Superintendent's Message
from Dr. George Mannon
September 01, 2008
Recently Torrance City Council accepted a new strategic plan for the city in which TUSD was identified as one of the top three reasons people choose to move here. TUSD has earned a well-deserved reputation for excellence because of its extraordinary students, talented teachers, passionate administrators and classified employees, dedicated parents, and community and business partnerships. Our collective commitment to the highest educational achievement is demonstrated in our graduation rates, academic yearly progress, and academic performance index, all of which continue to exceed our benchmarks.
Unfortunately, with every passing year, our facilities continue to dilapidate even further. Last year, with the closing of Hull Middle School, the Torrance community felt the impact of losing one of its neighborhood schools. The only mechanism the state and federal governments provide school districts for facilities improvements is the passing of bond measures. For this reason, the TUSD Board of Education unanimously voted to place two bonds – Measure Y and Z – on the November ballot. Measure Y would address core facility needs and modernizations while Measure Z would add science labs, art rooms, and be used to improve the condition of our sports facilities. The sub-standard condition of the Torrance Unified School District facilities is the most urgent concern of the entire Torrance community.
Meanwhile, in Sacramento, the Governor and State Legislature are still gridlocked on a compromise for the State Budget. If a State budget is not passed soon, all districts in California will face even greater hardships. I encourage community members to contact your local legislators and the Governor urging them to come to a budget resolution soon. In spite of budgetary drawbacks, our administrators, old and new, have spent their summer planning for innovative ways to maintain the District’s expectation for academic excellence.
TUSD is constantly looking for progressive educational opportunities to bring to its students. Thanks to valuable partnerships with Torrance businesses like American Honda and academic organizations such as Space Information Labs, this year we are able to launch the Endeavor Academy at West High School. The Endeavor program is designed to educate and train our students in leading science, technology, engineering, and mathematic studies. These courses are aligned with admissions requirements for schools like MIT and those in the UC system. Part of the TUSD mission is to prepare students to participate in a global society; programs like Endeavor allow us to fulfill this objective.
An investment in our children today is an investment in a sound economic future for tomorrow. I know, with the support from parents, staff, and the Torrance community, we can build that future together.
