter future for all.

Con

Standardized testing should stay in the past

Every April, the junior class spends three days taking the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) exam. After about 310 MHS students opted out of it last year, according to the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress’ website, we must consider whether the SBAC, and standardized testing as a whole, is truly necessary. Standardized testing ignores a simple truth about people: we are all unique. How can you create a test that is meant to be fair to an entire population?

According to an article written by UCLA professor James Popham,“Many items on standardized achievement tests really focus on assessing skills learned outside of school —skills more likely to be learned in specific socioeconomic settings.”

It has long been known that there is a direct correlation between wealth and students’ academic achievement, especially standardized test scores, according to “Gentrification and Student Achievement,” a study by Justin Joseph Ward and published by Portland State University. When students have money, they’re more likely to do well on these tests because they have access to resources that others don’t. California School Dashboard reports that around 31% of MHS students are economically disadvantaged. The SBAC uses how well a student does on the test to make a judgment on

As opioids continue to take students’ lives nationwide, schools stocking up on Narcan, a nasal spray that can reverse the deadly effects of opioids, isn’t enough without crucial health education. While reported drug use continues to decrease in Santa Clara County, according to the Population Reference Bureau, overdoses are rising. The sheer strength of illegally distributed synthetic opioids significantly contributes to this harrowing statistic. The risks of synthetic opioids must be discussed in schools and the community.

Fentanyl is a highly addictive synthetic opioid and the leading cause of drug-related deaths in California’s young people aged 15-24, according to EdSource. The opioid is 50 to 100 times stronger than heroin, and drug dealers often add the substance to opioid prescription drugs like Adderall, Percocet, and Oxycodone. Cutting these drugs with fentanyl for higher chances of their clients returning is a fatal economic incentive many dealers exercise. Most overdoses are accidental, with just two milligrams of fentanyl being fatal, demonstrating how threatening these substances can be in our schools and community. Change must begin with mandated education along with a preventative and caring approach to drug use rather than one based on stigma and punishment. family engagement programs, according to the Santa Clara County Department of Behavior Health Services. School-wide measures must be in the form of support, not outsouring.

SATVIKA IYER

As overdoses rise in neighboring counties, administration and teachers will soon be able to receive Narcan training, according to Assistant Principal Jennifer Hutchison. Still, MHS is among the majority of schools in California where education on addiction and the risks of substance use, is optional. Furthermore, students struggling with drug use are often met with suspension and connected to School-Linked Services, which connects students to

Additions to the school like social-emotional learning can have an immense impact. However, MHS does not currently have any active dialogue on the dangers of drug use, let alone fentanyl. Although creating a connection betweenthe student body and administration is already tricky, the lack of strategy other than possible Narcan training is terri

In an anonymous survey administered by The Union, 47% of the 150 student-respondents did not know what fentanyl was. As vital health education takes on the role of an elective or a hasty addition to physical education, what could be a powerful tool is now too little too late.

Student-to-counselor imbalance hurts outcomes

Guidance counselors provide key services such as creating four-year plans, mapping college and career paths, and providing a safe space for students to talk about personal struggles. However, our school’s astronomical student-to-counselor ratio inhibits counselors from helping students.

The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommends a 250:1 student-to-counselor ratio, but the MHS average is 533:1, or 355:1 including college and career, ELD, special education, and academies counselors.

an entire school while ignoring broader issues.

ricular activities — on top of attaching a resume. In short, it’s a form designed for counselors to understand strangers, not students that they’ve known for four years. The fault doesn’t lie with the counselors, but with a system that hires six guidance counselors for a school with over 3,000 students.

DAVID RENDON

Moreover, standardized testing has a troubling history with racism, writes John Rosales in an article written for the National Education Association. Although the overt racism has been toned down in standardized testing, traces of it are still found today — the worst part is it’s seemingly intentional. Educator Young Whan Choi said in “How to Address Racial Bias in Standardized Testing” that “test designers rely on questions which assume background knowledge more often held by White, middle-class students...depends on these kinds of biased questions in order to create a wide range of scores.” According to the 2020-2021 MHS School Accountability Report Card, about 96% MHS students are racial minorities. Standardized tests, including the SBAC, aren’t made with our student body in mind, and it’s not right that we take them.

While proponents of the SBAC may argue that it’s important that people take it or else their school will be labeled “low-performing” as MHS now is. However, this label largely affects housing prices, and students aren’t responsible for something like keeping the price of homes high.

Standardized testing is inherently flawed and we can’t let it be the determining factor of a school’s success. Students shouldn’t take a test that does them no good.

The overwhelming number of students assigned to each counselor makes it difficult to form meaningful relationships necessary to guide students through high school. The hefty “Letter of Recommendation Counselor Packet” college applicants fill out is the perfect example — it includes questions that serve as essay prompts and asks students to describe in detail each of their extracur -

Moreover, the ratio puts the burden on students to reach out to their counselors, which can prevent those who need the most help from getting it. While an academically drivenstudent might be inclined to regularly schedule meetings, a struggling student may not take that initiative. The ASCA finds that “(s)tudents of color & low-income families are shortchanged, receive unequal access to school counselors when there are too few.”

The resolution is straightforward: MHS needs to hire more guidance and mental health counselors. The ASCA finds

RIYA VYAS

that lower student-to-counselor ratios increase standardized test performances, attendance, and GPA, while reducing behavioral issues. To narrow counselors’ caseloads, MHS should take inspiration from the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and hire more counselors with specialized skills, such as psychologists and social workers, making them available to everyone, not just to those that demonstrate a significant need. Taking advantage of local, state, and federal funding and prioritizing student services, the LAUSD brought its student-to-counselor ratio down to 240:1, according to senior EdSurge reporter Emily Sullivan.

Ultimately, lowering the student-to-counselor ratio will create a more equitable environment, cultivate deeper relationships, and ensure all MHS students are set to prosper.

Paying for extra credit poses ethical dilemma

Extra credit assignments present opportunities for students to go above and beyond their class’s current curriculum and expand their knowledge while granting a small bump to their grades. For example, any English teachers award extra credit to students who attend and analyze school plays. The students are not only granted a grade boost but enjoy a showing of youth talent while supporting the school’s Theater Department. However, the innocuous idea of rewarding students for transcending academic expectations is jeopardized by teachers’ need for school supplies and their conflicting moral obligations.

The district does not supply teachers with a sufficient amount of resources for their classes. Teachers then turn to students for basic classroom supplies, as it is financially unreasonable for them to carve a chunk out of their own paycheck to address the district’s inability to provide basic classroom necessities. A single ream of copy paper from Staples can cost up to $15, and a six-pack of Kleenex tissues, $33.99. Thus, teachers have turned to offer extra credit points in exchange. This practice is unethical, as it provides zero educational knowledge to students and only allows those who are financially well-off to essentially buy boosts to their GPA. Tissues are especially in need amidst this time of the pandemic.

Another problem arose when the 2022 Jack Emery Drive had a slow start this year, with donations falling drastically short of ASB’s goal of $22,000. However, the number of donations shot up exponentially after the school encouraged teachers to motivate students to donate. Some teachers rewarded students who donated bulk amounts of cans and cash with extra credit points. Rewarding students who can afford to go beyond their budget to aid their grades is unfair and undermines bona fide altruism, as most students likely did not donate out of heartfelt compassion, but to inflate their grades. The solution to the shortage of school supplies is simple: the district must allocate more funds to classroom supplies, specifically copy paper and boxes of tissues. Extra credit can then be turned into assignments related to course material. Some teachers offer to change the format of final exams to classes that donate a set amount of cans, but that does not eliminate the problem. Instead, incentives must be thought out thoroughly and discussed with the school or district ensure all students have the same chance and opportunities to improve their grades while strengthening their passion for subjects. Teachers should not throw away the idea of extra credit as a whole, for some classes are not survivable without them. Still, they should level the academic playing field with course-related assignments rather than incentivized donations.