School Notes: Police Called in to Handle Beating of WCI Student; School Board Gives Teachers Raises

Walnut Creek Intermediate Principal Kevin Collins sent out this email to parents informing them of a lunchtime fight on Monday that sent a 13-year-old student to the hospital with head injuries. If you're a parent of a WCI student, you've probably heard about it. I did. I know kids who witnessed it.  

Collins said the fight between two students, ages 12 and 13, occurred during the second of two lunch hours on the downtown Walnut Creek campus. Apparently the boys became aggressive with each other during a game of touch football. The tensions between the two erupted into a fight in a school hallway at the end of lunch period. The boys shoved each other and mutually agreed to fight.  

The fight left the 13-year-old with a bloody nose and head injuries. He was later diagnosed with a concussion at the hospital. Because of the injuries, the Walnut Creek Police Department was called in to investigate the incident. 

Collins noted that a number of students witnessed the fight and were deeply upset by it. "During morning announcements on Tuesday we let students know about the incident and reminded them of how to deal with conflicts." That is, according to Collins, to talk to an adult.  "Our staff is committed to making WCI be a safe place for all students," he said. 

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While neighboring Mt Diablo Unified School District looks to lay off more than 100 teachers and cut $21.3 million from its budget, the Walnut Creek School District is going to give its teachers, classified staff and district managers a 3 percent raise.

The 170 teachers in the K-8 district will also get more money for their health benefits. Over the past three years, the district didn't give out raises, while cutting $3 million from its $26 million budget. A combination of stockpiling reserves and an increase in enrollment gave the district the revenue to issue the raises, Superintendent Patty Wool told the Contra Costa Times. 

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The Walnut Creek School District's governing board passed a resolution that urges that tax extensions be placed on the June ballot, the Contra Costa Times reported. 

The district is getting behind a request by Gov. Jerry Brown and the California School Boards Association to ask the Legislature to allow a vote on extending taxes. 

The Walnut Creek School District has cut $3 million from a $26 million budget since 2007.  These tax extensions would allow the Walnut Creek district to receive a similar amount of funding as it has in the 2010-11 school year. In a worst case scenario, if the tax extensions don't go through, the district could face a $1.2 million shortfall next school year.