Mill Valley School District Board of Trustees
Regular Meeting No. 8 - December 18, 2002
MINUTES
| Members Present: | Len Gensburg, Jeffrey Freiberg, Monib Khademi, Paula Reynolds, Brian Swartz |
| Administrative Staff Present: | Barbara B. Young, Superintendent Laurie Harden, Chief Business Official Leslie Thornton, Director of Curriculum/Instruction; Strawberry Pt. Principal Janie Teitelbaum, Edna Maguire Principal |
| 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 7:00 PM on Wednesday, December 18, 2002 at the Mill Valley School District Administrative Office, 411 Sycamore Avenue, Mill Valley, CA. President Khademi called the meeting to order at 7:01 PM. |
| 2. AGENDA | M/S/C Gensburg/Freiberg (5-0) to approve the agenda, with added Item 3.C: schedule change for January 15 meeting. |
| 3. COMMUNICATIONS A. Public Comment B. Reports - Superintendent |
There was no public comment. Ms. Young reported on several recent school events she attended and commended new music director Kate Meyer; said that the City will begin work on the skateboard park over the winter break; announced summer school dates as June 18-July 17; reported that the entire Middle School campus is now open to students, and that a plan is being developed for replacement of flooring and carpeting. Ms. Young also announced that Illuminex Lighting Systems (ILS) has invented an energy saving "white light", which considerably reduces energy costs. Through a government grant, ILS will replace the Middle School lighting, with the school becoming a test site/model for ILS. ILS was founded by Mill Valley parents Charles Graham, Bente Mirow, and Sally Carlson, and Marin County resident Felix Robles. Kiddo! was acknowledged for its support in directing ILS to the District. Ms. Young announced that Middle School will open early on rainy days for those students who need to be inside. |
| - Board: Gensburg; Reynolds; Freiberg; Swartz | Mr. Gensburg: reported on current Education Task Force funding issues and possible membership increase, which will be fully discussed at a future meeting. Ms. Reynolds commended Old Mill Principal La Londe for her assessment of parent readership of newsletters. Mr. Freiberg announced a meeting scheduled with the League of Women Voters on January 6; reported that a chorale group sang at Davies Hall reception area and appeared on local TV. Mr. Swartz, as Board liaison, met with PTA presidents and principal at Edna Maguire and will be doing the same at Old Mill. |
| C. Board meeting change | M/S/C Freiberg/Gensburg (5-0) to approve canceling the January 15, 2003 board meeting and to hold meeting on January 22, 2003, due to conflict with Sacramento legislative trip. |
| 4. BUSINESS/FISCAL A. Budget Update |
Ms. Harden reported that the previously announced State budget deficit of $21 billion is now at $34 billion. The deficit may result in some flexibility given to school districts in several areas. Although reductions will be necessary, the District's reserve of 4% will provide some protection for this year if mid-year State budget cuts are made. Mr. Khademi reported that the Marin Joint Legislative Action Committee (JLAC) is working with other larger districts in the State to carry some influence in Sacramento. |
| B. Calendar 2003-04 | An initial discussion was held regarding the 2003-04 school calendar. The County Office of Education is requiring all districts to agree to the same major winter and spring breaks. As the calendar is a negotiable issue, Ms. Young has met with the certificated and classified bargaining unit representatives to discuss and they will reconvene following the Board discussion. The Administrative Council recommends a pre-Labor Day start in order to align better with the Tam High School District calendar. Following the discussion, which included absences around Thanksgiving and religious holidays, the Board consensus is to use the calendar with the pre-Labor Day start and staff development days as presented, with parent conference schedule to be addressed separately. |
| 5. CURRICULUM / POLICY A. Strategic Plan |
Ms. Young reviewed the proposal for addressing the Strategic Plan, including timeline and steps for both immediate and long-term activities. The associated action plan items will be ready by the end of the school year. The Administrative Council will review the proposal and begin placing the implementation steps before the proposal goes to the Curriculum Advisory Council for development of the action plan. Parent Laura Murphy reported that the District's March ballot measure has been designated as "Measure A" and that arguments in favor of and against the measure have been filed, with rebuttal argument due soon. |
| B. Site Plans | 2002-03 Site Plans were presented for approval. The K-5 budgets are used for classroom aides. |
| - Motion | M/S/C Freiberg/Gensburg (5-0) to approve 2002-03 Site Plans for all schools as presented. |
| C. Policy Revision - postponed | This item was addressed at the end of the curriculum section and, due to the time, was postponed until the next meeting. |
| D. Review BP 1325: Advertising/Promot'n | Board Policy 1325 - Advertising/Promotion was brought to the Board at the request of The Homework Club, an organization wanting to promote its services via flyers sent home with students. Discussion included general practices within the District and in PTA newsletters; insurance and liability issues; and how to be of service to parents. Ms. Young will work with the PTA Council to reword the policy and will bring it back to the Board for further discussion/revision. |
| E. MS Report | As Principal Whitney Hoyt had an emergency, Ms. Young presented the Middle School report. The staff focus this year is the climate and structure of the school. Discussion included potential changes in the daily schedule following the March 2003 ballot measure. Upon successful passage of Measure A, instruction time will be restored minutes at Middle School, with the goal of all students having the same length day. Although any change will be an administrative function, there will be opportunities for parents to participate and be heard through Site Council and PTA meetings. Regardless of the outcome of the ballot measure, a schedule will be developed by late April/early May for the 2003-04 school year. Ms. Young will take all Board and parent comments to Ms. Hoyt, who will attend the January 8 meeting for follow-up to this discussion. |
| 6. BUILDING & SITES A. PTA projects |
Due to the time, discussion of procedures for site capital projects funded through PTAs was postponed to the next meeting. |
| B. Surplus Property update | Ms. Young reported that the Surplus Advisory Committee had held a public hearing on December 11th, and will meet on the 19th to prepare a final recommendation for presentation to the Board on January 8, 2003. |
| C. Res. #7-02/03: Intent to dedicate easement | Ms. Young reported that the Marin County Flood Control & Water Conservation District has requested an easement at Strawberry Point School to help control flooding in adjacent neighborhood, a problem for many years in the area. The District has been working with the County to reach an agreement. The first step is to approve a resolution of intent, followed by public notice of same, a public hearing and finally actual approval of dedication of easement. The public hearing will be held at the January 8, 2003 board meeting. |
| - Motion | M/S/C Freiberg/Swartz (5-0) to adopt Resolution #7-02/03: Intention to Dedicate Easement to Marin County Flood Control & Water Conservation District. |
| 7. MINUTES - Regular: 12/04/02; special: 12/5/02; 12/10/02 | M/S/C Freiberg/Gensburg (5-0) to approve minutes of regular meeting of December 4, 2002, with changes made: add facilitator Jim McManus to Strategic Plan group and CBO Harden to Financial Advisory; and special meeting minutes of December 5, 2002 and December 10, 2002. |
| 8. CONSENT AGENDA A. Warrants |
M/S/C Gensburg/Freiberg (5-0) to
approve Consent Agenda, as follows: - Warrants #0258-8123/8159, dated 11/29/02, for $46,841.35; -8683/8719, dated 12/06/02, for $110,574.12. |
| B. Payroll certif. | - Payroll Certification: November 2002 - End of Month Misc., dated 12/6/02, for $1495.70. |
| C. Personnel | - Personnel Action Form #7-0203. |
| D. Donation | - Donation of 50 computers & peripherals to MV PTA Council, pursuant to Ed. Code §60510. |
| E. Gifts to MVSD: TV PTA; Lee. | Acceptance with gratitude: for benefit of TV library & resources: $3,539.01 from TV PTA; PC computer/monitor & 2 Epson printers, from H. Lee. |
| 9. ADJOURNMENT | Mr. Khademi announced that the next regular Board meeting will be at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, January 8, 2003, at the District Administrative Office, and adjourned the meeting at 9:46 PM. |
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Respectfully submitted, |