Two North Bay school programs recognized by state organization

A North Bay school district and county office of education are among 56 in the state to receive awards from the California School Boards Association.

Santa Rosa City Schools and the Napa County Office of Education were honored with the association’s Golden Bell Award, which recognizes innovative, data-driven school programs. Santa Rosa City Schools was recognized for its Equity Initiative, which began in 2015 as a way to address the achievement gap between Latino and white students. The program provides professional development to staff through visits to the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles and unconscious bias training courses. Diann Kitamura, superintendent of Santa Rosa City Schools, said that to date, about 400 district employees have visited the Museum of Tolerance through the program, and 180 teachers have participated in unconscious bias training.

Since 2000, SRCS has been honored five times.?The NCOE was honored for its animal science career pathway, a four-year program at Vintage High School that aims to prepare students for a career in agriculture through entrepreneurial and business projects. More than 130 students are enrolled in the program, said Seana Wagner, NCOE’s communications director. The Napa County Office of Education has been awarded 11 times since 2000, Wagner said.

Applications for the awards were due in March, and the awards were announced this month. An awards ceremony will take place Dec. 3 in San Francisco.