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Monday, November 30, 2015
First 5 Amador - December 2015
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
California's Support for K-12 Education Ranks Low - Webinar this Thurs Nov 19
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| GET UPDATES | FORWARD | VISIT OUR WEBSITE |
| November 17, 2015 |
| California’s Support for K-12 Education Ranks Low by Almost Any Measure |
A new Budget Center fact sheet shows that California K-12 spending lags the nation using nearly any measure of school funding. California ranks 42nd among all states and the District of Columbia in K-12 spending per student, based on a new Budget Center analysis that adjusts the most recent spending figures for differences in states' costs of living. The fact sheet also shows that California ranks at or near the bottom in other key measures, such as K-12 spending as a share of the economy and the number of K-12 students per teacher. Read the fact sheet.
Don't Miss Our Webinar Briefing This Thursday
The Budget Center will hold a briefing on its analysis of California's support for K-12 schools this Thursday, November 19, from 2:00 to 2:30 p.m. PT. Senior Policy Analyst Jonathan Kaplan will highlight the Budget Center's findings and discuss what they say about the need for California to boost K-12 spending over the long term.
This briefing is open to the public as well as to the media. Register here.
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Monday, November 16, 2015
Amador Community College Foundation - Thurs Nov 19
Please note that our last 2015 ACCF Board Meeting is Thursday, November 19 at 2:30 PM in Conference Room C of the County Administrative Offices. Attached [below] you will find the agenda for that meeting as well as minutes from the October 15 meeting.
Amador Community College Foundation
REGULAR
MEETING AGENDA
DATE: Thursday,
November 19, 2015
LOCATION: 810 Court
Street, Jackson, CA Conference
Room #C
TIME: 2:30 PM Open Session of Regular Meeting of ACCF –
Public welcome
Discussion/Action Items
1)
Public
Comment: Public welcome and introductions. At this time the Board will hear comments
from the public.
2)
Organization:
Discussion and Possible Action to Approve
a)
Karen: request for approval of October 15th minutes – action
item
b)
Russ: Report on bank balances
c)
Angelica: report on accounts payable
d)
Karen: Strategic Planning Meeting Details
i)
Survey
ii)
Dinner selection
3) Curriculum Access: Discussion and Possible
Action to Approve
a)
Matt/Janice: Update on Amador Learning Center activities
4) Partnerships: Discussion and Possible Action
to Approve
a) Ken: report on
research questions re MOU with Victory Village
b) Frank: proposal
from Volcano Communications Group re space and equipment
5)
Marketing/Finance/Fundraising: Discussion and Possible Action to Approve
a)
Angelica/Karen: review of revenue and expenses from gala 2015
b)
Wyman: review of 2015 gala and suggestions for improvement
c)
Wyman: report on discussion with Jim Guidi of KVGC
d)
Karen: report on Teichert approval of grant revision
Committee Member Initiatives (Non agenda items reported/Suggested by members)
ADJOURNMENT: Until Thursday, January
21, 2016 at 4:00 PM at Lone Wolf Private Dining Room – closed session for
strategic planning.
____________________________________
Amador
Community College Foundation Meeting Minutes
October 15, 2015
Karen Dickerson called the regular public meeting of the Amador
Community College Foundation to order on October
15, 2015 in Conference Room A of the
County Administrative Office at 2:34 PM.
Roll call:
Board
Members Present:
Paul Molinelli, Chair
Karen Dickerson, Secretary
Angelica Ervin
Lynn Morgan
Ken Centanni
Janice Davis
Frank Leschinsky
John Plasse, Ex officio
Wyman
Dickerson, Public
Susan
Allred, Human Resources Consulting
1.
Public comment: Introductions were made around
the table.
2.
Organization:
a. Karen requested approval of September 24 minutes. Janice moved.
Ken seconded. Motion passed
unanimously.
b. Karen reported that the bank balance at El Dorado
Savings showed an ending balance of $40,729.66 on October 15.
c.
Angelica
reported on accounts payables for the period of September 16 through October 15. See attached reports.
d. Karen presented the attached proposal for strategic
plan facilitation submitted by Rosalie Escamilla. Consultant will provide the following
services for a fee of $400 (substantially reduced rate):
i.
Examine
background and processes of ACCF
ii.
Prepare and
facilitate January board meeting
iii.
Preparation of a
summary report
Discussion
ensued. Board members requested the
consultant prepare a survey to administer to the board confidentially on areas
of concern including, sustainable funding, partnerships with business, grant
seeking, and other topics. Lynn moved,
seconded by Janice to accept the proposal for strategic plan facilitation with
the addition of the Board Survey. Motion
passed unanimously.
3.
Curriculum
Access:
a.
Matt presented the attached report on
learning center activities. Highlights
include: 59 walk-in clients were served,
6 assessments were given, 4 initial meetings with coordinator, 7 new
enrollments for a total of 76 registered students. He reported on a new meeting structure for
the monthly MHSA cohort meetings.
Students in the program will rotate leading the meetings thereby
insuring the meetings focus on student needs and concerns. A Facebook page was created specifically for
use by MHSA students so they can have a communication mechanism for questions
and answers between meetings.
b.
Janice presented the slate of iTV
classes that were selected by committee to offer for Spring 2016. See attached.
She indicated the basis on which the classes were selected mostly due to
program constraints. Classes need to be
selected that did not require: proctors for assessments, staffing after 7:00 PM,
or Thursday use of the ACTC conference room.
It was suggested that we take up the offer for radio advertising
proposed by Jim Guidi of KVGC. The plan
would require contracting with KVGC for 6 months of advertising at $400 per
month. At the end of that period, if we
had not seen an increase in enrollment in iTV classes, we would be
reimbursed. Wyman agreed to negotiate
what the criteria for increased enrollment would be.
c.
Frank reported on the possibility of expanding
iTV capability based on Shasta’s Tech Departments list of required iTV
equipment for each classroom. He noted
the system was produced by Cisco and cost $7,500-$10,000 per classroom. He recommended the board endorse multiple
classrooms as a path forward. John asked
how portable this equipment would be as the Board of Supervisors may be asking
ACCF to move the Learning Center out of the HHS Building. This needs further discussion and
investigation.
d.
Karen reminded board members of
ACCF’s participation with AAUW-Amador Branch on Trek to New Heights slated for
October 22. It is scheduled from 6-7:30
pm and will highlight educational opportunities for women in Amador County. Posters were distributed.
4. Partnerships:
a.
Karen presented an MOU with Victory
Village and the Amador Community College Foundation submitted by Jason Mulford
for board consideration. The proposal states the following services be shared
by the parties: media sharing, collaboration of services, outreach, and mutual
advocacy. See attached. Questions were raised about the need for the
MOU. It was suggested that Terry
Sanford, the County Veteran’s Services Officer be consulted. Further, the board would like clarification
from Jason Mulford regarding the benefits to ACCF. Ken agreed to research these questions with
Terry and Jason. The board took no
action.
5.
Marketing, Fundraising
and Finance:
a.
Karen submitted 2 proposals for a
revision to the Teichert Grant on equipment purchases. She indicated that Matt had purchased a
portable smart board system at a significantly reduced rate, leaving the major
balance of the grant funds unexpended.
It is important to notify Teichert of our request to change the scope of
the grant. See attached revisions
proposal. Version 1 was selected to
propose to Teichert and Karen will submit to Teichert for approval. Janice moved, Lynn seconded and the motion
passed unanimously.
b.
Wyman, Gala Chair, gave a report
about progress on the gala this past month. Ticket sales are significantly low
at this point. Wyman asked Board members
to help promote ticket sales. Karen
reported that she has reviewed the gala budget and reports that ACCF should
expect reduced revenues from the gala but reassures the board that it will not
lose money.
6.
Adjournment:
The meeting was adjourned at 4:30 PM. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November
19, 2015 at 2:30 PM.
Friday, November 13, 2015
Thursday, November 12, 2015
UC Cooperative Extension Central Sierra: "Are You Being Bugged?" Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
Are you being Bugged?
By Mary Tran
A year ago we asked you, “Have You Seen This Bug?” It was an alert, to let you know that the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB), a new pest attacking many crops, might be coming to our county. There are plenty of BMSB in Sacramento and other parts of the state. So far, there have been no sightings in our county. Whew!
The UC Cooperative Extension has actively watched for them since April, using traps set up in several parts of our county. No BMSB have been caught to date. Now that the weather is turning cooler, if there are any BMSB hiding out in our county they will be looking for nice places to spend the winter, such as your house. That means that the first person to spot one of these guys could be an innocent homeowner. The BMSB may arrive in large numbers, or just singly, through house cracks, tiny holes or clinging to windows, and they will stink if you try to sweep them or vacuum them up.
Photo Credits: Baldo Villegas and the 2014 The Regents of the University of California. All Rights Reserved.
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| The brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys), a winged invader from Asia that is eating crops and infesting U.S. homes, is spreading and is expected to continue to do so. Adult (top) and fifth-instar nymph (bottom). |
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| Aggregation of brown marmorated stink bugs, Halyomorpha halys, on a Chinese pistache tree limb. |
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Master Gardeners & Food Preservers Present: Growing, Harvesting, Curing, Preserving and Eating Olives - Sat Oct 17
Olive trees are native to the Mediterranean, grown in rocky soil without irrigation. Rocky soil without irrigation? Sounds like a perfect fit for Amador County! They are good drought tolerant landscape trees for our area and over the last few years many homeowners planted mini olive groves.
Planting olive trees comes with a major responsibility, even if used as part of a landscape. They can be messy and if you allow the fruit to rot on the ground you can get an infestation of olive fruit fly. Your fruit flies can travel to commercial olive groves, impacting their crop. To control the fruit fly, use traps and pick up fallen fruit. Learn more about controlling the olive fruit fly at http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74112.html.
If you want to harvest olives for home use, they fruit best with deep monthly irrigation. Be sure to plant them in well-draining soil; they do not like to sit in wet soil in the winter. Olive trees need long summers, heat and full sun. Pay attention to winter temperatures; below 10 degrees will kill them, below 17 degrees will damage them and below 28 degrees will damage the fruit. Sunset Western Garden Book puts them in zone 9, but they grow locally in Sunset zone 7 with the preventative care used to grow citrus. Cold-hardy varieties include Ascalano, Mission, Arbequina and Picual.
Fall is the season to harvest olives, but olives aren’t a fruit you pop into your mouth right away. When I was a child my family lived in Michigan for a few years. We visited relatives in Winters one fall and my father picked fresh olives to play a joke on friends back home. He offered California olives, fresh from the tree – what a treat! His friends weren’t sure how to react when they tried to eat one; fresh olives are incredibly bitter. They didn’t know if they should be polite and eat this gift or spit it out. My dad would laugh and explain that olives must be cured to make them edible. Curing methods to leach out the bitter oleuropein compound include using dry salt, brine, water or lye.
If you want to harvest and cure olives for eating, different varieties are preferred for different curing methods. Manzanillo works well for a lye-cure; Mission is preferred for a dry salt cure; Kalamata is ideal for Kalamata-style water-cured olives; and Sevillano is best for Sicilian-style lye-fermented olives. UC ANR has a great free publication (#8267) on processing olives at http://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu.
To learn more about how to grow, harvest, cure and preserve olives, join UCCE Master Gardener and Master Food Preserver volunteers from 9-12 Noon on Saturday, October 17 at the GSA Building at 12200B Airport Road in Jackson. The class is free and no reservations are required. UCCE Master Gardener Debbie Hillel will explain how to successfully grow olive trees and UCCE Master Food Preserver Sue Mosbacher will demonstrate multiple curing and preservation methods.
UCCE Master Gardeners of Amador County are available to answer home gardening questions Tuesday through Thursday, 10 am to noon, by calling (209) 223-6838. Walk-ins are welcome at our office, located at the GSA Building, 12200B Airport Road in Jackson. You can also email your questions to mgamador@ucdavis.edu. UCCE Master Food Preserver volunteers are available to answer home food preservation questions by calling (209) 223-6857 or by emailing acmfp@ucdavis.edu. Visit both groups online at http://cecentralsierra.ucanr.edu. Both groups are also active on Facebook.
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