By Brandon Yung
Staff Writer
Photo by Brandon Yung
Principal Janet Anderson, along with the four other principals for South Pasadena’s middle and elementary schools, presented plans to boost student achievement during a school board meeting held at the district office on Tuesday, January 12. The Single Plan For Student Achievement proposal, or SPSA for short, highlighted goals for the 2015-2016 school year. The plan was approved by the school board and sent to the Department of Education for finalization.
An approved and implemented SPSA is required in order to receive funding as mandated by the California Education Code. The 2015-2016 plan, developed by Anderson for the high school, sets to improve programs that help prepare students for college or other post-high school opportunities. The plan sets to achieve these goals through utilizing online learning tools, increasing SBAC (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium) test participation, and potentially making first year Pasadena City College or California State University classes available for students. The plan also includes providing support for underachieving students in an effort to curb discrepancies in achievement between these groups and their counterparts. The plan was approved by the board, and was sent to the state governing board for approval on the night of the meeting.
The SPSA was approved unanimously, however, the most talked-about topic of the night surrounded the Mission Place Development Project. The project looks to turn the 1.25 acres of the district office’s parking lot into commercial space and rental housing. An environmental impact report was presented to the public, covering some of the details of the development. Public input was allowed, which lasted almost an hour. Every member of the public who spoke was against the development of the area into commercial space.
Look out for more coverage of the Mission Place project in Tiger’s next print issue, coming out on February 2.
