From Our Superintendent

The Solano County Office of Education provides effective leadership and services that support the schools and community in their effort to provide equal access to the highest quality education and ensure a positive outcome for every Solano County student.

Photo of Lisette Estrella-Henderson, Solano County Superintendent of Schools

In the wake of recent events I wanted to share some thoughts and reflections...

More than anything, we owe it to our students to provide them with safe and secure campuses where learning thrives. We also owe it to parents to return their children each day just as healthy and happy as when they arrived. Yet we have seen so many instances nationally where acts of violence break the sanctity of school communities, including horrific tragedies like the recent mass shooting that took the lives of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. Saying school shootings occur too often in the United States is an understatement. Once is too often!

I want to offer my most heartfelt condolences to everyone impacted by senseless violence and to reaffirm the ongoing commitment of the Solano County Office of Education and educators throughout our region to proactively protect our schools —specifically our students and staff.

Yearly, California school campuses are required by law to update their Comprehensive School Safety Plans. Among other things, School Safety Plans outline each site’s intended responses to various emergencies. These are routinely practiced through site-level drills including evacuations and shelter-in-place exercises. Strategies that schools employ to promote safety vary by campus and are ultimately up to each district’s governing board and superintendent in partnership with teachers, staff, students, and communities.

The Solano County Office of Education continues to promote positive school climates and anti-bullying through such initiatives as the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS), and our Kindness Campaign, launched last year to promote character, encourage kindness toward others, and amplify civility in our communities.

Our perception of safe schools changed forever on April 20, 1999, when a pair of high school students killed 12 of their classmates and a teacher on the Columbine High School campus in Colorado. From that day forward, educators have worked closely with law enforcement to continually assess school campuses and implement protocols to make them safer. As the County Superintendent of Schools, I will continue to advocate for implementing any measures that protect our students and staff from both internal and external threats.

The stakes are too high to rest for even a second on this issue, and, as a community, we owe our children and families nothing less!

Solano County School Districts

Institutions of Higher Education

$1.5m in grant funding has been awarded to Solano COE to provide educator training, school based social-emotional support services, support for homeless students, support for students in job-readiness skills development, and youth development activities and training including tobacco use prevention, civic engagement, and citizenship

100% of our students attending Golden Hills Alternative School have a technology supported education

$75kin grant funding is available to support Solano County educators and Artists to participate in the Solano COE Integrated Learning Specialist Program (ILSP)

71% of our Solano County schools have been trained in Positive Behavoir Intervention Supports (PBIS)

Year to Year Accomplishments

The Solano County Office of Education (SCOE) has accomplished so much during this past year. Below are just a few things we would like to share with our community!

Job Readiness Skills

Implemented 100% one-to-one Chromebook devices for students at the Golden Hills Education Center, increasing access to technology for meaningful real-world learning experiences

Partnered with Napa-Solano Central Labor Council, North Bay Apprenticeship Coordinators Association, Napa-Solano Building Trades, and the Robbie Poblete Foundation to expose over 100 high school students from our local school districts to post-secondary training opportunities that are outside the traditional college degree path. Student visited five apprenticeship training programs including Sheet Metal Workers, Carpenters Regional Training Center, Ironworkers, and Plumbers and Steamfitters.

Implemented the Work Ready Certificate Program in partnership with our school districts and the Chambers of Commerce in Fairfield-Suisun, Vacaville, and Dixon

Partnered with Travis Air Force Base to launch the first ever Phoenix Spark Challenge: Design-Solve-Innovate competition

Safe Schools and Youth Development

Received grants totaling over $1.5 million to provide educator training, school based social-emotional support services, support for homeless students, support for students in job-readiness skills development, and youth development activities and training including tobacco use prevention, civic engagement, and citizenship

Expanded safe school support services focused on Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (PBIS) training and coaching to include 63 schools, which is close to 70% of the schools in Solano County

Partnered with County Health and Social Services and Child Welfare departments, organized and facilitated key events for education professionals and the community to create awareness and readiness in addressing the needs of our Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC) in Solano County

Every Young Person Can and Will Learn, Equity, and Student Achievement

Celebrated our graduates of the Community School and Juvenile Detention Facility programs as well as students with disabilities from our Special Education Program who completed our Adult Independent Transition to life and work programs

Increased social-emotional support services to students in our schools as well as workforce development training services for students with disabilities throughout the county

Assisted our local school districts with professional development and differentiated support focused on improving student achievement

Collaborated with our school districts to support development of the Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAP), and promoted an understanding of the new accountability system

Partnered with First 5 Solano Children and Families Commission to increase the number of preschool providers participating in the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) process for improving the quality of early education services. We now serve 56 providers including family child care homes, Head Start Infant/Toddler programs, California State Preschool, and Migrant Child Education programs.

Fiscal Accountability

Monitored fiscal accountability and worked to ensure fiscal solvency of each of our school districts. This continues to be a challenge given the many expanding demands on school district budgets.

Community Partnerships

Convened the inaugural “State of Solano County Education Forum” where elected officials, business and community leaders, and educators gathered to hear about the state of education in Solano County from superintendents of our local school districts, Solano Community College, and Solano County Office of Education

Strengthened existing collaborations and established new community partnerships for the benefit of the children and families in our community

None of this is possible without each member of SCOE’s amazing staff daily exemplifying our guiding principles of Leadership, Collaboration, and Support.

I feel truly privileged to have the opportunity to work with a team of highly talented and dedicated individuals who are committed to their work on behalf of the students and families of Solano County.

SCOE's Latest

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Solano County Office of Education Student of the Month Recognition Program

Solano County Superintendent of Schools, Lisette Estrella-Henderson and the Solano County Board Trustees recognized three students who attend school in our SCOE programs

Solano County Spelling Bee Champions

Solano County Superintendent of Schools, Lisette Estrella-Henderson and the Solano County Board of Trustees recognized the top spellers of the Solano County Spelling Bee competition. The competition was held on March 6, 2018.

Solano County Office Of Education to host Phoenix Spark Challenge!

The Solano County Office of Education in partnership with Travis Air Force Base is launching the Phoenix Spark Challenge! High School students from throughout Solano County will have the opportunity to participate in the Challenge, which will take place at Travis Air Force Base on May 18, 2018. The Phoenix Spark program is a strategy used by the military to problem solve amongst military operational experts, academia, and government agencies.

Operation Recognition

Seven veterans whose high school education was interrupted due to military service received their high school diploma at the Operation Recognition Graduation Ceremony: Robert Anderson, James Dickerson, Randy Harris, Ronald Lampman, Raymond Moulton, Charles Pipkins, and Nicanor Rios.

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