RAFER JOHNSON

CHILDREN’S CENTER

1100 Ninth Street

Bakersfield, CA 93304

(661) 631-5850

www.bcsd.k12.ca.us/johnson

An annual school accountability report card to the community 2000-2001 School Year

Sari Gilfenbain, Program Manager, Special Education

January, 2002

GOALS AND MISSION STATEMENT

This is the thirteenth year of the School Accountability Report Card that was established by Proposition 98, an initiative passed by California voters. This report will address eighteen areas with information taken from the 2000-01 school year.

Our school mission and goals are reflective of the philosophy for Rafer Johnson Children’s Center. They are as follows:

Our Mission is to help each child achieve his/her highest academic, social and vocational potential.

Our Academic Goal is to develop individualized learning objectives for each pupil to provide opportunities for maximum academic growth.

Our Social Goal is to develop those qualities in each student to help them become a socially positive individual in the community.

Our Vocational Goal is to maximize the individual skills of each of our students to reach their highest potential.

SCHOOL PROFILE

Rafer Johnson Children’s Center is comprised of three programs serving students from birth through kindergarten who have been identified as having disabilities ranging from mild to severe. Based on need, the children may receive the services of the nurse, adaptive P.E. specialist, occupational therapist, physical therapist and/or the speech and language pathologist.

Early Start: The Early Start Program provides services for children from birth to three years of age. Infants, birth to 18 months, are served by infant specialist teachers and technicians at the family home. From 18 months of age to three years of age, the children receive their needed services at Rafer Johnson Children’s Center.

Severely Handicapped: The Severely Handicapped Program provides services for those students who have been identified as being moderate to severe mentally exceptional.

STEPS (Special Transition for Education in Pre School): The STEPS Program provides services for learning disabled or communicatively handicapped pre-kindergarten aged children, three to five years old.

The school’s name was changed April 29, 1973, from Peter Pan School to Rafer Johnson School and then to Rafer Johnson Children’s Center in 1999. Mr. Johnson was the gold medalist in the decathlon in the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, Italy. He visits the school during our annual Rafer Johnson Day track meet each spring.

Rafer Johnson Children’s Center had 33 employees on site. The ethnic composition of the Rafer Johnson School staff was Hispanic—18, White—12, African-American—2 and American Indian/Alaskan—1.

Rafer Johnson Children’s Center had an enrollment of 4 male and 1 female students in the Kindergarten grade level. Our student ethnic population was Hispanic—80% and White—20%.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Our community is very supportive of our school program. Currently we receive support from the Kern County Sheriff Posse, Legal Secretaries and San Joaquin Fence.

Several organizations from the community provide special activities throughout the school year. Some activities may include parties at Halloween, gifts and a party at Christmas and Valentine’s Day. In April each year, a track meet is held for all of the district’s severely handicapped students. This would not be possible without the support of the community.

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Students are serviced through either an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) or an Individualized Education Program (IEP) developed for him/her by the parents and school staff. These plans cover all areas of each students’ needs; academic, social/emotional and medical. A strong home/school component is also included.

STUDENT ATTENDANCE

Bakersfield City School District receives money from the State of California for each student in attendance during a school day. The State law requires that each School Accountability Report Card include the percentage of student attendance days claimed by this school.

All of the students attending Rafer Johnson Children’s Center have bus service provided to and from school with pickup at their individual homes. Student truancy is not a problem. Because of some of the involved medical conditions of a small number of our students, absenteeism may be high in this group. A large number of our students have almost perfect attendance.

During the 2000-01 school year Rafer Johnson Children’s Center averaged 64.64% of students attending on a daily basis.

CLASS SIZE

The two moderately mentally exceptional classes average 12 students per teacher per class.

The five Infant Development Program classes average 25 students.

The two STEPS classes average 15 students per day with the teacher. Students normally attended only once a week for two hours.

INSTRUCTIONAL CLASS MINUTES PER SCHOOL YEAR

Each student is on an individualized education program or an individualized family service plan with varying times to meet his or her individual needs.

MINIMUM DAYS

During the 2000-01 school year, students had three minimum days when they were released one hour early: the day before Thanksgiving vacation, the day before winter vacation and the last day of school.

DISCIPLINE AND CLIMATE FOR LEARNING

Although our school follows the discipline code mandated by the District, special consideration is given our students under their IEP goals and objectives. We work on an individual basis with our staff, students and families when there are discipline or behavior problems. We had no suspensions last year.

SCHOOL FACILITIES AND SAFETY

Rafer Johnson Children’s Center established its Comprehensive School Safety Plan in 1998. A law enforcement officer specializing in safety provided direction in the establishment of the School Safety Plan. Rafer Johnson Children’s Center’s Safety Plan is current and is updated annually. Key elements of Rafer Johnson Children’s Center’s School Safety Plan include the following: (a) routine and emergency disaster procedures; (b) suspension, and expulsion procedures; (c) teacher notification of pupils with a specific discipline history; (d) child abuse reporting procedures, (e) the district’s sexual harassment policy; (f) school crime data; (g) the student dress code; (h) safe entrance and exit procedures; (i) the civil defense and disaster plan; and (j) discipline rules and procedures. Our overall goal is to maintain a safe and orderly school environment conducive to learning.

ESTIMATED DISTRICT EXPENDITURES

The Bakersfield City School District spent an average of $5,457 per student during 2000-01. Rafer Johnson Children’s Center received the following funds for the year:

State Lottery Funds	$ 900
Special Education	982,215

TEACHER CREDENTIALS

All teachers at Rafer Johnson Children’s Center are credentialed or are in the process of obtaining their full credential by the State of California Department of Education, and are fully qualified for the positions to which they are assigned.

School Year	Full Credentials	Emergency Credentials	Working Outside Subject Areas	No Credentials
98-99	13	4	0	0
99-00	9	2	0	0
00-01	6	0	0	0

TEACHER EVALUATIONS AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAYS

Professional Development Days are designed to provide continuous learning opportunities for administrators, teachers, and classified personnel. These days affirm the basic philosophy of education that learning is a lifelong process that contributes to the well being of the students, teachers, administrators, and community.

Three Professional Development Days for certificated staff were scheduled during the 2000-2001 school year. Two of the days were held prior to the opening of school. They focused on the California Academic Standards for Science and the new textbook adoption, Harcourt Science. The third day was held on a Saturday and planned by the school site to enable each site to meet individual school needs. Additionally, professional development was provided for all classroom aides. In September, a Saturday session was held which focused on classroom management strategies, managing small groups and various instructional approaches effective with small groups. All professional development days were scheduled outside of the regular school calendar.

Through reading grants and math grants awarded by the state, the district has been able to provide extensive training throughout the school year. Each of these sessions were held during the afternoon and on Saturdays, to support teachers in their implementation of a balanced reading/language arts and mathematics program. Each of these trainings was thirty hours in length.

Teachers serving on the District Curriculum Commission revised the district Standards for Excellence in Mathematics using the new Mathematics Framework for California Public Schools. Other Curriculum Commission members completed work on the district standards-based report card for Kindergarten, the district writing prompts and the district scoring guide to accompany the writing prompts.

SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS

The District provides qualified substitutes when teachers are absent. If the District experiences difficulty in obtaining substitutes on a particular day due to a short supply and excessive demands, capable and qualified support personnel at our own school are available to substitute.

SUPPORT SERVICES

Two speech therapists provide direct speech and language instruction, classroom instruction as needed and consultation with teachers regarding students’ speech and language needs.

Two district psychologists are assigned to our site two days per week for ongoing assessments to keep IEP’s current and to assist with student/teacher/parent concerns.

A school nurse is assigned to our site to review and assess the medical needs and concerns of the students. She also provides case management including initial assessment and evaluation, coordination of services and training of specialized physical health care procedures.

An adaptive Physical Education Specialist provides direct service for students who are significantly delayed in gross motor skills. There are group and classroom physical activities which also include game experiences. Consultation to teachers and parents as-needed or requested is available.

QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION AND LEADERSHIP

Instruction is the number one priority. Teachers have special education credentials and are well trained and caring. Limited English Proficient or Non-English speaking students are taught by the teacher with the assistance of Spanish speaking aides.

TEXTBOOKS AND INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

All textbooks and Instructional Materials used within the Bakersfield City School District are aligned with the California State Frameworks and District Curriculum Standards. Districtwide committees of teachers, principals, and parents, under the direction of the Director of Curriculum and Standards, evaluate and select materials that meet the District’s rigorous content and performance standards in curriculum. They are approved following district policy and state regulations. All materials are available for parents to review at any time.

The Bakersfield City School District adheres to the California State textbook adoption cycle. Every four years, the District evaluates and replaces outdated basic books and materials. During the 2000-2001 school year, textbooks were evaluated and recommendations made for replacement of the following materials: mathematics, dictionaries and thesauri.

SALARY AND BUDGET INFORMATION

Statewide and Districtwide Average Salaries and Budget Percentages*
Beginning Teacher's Salary
	Salary Range	BCSD	$31,435
	$23,213 - $39,501	Statewide	$32,635
Mid-range Teacher's Salary
	Salary Range	BCSD	$38,769
	$45,910 - $61,600	Statewide	$53,112
Highest Teacher's Salary
	Salary Range	BCSD	$61,191
	$57,000 - $71,247	Statewide	$63,875
School Site Principal's Salary
	Salary Range	BCSD	$79,499
	$69,018 - $96,444	Statewide	$81,487
District Superintendent's Salary
	Salary Range	BCSD	$128,216
	$92,762 - $152,843	Statewide	$117,503
Actual Percentage for Administrative Salaries
	Salary Range	BCSD	3.74%
	3.78% - 11.95%	Statewide	5.52%
Actual Percentage for Teacher Salaries
	Salary Range	BCSD	44.28%
	36.61% - 51.56%	Statewide	45.80%
*In accordance with Education Code 41409, 1999-2000 salary and budget information was used to determine the average displayed above, utilizing statewide-elementary districts of 5,000 or more students.