[CALIBK12] Awful news about CTAP Region 4 (was: Cancellation of June 4 CTAP Council Meeting)

[Thomas Kaun]

Hi, All.
This is really awful news and I'm sure other CTAP regions will be impacted
as well. We thought that the ACOE and the other Bay Area COEs would support
CTAP Region IV but it looks like that isn't going to happen. It will now be
up to each COE to support technology programs and the synergy that is
created when many hearts and brains are working together is going to be
lost. Taking a look at the list of CTAP-IV accomplishments and realizing
that the state is no longer going to support them is heartbreaking. It is
ironic that this is happening at the same time the legislature is
considering tech standards for education.
What a mess.
Tom

Thomas T. Kaun
Teacher Librarian
Bessie Chin Library @ Redwood High School
395 Doherty Drive, Larkspur, CA 94939
tomkaun at gmail.com | Library Web site: http://rhslibrary.org | Professional
development blog: http://tomlmt2.blogspot.com/ | Library news blog:
http://libraryleaves.blogspot.com

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jennifer Leung <jleung at acoe.org>
Date: Thu, Apr 23, 2009 at 10:18 AM
Subject: Cancellation of June 4 CTAP Council Meeting

 Dear Council Members:

Bonnie Marks and Micheline LeBlanc would like to notify you of the
cancellation of the June 4th CTAP Region IV council meeting.  At the
February meeting, council members discussed CTAP's placement in Tier 3 of
the new state budget.  Under the flexibility provisions in the educational
trailer bill (Senate Bill 4) of the 2009-10 Third Extraordinary Session
(SBX3 4), CTAP is one of many categorical programs for which districts can
use the funds in an unrestricted manner.   In CTAP Region IV, the seven
county superintendents of education made the decision to exercise this
flexibility.

Included below is the message that Alameda County Superintendent Sheila
Jordan sent out to the staff at the Alameda County Office of Education
regarding this decision, which will be finalized at a public hearing at the
ACOE board meeting on April 28th.

The staff at CTAP Region IV join Bonnie and Micheline in thanking you for
your role in guiding the project as a member of CTAP's Regional Council.
You've been invaluable to us in helping to shape the direction of CTAP's
work and evaluate the impact of CTAP services.

Beginning in July of 2009, CTAP Region IV will no longer operate as a
regional entity, although the seven county offices of education plan to
continue to work together collaboratively to support educational technology
in the districts they serve.

We appreciate your many years of support and assistance.

Bonnie Marks, Executive Director
Micheline LeBlanc, Program Director
CTAP Region IV
Alameda County Office of Education
313 W. Winton Ave.
Hayward, CA 94544


... Superintendent's message follows ....
-   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -
From: Sheila Jordan <Sheilaj at acoe.org>
Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2009 09:19:04 -0700
To: ACOE All Staff <ACOEAllStaff at acoe.org>
Subject: California Technology Assistance Project (CTAP)

Dear Staff,

It is with great regret that I announce a regional decision impacting our
COE to reorganize the California Technology Assistance Project (CTAP).  As
of July 1, 2009, under the provisions of Tier 3 in the state budget
legislation, CTAP Region IV will no longer operate as a regional entity
housed at the Alameda County Office of Education.  Instead, the funds will
be distributed to the seven county offices of education in the region to
provide these services at the county level.  We, here, at ACOE have been
honored to house and host this important program over the last 13 years.
I take this opportunity to review some of the accomplishments of the program
and to thank CTAP staff for their contributions.
Since 1996, the Alameda County Office of Education has operated Region IV of
the California Technology Assistance Project (CTAP), providing services and
resources to 90 districts in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Working in
conjunction with the county offices of education in Alameda, Contra Costa,
Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo and Solano, CTAP has supported the use
of technology to improve teaching and learning.
Under the direction of CTAP Executive Director Bonnie Marks and Program
Director Micheline LeBlanc, the members of the CTAP staff have provided:
* State leadership in the area of Cybersafety and Digital Citizenship,
including resources and professional development materials housed on the
CTAP IV website.
* An award winning website on technology resources supporting the teaching
of mathematics in middle school, and professional development to support the
use of those resources.
* Highly valued professional development and resources focused on 21st
century learning environments, including collaborative websites, online
communication tools, videoconferencing and mobile devices.
* Intensive support to school districts and charter schools in the
development of State Approved Technology Plans, enabling funding through
Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) grants, the K-12 Educational
Technology voucher program, and E-Rate.
* Innovative collaborations and partnerships with a number of entities,
including The California State Parks, the K12 High Speed Network, the George
Lucas Education Foundation, KQED, the University of California’s Calisphere
project, and the Oracle Education Foundation ThinkQuest program.
* Highly regarded support to districts in the selection of student
information and educational data analysis systems,  and professional
development for data-driven decision making
* Support and resources to help schools and districts garner funding for
educational technology, including the publication of the Technology Funding
Alert, which is distributed to all 11 CTAP regions in California.

Each County will now have the opportunity to use CTAP funds for educational
technology that best suits the needs of their districts. I know the
coordination of services and the sharing of resources will be sorely missed.
I thank each of the talented staff members for their contributions to
teachers and indirect support to students throughout our region. I extend my
appreciation and gratitude to Bonnie and Micheline for their consistent
leadership and advocacy in the region and at the state level.

Sheila Jordan
Alameda County Superintendent of Schools
313 W. Winton Avenue
Hayward, CA 94544-1198
Ph: (510) 670-4140
Fax: (510) 670-4101
sheilaj at acoe.k12.ca.us
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