Cajon Valley Making Smart Investments to Create New Opportunities For Students

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Sep 03, 2019, 09:22 ET

El CAJON, Calif., Sept. 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today in Cajon Valley Union School District, campuses are flourishing, students are thriving, and the community is heavily involved in the development of every child's unique "Strengths, Interests, and Values." These changes are all in congruence with Cajon Valley's greater Vision of creating an educational plane where "Happy Kids are able to develop Healthy Relationships while paving a Path to Gainful Employment."

World of Work Community Partners with Mayor Bill Wells

Gains in Enrollment (Source: California DOE Educational Demographics Unit)

The innovative programs and work developed in CVUSD contribute to not only the improvement of the district, but of the entire community, making Cajon Valley "A Great Place to Live, Work, Play, and Raise a Family." Cajon Valley is focused on giving the students within their reach the best possible chance at cultivating effective skills for their future career and financial well-being. With crucial investments made towards the brand Cajon Valley Union School District is fostering like the TEDxKids@ElCajon event, the World of Work program, and community-building events, the district has seen 6 straight years of increased enrollment and fiscal stability, a complete anomaly for public school districts in San Diego County and the entire United States. View Cajon Valley's Flash Mob video.

While the foundation of our success is and always will be teaching and learning, many of the changes we've made in the past few years have come from broadening our leadership team's focus from traditional administration to running CVUSD as an innovation driven business. In doing so, we've seen how investing in brand development and marketing can open new opportunities for student achievement.

Cajon Valley has converted our innovations in technology, modern curriculum, and career development into a global brand that has attracted students formerly enrolled in charter schools, private schools, and even neighboring districts. While we have increased our financial investment in this area, the return on that investment has meant more funding and resources to help our students learn and grow.

Here are some highlights on what this means for students in our district:

TEDxKids@ElCajon
TEDxKids@ElCajon is an event affiliated with the popular TED talks and gives the community of El Cajon a platform to share their own ideas, insights, and stories. This event, now held annually, is put on by volunteers, sponsorships, and vendors from the community and from the Cajon Valley Education Foundation. TEDxKids@ElCajon is a community-wide event that unites all stakeholders and celebrates the rich diversity in the East County region of San Diego. The District's partnerships with the City of El Cajon Recreation Department, Heartland Fire & Rescue, the San Diego Sheriff's Department, the El Cajon Police Department, and local businesses truly make this event a community builder amplifying the "Ideas Worth Spreading" of the El Cajon community. View TEDxKids@ElCajon2019 recap video.

ASA Grant
With a recent 1.2 million dollar ASA grant to incorporate World of Work into La Mesa-Spring Valley, Vista Unified and the Grossmont Union High School District, Cajon Valley has already recouped the initial investment for the program and stands to bring in additional ongoing revenue as other districts sign on as clients. In fact, ten other districts nationwide have purchased the World of Work curriculum from CVUSD. This new and consistent revenue stream will be used to help the District reinvest in other areas of curriculum, offerings for students, staff development, and attracting and retaining high-quality employees with branding and marketing efforts. View ASA President and CEO Jean Eddy's visit to CVUSD.

Teacher Recruitment
Cajon Valley's reputation has also paid off in the area of human resources. Applications to teach at CVUSD have flooded in, despite a massive teacher shortage in many areas, and the symbol that Cajon Valley Union School District has become represents a positive future for the community.

The accomplishments of our Business Services team under the direction of Chief Business Officer Scott Buxbaum cannot be underscored. They include 6 straight years of fiscal stability and positive budget certifications from the state and county, growing a healthy budget reserve, and eliminating deficit spending while at the same time adding programs for students and increasing teacher and classified staff salaries. Cajon Valley's image is now being recognized among elite institutions like Forbes, The Hechinger Report, The Brookings Institute, Getting Smart, and Voice of San Diego. Partnerships and affiliations with organizations TEDx and TED-Ed, the ASU/GSV Summit, Myers-Briggs Corporation, Google, Digital Promise, and the ASA are bringing Cajon Valley to the forefront of the push to modernize education to help more students than just those college-bound for white-collar careers

CVUSD Chief Innovation and Engagement Officer Ed Hidalgo has been invited to speak at conferences like the ASU/GSV Summit and a Brookings Institute conference to share the district's accomplishments with the world's leading education and workforce innovators. During the 2019 ASU/GSV Summit, conference participants from around the globe visited CVUSD as part of the summit. These visitors were impressed by the identity Cajon Valley has created as a public-school district and a community during their efforts to modernize education and create a curriculum that can be applied to every student. View ASU/GSV X Cajon Valley Tour here.

About Cajon Valley Union School District
With roots dating back to 1870, Cajon Valley Union School District focuses on the positivity of each student's unique strengths, interests, and values. Serving over 60 square miles of San Diego's East County, Cajon Valley Union School District offers personalized education, with programs that develop students' interests into goals for a career-minded approach. Please visit www.cajonvalley.net and follow CVUSD on Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Contact:
Howard Shen
6195905823
[email protected]

SOURCE Cajon Valley Union School District