Piedmont Pulse

January 29, 2024

Dear PUSD Families:

In this week’s edition of the Piedmont Pulse, I will be sharing information about the following topics:

1. Substitute Teacher/Volunteer Sign-Up

2. Update on 1/15 Budget Study Session - Reductions

3. Open Enrollment
   

In partnership,

Jennifer Hawn, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Parents, given APT has voted to authorize a union strike, we are now planning for this possibility. If APT does decide to engage in a union strike, we are going to need all of the substitute teachers and volunteers we can get. Of course, we will hire as many as possible. However, if you are interested in serving in either of these roles, please complete the sign-up form linked HERE.

I recognize that you may have many questions before you can commit to serving as a substitute teacher or volunteer, and we will do everything we can to inform you of the details as early as possible if APT does engage in a strike. However, for now, we could really use help in planning to do everything we can to keep our schools open if there is a union strike.

If you are interested in serving, we would love to hear from you by 2/2/24. After we get a baseline set of responses, we will reach out to you with more information. Thank you for your consideration.

Thank you to those of you who were able to attend last week’s budget study session, including many others who wrote to me with questions or ideas. Below is a recap of last week’s Budget Study Session #2:

• The Why - Budget adjustments are needed in order to afford the compensation proposal to staff (2% this year, 4% next year, and 3% in the third year).

• The Amount - Staff recommended $2.384M in budget adjustments.

• The Type - Budget adjustments included reductions and revenue enhancements, for a total savings of $2.384M.

• The Process - Staff organized recommendations according to Tiers: Tier 1 reflects the least amount of student impact; Tier 2 reflects low student impact; Tier 3 reflects some student impact. Staff also provided recommendations that reflect a proportional reduction for each labor unit. That is, we were careful to avoid reducing one group far more than others.

• The Outcome - The Board gave staff direction to pursue all of the recommendations, and asked staff to add another $520K in reductions. The reason for the $520K amount is that it reflects the amount of projected revenue enhancements. That is, if the revenue enhancements do not come through, the budget will still include enough to fund the compensation increases, and perhaps more if we can build revenue.

The presentation deck is linked HERE. If you have ideas on how we can adjust our budget without compromising our outstanding student programs, we would be interested in your ideas. Feel free to share with us HERE.

PUSD Enrollment for 2024-25 School Year Opened January 9th

The Piedmont Unified School District (PUSD) opened enrollment for the 2024-25 school year on January 9. Enrollment for TK-12 is for current PUSD resident families with new children entering the district, and/or for new Piedmont resident families enrolling their child for the first time. Families are required to upload proof of residency, birth certificate or passport, immunization records and TB risk assessment. Visit the District’s Enrollment section for more information. Links to enroll for the 2024-25 school year are active on the apply page as of January 9, and we encourage families to enroll right away.

Families with children turning five years of age between September 2, 2024 and June 2, 2025, are eligible for the District’s TK program for the 2024-25 school year. Visit the District website for more information about the TK program.

Visit the California Department of Education’s website for more information about Kindergarten in California. After reviewing the Enrollment section, if you have questions, please contact one of the school offices:

Beach: Sarah Schaaf - 510-594-2666, sschaaf@piedmont.k12.ca.us

Havens: Melanie Reed - 510-594-2680, mreed@piedmont.k12.ca.us

Wildwood: Christine Petersen/Jennifer Davidhazy - 510-594-2780, wildwoodoffice@piedmont.k12.ca.us

PMS: Caryn Palliser - 510-594-2669, cpalliser@piedmont.k12.ca.us

PHS: Darlene Low - 510-594-2646, dlow@piedmont.k12.ca.us

Families seeking information about inter-district transfers should check the Non-Resident Transfers page.

Black History Month - The California Department of Education and Piedmont Unified School District celebrate Black History Month annually in February. We celebrate our Black students, staff, and families this month and ALWAYS!

School Counseling Week - The California Department of Education and Piedmont Unified School District celebrate our school counselors February 5-9th during National School Counseling Week. We celebrate our counselors during this week and ALWAYS!

California Healthy Kids Survey - Piedmont Unified School District will participate in the California Healthy Kids Survey beginning February 2, 2024. More information, including survey questions, can be found on the District website.

Piedmont Pulse Updates - Please note that I will be sending out Piedmont Pulse newsletter every other week. Archived Piedmont Pulse Newsletters are linked HERE

PEF - The Giving Campaign - The Giving Campaign officially ended in December; however, you can still give. We are grateful to our community for their support of our outstanding teachers and programs. If you are able to give, go HERE.

Piedmont Portal - For all of the latest school and community events, please visit the Piedmont Portal linked HERE

LCAP Kickoff Meeting - The process to develop the next LCAP as part of our Strategic Plan begins on January 30th at 5:30PM in person at the PHS Library. Join us!

Donate for Absences - Parents, please remember that if your child needs to be out of school, you can submit payment HERE for the lost revenue. Each day that a student is out of school (for any reason, including illness) means a loss of revenue in the following amounts per day: TK-3rd Grade = $61.32; 4th-6th Grade = $56.39; 7th-8th Grade = $58.06; 9th-12th Grade = $61.20. This is invitational, of course.

Witter Field Renovation Project Updates - For updates on the Witter Field Renovation Project, please go to our Facilities page on our PUSD website.

Community Pool Construction Update - Safety measures around the Community Pool Project construction site on Magnolia Ave. across from PHS/MHS are currently in effect. Visit the City of Piedmont's website for details.

Work for PUSD - PUSD is seeking candidates for a variety of positions. Visit the District's Edjoin page for a complete list of jobs available and to apply online.

Substitutes Needed - Support students while earning up to $200/day. PUSD seeking substitute teachers for the 2023-24 school year. Visit the District's EdJoin page for more information and to apply.

Follow PUSD - Please read our school newsletters sent out weekly for update to date information. The District Facebook (@piedmontunified), Twitter (@piedmontunified), Instagram (@piedmontusd) and Threads (@piedmontusd@threads) pages are active.

Email: communication@piedmont.k12.ca.us
Website: www.piedmont.k12.ca.us
Location: 760 Magnolia Avenue, Piedmont, CA, USA
Phone: 510-594-2600