Superintendents breakfast

Dr. Ted Martinez led a discussion with members of the Rio Hondo staff and local Whittier superintendents on ways to better prepare students for the transition into college culture on Nov. 10.

Once everyone had a plate of food and sat down the conversation immediately turned to the fiscal restraints that all California schools have recently been facing. Many educators have taken pay cuts and shortened schedules.

"The budget continues to be a challenge," said Loring Davies, assistant superintendent to the Whittier Union School District.

"We have taken a three percent pay cut and instruction reduction, but student achievement continues to improve."

The conversation went around the table and Dr. Joe Gillentine, the Whittier City School District Superintendent, brought up his idea to start an arts foundation for his schools that will take effect in the spring.

He said that without it the Whittier City District would lose its art programs and he eventually would like it to become a Whittier area arts foundation.

In depth ideas regarding bussing K-12 students to Rio Hondo for classes in art and music were discussed with Joanna Downey, the Dean of Arts and Culture.

"The future is going to belong to the creative person," said Downey "we need to be teaching creative concepts and understanding abstract contents," she continued.

Bussing students to Rio would help the younger students become acclimated to college life and showing them that higher education is very much within their reach.

Student success in basic skills was also a heavily discussed topic. Superintendents were urged to focus on transition because many students who enter the college are unable to assess into college level math, reading, and English classes.

Dr. Robert Holcomb, the Assistant Dean of Basic Skills suggested strengthening existing programs such as tutoring and assessments along with professional development opportunities for faculty members.

Dr. Martinez stated that "It is all district's responsibility to keep together to address the transition. It's our obligation to make it more successful."

The last item of business was a presentation of a new education social networking website called the Clic Network (http://www.theclic.net). The site is intended for students ranging from age 13 to graduate school.

Students fill out a profile and are automatically matched with college resources that are available to them.

The mission of the website is to show them that higher education is available to them and to get students out of college successfully.

Rio Hondo College urges students to visit the Clic site and learn what resources are available to them.