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WINTER 2015
Measuring Progress
PALOS VERDES PENINSULA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Superintendent’s Message
The latest edition of Measuring Progress highlights
the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District’s
commitment to working as a single team or
‘One Hill.’ While this will be measured publicly
as the relationship between our comprehensive
high schools evolves, we are making significant
progress in developing a collaborative spirit
among all our schools.
As we improve our academic program, creating
a more consistent and coherent program allows
our schools to identify best practices. This
cohesion also allows PVPUSD to align human
and financial resources to increase efficiency
and provide services for our students in a more
fiscally responsible way.
VOLUME 27
High Schools on the Hill
Retool Their Rivalry
The principals and student leaders of
Palos Verdes High School and Palos Verdes
Peninsula High School are building a spirit
of collaboration and cooperation between
their two campuses.
It’s a departure of sorts for these two highly
competitive schools. But Palos Verdes High
School Principal Charles Park and Peninsula
High School Principal Mitzi Cress believe
that reimagining the relationship between
the schools will benefit all students.
“We have two high schools, but we’re one
hill and one community,” Cress emphasized.
Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School
District Superintendent Don Austin believes
that the vibrancy and health of the entire
district depends on the example set by its
two comprehensive high schools. Austin,
who started in PVPUSD’s superintendent
post last year, underscores the importance
of creating stronger partnerships among
the district’s 16 schools at every level.
“By working together and fostering stronger
bonds across all of our schools, PVPUSD
will become a world-class school district,”
Austin said.
High School Rivalry, continued back page
Joining us on this endeavor as a new member of
the PVPUSD Board of Education is Linda Reid.
Ms. Reid was selected as a provisional appointment
on the board after Erin LaMonte resigned to move
to Texas. Ms. Reid has provided valuable insight to
board discussions.
To keep current with PVPUSD’s daily progress, I
encourage community members to follow us on
Twitter at @DonAustin_PVP and @PVPschools.
Each school also has unique Twitter handles to
update the community.
Photo by Adrienne Sheh
Donald B. Austin, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools
austind@pvpusd.net
Palos Verdes High School and Palos Verdes Peninsula High School student leaders
meet at center court before the first boys’ basketball game between the two schools
this year. The principals and student leaders of both schools hope to encourage more
collaboration between the rival campuses.
Measuring Progress
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Student Spotlight
Rancho Vista Elementary School students in Ann
Bybee’s kindergarten class proudly show off their
astronaut helmets. The project marked the end of
a multi-disciplinary unit on the solar system, which
required kindergartners to research a planet and
work collaboratively to create a poster about that
planet. Students also authored a book and made
a collage about the solar system.
NON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATION
Attention: Residential Customer
High School Rivalry, continued front page
While some might liken the heated competition between
Palos Verdes and Peninsula to the historic Duke UniversityNorth Carolina University rivalry, Cress said she believes the
two schools can set the standard for a new type of rivalry.
“We’re Pen and P.V.,” Cress replied when asked to identify
schools that model the type of rivalry the PVPUSD schools
want to embody. “We’re unique.”
For more than a year now, Cress and Park have been
meeting on a regular basis to discuss education issues
and upcoming events. They often turn heads by sitting
with one another during district meetings. They also send
encouraging emails and, yes, tweets (social media messages
sent via Twitter) to support each other’s campus initiatives.
The principals have an easy rapport, which they say is
based on mutual respect and trust. In fact, Cress and Park
conducted the interview for this story together in Cress’
Peninsula High office.
Palos Verdes Peninsula High School Principal Mitzi Cress and Palos Verdes High
School Principal Charles Park meet regularly to share ideas and discuss upcoming
school events. They hope to change the spirit of the rivalry that exists between the
two high schools.
PEF Names New
Executive Director
PVPUSD Budget
Picture Brightens
The Peninsula Education Foundation (PEF)
hired Carolyn Niman as the nonprofit’s new
executive director Jan. 24.
The Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School
Board of Education is working to identify
programs and initiatives that it might fund
during the 2015-2016 school year using a
$1.8 million increase in state dollars.
Niman, whose two daughters are Palos
Verdes Peninsula Unified School District
(PVPUSD) graduates, served as PEF’s
longtime office administrator and is also a
former trustee. She replaces Andrea Sala
who is now leading the El Camino College
Foundation. PVPUSD is grateful to Sala for
her unwavering dedication to our district
and tireless fundraising efforts.
Meanwhile, PEF has reached more than
half of its $3.4 million fundraising goal for
2014-2015. The annual Skechers Pier to
Pier Friendship Walk held Oct. 26 raised
$185,000 for PVPUSD schools – that’s
$49,000 more than our 2013 total. PVPUSD
students and staff greatly appreciate the
community’s support.
The foundation allocates $1.5 million
annually to keep teachers in our classrooms
in addition to paying for elementary school
music and physical education teachers,
elementary school library staff, secondary
school counselors, high school College
and Career Center staff, and STEM (Science,
Technology, Engineering, Math) programs.
Carolyn Niman, PEF Executive Director
Contact PEF to support the foundation.
www.pvpef.org or 310.378.2278
Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget includes $4 billion
for public schools to fully implement the
Local Control Funding Formula – the new
school budgeting process. Statewide, the
average per-pupil funding increased by 8.7
percent or $675 from 2014-2015. The Palos
Verdes Peninsula Unified School District
(PVPUSD) is anticipating an increase of
about 7 percent or $475 per pupil or a total
of $4.9 million.
Lydia Cano, PVPUSD’s deputy superintendent of business services, credits the
improving economy for the education
budget increase. She said the district had
anticipated a $3.1 million funding boost and
has allocated those dollars for 2015-2016.
That means the board must determine what
priorities it will fund with the remaining $1.8
million in additional revenue.
The board, which adopts the final 2015-2016
budget June 25, also will consider how
to spend $2 million in unrestricted state
dollars. Gov. Brown has suggested that
school districts use the one-time funding
boost (which amounts to roughly $180 per
student) to help implement the Common
Core State Standards, the newly adopted
English Language Standards, or the Next
Generation Science Standards. Cano noted
that there is no time restriction limiting
when districts must spend those funds.
However, Cano stressed that the state
budget still does not address rising
employee retirement contribution
costs. Employer contribution costs for
both CalSTRS (California State Teachers
Retirement System) and CalPERS (California
Public Employee Retirement System) are
projected to double by 2020. PVPUSD
estimates that by 2016 its contribution
to both retirement systems combined
will climb by $1.9 million.
“Members of both staffs are recognizing that when we put
the brains of both schools together you get better results,”
Park said. “We tell our students to collaborate. We need to
model that kind of collaboration as well.”
For their part, student leaders on both campuses started to
make inroads to change the face of students’ relationships
as well. Palos Verdes High and Peninsula High school
student government and booster club leaders met the day
before the schools’ first boys’ basketball match-up this year.
Ian Sun, Peninsula High School’s Associated Student Body
president, said although they attend different schools now,
many of the high schools’ leaders went to intermediate
school and elementary school together so they’re able to
use those friendships to build healthier relationships. Sun
said he hopes the schools’ future student leaders will be able
to carry on the tradition of meeting prior to rivalry games.
Hannah Stapleton, Palos Verdes High School’s Associated
Student Body president, said that during the meeting
students from both schools agreed to cheer for their
own teams rather than shout negative taunts about their
opponents.
Before the game’s tip-off on Jan. 27, student leaders and
booster clubs members from both schools met at center
court and exchanged hugs, handshakes, and high-fives.
They also made brief remarks, which they prepared
together, to spectators emphasizing that they were united
as students in the Palos Verdes community.
Stapleton said by starting off the game as friends, during the
game there was less tension, but she added: “It’s still a rivalry.
We want to beat them and they definitely want to beat us.”
Cress and Park don’t want to water down the level of
competition between the two schools on the field either.
Both proudly wear their school’s colors and talk with pride
about their schools’ students. Rather, the principals say they
hope to change the tenor of the competition between Palos
Verdes and Peninsula.
Following the Jan. 27 boys’ basketball game between
Palos Verdes and Peninsula high schools, Park said he
was approached in the parking lot by Peninsula’s panther
mascot. Since Palos Verdes High lost the game, Park said he
was unsure what the student carrying the panther mascot
head by his side might say.
“Dr. Park,” Peninsula High student Jarred Dahlerbruch said, “I
just want to thank you for a great game.”
After sharing that story, Cress and Park nodded at one
another and smiled. There were no losers following the
game that night after all.
“We have two high schools,
but we’re one hill and one
community.”
Mitzi Cress, Principal
Palos Verdes Peninsula High School
Follow Mitzi Cress on Twitter @CressPenhi.
Follow Charles Park on Twitter @CharlesParkPVHS.