by Juliet Blalack
Dra. Cecilia Barberena
Dr. Cecilia Barberena was appointed president of Chabot College after a unanimous vote by the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District Board of Trustees on Dec.11th.
“Dr. Barberena has a wealth of experience in the California Community College system. She is passionate about our mission and the students we serve,” said Dr. Joel Kinnamon, District Chancellor.
At her previous jobs, Barberena established grants for college preparation in public schools, increased bilingual options, chaired a committee that founded a campus childcare center, and helped create a GED program. She also taught Spanish and lectured on Latin American social issues.
Bush signs education bill that will benefit Latino children
President Bush renewed the Head Start program and added more teacher training and parental communication to it.
Almost a third of the children in the Head Start pre-school program are Latino.
Under the new program, The Department of Health and Human Services will evaluate how effective current services for children with limited English are. Also, teachers will be trained for working with these children.
Mayor Newsom proposes rigorous green building requirements Newsom proposed a city ordinance that would make new San Francisco buildings the most environmentally-friendly in the nation.
About 50 percent of San Francisco’s greenhouse gas emissions are from energy used in buildings and homes, according to research by the city’s Climate Action Plan.
According to legislators, if the ordinance is properly enforced, by 2012 San Franciscans will stop 60,000 tons of carbon emissions, save 220,000 megawatt hours of power, reduce waste and storm water by 90 million gallons, and increase alternative energy generation by 37,000 megawatt hours.
City Signs a location for new Community Justice Center
In the next step for creating a center to address quality-of-life crimes, Mayor Newsom announced a location for the Community Justice Center.
The court will provide services that address substance abuse, homelessness, and mental illness, according to the mayor’s office. Offenders will meet with a public offender, a judge will review their cases, and then the court will quickly assign services and sentencing.
The Board of Supervisors set aside $500,000 for the new court, and Newsom said he plans to use it for building two holding cells and improving the new site. The city signed a letter of intent with the landlord at 555 Polk Street, and the mayor’s office said the city will sign the lease in spring 2008.
Bay view-Hunter’s Point art and social justice high school approved
The school board sanctioned the creation of an alternative public high school in Bayview-Hunter’s Point last week.
Bayview Essential School of Music, Art, and Social Justice (BES) will be the first school created under the city’s Small Schools by Design policy.
Faculty and Administrators will teach students filmmaking and graphic arts while emphasizing scholarship and social justice, according to a school district press release.
The Small Schools by Design Program was passed in February, and gives small public schools more power to tailor their curriculums to community needs, reads the press release.
