February 9th School Board Meeting

Video Link Part 1: Kindergarten Schedules/ Extended Day Kindergarten
Video link 2: Board Policy 5111: Student Admission, AR 5111.1 Residency
Video link 3: Board Policy 5111: Student Admission, AR 5111.1: Residency, Public comment: Residency Policy, Gov Proposed Budget for 2015-16
Video link 4: Governor's Proposed Budget, 2015-16, and impact on OUSD             

Trustees Meeting Highlights 2-9-15 

Certificated Employee of the Month: Betsy Howe   Classified Employee of the Month: Kevin Nguyen

• Discussion re: extended kindergarten day
• Trustee Kaune requested clarification of intervention model, cost of returning to extended day, and timeline for implementation
• Trustee Butler asked about numbers of students in intervention
• Trustee Rossitor asked about a specialist delivering intervention and how the schedule works
• Trustee Brown asked for the amount of time devoted to intervention. Mrs. Marshall stated that each intervention student receive 45 minutes per day, 4 days per week of intervention
• Trustees Butler and Brown suggested that a committee of parents & teachers be formed to address interest in extended K and recommended a more instructional day beyond just lunch for K students.
• Trustee Moran: recognized that there is interest in the amount of K content and not rushing through it
• Jim Bartleman K teacher spoke to need for extended K (Charles Shannon has video of Jim and Cathy (below)): inclusion of academics with rest time, with socialization, with opportunities to assimilate learning
• Cathy Shipp, K teacher spoke: high standards of district expectations: read at level e, write a complete narrative and persuasive piece, use upper and lower case letters, voice, description. Need for social studies, art , music. Currently schedule does not allow time to cover curriculum and allow for socialization. K teachers should be able to focus on K teaching (not intervention)
• Parent Nadine Waters, psychologist: shared nuero-science that impacts K students: brain growth between 4.5 years and 6 years; needs stimulation; skills form the foundation for academic readiness
• Molly Wilson, SHPC president: expected services are declining, frustrated parents who are investing significant monies into the district, less volunteerism from double working parents, supports extended K
• Megan Baldwin, WR K parent: supporting extended K classes; 900 members/260 Orinda mothers in Lamorinda Moms; surprised that extended day has been annually brought to OUSD Board without results; reflected on temperament of children participating in a minimal K experience
• Cheryl Bjornson, Glorietta parent: extended K provides long term benefits, transitional minutes, supports full inclusion of programs, suggested an advisory body so that extended K may begin in fall 2015
• Neil Wright: Glorietta parent: supports extended K class that will provide greater support to students in future grades
• BP5111: reviewed by Rossitor and Kaune
• Student Residency: open to more forms of residency certification (i.e. CDL, employment contract, PG & E statement, military i.d, caregiver affadavit.); board approval instead of superintendent approval, included appeal to Trustees process
• Trustees together read through revised BP and made additional revisions.
• 4^th graders at Sleepy Hollow will participate in a camp field trip at Malakoff Diggings.

2015-16 Calendar

Monday, 8/24: staff dev.

Tues. 8/25: teachers’ workday

Weds. 8/26; students return to school

Fri. 6/10: closing day

Other SD: Fri. 9/18 (min. day), Mon. 10/12 (min. day), Mon. Jan 25, Mon. March 7, Fri. April 15 (min. day)

Parent Conferences: Oct 12-16, March 14-15

180 student days, 184 certificated work-days

Governor’s Budget

2014-15 ADA               1.58% COLA             2015-16 ADA

TK-3: $7011.00            $111.00                   $7122.00

4-6:  $7116.00             $112.00                   $7228.00

7-8:  $7328.00             $116.00                   $7444.00

• In addition, the 2015-16 TK-3 grant increase for CSR is $741.00 ADA.
• The Gov. Budget proposes 900 million in one-time Prop 98 monies in 2014-15 to eliminate all remaining deferral debt in K-12.
• The Budget provides 1.58% COLA for Special Education and $15.3 million for enrollment growth.
• The Gov. Budget also includes prior year mandated reimbursement funds as discretionary one-time Prop 98 funding to further implement Common Core.
• The estimated funding for OUSD is based on $180/ADA or $450K.
• CALSTRS and PERS district retirement contributions will increase from 2014-15 to 2020-21.

2014-15                                                                                 2020-15

CALSTRS: 9.5% district contribution                                    19.1% 

PERS: 11.771%                                                                    20.4%

• The formula providing funds to lower K-3 class sizes to 24 remains the same (currently n/a for Orinda thanks to our school community).
• The Governor has created a Rainy Day Fund as a cushion against a future financial recession. At the close of this school year it is expected to reach 2.8 million dollars.
• The estimated increase in revenue for OUSD is expected to be  $400 per ADA via LCFF funds as well as maintaining the $180 per ADA via the Mandated Cost Block Grant.

Respectfully submitted by,

Colleen Sullivan

January 12th School Board Meeting Highlights

Trustees’ Meeting Highlights 1-12-15

Video link

Public Comment:

·      2 parents spoke to their interest in extending the Kindergarten day and asked that the “item” be included on the Feb. School Board Meeting agenda

Recognitions of the Month

·      Michelle Broback, Del Rey Sec retary

·      Patsy Templeton, Teacher on Special Assignment

BP 5111 Admissions and Administrative Regulation – District Residency

Trustee Butler recognized that following discussion by the Board, the public may comment.

Trustee Rossiter identified that at Miramonte she must show residency documentation each year. With a child at Del Rey, she was only required to show residency documentation once. She suggested that OUSD should require residency documentation each year. She also suggested that language within the policy needs a “clean-up.”

Trustee Kaune: distributed a document to the Board and public that organized his notes and other district policies.

His summary suggests:

·      An explanatory introduction and more clear subheadings

·      Definition of the methods of reasonable inquiry

·      Definition or elimination of the term “alternative living arrangements”

·      Expand the process for determining residency

·      Advance Board notice of any revocation of enrollment

·      Right to Appeal

·      References to concrete examples

Trustee Kaune said, “I believe that we should be explicit that we have not adopted the so-called Allen Bill approach under Ed Code 4820b to admit all children of employees in the district and have articulated standards for those living outside of the District.”

Trustee Brown suggested appeal process and using two sources of documentation (CSBA recommendation), and include that OUSD does not discriminate on race, religion, orientation et al.

Trustee Butler: familiar with Miramonte residency system; concern about the need for staffing to annually check residency documents, also mentioned two sources of documentation,  suggested that “reasonably believes” and “reasonable efforts”  needs to be defined in the clause asking staff to report any possible violations of residency.

Trustee Butler also requested that the Trustees be informed and “kept in the loop” regarding matters of this nature.

Trustee Moran: wants to emulate Miramonte’s annual policy.

Mrs. Storch: thanked the board for discussing the residency matter. She expressed dismay that the Trustees did not know that action was being taking against Vivien. She encouraged stronger communication and clear policy that fairly applies to all families and not a case-by-case focus.  AB207 specifies how many residency documents may be requested (AUHSD is noncompliant with AB207).

Trustee Moran recommended a subcommittee of Trustee Kaune and Trustee Rossitor to review policy and bring for discussion to the Feb. Board Meeting.

Biannual Audit Report: twice a year using compliance guide issued by State Controller.

Tentative Bargaining Agreement for 2013-2014 school year

·      Ongoing 3% increase applied to salary schedule retroactive to October 7, 2013

·      Ongoing increase to medical benefit cap of $485.00 per month full time equivalency effective December 1, 2014

·      One time: from July 1, 2014 – November 30, 2014 only; increase of up to $285.00 medical cap dependent upon the amount paid out of pocket by the teacher

·      One time: off salary scale stipend of $3475.00

·      Beginning with the 2015-16 school year, through the 2016-17 school year, prep time will be restored by 80 minutes per month to elementary teachers 1^st gades through 3^rd grade.

Elementary enrichment specialists who tech grades 1^st through 5^th shall receive release time for specific activities. This release time must be scheduled in advance and receive prior approval from the principal. Release time will be granted upon successfully securing substitute teachers to cover classes.

P.E.  - three full days or six half days of sub release time per site between February and May for 5^th grade required state physical fitness testing

Music:  up to 2.5 days sub release time for concert practices, concert performances, and play assemblies

Art: ½ day of sub release time in spring to prepare for the Orinda Arts Ambassador Program

Trustee Moran complimented teachers. Unanimously approved.

Discussion of tentative 2015-16 calendar

·      First SD: Monday, August 24

·      First Student Day: Wednesday, August 26

·      Last Day of Class: Friday, June 10

CTA'S State Council Votes to Seek Bill Making Kindergarten Mandatory

After decades and decades of California failing to make kindergarten mandatory, State Council voted unanimously to sponsor legislation to make it so. A legislator will now be sought to carry the bill.

As proposed by the Council's Early Childhood Education Committee, all students who turn 5 years old by Sept. 2, 2014, and every year after, would have to attend kindergarten. Currently, students "who do not attend kindergarten are at a distinct disadvantage when they come to first grade in terms of achievement levels, oral language development," and other areas, a report to Council stated. Also, many parents of kids in kindergarten now pull them out of class routinely because there are no truancy consequences.

Research shows Hispanic and African American children, English learners, and students from low-income families are hurt the most if they enter first grade without experiencing kindergarten. First-grade teacher Kimberly Chevlin told the Council State Legislation Committee about students struggling if they have not had any kindergarten learning. This puts these children "at a huge disadvantage with their peers" at Murrieta Valley Unified School District, Chevlin said.

Because attendance is not mandatory, kindergarten attendance rates are the lowest of all grades in the Oakland Unified School District, and this law would change that, said Kei Swensen, a kindergarten teacher there and a Council delegate. She fought for this bill as a member of the Early Childhood Education Committee. "It's exciting," she said after the Council's vote. "The problem is that academic standards include kindergarten and are not in alignment with California law because attendance is not mandatory."