Page 3 - 2018 SCOE Annual Report

What Does the Stanislaus County

Office of Education Do?

The Stanislaus County Office of Education (SCOE) partners
with local schools and the community to support quality education
for 109,990 students in Stanislaus County and several thousand
more in regional programs throughout the state. The office employs
approximately 1,070 staff and manages a $281 million budget.

Public Education in California – A four-level system

1. California State Department of Education
2. 11 Superintendent Regions – SCOE is part of Region 6
3. 58 County Offices of Education
– Includes County-wide and Regionalized programs and services
4. Over 1,000 local school districts (25 in Stanislaus County)

Under the leadership of the County Board of Education and the Superintendent
of Schools, the Stanislaus County Office of Education (SCOE) serves as a link
between the 25 school districts in the county and the California Department of
Education. Funding and major policy decisions are made at the state level, and day-
to-day delivery of instruction is generally the responsibility of local school districts.
County offices provide a support infrastructure for local schools and districts that
includes Administrative, Instructional and Direct Student Services. Staff at the
County also provides leadership and advocacy on critical education issues and
serves as an information resource to local educators and community members. Superintendent Tom Changnon to
Retire After 12 Years in Office
The Role of the County Stanislaus County’s Superintendent of Schools, Tom Changnon will retire in

Board of Education January 2019. During his 12 years in office, Changnon has championed Civics

Education, Character Development, Parent Involvement and Career Technical
SCOE is governed by a five-member, elected Board of Education and the Education (CTE) programs. He knows that providing options for all students is
County Superintendent of Schools, also an elected official. The County Board of critical as shown in the equal value he places on college and career prep programs.
Education has responsibility for:
• Approving the annual county office budget Numerous innovative programs were implemented during his tenure. Knowing
• Adopting policies governing the operation of the Board not all students flourish in a traditional school setting, one of the first programs he
• Acting as the appeals board for student expulsions brought to the County was the Stanislaus Military Academy (SMA). In addition to
• Acting as the appeals board for interdistrict transfer decisions the academic program, military cadets undergo rigorous training with an emphasis
• Acting as the appeals board for Charter School petitions on drill and ceremony, leadership, team-building and character education. The
• Establishing the County Superintendent’s salary Tactical Character Academy was modeled after SMA, but is for younger students. He
• Serving as the landlord and owner of property (including the recently implemented Come Back Kids (CBK) to help adults (ages 18+) who wanted to come
purchased Modesto Bee building) back and earn their high school diploma. To date, more than 800 diplomas have been
Through its role of long-range policy development and other critical awarded through the CBK program.
functions, the Board works with the Stanislaus County Superintendent of Schools
and staff to offer effective education programs and district support services. The SCOE recently purchased the former Modesto Bee building, and various
Board also encourages the involvement of families and communities and is a training/certification programs are currently offered at this site, with more in the
vehicle for citizen access to communication about SCOE’s programs and services. works. SCOE also formed a partnership with Opportunity Stanislaus that resulted in
Regular meetings of the Stanislaus County Board of Education are open to the VOLT Technical Institute occupying part of this building.
the public and are held on the second Tuesday of each month beginning at 8:30
a.m. (with the exception of the September meeting which begins at 4:30 p.m.). In the past 12 years, Changnon spearheaded many county-wide initiatives. In his
Meetings are generally held at the Stanislaus County Office of Education, unless first year, he led a campaign to improve student attendance. Called Every Day Counts,
otherwise announced. this campaign helped school districts improve attendance rates, bringing an additional
Superintendent of Schools Tom Changnon is in his 12th and final year as $3.8 million in revenue to those districts. After that, he focused on childhood obesity
Stanislaus County Superintendent of Schools. Originally elected in November and the Fit for the Future initiative was born, promoting healthy, active lifestyles for
2006, he will retire in January 2019. students. Several schools benefited from participation by earning $100,000 worth of
Area 1 Kim A. Rose has served on the Board for 13 years. She is the trustee for gym equipment. Following that came the Choose Civility campaign, implemented
Area 1, which is comprised of Riverbank Unified, Knights Ferry, Valley Home during the recession when organizations were undergoing cuts, and angry constituents
Joint, Empire Union, Waterford Unified, Oakdale Joint Unified and portions of took to the podium to contest. He extended this campaign when he continued to field
Modesto High, Roberts Ferry Union and Sylvan Union Districts. national invitations to speak about the initiative and when other county offices sought
Area 2 Chairperson Alice Pollard is serving her fifth year on the Board. She is
the trustee for Area 2, which is composed of Hughson Unified, Hickman, Keyes his help to clone it. To this day, organizations continue to request presentations and
Union, Denair Unified, Turlock Unified and portions of Ceres Unified, Chatom information about the Choose Civility campaign.
Union, Roberts Ferry Union and Newman-Crows Landing Unified Districts. Most recently, the Destination Graduation initiative helped increase
Area 3 Kimberly Spina is serving her seventh year on the Board. She is the trustee graduation rates in the County from 78.7% to 84%. Stanislaus County’s graduation
for Area 3, which includes Hart-Ransom Union, Salida Union, Paradise, Shiloh rate is now higher than the statewide average. Currently the five-year “Destination
and portions of Stanislaus Union, Modesto City Elementary and Modesto City
High Districts. Graduation” initiative is transitioning into a larger Cradle to Career movement.
Area 4 Vice Chairperson Mary Ann Sanders has served on the Board for 13 years. Through a partnership with the Stanislaus Community Foundation, a community-
She is the trustee for Area 4, which includes portions of Sylvan Union, Stanislaus based Leadership Network has been formed and will oversee the efforts of this
Union, Modesto City Elementary and Modesto City High Districts. new movement.
Area 5 Chinyere Nnodim-Jack is serving her first year on the Board. She is the Tom Changnon’s last official day is January 4, 2019. The newly elected County
trustee for Area 5, which is comprised of Patterson Joint Unified and portions of Superintendent of Schools, Scott Kuykendall, will be sworn-in at a reception hosted by
Newman-Crows Landing Unified, Ceres Unified, Chatom Union and Modesto
City Elementary Districts. the County Board of Supervisors on Monday, January 7, 2019.