TJUSD Board Meeting - March 09, 2017
Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2017 9:09 am
This board meeting was a bit longer than recent board meetings. There were several presentations which took up a fair amount of time. The most important items of community concern include the following:
1) Superintendent Contract - The board voted (4-1) to give the superintendent a 2% raise and to extend his contract by one year.
2) Superintendent's Report - Among other things, the superintendent talked about a new accountability system. The system utilizing API scores has been phased out and a new system incorporating a dashboard displaying multiple measures and something called a "Continuous Improvement Plan" will replace it. Mr. Wolfe spoke in greater detail regarding the new accountability system later in the meeting. Also mentioned by the superintendent were the Blue Angels, sixth grade science camp, facility upgrades to be implemented during the summer, "Doctor" Hill, and a couple other items.
3) English Curriculum - One of the HS English teachers presented information to the board regarding English curriculum for grades seven through twelve. He went into some detail about interesting features available and made a purchase recommendation. The associated textbooks are available for public inspection in the District Office.
4) HS Principal / State of the High School Report - Regarding the multiple measures to be displayed on the dashboard of the new accountability system, Mr. Wolfe listed the following items: graduation rate, test scores (Math, ELA, ELL), attendance, suspension, and college/career readiness. Also highlighted were grade improvements at the high school. The percentage of F's and D's has dropped, with a corresponding increase in A's, B's, and C's. Also discussed was a proposed transition from the current AVID program (costing the district $30k/year) to a new program called Get Focused/Stay Focused (GF/SF) which is likely to be both more effective and much less expensive.
5) Eli Johnson (Charter School Report) - Mr. Johnson updated the board regarding the charter school sponsored by TJUSD. He asserted that the charter has reached a total enrollment of over 1400 students (and growing) and that the charter will be sending the district a check for over $100k soon. He also talked a little about the charter's diversity profile, possible accreditation, and plans for accommodating special education students.
6) Public Comment - Two community members addressed the school board. The first parent expressed concerns regarding what he believes to be mold on the elementary cafeteria ceiling. The second community member told the board that the former financial secretary recommended against refinancing the pool (see next item).
7) Pool Bond Refinance - Rex Despain (representative for Isom Advisors) talked a bit about a possible refinancing of the pool bond approved by voters in 1999. There are seven years left on the bond. Mr. Despain claimed that his company can save taxpayers $38k without extending the bond expiration date by refinancing the bond at current low interest rates. The biggest beneficiary of this refinancing would be the chemical plant since they are the largest taxpayer in Trona. The board listened to the proposal, but did not act at this time.
8) Calendar for 2017-2018 school year approved. There was some discussion about various options available, but there were no issues which motivated the board to reject the proposed calendar.
9) The next regular meeting will probably be April 6th (a week early due to Spring Break being the second week of April). Also a special meeting is planned for March 30 in which technology upgrades for classrooms, library, etc. will be discussed.
1) Superintendent Contract - The board voted (4-1) to give the superintendent a 2% raise and to extend his contract by one year.
2) Superintendent's Report - Among other things, the superintendent talked about a new accountability system. The system utilizing API scores has been phased out and a new system incorporating a dashboard displaying multiple measures and something called a "Continuous Improvement Plan" will replace it. Mr. Wolfe spoke in greater detail regarding the new accountability system later in the meeting. Also mentioned by the superintendent were the Blue Angels, sixth grade science camp, facility upgrades to be implemented during the summer, "Doctor" Hill, and a couple other items.
3) English Curriculum - One of the HS English teachers presented information to the board regarding English curriculum for grades seven through twelve. He went into some detail about interesting features available and made a purchase recommendation. The associated textbooks are available for public inspection in the District Office.
4) HS Principal / State of the High School Report - Regarding the multiple measures to be displayed on the dashboard of the new accountability system, Mr. Wolfe listed the following items: graduation rate, test scores (Math, ELA, ELL), attendance, suspension, and college/career readiness. Also highlighted were grade improvements at the high school. The percentage of F's and D's has dropped, with a corresponding increase in A's, B's, and C's. Also discussed was a proposed transition from the current AVID program (costing the district $30k/year) to a new program called Get Focused/Stay Focused (GF/SF) which is likely to be both more effective and much less expensive.
5) Eli Johnson (Charter School Report) - Mr. Johnson updated the board regarding the charter school sponsored by TJUSD. He asserted that the charter has reached a total enrollment of over 1400 students (and growing) and that the charter will be sending the district a check for over $100k soon. He also talked a little about the charter's diversity profile, possible accreditation, and plans for accommodating special education students.
6) Public Comment - Two community members addressed the school board. The first parent expressed concerns regarding what he believes to be mold on the elementary cafeteria ceiling. The second community member told the board that the former financial secretary recommended against refinancing the pool (see next item).
7) Pool Bond Refinance - Rex Despain (representative for Isom Advisors) talked a bit about a possible refinancing of the pool bond approved by voters in 1999. There are seven years left on the bond. Mr. Despain claimed that his company can save taxpayers $38k without extending the bond expiration date by refinancing the bond at current low interest rates. The biggest beneficiary of this refinancing would be the chemical plant since they are the largest taxpayer in Trona. The board listened to the proposal, but did not act at this time.
8) Calendar for 2017-2018 school year approved. There was some discussion about various options available, but there were no issues which motivated the board to reject the proposed calendar.
9) The next regular meeting will probably be April 6th (a week early due to Spring Break being the second week of April). Also a special meeting is planned for March 30 in which technology upgrades for classrooms, library, etc. will be discussed.