REDWOOD CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT Redwood City, California APPROVED MINUTES OF BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING. October 7, 2009

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1 1. Call to Order REDWOOD CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT Redwood City, California APPROVED MINUTES OF BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING October 7, 2009 President Diaz-Slocum called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. at the District Office, 750 Bradford Street, Redwood City. Present at the Board Meeting: President Maria Diaz-Slocum, Trustees Dennis McBride and Alisa MacAvoy, and Superintendent Jan Christensen. Trustee Shelly Masur arrived late to the meeting, at 7:30 p.m., due to a delayed flight. Absent: Trustee Hilary Paulson, due to illness Others present: John Baker, Raul Parungao, Patricia McRae, Jane Yuster, Amanda Kemp, Carolyn Williams, Wendy Kelly, Lupe Guzman, Warren Sedar, Kerry Dees, Ray Dawley, Michelle Griffith, Josh Griffith, Bret Baird, Claudia Aguilar, Patricia Perez, Susanne Ruiz, Clara Elisando, Carmen Barajas, Cristina Zelaya, Naomi Hunter, Don Dias, Martin Cervantes, and Sara Garcia 2. Welcome President Diaz-Slocum welcomed those present. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. 3. Changes to the Agenda Trustee McBride requested the addition of Staff Recognition to the agenda, under Item 5. He further requested that Item 10.3 be moved earlier on the agenda, so that people in the audience present for the calendar discussion would not have to wait too long. He suggested that this be moved to the next agenda item once Trustee Masur arrived. Jan Christensen requested the addition of an extended hours Field Trip approval to consent items, explaining that it had inadvertently been left off the agenda and that 2/3 of the Board was required to approve its inclusion. On motion by Trustee MacAvoy, seconded by Trustee McBride, and by unanimous vote, the Board approved the addition of the Field Trip approval to the agenda under consent items. 4. Approval of Agenda On motion by Trustee McBride, seconded by Trustee MacAvoy, and by unanimous vote, the Board approved the agenda, as amended. 1

2 5. Community/Staff Recognition Trustee McBride and the entire Board recognized the district s Facilities Department for going above and beyond the call of duty in their efforts to power clean the North Star campus amidst a significant outbreak of pandemic flu. Don Dias, Martin Cervantes, and Sara Garcia stood and were recognized by the entire Board and all present. 6. Oral Communication Clara Elisando, Carmen Barajas, and Cristina Zelaya, parents at Hoover, voiced concerns regarding their children s teacher. They reported that their children feel unsafe attending school due to recent incidents involving the teacher. Bret Baird, RCTA, reported out on the first month of the school year. He expressed concern that the local community was blaming teachers for the non-passage of the parcel tax. 7. School/Community Reports 7.1 Staffing and Enrollment Deputy Superintendent Baker reported on student enrollment by site, number of classes by grade level, new hires of both certificated and classified staff, the number of teachers on leave, and the number of staff members who resigned or retired last year. He reported that 20 teachers had been rehired from 2008/2009. He reported that the actual enrollment of students in the district exceeded the projection by 53 students. Board members discussed the impact of the additional students on school enrollment. Deputy Superintendent Baker responded to questions from the Board School Calendar(s) for 1 or 2 start dates/1 or 2 calendars At 7:30 p.m., Trustee Masur arrived at the meeting and it was decided to commence with the calendar discussion, as previously decided upon by the Board. Superintendent Christensen began by expressing her thanks to the members of the Calendar Task Force, for their work in analyzing multiple facets of the calendar issue and collecting survey data from parents, faculty and staff. She noted that the Task Force had been comprised equally of representatives from both traditional and year-round schools. She further noted that parent and staff survey responses indicated a desire among parents to align the district s calendar with that of the Sequoia Union High School District. Superintendent Christensen reminded the Board that they only had the authority to determine a school start date and to decide that all schools should utilize a single, shared calendar. Other details of the calendar, such as school breaks and 2

3 teacher workdays, pursuant to state law, will be negotiated with the two unions representing district employees, Redwood City Teacher s Association (RCTA) and the California School Employees Association (CSEA). Superintendent Christensen reported that the Administration is recommending a shared calendar with a start date of the fourth Monday in August. With this start date, Redwood City elementary students would start a few days after students in the Sequoia Union High School district, and within a day or two of students in neighboring districts, including San Carlos, Menlo Park, Belmont-Redwood Shores and Las Lomitas. She went on to discuss both the financial impact of running two disparate calendars concurrently, as well as the non-quantifiable opportunity costs to the district. Bret Baird, RCTA, reported that representatives from the teacher s union wanted the option to vote to match up with the Sequoia High School District s calendar. He said that many teachers felt held hostage by those who value vacation time over the education of our students. As RCTA President, he expressed his willingness to work cooperatively with CSEA and the negotiations team in finalizing a calendar for the district. Claudia Aguilar, parent, spoke in favor of a unified, blended calendar. She expressed concern about her children transitioning from a year-round middle school into a traditional high school. Patricia Perez, CSEA, spoke in support of one unified calendar with a single start date. She stated that she is not in favor of a blended calendar because of the length that would be added to the school year. She expressed concern that a shortened summer break would impede teachers ability to take summer courses. Susanne Dunlap, teacher and parent, served on the Calendar Task Force and expressed her support for a blended calendar. Trustee Masur expressed her strong preference for year-round schools, but indicated her willingness to support a unified calendar given all the evidence presented. She expressed concern regarding the length of the summer break at the close of this school year and the potential for summer learning loss. Trustee MacAvoy stated that she was extremely happy to be moving all schools onto one calendar and supported aligning the start date to that of the Sequoia High School District. Trustee McBride expressed gratitude to the unions for agreeing to decide on a final calendar by November. Trustee Diaz-Slocum thanked the Calendar Task Force for their hard work in compiling their findings. Superintendent Christensen announced that she had distributed printouts of s received from Trustee Paulson, indicating her support for a shared calendar with a single start date. 3

4 On motion by Trustee McBride, seconded by Trustee MacAvoy, and by unanimous vote, the board approved the adoption of one single calendar, to be shared by all schools, and a common start date of the fourth Monday in August. The board recessed the meeting at 7:59 p.m.; the meeting was reconvened at 8:08 p.m. 7.2 Data Analysis Patricia McRae, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, showed a PowerPoint presentation showcasing data pertaining to the district s scores on California s standardized tests. She explained that, under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, if a school or district misses any one criterion of AYP, then that school or district does not achieve AYP. She noted that while the district as a whole did not make AYP, it had met 33 of 41 criteria. She reported that 9 out of 17 schools made AYP and 8 out of 17 schools had met their API targets. The presentation included charts showing test results of various demographic subgroups, including the scores of various ethnic groups as well as the performance of students with disabilities, English learners, and socio-economically disadvantaged students. Cohort graphs indicated the achievement of students who have continuously attended Redwood City School District schools since at least 2 nd grade, as compared to the achievement of all students tested, and suggested that those students performed better. Assistant Superintendent McRae concluded with a summary of actions taken based on the data and a discussion of future plans for addressing areas for improvement. She responded to questions from the Board. Trustee McBride recognized the work of Mary Maher and the Special Education department, commending them on the improved scores of students with disabilities. He also noted that some progress had been made toward bridging the achievement gap that currently exists between White and Asian students and Hispanic/Latino, African American and Pacific Islander students. He expressed concern specifically regarding two schools, John Gill and Selby Lane, and requested that Assistant Superintendent McRae discuss actions being taken at those schools to address student achievement on the California standardized tests. Trustee Masur commented on the research-proven link between student achievement and increased physical activity. Assistant Superintendent McRae announced that the district would be the recipient of funds from Kaiser to be used for physical education programs and the implementation of the FitFun guide. Trustee MacAvoy expressed thanks to the principals, teachers and staff of all district schools for their hard work. The board recessed the meeting at 9:04 p.m.; the meeting was reconvened at 9:10 p.m. 4

5 7.3 Report on Strategic Plan Deputy Superintendent Baker presented an update on the Strategic Plan. He also shared with the Board the new format for the Strategic Plan, and noted that it had been approved by the Policy Committee. 8. Discussion Items None. 9. Consent Items On motion by Trustee MacAvoy, seconded by Trustee Masur, and by unanimous vote, the board approved the Consent Items, taking the following action: 9.1 Recommendation re: Approval of September 16 Board Minutes 9.2 Recommendation re: Approval of September 23 Board Minutes 9.3 Recommendation re: Acceptance of Donations 9.4 Recommendation re: Approval of Field Trip to Water, Natural Bridges, Hawes 9.5 Recommendation re: Approval of Field Trip to Water, Angel Island, North Star 9.6 Recommendation re: Approval of Field Trip to Water, MSI, Kennedy 9.7 Recommendation re: Approval of Field Trip to Water, MSI, Kennedy 9.8 Recommendation re: Approval of Extended Hours Field Trip, NASA Ames, Kennedy 9.9 Recommendation re: Approval of Extended Hours Field Trip, Yosemite, North Star 9.10 Recommendation re: Approval of Extended Hours Field Trip, De Young Museum, North Star 9.11 Recommendation re: Approval of Gann Limit 9.12 Recommendation re: Request for Increase to Assistant Principal Position, Newcomer Academy 9.13 Recommendation re: Approval of Agreement for Diann Crandell, Speech and Language Pathologist 9.14 Recommendation re: Adoption of Resolution 6, 2009/2010 Class Size Reduction Operations Funding Program 9.15 Recommendation re: Approval of Extended Hours Field Trip, Yosemite, Roy Cloud 10. Action Items 10.1 Recommendation re: Approval of Unaudited Actuals On motion by Trustee MacAvoy, seconded by Trustee Masur, and by unanimous vote, the board approved the unaudited actuals, as presented by CBO Parungao. 5

6 10.2 Recommendation re: Approval of Budget Revision On motion by Trustee Masur, seconded by Trustee MacAvoy, and by unanimous vote, the board approved the budget revision, as presented by CBO Parungao. 11. Board and Superintendent Reports 11.1 Report from Board Members and Superintendent Trustee McBride reported that he had attended the second public hearing on the petition for transfer of territory on October 6, and that he had read a letter written by Trustee Paulson to the committee at the hearing. He requested that Superintendent Christensen forward a copy of Trustee Paulson s letter to the entire Board. He further reported that he, Superintendent Christensen, and Trustee MacAvoy attended a Garden Tea Party on October 7 at Taft School. He commented that the students leading tours were extremely knowledgeable and commended Hidden Villa for the work they are doing with the student gardens. Trustee MacAvoy witnessed an earthquake drill at the North Star/MIT campus on October 7, and reported that all students behaved in a very disciplined and orderly fashion. Trustee Masur reported that she attended the three-day California School Boards Association Wellness Conference, and that RCSD s fitness program had received high and widespread commendation. Trustee Diaz-Slocum reported that she attended the Taft Community Fair and also an author s book signing event at Garfield. Superintendent Christensen reported that she had testified at the public hearing on the petition for transfer of territory at the District Office on October 6. She announced that the next meeting in connection with the petition would be held on October 20 th. She further reported that she had accompanied Taft Principal Michelle Griffith and Director of Communications Naomi Hunter to the October 7 Redwood City Chamber of Commerce Meeting, whereat Principal Griffith spoke regarding activities at Taft School and Ms. Hunter showed a short video about the district. Superintendent Christensen added that following the Garden Party event at Taft, someone had indicated interest in donating $50,000 to Taft School Report Out on Closed Session on Potential Litigation on September 23, 2009 President Diaz-Slocum reported that the Board met in closed session with Superintendent Christensen and CBO Parungao to receive information on potential litigation from Claire Cunningham, Counsel. 6

7 11.3 Report Out on Closed Session on Negotiations on September 23, 2009 President Diaz-Slocum reported that the Board met in closed session with Superintendent Christensen, CBO Parungao, and Deputy Superintendent Baker to discuss negotiations. 12. Information None. 13. Correspondence None. 14. Other Business/Suggested Items for Future Agendas Trustee McBride suggested adding an item to a future agenda to recognize the work of Hidden Villa. 15. Board Agenda Calendar 15.1 Changes to Board Agenda Schedule It was the consensus of the Board to change the date of the June 2, 2010 meeting to June 9. Deputy Superintendent Baker requested that the work session on Board policies (Students, Finance, and Facilities), which had previously been postponed, be moved to November 18. He further requested that the November 18 meeting begin at 6 p.m. Deputy Superintendent Baker requested that the approval of Board policy revisions be moved to November 4 (Personnel, Philosophy, Community Relations) and January 13 (Curriculum). It was the consensus of the Board to hold a Special Board meeting for a closed session on public employee performance evaluation (Superintendent s evaluation) on October 12, at 7:30 p.m. 16. Adjournment On motion by Trustee Masur, seconded by Trustee MacAvoy, and by unanimous vote, the board adjourned the meeting at 10:19 p.m. Alisa MacAvoy, Clerk 7