As I reflect on the most recent conclusion of Black History Month, another long time Black resident relocated to retire and be closer to grandchildren. I was grateful to hear about the grandchildren (a little jealous), and realized the historic loss to Milpitas, our city. I asked myself, what could be done to show Milpitas forefathers and mothers love and preserve the names of the families, civil servants, educators and electeds forever in our community. Here is my first attempt: Black history in Milpitas, California lies in recognizing and memorializing the contributions, struggles, and achievements of the residents, community leaders, civil servants, public education system teachers, administrators, staff and elected officials. Each group contributed to the city's cultural, social, economic, and political life over the past 70 years. Each group dealt with anti-Black racism, discrimination, redlining and other human injustices. Each group participated in building systems of equity for all residents, creating a village of shared partnerships in parenting, cultural practices, foods, and history. Understanding and appreciating the social, economic, and leadership contributions of these individuals, their families, the civil servants and the Black education community of the Milpitas Unified School District enriches the city’s sense of shared history. It fosters a more empathetic, responsive, and equitable society. It highlights the importance of diversity, equity inclusion, and belonging. It transforms victims of wrongdoing into victors of life. It shapes our tradition, narrative history, and the soul of Milpitas into an inclusive safe community in pursuit of joy and happiness. In 1954, the story of Sunnyhills, the first planned integrated community (to my knowledge), was one of the primary reasons for the tremendous diversity in the city where today more than 52 languages are spoken. And while many of these Black people no longer live in Milpitas, those that remain today, and many others are benefiting from the fruits of their struggles and labor. Milpitas Black History Is American History. The Black Educators of Milpitas (Past & Present) Chuck Gary, Henry Robinson, Sandra Edwards, Wallace Osborne, Lilian Green, Hattie Morris, Levert Traveler, Patrice Glover, Camela Jackson, Joann Basnight, Melina Johnson, Dorothy Brown, Gwen Carr, Carolyn Johnson, Brenda Ray, Ann Sturkin, Cyd Mathias, Hilda Boyland, Geri Murray, Irene Augustine, Lola Dorsey, Mitzi Hays, Beverly James, Hellen Rhem, Sylvena Dorner, Carolyn Johnson, Geri Forte, Vernell King, Herman Johnson, Deanna Elzey, Diallo Sims, Alta Harvey, Jackie Saffold, Elaine Heath, Mary Starling, Thelma Green, Alicia Padilla, Gail Henly, Karen Mathis, Calvin Jones, Dorothy Dixon, Angela Holmes, Chuck Murray, Mitzi Hayes, Katherine Jenkins, Cheryl Rivera, Sean Anglon, Kimberly Marion, Annie Handy, Damon James, Herman Wilson, Champ Wrencher, Reynard Elzey, Jillian Valdez, Tana Rainer, Shanae Morley, Gina Sainten, Dr. Hanna Asrat, Dr. Latisha Roberts, Jonathan Payne, Pete Mesa, Ray Dillard, Tamara Roberson and others… The Black Families (Past & Present) Dunbar, Augustine, Hankins, Wilson, Kennon, Dixon, Wilson, Eiland, Goode, Shelton, McGee, Watts, Nichols, Brown, Thomas, Welch, Thompson, Henry, Gray, Ward, Smith, Benjamin, Baldwin, Bridgewater, Carter, London, Butler, Flunoy, Hadnot, Ahmad, Rainier, Moore, Jones, Hayes, Rigmaiden, Morris, Haynes, Pickens, Banks, Gross, Levine, Norwood, Crane, Davis, King, Peterson, Royal, Ellison, Carswell, Jordan, Hutchinson, Thompson, Mallory, Washington, Wiltz, Scott, Choates, Topps, Morris, Alexander, Wilkinson, Baldwin, Elsey, Bernard, Fullbright, Williams, Chambers, Butler, Lewis, Parker, Levine, Soto, Drew, Handy, Hopkins, Stewart, Barr, Ellis, Campbell, Wright, Jones, Givens, Fortman, Ranger, Crane, Wyatt, Martin, Pecot, Baker, Anderson, Deering, Cannon, Boyland, Randolph, Cooper, Peterson, Schooler, Augustine, Bird and others... The Milpitas Police Department Black Police Officers (Past and Present) Chief Charles Lawson, Sergeant Chester Pridgeon, Officer Johnny Crain, Commander Gregory Lawrence, Officer Donald Dunbar, Officer Valarie Johnson, Sergeant William King, Officer Johnny Slater, Officer Frank Herbert, Officer Ryon Lawson, Officer Loren Wutzke, Officer Marlo Moore, Officer Treyvon Hartley, Officer Tailor Goods, Officer Marquis Sayyid and others… The Milpitas Fire Department Black Officers (Past and Present) Courtney Anderson, Brandon Smith, Aubrey Bailey, Nathaniel Wooten, Reggie Sutton, Steve King, Anthony Purnell, Johnny Crain, Corey Saunders, Nate Price, Mike Wells, Gary Evans, Ruben Swendell, Dwayne Price, Kevin Taylor, Michael Wells, Christine Ferguson, Tenisha Bernard, Rodney Dunbar, Paul Gaskin, Anthony Purnell, Steven King, Nehemiah O'neal, Melvin Vaughn and others… The Black Electeds (Mayor, School Board Past & Present) Ben Gross, Gilbert Brooks, Chris Norwood... If the names of any residents, electeds, police officers, fire fighters, Milpitas Unified School District employees were omitted from this list, please email cnorwood@musd.org and the list will be updated immediately. In Service & Gratitude, Chris Norwood Milpitas Unified School District Senior Governing Board Trustee 2024 To end 2023, I decided to reflect on the current state of the Milpitas Unified School District. These are my views based on my experiences, research, board meeting participation, parent communication, student interaction, community member inquiry, and feedback from city, county, state and federal officials: About MUSD MUSD is an award-winning school district (the only public district within our city limits), serving more than 10,000 students (bringing 52+ languages spoken) and employing more than 1,000 educators (both certificated and classified), with an active 5-member governing board, dedicated leadership and staff members, parent volunteers, community-based organizations and leaders. As a unified district, we have 19 schools educating students from early childhood through adult education. Accolades include 8 California Distinguished Schools, 6 State Honor Roll Schools, 1 World Language School (Spanish/Mandarin), 1 State Model Continuation School, and 1 National Middle Schools To Watch. See how MUSD rates on California Department of Education Dashboard. Our MUSD students are at the heart of everything. The majority of them show up everyday willing to try and eager to learn. Some of them come to school with barriers to their learning experiences due to life circumstances, neurodiversities, physical limitations, and other reasons. Our staff recognizes these challenges and strives to make a positive impact. Our MUSD parents are extremely diverse in culture, demographics, socioeconomic status, vocations, professions and education backgrounds. The majority of parents have moderate levels of volunteerism and participation (the highest level at our elementary schools). Show Me The Money (Summary) District budget of $155+ million covers employees salary and benefits, building/land maintenance, student nutrition, software/hardware, insurance, product licenses, transportation, and much much more. Funding sources include federal and state budgets, local parcel taxes and bonds (MUSD has Aa1 and AA credit ratings per Moody’s Investors and S&P Global Ratings), fundraisers and donations, and a wide variety of one-time grants. Federal and state funding (it can be annual, multi-year, or one-time funds and restricted or unrestricted funds) comes from our enrollment and attendance, along with categorical sources such as special education. When the federal or state budgets face deficits, we get less money to run our district. Opportunities, Challenges and Technologies Opportunities include: increasing enrollment and cultivating attendance; providing comprehensive employee pathway development; expanding STEAM, computer science, digital literacy, multilingualism, artificial intelligence, and inclusive services; strengthening Parent Teacher Associations and Organizations (PTA/PTO); growing strategic partnerships with community-based organizations and parents working in regional businesses and City of Milpitas. The District must advocate for public education funding, workforce housing, and solving the educator shortage through our locally elected officials (Congress, Senate, County, Assembly, Mayor, City Council). Challenges include combatting federal and state budget deficits, declining enrollment, decreasing attendance, negative effects of social media, and expanding private schools and home school networks. Staffing issues occur due to Silicon Valley housing and rental market, cost of living expenses (i.e. gas, food), career pathway mobility, commute time, and state-wide market competition. Over the last decade, MUSD has been an education technology leader as an early adopter of Google Classroom, Gmail, GChat, Facebook @ Work, iReady, Khan Academy, Summit Learning Platform and other top tier education technologies. We were among the first to adopt Google Chromebooks and offer a 1:1 device-to-student ratio. We utilize ChatGPT and other forms of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in our classrooms so teachers and students learn to safely use AI platforms, including Khanmigo by Khan Academy. Our Director of IT organized an AI education working group to develop curriculum; MUSD has representation on the California School Boards Association AI Task Force; and our Superintendent is developing an MUSD AI Task Force of all stakeholders. State of The District The state of MUSD is strong with aspirations of providing a world class TK - Adult learner education system with the MUSD Innovation Campus, MHS, Calaveras Hills, Milpitas Middle College High School and Adult Ed as its core pillars to career pathway growth opportunities for our learners and staff. The MUSD North Star is to “Build A Culture of We” and the cornerstone of its 5 Strategic Goals. MUSD continues to deliver on its bond and parcel tax promises with the completion of Mabel Mattos elementary school, implementation of safety and security perimeters at school sites, expansion of Randall World Languages School, and breaking ground on the MHS Performing Art Center. The District has mature leadership from top to bottom sprinkled across the district with fresh ideas from new leaders, continues to invest in professional development, and out of the box fundraising opportunities. Everyday MUSD faces challenges of safety and security (thank you Milpitas PD for your partnership); of the mental health of students and staff; and of the academic and attendance struggles of underserved, homeless, foster and Special Education students. These challenges are caused by changing times, ongoing education industry staffing shortages, bias, economic uncertainty, global turmoil and post-COVID conditions. Our future lies in the resilient local hands of MUSD staff, Milpitas residents, parents, taxpayers, voters, volunteers, businesses, community members, elected officials and more. Happiest of holidays to all! In Service, Chris Norwood 2020 CSBA State Board Member of the Year MUSD Senior Board Member On a daily basis, I am reading articles from CSBA, EdSource, Edweek and other platforms about various aspects of education. And on occasion I come across an article I want others to enjoy. A San Jose State Senior Lecturer, in the Department of Child and Adolescent Development and Psychology sent me an article from EdSource. What I appreciate most about the article was that it was written by an educator. In the Milpitas Unified School District we have educators doing great work for the adults and students that are rarely ever shared or heard. As a board member, I look forward to hearing the stories behind the work because in those stories, I hear the Why, I hear the voices of students, teachers, parents, secretaries, custodians, paraeducators and everyone else who was directly and indirectly involved. When we recognize that change will always happen and we can be the creators of change or recipients? Which one are you? Read article here In Community, Chris Norwood 2020 State Board Member of the Year, Current MUSD Board President It all starts with “good morning.” A good morning to oneself. A good morning to a significant other, a parent, colleague, a sibling. When you arrive to work in the Milpitas Unified School district that good morning will extend to a coworker, and when the first day of school starts that good morning will extend to our students. When I wake up in the morning, on most days, I greet myself with a good morning. Now sometimes I don’t respond, but more often than not, I respond in 3rd person: “Good morning, Chris Norwood.” That first greeting has meaning. I am hopeful we are all are greeting each other with positivity to start our days. Every employee, child, and adult learner of MUSD is a part of our multicultural village, our fabric – our diverse tapestry. . Over the past several months, several of our colleagues lost loved ones. We see you. Our hearts and prayers are always with you. Over this past summer we had some amazing summer school programs across the district. We even had a program at the West Valley Campus in Saratoga. For all those who were able to give and share time with our children over the summer. We see you. We thank you. We’ve had shifts in leadership at the District office, our school sites, leading our associations, and new leaders from other spaces and places join us. We see you. We thank you. In case you didn’t know it, last school year, MUSD had several ACSA Award winners and the ACSA Superintendent of the Year. We see you. Now I need everyone to look around, make eye contact with someone you don’t know and tell them - I see you. Tell them I’m here for you. Tell them I appreciate you. Those are the words our children and their families will need to hear whenever and wherever possible. I am a firm believer of the saying - Can’t know where you’re going until you know where you have been. Where have we been? The city of Milpitas was incorporated in 1954. Its relationship with public education began 51 years earlier in 1903 with Airpoint School in 1903. After Airpoint School there was:
When I moved to Milpitas in 1973 as a 3rd grader, the population of the city was approx 27,000. As of the 2020 US census- the population of Milpitas has reached 80,000. In 2016, we began a new era of growth in the city.
Now Where Are We Going? We are going to serve. We are going to struggle. We are going to have good days and not so good days. We are going to work together. We are going to cry together. We are going to solve problems together. The future of the Milpitas Unified School District is in our hands. And when I say our hands, I mean the Milpitas School District Governing Board, Superintendent, each executive cabinet member, classified management and employees (part-time and full time), certificated management and employees, contractors, volunteers, regionally elected officials, community leaders, residents and Milpitas families. Did you know the current Mayor, Police Chief and School Board President are all graduates of Milpitas High School? Our Milpitas Unified School District forefathers and mothers continued to invest in expanding and improving the quality of education in Milpitas. We will build upon their legacy. They built schools in local communities to create more equity and opportunity. We will continue to build upon that legacy. The DNA of Milpitas represents integration, inclusion, acceptance, creativity, leadership, compassion, responsibility, integrity, accountability and respect. And we, the Milpitas Unified School District represents that DNA through our 5 strategic goals - led by our #1 Strategic Goal - “Build A Culture of We”. We are committed to building a culture that recognizes our neuro-diverse students as students with unique gifts and abilities. A culture that positively greets one another each day and solves challenging problems together. A culture that recognizes everyone has a vital role to play. Our custodians, secretaries, MOT, student nutrition, teachers and administrators are part of that fabric that makes us the strongest. We will always be stronger together. Team work - makes the dream work Team work - makes the dream work. Team work - makes the dream work Team work - makes the dream work. As the current President of The Milpitas Unified School District Governing Board of Trustees, I am honored to represent the work of each and everyone of you in the local supermarket, Sacramento, Washington DC, and everywhere in between. We understand that your success means success for our children and their families. And each of my colleagues, Vice President Ha Minh Ngo, Board Clerk Kelly YipChuan, Trustee Anu Nakka, Trustee Robert Jung ALL feel the same way. Welcome Back MUSD and thank you for your commitment. The Milpitas community appreciates you! Chris Norwood 2020 State Board Member of the Year, Current MUSD Board President In my senior year of high school, I ran for ASB President. I don’t recall why I ran. I do recall that I was not elected. It didn’t feel good at the time. In my sophomore and junior years in high school, I tried out for the high school basketball team. I did it because my dad liked basketball and all of my friends played. I did not make the team either year. I was asked to join the basketball team in my junior year after 3 people quit. As a freshman in high school, I joined NJROTC. I loved it. My social group didn’t like NJROTC and they teased me every time I wore the uniform. My dad was in the military and it made him proud. He taught me how to shine shoes with a rag, spit, some water and a little bit of black shoe cream. It’s something I do to this day in remembrance of him. He left this life on July 11, 2011, seven days after his birthday. He made it around the sun 70 times. I didn’t really date in high school - even though I tried. I was super shy, a nice guy, and some would say very book smart when I put in the effort. I was a small, skinny kid whose facial features and physical characteristics were somewhat large for my size in high school. And for that I was teased also. I had several teachers from the district and school leaders whom I connected with; Carol Feige, Susan Bigelow, Henry Robinson, Laura Foegal, Steve Cain, Jeff Lamb, Carol Insell, Beverly James, Susan Cadd, Mr. Hammer, Jack Weinstein, Don Close, Bob Kellogg, Mr Hand, Frank Gory, Bob Denton, Jim Ferguson, Steve Cain, and Chuck Perotti. I believe they saw my potential and did all they could to support me as a learner and a person. Mrs. Marie Longero was the MHS office administrator and my neighbor. She always gave me a pass to class when I was late to school because she knew my mom and dad were going through a divorce. She saw the optimism in my eyes diminish and always gave me a hug when she could. Her husband Big John was one of the neighborhood dads and he looked out for me too. The weekend and night custodians were also like dads to me. They would give me snacks, let me work with them and teach me how to repair things with my hands. They open the gym to let me practice basketball by myself. They would tell me stories of their families, friends and hopes for their children. They encouraged me to never quit or give up on myself. Send me your story. I’d love to hear it. In community, Chris Norwood MUSD Board President 2020 CSBA State Board Member of the Year Each year Milpitas Unified School District experiences movements. Movements caused by life happenings, economics, circumstances and growth opportunities. As I enter into my 9th year on the Board, I am always curious to what movements will occur for the following year. I am always hopeful the movements will ultimately benefit the children and families we serve for years to come. Continuity is something school systems always pursue. Equally as important, I am hopeful where the movements occur, new leaders from within are inspired to emerge and build upon previous good work. There are tens of thousands of parents in the Milpitas community that appreciate good work and observe our movements. Each day they see our classrooms; the cleanliness of the grounds; the busses traveling around town; they hear about the nutrition; witness some of our challenges; they notice the friendliness and the knowledge level of the administrators and staff. Last weekend at the Science Olympiad at Milpitas High School, I was deeply moved by the MUSD team and its volunteers. Not only did the high school team earn a trip to the state competition, many of their parents helped to host simultaneously. I learned that MHS volunteered to host the tournament because the planned venue fell through. Kudos to Letta (Meyer) and her team! The way we deal with movements directly affects our ability to serve. And the way we serve directly affects our ability to deal with movements. In community, Chris Norwood 2020 CSBA State Board Member of the Year 2023 MUSD Board President Each person past or present, employed, affiliated, attended or attending the Milpitas Unified School District is part of its unique cultural history. It’s Black, LatinX, Asian, Indian, Pacific Islander, European, and Indigenous People’s history, which have been the guiding light for our city’s brightest future. We share generational bonds, struggles and stories that will endure. We share an opportunity and common bond to rise above the fears of our physical, economic, societal, political, and ancestral histories. We also share hopes for ourselves and the Milpitas children who moved to our community, or were born and raised, or arrived by unintentional means. In November 2022, Milpitas voters made electoral and cultural history again that reflect these hopes and values. We elected our first LatinX woman mayor - Carmen Montano. Carmen is a 50+ year resident, product of the Milpitas Unified School District, and former Milpitas school board member. In addition to Carmen, Milpitas voters elected Hon Lien, a 25+ year resident and our first Vietnamese woman to the Milpitas City Council. The voters also elected Anu Nakka, a 20-year resident, our first Indian woman to the governing school board of trustees. Milpitas will always be the City on the Hill and a beacon for All. We will wrap ourselves around our children and implore them through our actions to take their seats at the Table, in whatever life pathway they choose -- governance, tech, arts, education, athletics, music, business, medical, service, entrepreneurship, religion and more. In community, Chris Norwood MUSD Board President 2020 CSBA State Board Member of the Year As 2022 comes to close, my eyes fill with tears for the children, parents, friends and families that will not see 2023 due to COVID19 and socioeconomic factors that drove them out of the region. The sorrow fuels my hope that the greatest good is service to others. I search for answers on how to serve in my weakest moments. There are plenty of weak moments. Our news headlines have been filled with war, inflation, hate crimes, homelessness and divisive politics. Social media algorithms and Artificial Intelligence are working overtime feeding our fears with more fears. We are all hurting. We are all struggling. We search for the happiness we once knew. Will it ever end? Who will put an end to it? I am grateful for the outpouring of community support and re-election to the Milpitas School District Governing Board of Trustees for my 3rd term. I am grateful my mom saw her 81st birthday this past June and attended the MHS graduation of her only grandson. I am grateful that I was on stage at the MHS graduation when my son walked across and my family was just a few feet away. At that moment, I saw a 17 year old Chris Norwood walking across that stage many years ago. The new leaders of our associations have huge shoes to fill. Diana Orlando and Machelle Kessinger had 35+ years of experience in their MTA and CSEA leadership roles, respectively. They pushed me to learn about the policies, historical practices and people employed by MUSD. I am confident the doors of effective and transparent communication will remain open and continue to serve us all well. I will do my part to build stronger bridges. Teamwork makes the dream work. Every employee within MUSD matters. Each contributes something unique and needed for us to work, live, learn, thrive and serve. Grateful for everyone who chooses to call MUSD home and these next few weeks of rest. Take good care of yourselves and those around you. 2023 will be what we make it..... In community,
Chris Norwood 2020 CSBA State Board Member of the Year We have learned what our government and community expect from our public education systems and their governing boards during a lockdown global health crisis. We are expected to be extra extraordinary in our knowledge, health, commitment to work, family, internet teaching, and usability skills. We are expected to immediately shift the focus of our mindset from education to the societal need and common good of all; health and well-being. Over the course of the two-year span, our Milpitas schools became more than places of work, education, teaching, adult camaraderie, exercise, socialization and student nutrition. They also became hubs of safety, internet access points, food distribution centers, testing and vaccination sites for tens of thousands. Our educators (teachers, managers and classified employees) inside the classroom and out had to find new ways to work, think, and reinvent themselves to be more safe, efficient and effective. Our district leaders and board had to navigate the unknown. And we did it together. Thank you! To our families, community and staff, please do all that you can to protect yourselves, others, loved ones and our elderly this winter and holiday season. There are more opportunities and challenges on the horizon. Happy Thanksgiving. I appreciate you. Chris Norwood 2020 CSBA State Board Member of the Year If you’ve never heard me talk to the community about Milpitas Unified, here are snippets: In 2018, the voters of Milpitas aligned with the vision of the school district and governing board to finish Mabel Mattos Elementary School; build new track and fields at our middle schools; add a new performing arts theater at Milpitas High School; improve safety and security from intruders; and complete the new MUSD Innovation Campus for high school students, adult learners and professionals.
At the beginning of August, I drove from school to school taking pictures of the new and colorful digital marquees at each school site. My heart smiled. Thank you Milpitas PTAs/PTOs for partnering with our schools and community to make this happen. This effort aligns with MUSD Strategic Goal #2, Improve Communications for better outreach to staff, students and families. Each school year challenges me in new ways and reminds me that human life is short, precious and that Father Time is undefeated. Many of the familiar faces that helped me to grow as the senior governing board member in the district now have new roles in the district or have changed industries. The last of the teachers and other staff members who taught me have retired. Some have transitioned from this human life to the next. This past summer I attended "Celebration of Life" events for several MUSD employees and past retirees. At some of the celebrations, MUSD employees outnumbered the family members or close friends. We sat together, held hands, cried and reflected, exemplifying MUSD Strategic Goal #1, Build a Culture of WE. On the first day of school, I felt a true sense of optimism across our district and Milpitas community. I listened to the hope of parents and students for a school year that is not disrupted by a global or regional health crisis. I listened to teachers, staff and district leadership reflect on the challenges of the past two years, lessons learned and best practices to take forward in order to best serve ALL of the children who attend our schools. It demonstrated that we are following through with MUSD Strategic Goal #4, Focus on services and support systems to ensure all students are engaged in their learning and Strategic Goal #5, Identify creative, student focused strategies... to ensure healthy learning environments. Exemplifying “what we say IS what we do” is hard work, good work, and fun. Where do the Board strategic goals align with your leadership? In Service, Chris Norwood, MUSD Board Vice President 2020 CSBA State Board Member of the Year |
Chris NorwoodMessage Blog Archives
March 2024
Categories |