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NEWS
City plans to mitigate future floods. A3
SPOTLIGHT
LIFESTYLE
AI creates education challenges. A4-5
Community celebrates Chinese New Year. B3
Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023
The Campanile
Vol. CV, No. 5
Palo Alto High School, 50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94301
51%
!"#$$%&'"$()'&*+)(,&-$.*&/0&1-23&*-$.*&/0&456#& 576)(&8/''/09&&:;<&=5(6/"/=56/$0&()>?/()8)06 o encourage students to take the the CAASPP tests, the SmarterBalance testing agency has implemented harsher punishments for schools that do not achieve 95% student participation on the tests. As a result, Paly’s CAASPP score dramatically decreased last year, falling below state standards by 59 points on the English Language Arts test and 66 points on the math test. Test coordinator and Assistant Principal Erik Olah said students who do not take the CAASPP tests receive scores of zero. “The state expects 95% of our students to take the test,” Olah said. “Last year, we got 51% of students taking the test. So the state is saying that (for the) 44% that didn’t take it, we’re going to use zeros for all those students.” However, 85% of the Paly students who took the CAASPP A KATE XI ART BY
tests achieved or exceeded the standards in both sections. “The students that take the test do very well,” Olah said. “In the past it never mattered that we didn’t have everybody taking it or a certain percentage taking it, but it matters now that (the 95% rule) is being enforced.” Senior Ishaan Batra said he opted out of the CAASPP tests last year because he saw no benefit to taking them. “I figured that there would be a better use of my time,” Batra said. “(Opting out) would give me more time to finish my other work, and I didn’t see any benefit for myself to take it at the time.” Batra also said school rankings should not be based on CAASPP testing when there are other national tests that are more reliable. “For example, you could look at ACT or SAT test averages or percentage of kids that take AP or Honors classes to get the same results,” Batra said. “There are a bunch of other factors that one could use to determine the competitiveness of a school. I don’t think (CAASPP ratings) would play a huge role as long as it’s noted that only a small
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percentage took it and that’s the reason for the scores.” Principal Brent Kline, though, said the scores provided by CAASPP testing have wide-reaching effects, potentially even influencing the housing market in Palo Alto. “One of the first indicators of a neighborhood is the school,” Kline said. “When the school’s scores go down, that ties to the housing market, so I think parents are going to be interested in (the scores).” Kline said CAASPP testing is an opportunity for juniors to give back to their school and ultimately themselves in the future. “We can’t force people to take (the CAASPP test),” Kline said. “This is one of those times that as a school, we’re asking you to give back to the school. For juniors, you have the chance to set the bar for when you are applying for colleges the next year when the scores come out.”
Dinu Deshpande
Sports Editor
Black Student Union hosts Black History Month
Alec Bonnard Staff Writer
“We’ll have book displays and a slideshow display to delve deeper into different pieces of history or promote diversity of stories,” Thomas said. “It feels like the least we could do.” Yolanda Conaway, Assistant Superintendent and Director of Equity and Student Affairs, said PAUSD also hopes to promote the significance of Black History Month throughout the year. “Honoring and commemorating the contributions of African Americans in this society is important every month, not just in February,” Conaway said. “We (want to) figure out how to (expose) our community, students and staff to the positive contributions of African Americans and not just the negative stereotypes.” Conaway said Black History Month also tackles the lack of inclusion, which is exacerbated by how Black history is taught. Conway said these classes often focus on the setbacks of Africans and African-Americans rather than their accomplishments. “As a student, the only thing I learned about African-AmerART BY IVY LEE
In celebration of February’s Black History Month, the Black Student Union and ASB will host events including guest speakers, a multicultural day, a Mardi Gras celebration and a PRIME to learn about historic Black figures. Carter Blair, president of the BSU, said the club has planned several new events throughout the month. “We plan on having a second guest speaker later in the month, hosting the San Jose State University step team and having a (historically black college and university) T-shirt day for BSU and Multicultural club members,” Blair said. “Finally, we’re planning a school-wide Mardi Gras celebration with traditional Creole food and decorations.” Blair said ASB has supported BSU this year by helping fund these events. “This year, they came to us and made sure that we were aware that if we had an event that could benefit the entire student body, we could very easily receive funding for that,” Blair said. “That’s enabled us to do a lot more than we thought was previously possible given our capacity to fundraise as a club rather than as a school.” In addition to school events, librarian Sima Thomas said she will arrange several displays to promote Black literature.
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icans in class was slavery and Jim Crow,” Conaway said. “That was it. No one told me about the triumphs, the innovation, the genius and the creativity.” Sophomore Eyiloluwasefunmi Ogunlade said she agrees. “Most of the time (when) we learn about Black history, it’s just about some Black man being prosecuted,” Ogunlade said. Mary Sano, the instructional leader of the Social Science department, said despite the challenge of accurately educating students on Black history, the department is constantly working toward improving curriculum. “The teachers in our department are consistently reflective and thoughtful about our task, (which) includes adhering to the state standards, keeping an eye on the larger conversation about teaching history — both nationally and locally — and of course, trying to meet all of our students’ needs,” Sano said. “We have been working on shifting the approach of the way Black history is taught and addressed, and I would welcome the opportunity to continue the conversation that was started last school year between the BSU and our efforts.”
Conaway said part of the 2023 PAUSD Promise reflects “Equity and Excellence,” with an emphasis on the service and celebration of others to build community and diversity. “(Celebrating Black History Month) falls squarely into the (PAUSD) promise and an element in the promise called our SWIFT plan,” Conaway said. The Systemwide Integrated Framework for Transformation, or SWIFT, is a plan to advance equity, diversity and inclusion in the district and at Paly where only about 2% of the student population is Black. Blair said schoolwide observances of Black History Month can be used to mitigate these racial disparities. “With so few Black students, a lot of people don’t really consider the weight Black history carries,” Blair said. “Having an opportunity to promote it schoolwide gets a lot of people thinking.” In addition, Conaway said that the small population of Black students should not affect Paly’s celebration of Black History Month. “It (shouldn’t) make a difference at all whether we had one student or 1,000,” Conaway said. “It’s important not just (for) black students to have exposure to the positive contributions of African Americans, but it’s just as important for white students and students of all cultures to have that experience because otherwise, they walk away with one narrative.”
Lucas Yuan Staff Writer
Teachers and staff will receive a 7% pay increase after the Board of Education approved a negotiated agreement reached by the unions and district on Jan. 17. The deal, retroactive for the 2022-2023 school year, increases employee pay by 7% excluding the district’s top six administrators. A 5% raise retroactive to the start of the school year and a 2% one-time payment will be given to these administrators. The Palo Alto Educators Association and the California School Employees Association negotiated the pay raise. The agreements were separate, with the district negotiating with PAEA and CSEA independently. The Palo Alto Managers Association represents administrators but did not participate in negotiations. The 7% increase is higher than previous increases. In the past two years, employees have received a 3% pay increase. PAEA President Teri Baldwin attributed the larger increase to rising inflation. “The reason for a higher salary increase is that we are trying to keep pace with the cost of living and high inflation increases over the years,” Baldwin said. In 2022, the average inflation rate was 8% compared with an average yearly rate of 1.88% for the 2010s, according to Forbes. PAUSD Deputy Superintendent Trent Bahadursingh said the district’s main focus during negotiations was on making smart financial decisions. “A lot of (the agreement) depended on where the district is financially,” Bahadursingh said. “We needed to be fiscally responsible while still considering the compensation we give to staff.” Bahadursingh said the increase will allow the district to recruit more experienced staff. Furthermore, Bahadursingh said retaining and recruiting high-quality teachers will directly impact students’ education. “Like any business, the goal is attracting and retaining staff,” Bahadursingh said. “PAUSD’s prestige and salary makes us very competitive.” Benefits of the pay increases extend not only to PAUSD staff. Math teacher Daniel Nguyen, who is part of the PAEA Rep. Council and also part of the Negotiations Team, said better compensation allows teachers to focus more on their students rather than on making a living. “When (teachers) can focus on their jobs more, they may be more likely to supervise clubs, maybe coach sports, maybe stay after school or come before school to help students,” Nguyen said. Nguyen said while the negotiations process usually begins in the fall, this year’s negotiations ended much earlier than usual. “The last time we had a tentative agreement, it was reached at the end of April,” Nguyen said. “This time, we were able to get a tentative agreement at the beginning of December. The process was a lot smoother and a lot faster this time around.” In addition to salary increases and medical benefits, unions also negotiate on class size, working conditions and leave provisions, which are part of PAUSD’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Even though pay has steadily risen for teachers, many educators in California are still dissatisfied. In a 2021 national survey conducted by the Teacher Salary Project, over 82% of 1,200 classroom teachers surveyed said they have worked at multiple jobs to make a living. With all that in mind, Nguyen said he is grateful to work in PAUSD where staff currently earn between $71,484 and $144,239. “We have a lot of privilege living in this area,” Nguyen said. “We are fortunate to live in a strong economic area where the district will still be in a strong financial situation, even with this agreement.”
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