District will pay for more teacher training

The Laguna Beach Unified School District board agreed Tuesday to spend $37,800 on 11 more days of writing training for teachers.

This is in addition to the nine days of instruction completed in the 2013-14 school year to help teachers fulfill Common Core-specific tasks.

Trustees approved paying consultant Charlotte Knox for the additional training days this year after the district spent $31,200 for the nine days last year.

Training is required for all teachers of kindergarten through fifth grade, Assistant Supt. of Instructional Services Darlene Messinger said.

Knox’s job will be to guide teachers in helping students set writing goals and develop a portfolio of work, according to a district staff report.

Knox, whom Messinger said has taught writing in school districts across California for 20 years, will assist students with three writing styles: opinion, informative and narrative.

She will also help teachers create daily lesson plans, the staff report said.

With interpretation and critical thinking being hallmarks of the Common Core, students are now required to have broader proficiency that moves away from multiple-choice tests, Messinger said.

Trustee Ketta Brown said she supports teacher training, but wondered whether 11 additional days is overkill.

“At what point do you say, ‘OK, guys, this is yours,’” Brown said at the meeting. “It’s like letting your kids ride a bike.”

Brown later said she was satisfied with the answer she was given.

“[$37,800] is a lot of money,” she said after the meeting. “If the teachers feel they need it, I’m behind [the training] 100%. I have full faith and trust in our teachers. I wanted to make sure teachers felt it would be useful and augment what they already know.

“My role as a board member is to ask questions. I trust Darlene [Messinger], but I still need to hear what Charlotte’s role will be.”