Mill Valley School District Board of Trustees
Regular Meeting No. 1 - August 28, 2002
MINUTES
| Members Present: | Len Gensburg, Jeffrey Freiberg, Monib Khademi, Paula Reynolds, Brian Swartz |
| Administrative Staff: | Barbara B. Young, Superintendent Laurie Harden, Chief Business Official Kerri M. Mills, Ed.D., Associate Superintendent Leslie Thornton, Director of Curriculum & Instruction |
| 1. CALL TO ORDER | The Mill Valley School District Board of Trustees, acting as the Governing Board of the Mill Valley School District, met in regular session at 6:30 PM on Wednesday, August 28, 2002 at the Mill Valley School District Administrative Office, 411 Sycamore Avenue, Mill Valley, CA. President Freiberg called the meeting to order at 6:31 PM. |
| 2. CLOSED SESSION | As there was no public comment, the meeting was recessed to Closed Session for the Board to conference with real property negotiator Jeffrey Freiberg regarding lease agreement with Marin Horizon School for District property at 305 Montford Avenue, Mill Valley, pursuant to Gov. Code §54956.8. Under negotiation: price and terms of payment. |
| 3. RECONVENE & REPORT OUT | Mr. Freiberg reconvened the meeting to Public Session at 7:02 PM and reported on the Closed Session, saying that no action had been taken. |
| 4. AGENDA | M/S/C Gensburg/Reynolds (5-0) to approve the agenda. |
| 5. COMMUNICATIONS B. Appeal denials/IDTs - Fields & Pashmi |
Superintendent Young presented a recommendation to the Board on the denial of new Interdistrict Transfers into 7th grade for M. Fields and R. Pashmi for 2002-03, due to lack of space at that grade. Ms. Fields' mother spoke to the board on her behalf. The following action was taken. |
| - Motion: uphold denial; Fields | M/S/C Khademi/Swartz (5-0), with regret and suggestions for alternative education, to uphold denial of Request for Interdistrict Transfer for M. Fields into Mill Valley School District for 2002-03. |
| - Pashmi appeal | R. Pashmi's sister spoke on his behalf, saying that he had attended school in the District for the last 6 years and that his legal guardian had moved outside the District, necessitating an interdistrict transfer. Ms. Young had denied due to lack of space at 7th grade. Based on information presented by R. Pashmi's family, the following action was taken. |
| - Motion: uphold appeal; Pashmi | M/S/C Reynolds/Khademi (4-1 Freiberg nay) to uphold the appeal of appellant R. Pashmi to attend school in the Mill Valley School District for 2002-03. |
| - Reconsider Fields appeal | Following the action taken regarding R. Pashmi, the Board discussed the possibility of reconsidering the Fields appeal. |
| - Motion: reconsider Fields appeal | M/S/C Reynolds/Khademi (3-2 Freiberg & Gensburg nay) to rescind the earlier action regarding Fields appeal and convene a closed session as soon as possible to reconsider the appeal. |
| C. Staff/Board Reports - Superintendent |
Ms. Young commended all staff and the PTAs for a good opening of school; thanked Ms. Thornton for conducting a successful New Teacher Institute; said that Marin Day Schools was finishing up work at Edna Maguire for their preschool; announced that the Tamalpais Community Services District has withdrawn its commitment to maintain the Tam Valley field, but is willing to contribute $10,000 to any efforts to upgrade the field. |
| - Board: Swartz/Reynolds/ Freiberg | Mr. Swartz reported on first day at Old Mill School; Ms. Reynolds reported on Middle School first day and orientations and acknowledged Mr. Khademi for his work in nominating Assemblyman Joe Nation for Legislator of the Year; Mr. Freiberg: reported on Kiddo board meeting; read letter from MCOE regarding our balanced budget and commended management regarding same; and thanked teacher Shirley Hasley for allowing Ms. Young to share experiences in the community with staff at the district-wide welcome meeting. |
| D. Board meeting calendar | Discussion was held regarding: the meeting scheduled for September 11th; the possibility of special meeting on September 10th to approve Unaudited Actuals for 2001-02; moving the September 25th meeting to Tuesday September 24th because Tam High rescheduled its Back to School Night on the 25th; and changing the January 29, 2003 meeting to an earlier date, as Superintendent has a conflict on the 29th. |
| - Changes: September 2002 | M/S/C Gensburg/Khademi (5-0) to cancel the September 11, 2002 board meeting and change the September 25, 2002 meeting to Tuesday, September 24, 2002; and to schedule the approval of Unaudited Actuals for 2001-02 to the Special meeting on September 10, 2002. |
| - Changes: January 2003 | M/S/C Khademi/Reynolds (5-0) to cancel the January 29, 2003 board meeting and schedule a new meeting date on January 8, 2003. |
| 6. BUILDINGS & SITES A. Skateboard Park update |
Christine Sansom, Director of Parks & Recreation gave an update on the skateboard park, including approval of conditional use permit and the hiring of an architect. The original cost, estimated to be $40,000, is now $70,000 to prepare the area. The modular pieces will be $30,000-$40,000 in addition. Additional funds will need to be raised; Friends of the Field willing to commit some funds and the City will be asked for more funding, also. The consensus of the Board is to begin the project as soon as possible. Parents spoke in favor of having the park be a multiple use facility, e.g. for BMX riders and rollerbladers. A community meeting will be scheduled the 3rd week of September at the Center. |
| B. MS Site Improvement - Update |
Ms. Young reported that the Middle School project is on schedule, reviewed the changes made over the summer and recommended approval of change orders. |
| - Motion: Change Order #1: Bauman Landscape, Inc. | M/S/C Gensburg/Khademi (5-0) to approve Bauman Landscape, Inc. Change Orders: #1- $187,181.50 for two previously approved project changes (asphalt; stairwells/courtyard); #2- replace seeding with sod & replace one walkway tanbark with sod, for $6750.00. |
| 7. CURRICULUM & POLICY A. Middle School WEB |
Middle School Counselor Cindy Sparks and Teacher Anna Lazzarini gave a report on the new WEB (Welcome EveryBody) program at Middle School where 8th graders are trained as mentors to 6th grade students. This transition program will continue for the entire year. Appreciation was expressed to Cindy and Anna, and to Principal Whitney Hoyt for bringing the program to the school. |
| B. Grand Jury Response: Emergency Preparedness | Ms. Young reviewed the process for reporting to the Marin County Grand Jury about emergency preparedness in the district, with all districts in the County required to respond. |
| - Motion: Grand Jury response; emerg. prep. | M/S/C Gensburg/Khademi (5-0) to approve the District's response to the Marin County Grand Jury Report regarding Emergency Preparedness. |
| C. Strategic Plan Report | Ms. Reynolds reported on the work of the Strategic Planning Task Force, a committee of 24 working on a 3-5 year District plan to be adopted at the December 4th board meeting. There are four public meetings scheduled for the community to hear the ideas being worked on (all from 7-9 PM): Sept. 23 at Middle School; Oct. 8 at Edna Maguire; Oct. 21 at Old Mill; Nov. 4 at Tam Valley. |
| D. Assessment Report | Ms. Thornton presented an overview of assessments from last year, and how the reporting has changed from the previous year. Next year the State is changing the test from the Stanford 9 to the California Achievement Test (CAT6). The timeline for Academic Performance Index scores was presented, with changes for 2003 and the District's next steps. |
| E. Textbooks/Instructional
Materials - Public Hearing |
Mr. Freiberg convened a public hearing regarding availability of textbooks and instructional materials for students for 2002-03. New math and social studies materials were purchased; major purchases for the arts also made. The public hearing was closed. |
| - Res. #1-02/03: Texts / Instructional Mat'ls 02/03 | M/S/C Khademi/Gensburg (5-0) to approve Resolution #1-02/03: Procedures to Ensure the Availability of Textbooks & Instructional Materials. |
| F.
Policies/Regulations 4119.43 - Univ. Precautions; 6156.4-Behavior Intervent'n Spec. Ed; 6183 - Home / Hospital Instruction |
M/S/C Khademi/Reynolds (5-0) to approve the 2nd reading & adoption of new policies & regulations: BP/AR 4119.43 - Universal Precautions; AR 6154.4 - Behavioral Interventions for Special Education Students; AR 6183 - Home & Hospital Instruction. |
| 8. BUSINESS & FISCAL A. 2002-03 State Budget |
Ms. Harden reported that the 2002-03 State budget has still not been passed. Ms. Young recommends that the Board be very prudent with our budget this year due to the many uncertainties with the State. |
| B. JPA Health Insurance Proposal | Ms. Harden reviewed the proposal for the District to join the Marin County Joint Powers Authority for Health Insurance, which includes a change from Blue Shield to Healthnet coverage for staff not using Kaiser. All employees have been informed of the proposal and CSEA and MVTA units have approved. |
| C. Enrollment | Ms. Young gave an enrollment update. The District is at 2300 students, with all K-5 schools a similar size. Ms. Harden is working on long-term enrollment projections. |
| D. Challenge Campaign | Kiddo Executive Director Trisha Garlock gave an update on Challenge Campaign, saying that close to the $1.2 million goal has been reached. She reported that the Kiddo-supported staff was in place the first day, with the exception of the library aides. |
| E. Partnership Project | Mr. Swartz reported that the Marin Community Foundation will be reviewing the Partnership Project grant request on September 19. He thanked the City of Mill Valley for its assistance with the Project. |
| 9. PERSONNEL A/B Credentialing/Staff |
Ms. Young reported there are 19 credentialed teachers new to the District, 15 with previous experience. |
| C. Declaration of Need | M/S/C Khademi/Swartz (5-0) to approve Declaration of Need for Fully Qualified Educators for 2002-03. |
| 10. MINUTES: Special - 6/17/02; 7/17/02; Regular- 6/19/02 | M/S/C Khademi/Swartz (5-0) to approve the minutes of Special Meetings of June 17, 2002/July 17, 2002, and Regular Meeting of June 19, 2002. |
| 11. CONSENT AGENDA A. Warrants |
M/S/C Gensburg/Reynolds (5-0) to
approve Consent Agenda, as follows: - Warrants #0257-2576/2578, dated 07/17/02, for $4,824.00; -2940/2962, dated 07/19/02, for $100,573.41; -3202/7351, dated 07/24/02, for $414,660.53; -3440/3448, dated 07/26/02, for $35,240.75; -3769/3798, dated 07/31/02, for $204,732.56; -4110/4116, dated 08/02/02, for $34,771.80; - 4399/4412, dated 08/07/02, for $127,220.37; -4706/4725, dated 08/09/02, for $36,373.96; -5058/5075, dated 08/14/02, for $38,920.96; -5268/5277, dated 08/16/02, for $4,941.76. |
| B. Payroll certifications | - Payroll Certifications: July 2002: End of Month, dated 07/24/02, for $194,697.40; Mid-Month, dated 08/14/02, for $7,757.95. |
| C. Resolutions: #2-02/03: Holiday dates; #3-02/03: Invest in LAIF; #4-02/03: Yes on Prop. 47 | - #2-02/03 - Revision of Holiday Dates of Observance for 2002-03; 3-#02/03 & Addendum - Authorizing Investment of Monies in the Local Agency Investment Fund; #4-02/03 - Yes on Prop. 47 (Kindergarten -University Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2002). |
| D. Personnel: Harden/Mills/ Thornton; Action #1-0203 | - Agreements: Laurie Harden, CBO; Kerri M. Mills, Ed.D., Associate Superintendent; Leslie Thornton, Director of Curriculum & Instruction/SP Principal, through 6/30/05; Action Form #1-0203. |
| E. Agreements: 3rd amndmt transp. JPA/Tenn. Glen amndmt/Tenn.Glen add'm #2/Sonoma St. stdt tchg/ Rocky Soil maint. | - 3rd Amendment to Marin Pupil Transportation Agency Joint Powers Agreement, dated July 1, 1992; August 2002 Amendment to Tennessee Glen Agreement with Tennessee Glen; Tennessee Glen Addendum #2, to extend Attendance Agreement between MVSD and Sausalito/Marin City SD; Student Teaching - Sonoma State University for 2002-03; Yearly Landscape Maintenance - Rocky Soil for $3353.23/month from 7/1/02-9/30/02; $3853.23/month from 10/1/02-6/30/03. |
| F. Gifts: Friedman; MS PTSA; TV PTA | - Gifts to MVSD: 4 Dell computers w/monitors, valued at $1500, from A. & D. Friedman; for benefit of MVMS - $44,578.97 for various programs/projects, from MVMS PTSA; for benefit of TV - $6,735.00 for various programs/projects, from TV PTA. |
| G. IDTS: Deny- Modan; Thompson; Busink; McCann; Serpa; Cohen-Reuben; Approve- Caballero; Behrs; Renazco; P. & B. Cortéz; T. & N. LaPlant; Ramirez | - Employment-Related Transfers into MVSD for 2002-03, DENY, due to lack of space at grade level: from Sausalito Marin City SD: S. Modan (2nd); K. Thompson (7th); from Larkspur SD: B. Busink (2nd); from San Rafael SD: M. McCann (1st); from W. Contra Costa SD: J. Serpa (7th); DENY, due to lack of proof of employment in MVSD: E. Cohen-Reuben (3rd); APPROVE, due to space available at grade level: from Novato USD: C. Caballero (K); E. Behrs (5th); from San Rafael SD: J. Renazco (6th); from Sausalito Marin City SD: P. Cortéz (4th-current student); T. LaPlant (5th); C. Ramirez (6th); N. LaPlant (8th); B. Cortéz (8th.) |
| 12. ADJOURNMENT | Mr. Freiberg announced that the next regular Board meeting will be at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, September 24, 2002, at Mill Valley School District Administrative Office, that the Board retreat is September 10, 2002 at 4:30 PM and adjourned the meeting at 10:05 PM. |
|
Respectfully submitted, |