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

Fri Apr 24 07:30:07 PDT 2009

To which legislative, governmental and educational policy audiences do you
suggest I direct my communication about this unfortunate decision? I want to
get the message to the right folks at the right levels. This is tragic as
CTAP is one of the few reliable technology training opportunities we have
access to. We can't "buy" these resources with our small, grossly
underfunded district's dismal budget outlook for over the next two years.
Our teachers need this training resource now more than ever.
--Sue Beckmeyer
  Pacifica School District

On Thu, Apr 23, 2009 at 10:39 AM, Thomas Kaun <tomkaun at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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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