School Board Meeting Bullets- February 8, 2022

MEETING OF THE GOVERNING BOARD 
February 8, 2022
(Notes are Abridged)

1. OPENING PROCEDURE
A. CALL TO ORDER   at 6:02 p.m.
B. ESTABLISHMENT OF QUORUM  All Members Present, Quorum Established
2. REQUESTS TO ADDRESS THE GOVERNING BOARD 
Alice Lee: Comment regarding dual immersion mandarin at Wilson. Student is in Ms. Liao’s class. I would like the board to reconsider their decision to move forward with Simplified Mandarin in the Fall. Believes in traditional characters and its origins. Believes children should learn traditional first and simplified later. Understands that simplified is may be more accessible now, but would like to keep traditional characters and its origins. Has had a great experience the last 2 years in the dual immersion program  with Mrs. Lin and Ms. Liao.  My child has learned a lot. If it is a fundraising issue, I look forward to working with your partnership with this issue. 

3. RECESS TO CLOSED SESSION at 6:06 p.m.

A. CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL – Anticipated Litigation (Pursuant to Government Code §54956.9)

B. CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATOR(S) (Pursuant to Government Code §54957.6, subd. (a))
Employee Organization(s): San Gabriel Teachers Association & Teamsters Local 911 
Agency Designated Representatives: James Symonds, Superintendent & Ross Perry, Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources

4. RECONVENE TO OPEN SESSION at 7:04 p.m.

A. ANNOUNCEMENT OF ACTION TAKEN IN CLOSED SESSION no action

B. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE  by Luccia Yacoub

C. APPROVAL OF AGENDA  
Moved and seconded for approval. All in favor.

D. REQUESTS TO ADDRESS THE GOVERNING BOARD 
Jazmine De la Torre: San Gabriel Safe Routes to School - continuing this program in San Gabriel. Began today at McKinley. Some activities are bike riding and Walk to School day. Thank you.


Sally Wong: MDLI at Wilson - Parent of 1st grader in MDLI at Wilson and a daughter in TK and 2 more following. Disappointed with finding out about transition from traditional to simplified. Seemed like there was a lack of communication. Would like to know how the school board will address these issues and transition the students to traditional. 

    
Sandy Yang: MDLI at Wilson comment. We were notified that mandarin was changed from traditional to simplified and without parent input. I put my child in this program with knowledge that they would be taught in traditional, not simplified. I would like to have open communication with the SGUSD board.

Yin Quintero: MDLI at Wilson- children in Ms. Lin and Ms. Liao’s classes. I understand the switch from traditional to simplified; however, I placed my children in this program because we were told they would be able to read and write in traditional Chinese. All of the media and books are also written in traditional Chinese. A lot of families like mine chose this program because of traditional Chinese - how can we switch to simplified without first consulting families? We would like to be involved in the decision making. Seems like there’s no transparency and it’s disappointing.

Alistair Thistlewaite: MDLI - I believe it is a more contentious issue than the board realizes. There are deep historic roots in traditional characters that parents may wish to retain. I think the issue is that the manner in which the transition was presented - feels like a “take it or leave it” approach without parent input. I believe we need to bring in an expert to help make this decision regarding the transition. 

Gina Chi :   MDLI 2nd Grader - Concern is hoping to get more feedback into the decisions being made without parents input and feedback. Asking what is the benchmark for the students’ success and progress.  From Traditional to Simplified, our understanding was that there was a team that came in to do the evaluation. What were the findings from this team to move to switching from Traditional to Simplified?  And what were the findings for the success of this program? It is pretty disappointing to be 3 years into this program and to just be told about this change. 

Irwin Yu and Gina Chi: One additional comment, since my son began in Kindergarten, and we have had this committee put together, nothing has been relayed to the committee from Admin to the Dual Immersion committee. Many of us are devoting our time to make this program successful. 

5. APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MEETING MINUTES

A. Approve the Governing Meeting Minutes of January 18, 2022 
Moved and seconded for approval. All in favor.


6. PUBLIC HEARING(S)


7. SPECIAL REPORTS AND PRESENTATIONS
A. REPORTS - Student Board Members
Del Mar High School, Jessie Lopez -  I got this!  Del Mar: Enrollment has been growing. Welcome 9 new students. 
McKinley: 5th grade our building cardboard games for the rest to enjoy. Thanks to SEF for the 4th/5th grade dance experience. 
Wilson: Thankful to report less positive cases. We are proud and appreciative of the community to keep the families safe. They moved the student awards to a virtual celebration. Students celebrated 100 Days of School. MDLI celebrated the traditional Chinese Lunar Year. 
Jefferson: Resumed normal activities since declining Covid cases. After School Jazz band has begun. 8th grade science has partnered with the San Diego Zoo  JMS and GAB will meet soon for vertical articulation to help better understand the needs of the incoming students.
Gabrielino High School, Joseph Aguilar
GAB: March 4 School Dance. ASB is prepping for March Madness
Coolidge: Seek First to Understand Then to Be Understood (focus character trait). Continuing art program for 4th and 5th graders.
WASH: PTA and students are working to create valentine cards. ELPAC has begun. Read Across America - will have a readathon to encourage students to read more books. Walking School Bus (walk to school starting at Del Mar Fire Station)
ROOS: Honoring Lunar New Year. Celebrating positive student behavior and featuring a book of the month to highlight character traits. Second graders will perform a Lunar New Year celebration.
B. REPORT - Governing Board President, Cheryl Shellhart Attended GAB Showcase, well attended. Was able to join breakout sessions. Wanted to say Thank You to everyone who attended and to everyone who planned this event. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Terry Jebbia-Bittiker - She was a member of our team for 20 years, she passed away yesterday. We will honor her at the end of our board meeting. 
C. REPORT - Superintendent, Jim Symonds
Happy Lunar New Year! I echo your words, President Shellhart. Terry was so supportive and a true cheerleader to our district. Story share: When I was the interim superintendent, Terry was so cheerful and encouraging. She was responsible for ordering our student textbooks and materials - she has done so much for our district. We hope to plant a garden in her name at the district. We miss you, Terry. Omicron spike has greatly gone down in our district. Thank you to Mr. Ferchaw for getting us the protective supplies that we needed. Kudos to you for getting us the Covid test kits. Thank you Larry for also putting together the covid testing program at Gabrielino. Thank you to principals, teachers, custodians and all staff for keeping us healthy and following protocols. We started our intern program (we have 6 interns) from the medical program to help assist our nurses. They are such bright students and what a great experience for our students to see these interns in the medical field. Thank you again Larry for identifying potential areas of savings for our Budget Advisory Committee. Thank you Heather Wolpert as well. Superintendent Student Advisory Council- We met last week. Great ideas for our district. Looking forward to reports from Luccia.  Next week, Feb 22nd, there will be a presentation on the MDLI at Wilson Elementary. I want to take a moment to acknowledge all the parents who spoke up regarding the MDLI transition from traditional to simplified. I encourage parents to attend this meeting to understand the rationale regarding the transition from traditional to simplified Chinese.
D. REPORT - Superintendent Student Advisory Council 
Lucia, GAB Student reported on the following: Thank you board for the opportunity to speak.  Here are the top 4 concerns from the Student Advisory Council. 

1) Communication - Deficiency in proper communication to parents and students. We ran into the issue with students creating petitions to return to hybrid, they did not understand this was a legal issue. At Wilson we conducted interviews with students on how the district could better communicate with students and families.

2) District YouTube Channel -  Our main concern is with advertising and consistency with publishing. We feel it will not be a good use of our district time to pursue this idea.  
District Enrollment - rising house costs in San Gabriel. Parents who can afford to live in San Gabriel could also send their kids to private institutions. Hope to increase academic achievement to keep families in SGUSD.

3) Equity - . We recognize that we are moving forward to create a more equitable inclusive district. Before I leave Gabrielino, I would love to see an Office that focuses on Equity and Inclusion for all. 

4) More counselors - Students want to know more about CTE pathways. We want to reach out to our community so we can showcase our district - for example, hosting art shows, etc. We hope to entice more families to our district and let them know about all our awesome programs.

E. PRESENTATION - Governor’s Proposals for the 2022-23 State Budget and K-12 Education, Lawrence Ferchaw

State Budget and Education Funding 
● Robust state revenues provide the state General Fund with a surplus of $45.7 billion for the 2022-23 fiscal year 
● While there are many positive factors, SGUSD still has a structural deficit and the continued need to identify savings in its operating budget 
● Proposition 98 in the 2022-23 Governor’s Budget reaches an all-time high with$16.1 billion in new revenues for K-14 education 
● A sizeable share of new funding is proposed for restricted purposes, leaving few resources to address increased costs associated with soaring inflation and rising pension obligations

What Does the COLA Mean for SGUSD? 
● Assuming no other changes, the increased COLA for 2022/23 and beyond results in additional funding beyond previous expectations 
● This additional funding will be reviewed for the 2022/23 budget and the multi-year projections 
● First Interim Report identified $2.35 million in ongoing savings needed in 2022/23 and an additional $4.65 million in ongoing savings needed in 2023/24

ADA “Cliff” - Impact on SGUSD
• Goal is to turn the ADA cliff into an ADA softer landing
• Other legislative proposals include extending hold harmless one more year or switching to an enrollment funding instead of attendance-based funding

Other Proposals in Governor’s Budget
● Increase in Special Education funding from $715/ADA to $820/ADA 
● Increases in funding for Expanded Learning Opportunities Program 
● Universal TK and increases in LCFF base grants to fund lower class sizes for TK
● Universal meals program

Gary Scott: Thank you Larry for guiding us through this.
Cristina Alvarado: Thank you for a thorough presentation.

8. ACTION ITEMS
A. BUSINESS SERVICES
1. Re-Appoint Two Members to the Long-Range Facilities Master Plan Oversight Committee for Two-Year Terms. Administration recommends that the Governing Board approve the re-appointment of two members, Linh Diep and Florence Simpson, to the Long-Range Facilities Master Plan Oversight Committee, for two-year terms. The two members will  fulfill the membership criteria of Parent/Guardian of a child enrolled in the District & is active in PTA or school site council.
Scott: Moved and approved the appointment of members. 
Financial Impact: none
Discussion: 
Action Taken: Moved and seconded for approval. All in favor.

B. EDUCATIONAL SERVICES

1. (RATIFICATION) Approve Agreement with Nonsectarian School/Agency Services, School Year 2021-2022 with Casa Grande Academy (Special Education). The district needs to contract with a nonsectarian school, Casa Grande Academy, to provide services for students with special needs for the 2021-2022 school year.

Financial Impact: Costs vary will be brought for Board approval via Purchase Order Reports (Funding Source: Special Education)
Discussion: Haas will recuse herself from this.
Action Taken: Moved and seconded for approval. All in favor.

2. Approve Consultant Agreement with Sherrie L. Hoglin, SLH Audiology Services for a Central Auditory Processing Reassessment Evaluation of a Special Education Student (Special Education). In accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the recommendation within this student's Individual Education Program (IEP), SGUSD must provide a Central Auditory Processing Reassessment evaluation for a special education student. The district is obligated to contract with a specialist who is properly licensed in this area who can complete this assessment.
          
Financial Impact: $2,685 (Funding Source: Special Education)
Discussion: none
Action Taken: Moved and seconded for approval. All in favor.

3. Approve Consultant Agreement with Vizen Optometric Center, School Year 2021-2022, (Special Education). Administration recommends that the Governing Board approve a consultant agreement with Vizen Optometric Center for  vision therapy evaluation for a fifth grade special education student. In accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the recommendation within this student's Individual Education Program (IEP), SGUSD must provide a vision therapy evaluation for a special education student. The district is obligated to contract with a specialist who is properly licensed in this area who can provide these services.

Financial Impact: $995 (Funding Source: Special Education)
Discussion: none
Action Taken: Moved and seconded for approval. All in favor.

4. Approve the Interagency Agreement between the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), the Los Angeles County Office of Workforce Development, Aging and Community Services (WDACS), the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE), Undersigned Independent Charter Schools/Charter Management Organizations, and The San Gabriel Unified School District and their Affiliated Charter Schools. It is the intent that this agreement establish procedures to provide and fund the necessary transportation for foster youth to remain in their school of origin (SOO) as required by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). In order to split the cost of transportation for foster youth to their school of origin (SOO) with the Los Angeles County Department of Child and Family Services, the San Gabriel Unified School District will join the interagency agreement along with 78 other California school districts.

Financial Impact: $8,304.37 (Funding Source: LCFF S&C)
Discussion: none
Action Taken: Moved and seconded for approval. All in favor.

5. Approve Consultant Agreement with CEOKids & Company LLC, Young Art. Art classes have been shown to have many important social, emotional and academic benefits to students. Young Art instructors will provide virtual art classes at Washington Elementary School for the 2021-2022 school year.

Financial Impact: $8,260.80 (Funding Source: General Fund. Increase: NA Decrease: $1,874.20 Other: Parent Teacher Association fully funds classes and will reimburse the district after services are rendered.)
Discussion: 
Action Taken: Moved and seconded for approval. All in favor.


C. GOVERNING BOARD OF EDUCATION 


D. HUMAN RESOURCES 


E. SUPERINTENDENT'S OFFICE 
1. Approve the Re-Authorization of Electronic Meetings of the Governing Board During a State of Emergency Pursuant to Government Code Section 54953(E). Administration recommends that the Governing Board reconsider the circumstances of the state of emergency, affirm that the state of emergency continues to directly impact the ability to meet safely in person as stated in Resolution No. 10/2021-22, and direct the continued use of teleconference meetings pursuant to Government Code section 54953(e). Approval of the re-authorization would allow the Governing Board to continue to conduct meetings electronically beyond February 28, 2022.

Discussion: None
Action Taken: Moved and seconded for approval. All in favor.

2. Governing Board Review of California School Boards Association (CSBA) Policy Revision Recommendations. Administration recommends the Governing Board review the first reading of California School Boards Association (CSBA) policy revision recommendations. The Governing Board is asked to review amended policies as per California School Boards Association (CSBA) suggested revisions based on new mandates, laws, or regulations.

Discussion: Scott-It’s gonna be good for us.
Action Taken: Moved and seconded for approval. All in favor.

3. Approve California School Boards Association (CSBA) Policy Revision Recommendations. Administration recommends the Governing Board approve the California School Boards Association (CSBA) policy revision recommendations. The Governing Board is asked to approve amended policies as per California School Boards Association (CSBA) suggested revisions based on new mandates, laws, or regulations.

Discussion: none
Action Taken: Moved and seconded for approval. All in favor.

9. BOARD ANNOUNCEMENTS/REPORTS/COMMUNICATIONS
Ken Tcheng -   Tonight I was very impressed with the report from Lucia, from the student advisory committee at Gabrielino. She is a great example for all of us to admire. Secondly, we heard a lot about communication and transparency.  I think we should have some discussion as a board. I would like to ask Madam President to reconvene after the board meeting in closed session to have a discussion about the parents' concern. 

Cristina Alvarado - I echo Ken’s comment. Luccia, you are a great example and the students are so involved. I liked what you identified in the presentation. It would be great for you and other students to showcase our high school to the community. I appreciate the comments from the parents tonight. Happy Year of the Tiger!

Dr. Gary Scott - I hope we can get some time to hang with family and friends. Thank you parents for being so civil and thoughtful tonight with the comments. Yes, there are issues identified tonight and please know that we will take those comments into consideration. The progress regarding Omicron is going in the right direction. Great job Jessie, Joseph, and Luccia! These 3 students are proof that we are doing great as a district. We will have more involvement in regards to CTE - career and technical training is important. We hope to support our students. Kudos to everyone and thanks!

Rochelle Haas-  Like my colleagues have mentioned, you all made a very good point. It was very nice to see the student advisory council and what they had to say in their perspective. It was nice to see the Gabrielino parking lot full and that kids are coming back in person to compete. I would like to take a moment to honor Terry - she was so kind. I am thankful for the impact that she has made for those around her. I hope everyone had a blessed and prosperous Lunar New Year.


10. CONSENT AGENDA
Scott moved to approve the consent agenda in its entirety. Moved and approved. 

A. BUSINESS SERVICES

1. Approve Warrants Issued for Payments, Goods, And Services Received For January 2022 - Report No. 8

2. Approve Purchase Orders Issued in Excess of $5,000 Report No. 11 (21-22)


3. Approve Conference Report No. 11 (21-22). Administration recommends that the Governing Board approve the following District employees be authorized to attend the conference events listed. The representative of the District indicated will attend with no loss of salaries for District personnel, and with actual and necessary expenses paid for all attending as authorized by Education Code Sections 35172, 35173 and 44032, and the District's Board policies. Authorization for an advance of funds to cover actual and necessary expenses is hereby granted. Such Advances shall be repaid or adjusted upon filing of a regular claim for the actual and necessary expenses incurred.


B. EDUCATIONAL SERVICES

C. HUMAN RESOURCES 


1. Approve Certificated Personnel Status Report No. 11
2. Approve Classified Personnel Status Report No. 11


D. SUPERINTENDENT'S OFFICE  

11. NEXT MEETING REMINDER(S) 
Tuesday, February 22, 2022
Tuesday, March 8, 2022
Tuesday, March 22, 2022
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Tuesday, May 10, 2022
Tuesday, May 24, 2022
Tuesday, June 14, 2022
Tuesday, June 28, 2022
CLOSED SESSION (at request from Ken Tcheng) at 8:09 P.M.
The board returned from closed session at: 8:31 P.M.
No action was taken 

12. ADJOURNMENT at 8:31 P.M.  The meeting was dedicated to the memory of Terri Jebbia-Bitticker.
Click here for Link to Full Agenda and Complete Attachments
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March 8 & 22
April 19
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6:00 Open Session, Closed Session, 7:00 Open Session Reconvenes