Jose Banda

So far, an interesting person.  Here's a link to a YouTube video when Anaheim was named District of the Year by a math company MIND (that uses visual learning tools). 

Other items to note:
  • He was a finalist to be the in Broad Superintendent Academy in 2010 but either didn't go or didn't get selected.
  • 24 schools in Anaheim (now the 10th largest city in California and home of Disneyland), 15 of them been modernized or newly constructed.  He's been through capital bond/levy measures.
  • It appears that some of their schools are year-round schools.
  • Results from the 2011 California Standards Test (CST) showed that overall student performance in the district made significant gains, translating into large increases on the Academic Performance Index (API). The overall District API is 773, just 27 points shy of the state’s benchmark of 800. Several schools individually met that mark including Clara Barton, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Benito Juarez and Alexander J. Stoddard. In addition, 19 of 23 schools met their schoolwide API target in 2011 compared to 14 of 24 in 2010. Compared to state averages, ACSD’s API growth of 18 points is more than double that of the state. 
     
  •  Banda in 2010 on RTTT money: "The board and staff articulated agreement in concept with most of the requirements in the (Race to the Top) grant, but the ambiguity in some of those requirements, unknown funding level, unclear exit strategy and rushed timeline made it difficult for approval," Banda said.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Do I read between the lines that he might not be a Borg? And that he might think the RTTT process is bunk? Start digging.

Mr White
mirmac1 said…
Yay! Lovin' that diss of RTTT! That shows some chutzpah or cajones, whatever. Little nervous about the K-5 only though. I think MS and HS is when it really gets sticky.
Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Michael H said…
"Banda is not popular with the staff in Anaheim."

Now there is a valid reason to not hire somebody - he isn't liked by some of the people that work for him. Well BOO HOO. Name one boss/manager/supervisor out there that is liked by ALL their employees.

"My way or the highway." Sounds like you've never had an actual job where people in positions above you can actually TELL YOU what to do.
Anonymous said…
Just read the article in ST. What is most disheartening and telling sign of the time these days is in the ST's comment section. Oh boy. Full of regional NIMBYism, vestige of racism, sexism, anti-union, & anti-gay talk. I realize you can't take much of it seriously, but talk about incivility and divisivenes. We all can be on the Jerry Springer show now.

Hopefully, our candidates can filter all this noise with humor.

-wearing ear muff
Jan said…
wearing ear muff --

I have found that the only appropriate response to the ST comments is to just avoid them altogether. I occasionally venture there if the item is an opinion piece (like Lynn Varner's), just to see if other readers find her pieces as dreadfully misinformed and illogical as I do (and I only do this because I usually find what I want). Of if it is an ed article, and I know that Melissa, Charlie, or someone else on this blog has posted and want to see what argument(s) they made. But otherwise -- it is a pretty awful place. People are regularly referred to as "morons" and "pos"s. Commenters frequently fantasize what THEY would do to an alleged criminal -- or what will happen to them in prison. Ugh. If I were involved in any story or were advising someone who is the subject of a story -- my first advice would be -- don't go there. Don't even think of it. Hopefully, our candidates will not go there at all. If I had access to them -- I would entreat them not to. I realize all these people must be out there somewhere (not all in Seattle, mind you, or even in Washington), but the ST comment section is totally unlike the Seattle (or the world) I know, and the people in it.

That said -- I support the ST's position in having open comments, and in doing very little censoring. I just don't choose to expose myself to that stuff very often.
Watching said…
Anaheim has a Citizen Oversight Committee:

http://anaheim.schoolinsites.com/?PN=Pages&SubP=Level1Page&L=1&DivisionID=4092&PageID=11015&ToggleSideNav=ShowAll

Cool.
Charlie Mas said…
Yeah. Welcome to Seattle's citizen oversight committee.

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