The Presiding Officer will call the meeting to order at 6:15 p.m. before the Board Recesses to Closed Session.  The Regular Meeting will convene by 7:30 p.m. 

Persons wishing to address the Board should fill out a green speaker card.  Cards turned in by 6:00 p.m. will be given priority. Speakers will be randomly selected based on topic and position, with BUSD students generally given priority. Public Testimony is limited to 15 minutes with a 3-minute limit per speaker per topic although the time allotted per speaker may be reduced to 2 minutes at the discretion of the President. 

The Board may recess into Closed Session before or after the public meeting under the authority of the Brown Act (including but not limited to Government Code section 54954.5, 54956.8, 54956.9, 54957, 54957.6, as well as Education Code section 35146).  Under Government Code section 54954.3, members of the public may address the board on an item on the Closed Session agenda, before Closed Session.

Persons wishing to address the Board should fill out a green speaker card.  Cards turned in by 7:15 p.m. will be given priority.        

Speakers will be randomly selected based on topic and position, with BUSD students generally given priority.  Public Testimony is limited to 30 minutes with a 3-minute limit per speaker per topic although the time allotted per speaker may be reduced to 2 minutes at the discretion of the President. 

Board members and the Superintendent are given the opportunity to address any issue.  

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 

TO:        Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent
FROM:   Evelyn Tamondong-Bradley, Assistant Superintendent, HR
DATE:    April 26, 2017
SUBJECT:      Approval of Human Resources Reports

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
On a regular basis, staff presents Human Resources Reports listing employment actions for the Board to approve officially. Please refer to attached reports for details.

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The following out-of-state travel request is being requested:

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, AWARE-C Grantees Meeting, Washington D.C., July 27 – 28, 2017
Approval for Lina Andersen, Teacher on Special Assignment, Christina Jack, Consultant, Siu Lau, Senior Budget Analyst and Patricia Saddler, Director, Programs & Special Programs to attend this mandatory two-day, one night meeting.  The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, AWARE-C Grantees Meeting will provide information on how to align/realign funding streams and structures to support Youth Mental Health First Aid/Mental Health First Aid, identify community resources available through community partnerships, build capacity to recruit and engage diverse communities in Youth Mental Health First Aid/Mental Health First Aid and identify opportunities to engage youth and young adults in AWARE.  Attendance to this meeting is required by the Federal Youth Mental Health First Aid Grant.  Requested by: Pat Saddler, Director Programs & Special Projects.  Travel is approximately $9,253.00 and will be paid by the Mental Health Youth First Aid federal grant.

POLICY/CODE:
Education code 35330
Board Policy 6153

FISCAL IMPACT:
As indicated above.

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the out-of-state travel consistent with District policies and instructional program.

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT  

TO:         Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent
FROM:       Pasquale Scuderi, Assistant Superintendent, Ed. Services
Erin Schweng, Principal, Berkeley High School
DATE:            April 26, 2017
SUBJECT:     New Course Sequence in Science Instruction at Berkeley High School/ Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
On March 22, 2017, leadership from the Berkeley High School science department presented a proposal for a new sequence of coursework in science education. The proposal, which responds to direction set forth in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), takes a “physics first approach” and results in a sequence that provides more integrated and expanded science content in grades 9 through 12.

On April 18, Science Department leadership facilitated a community meeting at Berkeley High School. This meeting provide an additional venue for clarifying the details of this proposal as well as to answer specific questions from the community about the new sequence and content.

The document that follows was originally presented on March 22, and is provided again tonight as staff is requesting the approval of this new course sequence.  

Proposal for a New Sequence in Science Education at Berkeley High School

The NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) is part of a multi-state effort to create a K-12, modern science curriculum that weaves together:

• cross cutting science concepts (cause and effect, structure and function),

• core ideas in each science discipline (such as the physics idea that “forces at a distance are explained by fields,” the chemistry idea of “conservation of matter,” and the biological idea that “ecosystems have carrying capacities”), and

• the practices employed by scientists and engineers (such as analyzing data, developing models, and carrying out investigations).

The Berkeley High School science department unanimously supports a reimagined science program that prepares all students for success in STEM fields, both in terms of career pathways and access to higher education. The purpose of this item is to explain and seek Board approval for a new course progression in science education  beginning with a design and transition year in School Year (SY) 2017-2018, and moving toward a proposed full implementation of both new content and a new course sequence in SY 2018-2019 (concurrent with the timelines of the proposed redesign of the 9th grade program). Along these lines, the BHS Science Department, BHS Leadership, and the BUSD Educational Services Division are partnering to successfully transition to the Next GeneratiOn Science Standards through:

1. A proposal to change our current high school course sequence from Biology (9), Chemistry (10), electives (11/12) to Physics (9), Chemistry (10), Biology (11), electives (12). This is shown in the tables immediately below. Note that AP Chemistry will still be offered as an alternative to 10th grade Chemistry, and AP/IB Biology will still be offered as an alternative to 11th grade Biology.

CURRENT BHS SCIENCE SEQUENCE

* Includes AP/IB Biology, AP Environmental Science, IB Environmental Systems and Sustainability, Honors Anatomy & Physiology, AP Chemistry, Physics, AP Physics, Fire Science

PROPOSED NEW BHS SCIENCE SEQUENCE

*Includes topics from Earth/Space Sciences and Science/Engineering Practices (TBD)

** Includes AP/IB Biology, AP Environmental Science, IB Environmental Systems and Sustainability, Honors Anatomy & Physiology, AP Chemistry, Physics, AP Physics, Fire Science, Emergency Medical Careers, Sports Medicine

2) Creating a BHS science experience that emphasizes more physical science than our current program offers, aligning our curriculum with the NGSS.

3) Launching 10 sections of 9th grade physics during the 2017-2018 school year, and transitioning to all 9th graders taking physics by 2018-2019.

4) Redesigning our current chemistry and biology courses so that they align more closely with NGSS.

Ninth Grade Physics, along with revisions to the course content and pedagogy of biology and chemistry, represents a first step towards the overall and concurrent BHS redesign effort. One of the explicit goals of the redesign is to improve achievement among students who bring multiple risk factors and historical patterns of struggle with them to high school. Staff believes that the shift to a "Physics First" progression supports this overarching goal because:

• 9th Grade Physics is being explicitly designed as a hands-on, laboratory centered class organized for engagement and success by all students. Its real-world applications are designed to “hook” struggling students.

• 9th Grade Physics is a course that emphasizes math concepts also in use in our Math 1 curriculum. This will potentially improve student success in Math 1, and also success in Chemistry, another area of science requiring foundational proficiencies in mathematics.  

• Moving Biology after Chemistry reflects a national “physics first” movement that sequences the sciences in a way that makes sense instructionally. This is because Chemistry is based on Physics, and Biology is based on Chemistry. In other words, teaching physics first can result in more success for all students in Biology (as well as in Chemistry, Physics, and math).

At the same time, we’d like to emphasize that nothing in this proposal limits the number of AP, IB, or Honors classes that students take. AP offerings begin as they do now, in the sophomore year with AP Chemistry, and they continue through senior year.

We know that the redesign is not only about shifting the structure of our school, but also about changing the curriculum and methods in our classrooms. With the shift to an NGSS Physics course in the 9th grade, we will have a strong 9th grade program with Physics, Math 1, Ethnic Studies, and CCSS-aligned Freshman English.

BHS’s current science offerings and sequence were designed to align with the 1998 California Science Framework. The proposed Physics-Chemistry-Biology sequence described above addresses numerous areas in which our current science course sequence at BHS is poorly aligned with NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) The most notable differences between the current offerings and this proposal are:

• This proposal ensures that all students take physics.  Although physics is an integral part of the NGSS, 80% of BHS students currently graduate without having taken Physics.

• Engineering, Earth Science, and Space science are key curricular areas of the NGSS and are included in the proposed new offerings. BHS has no current offerings in Earth Science or Space Science, and limited offerings related to any type of engineering.  

Questions and Answers about This Proposal

Does this change mandate a 3 year science requirement?

No. Under this proposal, students can still graduate from BHS after having passed a single life science class, and a single physical science class. However, we’d like to note that over 80% of BHS students take three or more years of science, and that AMPS, AHA and CAS already have a 3 year science sequence.

What happens if a student does not pass Physics? (or Chemistry)

If a student does not pass 9th grade physics, they can (and should) progress to 10th grade chemistry, which gives that student another chance to satisfy their physical science requirement. If they pass Physics but don’t pass chemistry, they can still move on to Biology (because they’ve met their physical science requirement, and can move on to meet their life science requirement).

What is the timeline for this proposal, and why?

We plan to launch 10 sections of 9th grade physics in 2017-2018. The sections will be in BIHS, and in AHA. We are choosing these programs because we wanted to develop the course to meet the needs of all BHS students. We chose BIHS because it’s the smaller of the two large programs (which matched our capacity), and we chose AHA because we had a science teacher with a physics credential who was eager to participate in the program’s first year.

In 2018-2019, we’ll have all 9th graders take physics. We’re going to full-scale implementation in year two to harmonize with the rollout of the universal 9th grade that’s part of the BHS redesign.

Why is this the proposal?

Ninth Grade Physics, 10th Grade Chemistry, and 11th Grade Biology allows us to

• Align with the NGSS

• Increase from 20% to 100% the number of students who study physics

• Support struggling students

• Align with school goals around increasing student success in math

• Align with the BHS redesign

• Enable students to continue to access AP/IB courses in grades 10 - 12

Are other districts moving to this physics-first progression?  Is there a track record of this working?

“Physics First” is part of a national movement to teach science in a way that has a logical progression. At the same time, it is not the way most districts sequence their science courses. High Schools in the Bay Area which teach physics first include  Encinal High School (Alameda), and Capuchino High School (San Bruno), Pioneer High School (San Jose), the Head Royce School (Oakland), and the College Preparatory School (Oakland).

Can we see a sample student schedule for 1) A student who wants to “max out” their AP/IB schedule and 2) A student in the Biotech Academy?

Sample Schedule 1: (Student who takes the maximum # of AP/IB courses)

*IBESS = IB Environmental Systems and Sustainability; APES = AP Environmental Science

Sample Schedule 2: (Student in Biotechnology Academy)

How will this progression affect the small schools (that currently have a different progression than AC and BIHS)?

The small schools have committed to 9th grade physics. However they might modify the 10th, 11th, and 12th grade course sequence to best fit their community. For example, AHA is interested in continuing to offer “Honors Anatomy” as part of their course sequence, but might move that course to the 12th grade (it is currently taught in the 10th grade).

How does this affect Special Education students?

As we indicate above, 9th grade physics is specifically designed to engage and “hook” students at all levels. We’re hoping for greater success with special education students as well. The overlap with Math 1 should also increase students’ success in Math. We are determined to work with the SPED department to ensure that:

• Our courses are designed for accessibility in terms of reading level and math.

• The curriculum is organized to provide for numerous “re-entry points” for students who might experience absences or other difficulties.

• The course is linked to supporting materials (example: textbook) that enable case managers and instructional aides to support their students in mastering the material.

In addition, part of our ongoing work in our department is to adapt curricula to meet the needs of students in special education and to modify assessment practices so that they are in line with students’ IEPs.

How does this affect students at Berkeley Technology Academy (BTA)?

BTA offers Biology, Chemistry, and Integrated science. Our proposal should not affect BTA students in any way.

What are the best arguments against making this change?

This is the right move to make to improve science education at BHS. At the same time, because of our adherence to the 1998 standards, we are currently a life-science oriented department. The staffing/credentialing issues involved with this transition are challenging (but we’re confident that we can make these changes successfully). The best argument against making this change is that it’s not going to be easy for the adults involved: it will involve significant amounts of adult learning and changing content expertise and teaching practices. But, again, we’re convinced that this is more than worth the effort.

Next Steps

BHS Leadership, the BHS Science Department, and the District’s Educational Services Division previewed this proposal for the Board at its February 22 meeting, and a detailed presentation was provided on March 22.   

Staff will be proposing shifts within existing budgets for professional learning and curriculum development to the Board during the upcoming discussions on the Superintendent’s Budget Priorities for 2017-2018 in order to support this work. A proposed $75,000 in the common core budget for 2017-2018 (included in the Superintendent’s proposed Budget Priorities) as well as an additional $25,000 from a revised Educator’s Effectiveness Block Grant will support:

• Development of new curricula in our core course offerings (Physics (9), Chemistry (10), Biology (11). Note that AP Chemistry will still be offered as an alternative to 10th grade Chemistry, and AP/IB Biology will still be offered as an alternative to 11th grade Biology.

• Evaluation and piloting of accompanying texts and instructional materials

• Collaboration time for teachers to act as curriculum leads in physics, chemistry, and biology to adjust course scope, sequence, and methods in ways that will align with NGSS requirements.

• Support for summer curriculum development, workshop attendance, etc.

Staff’s goal is to begin implementing and offering the new three-year sequence in the Fall of 2017 in both BIHS and AHA, and in the fall of 2018 for all 9th grade students as part of the proposed new universal 9th grade curriculum at BHS.

POLICY CODE:
Board Policy 6142.92
Ed Code 99224

FISCAL IMPACT:
One-year, one-time $100,000 implementation and development costs

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the new course and course progression in high school science.

     BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 

TO:             Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent
FROM:        Pasquale Scuderi, Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services
DATE:          April 26, 2017
SUBJECT:   Overnight Field Trip Request

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The following overnight field trip is being requested:

Marin Headlands, Marin County, CA, August 8-9, 2017
Approve participation of thirty-two BHS Bridge students-cohort 6, three teachers, and two other adults from Berkeley High School on a two-day, one-night field trip to the Marin Headlands Hostel. The group will depart BHS on Tuesday, August 8th at 9:00 a.m. and return Wednesday, August 9, 2017 at 2:00 p.m.  The focus of this trip will be to train the upcoming 11^th grade cohort to take on leadership and mentoring roles within Bridge. To facilitate this, we want to take the entire cohort on a leadership retreat to the Marin Hostel where the students will engage in team building, leadership development, learning about mentoring and organizational design, and building teams and structures to help mentor the incoming 9^th grade students. BUSD will provide transportation.  The total cost of $2000.00 is being paid through Bridge City of Berkeley grant funding. No student will be denied access based on inability to pay.  Requested by Erin Schweng, BHS principal.

POLICY/CODE:
Education Code 35330
Board Policy 6153

FISCAL IMPACT:
As indicated above.

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the overnight field trips consistent with the District Policies and instructional programs.

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT  

TO:        Board of Education
FROM:         Policy Subcommittee
DATE:         April 26, 2017
SUBJECT:  Policy to Protect Students and Employees from Government Registry

The Policy Subcommittee discussed and reviewed this policy at its February 24 and March 24 meetings, and presented it to the full Board on April 12 for information and first reading.  Tonight, we are recommending the Board approve the policy.

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 

TO:                 Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent
FROM:           Javetta Cleveland, Deputy Superintendent
DATE:            April 26, 2017
SUBJECT:      Acceptance of Gifts/Donations

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The Board may accept and utilize on behalf of the District gifts of money or property for a purpose deemed to be suited by the Board. The following donations have been presented to the District:

1. Donation of $500.00 from California Community Foundation to Principals Discretionary Fund for LeConte School.
2. Donation of $22,000.00 from KMS PTA Martin Luther King Middle School toward MOU
3. Donation of $100.00 from Wells Fargo Community Support Campaign to PTA for LeConte School.
4. Donation of $30,000.00 from Growing Leaders for Instructional Specialist Gardeners for Willard School.
5. Donation of $372.00 from The Benevity Community Impact Employee Matching Fund for Principals Discretionary Fund for Rosa Parks School.
6. Donation of $4,699.92 from Willard Middle School PTA for Josh Church Athletic Director.
7. Donation of $80.00 from The Benevity Community Impact Fund for Principals Discretionary Fund for Rosa Parks School.
8. Donation of $ 80.00 from Your Cause.com/ AT&T to Principal Discretional Fund for Thousand Oaks School.
9. Donation of 189.14 from Booster LLC for Principals Discretionary Fund for Malcolm X School.
10. Donation of $400.00 from YourCause LLC for Principals Discretionary Fund for Malcolm X School.
11. Donation of $3,000.00 from Wells Fargo Matching Gifts Program to Principals Discretionary Fund for Malcolm X School.
12. Donation of $3,000.00 from Malcolm X PTA to Principals Discretionary Fund.

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Accept  the donations to the District and request staff to extend letters of appreciation. 

POLICY/CODE:
BP 3290

FISCAL IMPACT: 
The District received a total of $64,421.06 in donations.

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

TO:             Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent
FROM:        Pauline Follansbee, Director of Fiscal Services
DATE:         April 26, 2017
SUBJECT: Approval of Payroll Warrants Issued in March 2017 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
On a regular basis, the Board receives information on the total amount paid employees during a month.  The attached represents a summary of pay warrants from various funds for the month of March 2017.

POLICY/CODE:
Educational Code 41010 et seq.

FISCAL IMPACT:
$8,287,044.42, for March 2017 from various funds.

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Approve payroll payments made in March 2017.

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

TO:             Dr. Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent
FROM:        Pauline E. Follansbee, Director of Fiscal Services
DATE:        April 26, 2017
SUBJECT: Approve Listing of Warrants issued in March 2017.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Each month the District writes several checks to vendors for services provided and goods received.  The checks are written against both the Restricted and Unrestricted General Fund.  The summaries of warrants for the month of March is attached for the Board’s review.

POLICY/CODE: 
Educational Code Section 41010 et seq.

FISCAL IMPACT:
$5,069,292.43 for the month of March 2017 from various funds.  

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the monthly bill warrant list for the month of March 2017.

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

TO:             Donald Evans, Ed. D., Superintendent
FROM:        Javetta Cleveland, Deputy Superintendent
DATE:        April 26, 2017
SUBJECT:  Approval of Contracts/Purchase Orders for Services Contracts

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The District contracts with consultants or independent contractors who can provide valuable and necessary specialized services not normally required on a continuing basis. The following contract services are requested. Expenditures are within budget.

1. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company to provide upgrade services and materials pertaining to Read 180 Universal for the period from 5/1/17- 6/30/17. The cost will not exceed $38,957.22. To be paid from Title III LEP Fund. Requested by Pat Saddler.
2. ECS Imaging Inc., to provide forms creation software for BUSD for 2016/17SY. The cost will not exceed $47,985. To be paid from Hillside Sale Proceeds Funds. Requested by Jay Nitschke.
3. Steve Smith Enterprises, Inc. provided consulting services over 9 years ago for preparation of three State mandated reimbursement test claims for 2005-06, 2006-07, and 2007-08 at 9% of the actual State reimbursement less maintenance fees already paid. This is the final closeout payment for those services. The cost will not exceed $17,611.62. To be paid from Mandated Cost Reimbursement. Requested by Javetta Cleveland.
4. Increase in contract, PO#170026, to Dream Ride Elevator to provide additional elevator services for Maintenance Department. The Board approved $89,000 on 3/8/17.  The additional contract amount will increase the cost by $21,000 for a total amount of $110,000. To be paid from Measure H. Requested by Steve Collins.

POLICY/CODE:
Public Contract Code: 20111
Board Policy 3310

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the contracts with Consultants or Independent Contractors as submitted.

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 

TO:              Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent
FROM:            Timothy E. White, Executive Director of Facilities    
DATE:            April 26,2017
SUBJECT:    Approve an Increase to Consulting Services Agreement with School Facility Consultants to Provide Additional Services related to the Implementation of Developer Fees

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
On March 23, 2016  the Board approved School Facility Consultants (SFC) to develop a Justification Study for the implementation of developer fees for $19,000.  The Board adopted Developer Fees at its meeting of February 8, 2017 after a lengthy review and discussion process, including multiple meetings.  SFC incurred additional costs beyond those anticipated in their original proposal and the District now needs further assistance with the implementation of the Developer Fees—including setting up procedures for collection, certification and coordination with the City.  The proposed increase in the SFC contract for Developer Fees implementation is hourly not to exceed $30,000.

In addition to the Developer Fee implementation scope, the Board has approved a subsequent Contract Amendment with SFC to assist the District with updated eligibility for state funding through the Office of Public School Construction (OPSC).   This amendment was for hourly services not to exceed $75,000.

Upon approval of this proposed amendment the total Consulting Services agreement with SFC for both Developer Fee Study and Implementation and State Funding Eligibility update will total $124,000.   

POLICY/CODE:
Board Policy 3310

FISCAL IMPACT: 
Cost to be paid from the General Fund.    

STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
Approve an increase to School Facility Consultants Consulting Services agreement to provide additional services for Developer Fee Implementation hourly not to exceed $30,000.

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 

TO:                 Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent
FROM:           Timothy E. White, Executive Director, Facilities
DATE:            April 26, 2017
SUBJECT:   Approve a Contract With Van Pelt Construction Services to Provide Project Management Services for Additional Projects

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
On October 5, 2016, the Board approved project management services for current and new projects.  As of January 11, 2017 the Board authorized the reallocation of projects within the Measure I Bond.  The reallocation includes additional projects that were not a part of the original scope.

Below is a brief summary of the additional projects with their current status and project budget:

Currently, Van Pelt has a total authorization to not to exceed $719,820 through October 2017.  This Board document will authorize Van Pelt to transition to these projects as previous projects are closed out.  Van Pelt has been serving BUSD since 2011 and wishes to establish a long term relationship with us as a partner in the capital program.  

POLICY/CODE:
Board Policy 3310.

FISCAL IMPACT:
The cost for projects is to be paid from the Measure I Bond Fund. 

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Approve Van Pelt contract to project manage the above listed projects.   

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

TO:              Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent
FROM:        Timothy White, Director of Facilities 
DATE:         April 26, 2017
SUBJECT: Approve the Advertisement of the Retrofitting of the Air Handlers at Berkeley High School G& H Building

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
On May 18, 2016 the Board approved KW Engineering to provide a comprehensive analysis of all sites, project planning, implementation and engineering design services. The plan includes the replacement of exterior lighting at multiple sites.  The designs are in their final stages and we anticipate being ready to bid in May.

Staff is required to notify the Board when bids are being solicited.

POLICY/CODE:
California Public Contract Code 20110- 20118.

FISCAL IMPACT:
Cost to be paid from the Proposition 39 Funds.

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the advertisement to solicit bids for this project.  

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

TO:              Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent
FROM:        Timothy White, Director of Facilities 
DATE:         April 26, 2017
SUBJECT: Approve the Advertisement of the Exterior Lighting Replacement at Multiple Sites

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
On May 18, 2016 the Board approved KW Engineering to provide a comprehensive analysis of all sites, project planning, implementation and engineering design services. The plan includes the replacement of exterior lighting at multiple sites.  The designs are in their final stages and we anticipate being ready to bid in May.

Staff is required to notify the Board when bids are being solicited.

POLICY/CODE: 
California Public Contract Code 20110- 20118.

FISCAL IMPACT:
Cost to be paid from the Proposition 39 Funds.

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the advertisement to solicit bids for this project. 

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

TO:              Donald Evans, Ed.D, Superintendent  
FROM:        Timothy E. White, Executive Director of Facilities
DATE:         April 26, 2017
SUBJECT: Approval of an Agreement to Purchase Furniture with Multiple Vendors

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
On January 11, 2017, the approved the Measure I Reallocation Plan.  It includes a budget line of $490,000. This year we plan to use funds to provide additional classroom furniture to elementary sites related to the increased class sizes with the passage of BSEP. In addition, Facilities may replace furniture at other sites as needed.

School districts commonly purchase furniture via piggybackable bids.  In this case, we would utilize Virco’s US Communities Cooperative Bid 2017 Master Agreement SV-15-0028-13 Contract (expires on December 31, 2017) to purchase student and teacher classroom furniture.  Facilities may create small purchase orders with Schiffler Equipment, Lakeshore Learning and Discount School Supply to purchase additional classroom furniture items.

POLICY/CODE:
Public Contract Code 20118 and 20652

FISCAL IMPACT:
A cost $50,000 to be paid from Measure I. 

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Approve a contract between BUSD and Virco in an amount not to exceed $40,000.  Approve smaller purchases with Lakeshore Learning, Discount School Supply and Schiffler Equipment Not to exceed a combined $10,000 on an as needed basis.

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

TO:             Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent
FROM:        Timothy White, Director of Facilities
DATE:         April 26, 2017
SUBJECT: Approval of Architect Selection for the Assessment of Cafeteria Food Service Expansions/Upgrades Project

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The reallocation plan for Measure I was approved at the January 11, 2017 Board of Education Meeting which included a project budget of $12,425,000 for Cafeteria Food Service Expansions/Upgrades Project at five (5) sites: Washington, BAM, Malcolm, Emerson and Muir. Cragmont is proposed to be added to the project based upon review with Nutrition Services due to the very cramped and inefficient kitchen and serving areas. 

A Request for Proposal for Architectural Services was issued on February 14, 2017. We received nine (9) proposals which were scored by facilities and staff.    

Facilities staff is requesting approval of a contract with HY Architects to complete an assessment for the project.  This will include analysis of accessibility, structural, heating, ventilation and electrical systems, food service and finishes upgrade needs.  The study will include Site Committee input and District Facilities staff input.  Deliverables will include project priority recommendations, cost estimates for identified priority work and a phasing plan for construction.

POLICY/CODE:
Public Contract Code 10510.4 – 10510.9.

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 

TO:             Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent
FROM:        Timothy White, Director of Facilities
DATE:         April 26, 2017
SUBJECT: Approval of Architect Selection for the Assessment of LeConte Elementary School Modernization Project

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The reallocation plan for Measure I was approved at the January 11, 2017 Board of Education Meeting which included a project budget of $4,879,700 for LeConte Modernization. 

A Request for Proposal for Architectural Services was issued on February 1, 2017.  We received 14 proposals which were scored by facilities and staff.  The top scoring firms were interviewed on April 14, 2017. 

Facilities staff is requesting approval of a contract with Gelfand Partners Architects to complete an assessment for the project.  This will include analysis of accessibility, structural, waterproofing, windows, heating, ventilation and electrical systems, and finishes upgrade needs.  The study will include Site Committee input and District Facilities staff input.  Deliverables will include project priority recommendations and cost estimates for identified priority work.

The intent is to have an analysis of the school’s current needs and prioritize the needs to do the first phase of construction with Measure I Bond Funds.  The analysis will be a needed tool for the District to go out for future bond money to complete the modernization of LeConte Elementary School.

POLICY/CODE:
Public Contract Code 10510.4 – 10510.9.

FISCAL IMPACT:
Contract award by this action: $96,600 to be paid from Measure I Bond Funds. 

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Approve contract with Gelfand Partners Architects for the Assessment of the LeConte Elementary School Modernization Project.

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

TO:           Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent      
FROM:       Pasquale Scuderi, Asst. Superintendent for Educational Services
DATE:        April 26, 2017
SUBJECT: Recommendation for Expenditure of BSEP Funds for Class Size Reduction and Support for Teaching in FY 2017-18

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
According to Measure E1 of 2016, “sixty-six percent (66%) of the Available Revenues shall be dedicated annually to reducing class sizes at all District-operated K-12 schools, and may also be allocated to provide funding for professional development, classroom support, program evaluation, and expanded course offerings.”^[1]

The goal of class size reduction has been a major component of every BSEP measure since 1986. Earlier BSEP measures set class size goals of around 26:1 for the elementary schools; under BSEP Measure A of 2006, the goal was a district-wide average class of 26:1 for the elementary school grades, with a further reduction to 20:1 at K-3 to qualify for the State of California program which rewarded districts for achieving that goal.

In 2013-14 the State changed class size reduction targets to 24:1 school-wide for K-3, which occasioned a reexamination of the elementary class size configuration in the BUSD. The 20:1 goal at K-3 made the transition to 26:1 at 4th grade mathematically challenging in schools with fewer sections, yielding either large classes or mixed grade classes.

With BSEP Measure E1, beginning in FY 2017-18, the District-operated elementary school average class sizes are being gradually adjusted, with the aim of achieving balanced class sizes in all elementary schools with school-wide K-5 averages of 23:1 achievable by the sixth year of the measure. This exceeds the State goal of 24:1 at K-3. The BSEP class size goals for grades 6-12 remain at district-wide averages of 28:1 and 18:1 for the continuation high school.

Class configurations are also adapted to site needs. For example, at Thousand Oaks Elementary School, a small cohort of students in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade have been proposed to continue in classes within a “bilingual maintenance” program. As a result of demographic and enrollment trends, these classes have become very small relative to the existing class size targets within BSEP, and therefore the current revised proposal provides for combination grade classes at the K/1 and 2/3 levels to maintain these classes.

A preliminary recommendation for this BSEP resource was presented to the BSEP Planning and Oversight Committee on March 7, 2017, adopted by the Committee on March 21, 2017 and provided to the Board as information on 3/22/2017. Revisions to the calculations for Classroom Support were discussed with the Committee on 4/11/2017 and on 4/25/2017.

Class Size Reduction and the Teacher Template

The contribution of BSEP Class Size Reduction (CSR) Funds for classroom teachers is estimated using a planning tool known as the “Teacher Template” (Appendix A). The Teacher Template calculates student enrollment and staffing for class size ratios to be paid for by General Fund (GF) resources and then calculates additional staffing to be paid for by BSEP funds.

This recommendation is based on the following assumptions:

• Staffing enrollment of TK-12 students is projected at 9403.
• Average compensation (includes salary and employer paid fringe benefits) of classroom teachers is projected at $102,399. This includes the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) contribution of 14.43% in FY 2017-18. 
• The indirect cost rate for FY 2016-17 is 5.96%. 

The attached “Teacher Template” details this recommendation. (Attachment A)

The staffing formula results in a total of 437.49 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) classroom teachers projected to be necessary to staff the TK-12 classrooms at the ratios listed above, of which BSEP would fund 129.80 FTE teachers (including the associated preparation/release time for BSEP funded teachers).

Under the terms of Measure E1, the revenues dedicated to class size reduction purposes may be spent for all costs attendant to them, including operational costs, and other costs associated with the opening or maintaining of classrooms to reduce class sizes. These costs are shown in the teacher template as “direct support.”  The costs of substitute teachers are also included in the overall staffing costs. BSEP therefore reimburses the General Fund based on the average teacher cost, plus expenses for substitutes, and direct support. Altogether, to meet these targeted class size reduction goals, the expense to the BSEP Class Size Reduction fund in 2017-18 is projected to be $13,906,000.

It should be noted that enrollment projections are reviewed both prior to presentation of the budget to the Board for adoption in June, and again in early September after the actual enrollment has stabilized. The actual expense for the BSEP transfer to the General Fund for classroom teachers is calculated at the close of the Fiscal Year.

PROGRAM SUMMARY

In addition to the Class Size Reduction goal, which is achieved through the aforementioned transfer of funds from BSEP to the General Fund, this resource supports a number of expenses in support of high quality instruction, as permitted by the Measure.  Unlike the “teacher transfer” which is calculated at the end of the year, these expenses are “directly charged” at the time that the actual costs for the programs are incurred. For 2017-18, these expenses would include:

Expanded Course Offerings (ECO) - $814,211

This funding provides Middle and High School students with a wide variety of options for before and after-school elective and enrichment classes that are not available within the master schedule. For example, ECO classes at Berkeley High include Advanced Placement (AP) augmentation classes, providing access to AP coursework for students who might not otherwise have such access, as well as science labs, yearbook and music classes. The current proposal is based on 7.6 FTE: 

0.4 FTE at Longfellow Middle School

0.4 FTE at Willard Middle School

0.8 FTE at King Middle School

6.0 FTE at Berkeley High School

Professional Development - $854,050
The Professional Development Department has notably expanded its offerings toward building and sustaining teacher capacity over the past three years. With the arrival of the Common Core State Standards, as well as the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), professional learning efforts in math, literacy, and science have required deep investments as well as intensive and expansive coordination. The District’s PD Coordinator, multi-funded through both this budget and the District’s designated general fund dollars for common core implementation, now oversees and coordinates professional learning in all core subject areas at district-wide events, and at teacher-led Wednesday staff meetings throughout BUSD.

In addition, these funds support the development of professional learning community (PLC) work and protocols at all levels of the District. A particularly important support funded through this budget is the district’s K-5 Lead Literacy Coach who supports students and the teachers working with students who face the largest and most pronounced literacy challenges. At Berkeley High, the budget also forms the core of a teacher-led professional development team that works on curriculum as well as culturally-responsive teaching. 

The BSEP Professional Development Plan for 2017-18 is found in Appendix B.

Program Evaluation - $672,250

As the District implements numerous educational programs designed to improve student achievement, staff must be able to assess the effectiveness of these programs in meeting their goals. Equity-driven and data-driven decision-making is critical to student success, and therefore, the District established the Berkeley Research, Evaluation, and Assessment (BREA) office to provide needed expertise.

BREA’s evaluations improve the ability of the School Board, staff, SGCs and the public to make informed decisions about the effectiveness of programs in order to maximize the use of resources to meet the needs of students, and in particular our most underserved students. BREA develops and maintains a central data warehouse of district and state mandated assessments which may be drillable to the site, classroom, case-management and student level to identify students who should be engaged through the intervention model. In addition, BREA teams with the Professional Development staff to support the development of data reporting systems across a range of program needs and works with the Office of Family Engagement and Equity in their efforts to document family and student engagement efforts.

The BSEP Professional Development Plan for 2017-18 is found in Appendix C.

Classroom Support - $266,237

Berkeley Technology Academy (BTA) serves some of our highest needs students, in terms of social-emotional and academic needs. BUSD has historically staffed the site at a 15:1 student to teacher ratio (assuming an enrollment of 150), even though the BSEP measure stipulates 18:1. This staffing ratio has resulted in the assignment of 10 full time teachers to BTA, with the General Fund and BSEP each providing 5 FTE. However, with enrollment declining steadily over time, actual enrollment has been in a range of 60-100 students over the past five years, while the school has remained staffed as if for a larger population, which has resulted in student/teacher ratios of 10:1 or below in many classes.

The proposed allocation would provide staffing at BTA in 2017-18 at 8.0 FTE for an expected population of 76 students, with the General Fund contributing 2.81 FTE and BSEP contributing 3.29 FTE at a calculation of 18:1 via the Teacher Template. (Note that the staffing calculations at BTA are based on a block schedule of 4 sections rather than the 6 period day at BHS). Through the Classroom Support resource, another 2.00 FTE would be provided to BTA in order to ensure that there is sufficient staffing to provide a greater range of  course offerings for the program.

At LeConte Elementary School, the proposal is to maintain an additional 0.6  FTE for a teacher who provides small group supports to help manage a gap in proficiency in a student's home language while also trying to grow their skills in a second language. The small group intensive reading and writing groups helps equalize the challenges of kids and families in dual language instruction, providing support for students who are struggling academically in general and did not have the advantage of bilingual preschools or other preparations. Without this support, the TWI program could become a very stratified program that best serves only those who already have tremendous educational and cultural advantages.

RESOURCE SUMMARY 2017-18

POLICY/CODE:                             
Berkeley Public Schools Educational Excellence Act of 2016 (Para. 3A, Measure E1 of 2016).                                    

FISCAL IMPACT:                         
Expenditure of $17,496,908 from BSEP Funds for Class Reduction and Support for Teaching in 2017-18.                               

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:                 
Approve the recommendation for the allocation of BSEP Class Size Reduction Funds in FY 2017-18 (BSEP Measure E1, Fund 9, Resource 0841).

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 

TO:             Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent
FROM:       Pasquale Scuderi, Asst. Superintendent for Educational Services
DATE:        April 26, 2017
SUBJECT: Recommendation for Allocation of BSEP Effective Student Support Funds for 2017-18            

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
According to BSEP Measure E1 of 2016, “seven percent (7%) of the Available Revenues generated by this Measure shall be dedicated annually to providing programs designed to provide effective supports that help students reach their highest academic potential while addressing the needs of the whole child. 

These revenues may be allocated to programs in any district-operated school for such purposes as Counseling and Behavioral Health, Family Engagement and Access, or Student Achievement Strategies to improve academic, behavioral and social-emotional outcomes for students.”^[1]

Under BSEP Measure A of 2006, these student support purposes had been a less visible component of the measure - middle school counseling and student achievement strategies (called “program support”) had been among the possible purposes of available funds within the class size reduction resource, and family engagement (called “parent outreach”) had received a small portion of the section of Measure A devoted to “enhance student learning”.  With the restructuring of Measure E1, these student supports are united into one resource for a more coherent approach to support our students’ socio-emotional and academic needs. For the first year of Measure E1, the 7% allocation is proposed to be allocated in percentages that sustain essential programs:

Family Engagement                        1.25%

Counseling and Behavioral Health     2.25%

Academic Strategies                       3.50%

This recommendation was presented to the BSEP Planning and Oversight Committee on March 21, 2017 and adopted by the Committee on April 11, 2017.

PROGRAM SUMMARY

Family Engagement - $398,622

The Office of Family Engagement and Equity (OFEE) was developed to create a welcoming and equitable school environment.  Family Engagement and Equity Specialists at the elementary and high school level provide targeted support and guidance to school staff and families in order to build meaningful partnerships that foster success for all students. The staff is working to strengthen a district and school climate and culture in which family engagement skills are part of every Principal, teacher and staff’s daily practice.

The BSEP Family Engagement Plan for 2017-18 is found in Appendix A.

Counseling and Behavioral Health - $618,542

Students need guidance in many areas of their educational experiences. School counselors are a critical resource in terms of helping those students navigate academic challenges as well as the social and emotional barriers that create those challenges. Middle school counselors support students during some of the most intense developmental periods of their youth, and are often their primary supports, chief advocates, and confidants when it comes to not only academic issues, but on “highly personal matters and individualized choices often fraught with challenge and complexity due to family, cultural, and contextual considerations (Elias 2010).” Counselors at the secondary level in BUSD provide a wealth of supports and services, including direct instruction in classrooms on life skills and decision making, work with individuals and groups of students to raise awareness around educational options and career pathways, and support families and students with academic and social/emotional dilemmas. In addition, counselors provide direct services to families and students and connect them with school-based or community-based supports and services as needed. This resource provides for 4.8 FTE for middle school counselors; 2.4 FTE at King Middle School and 1.2 FTE each at Longfellow and Willard Middle Schools.

Achievement Strategies - $938,951

The Response to Intervention (RtI) Teachers in elementary and middle schools, and Literacy Coaches remain key to our efforts to support struggling students. Both positions serve critical roles on the Coordination of Services (CoS) teams that we have been building at elementary and middle schools. In addition to serving on those teams, which monitor and react to struggles or growth in specific outcomes, both positions play key direct services roles with our students.

The RtI teacher allocation rounds out Special Education staffing in schools and expands the focus of the staff members to support struggling students who may not yet be working with individualized education plans (IEP).  Better still, this focus may prevent over-identification of students for Special Education by providing or coordinating supports and services well ahead of a determination to classify a student. The current plan is to fund through this resource:

2.75 FTE RTI² teachers for the 11 elementary schools (.25 FTE at each elementary school).

2.75 FTE RTI² teachers for the three middle schools (.75 FTE for Longfellow, .75 FTE for Willard, and 1.25 FTE at King)    

The Literacy Coach positions remain vital to the implementation of curriculum, to the support and coaching of teachers in delivering the strongest classroom instruction possible, and to providing, in some cases, intensive one-on-one reading supports as well as intensive small group remediation through reading recovery practices and leveled literacy intervention strategies respectively. The funding of Literacy Coaches through both the professional development budget and the Student Support budget (as well as site funds) reflects the multiple roles fulfilled by this position. 

3.3 FTE elementary school Literacy Coaches/Teachers; (.3 FTE for each of the 11 elementary schools).

Be A Scientist - $10,000

The “Be A Scientist” program provides students with support to engage in authentic science and engineering practices. Previously, teachers lacked the time and resources to mentor students through individual science research projects, and traditional “science fair project” was assigned as an out of school homework project, contributing to inequities in learning opportunities dependent on resources and support available outside of school. Well-prepared scientists and engineers (mostly graduate students and post-docs from UC Berkeley) mentor 7th grade students through 6-week project of designing, conducting, and presenting independent research projects in science lab class. The program is in the third year of a successful pilot in partnership with Community Resources for Science, serving about 700 BUSD students, every 7th grade science teacher, and involving nearly 200 mentors. The contribution from BSEP funds will be matched by LCAP funds, a Chancellor’s Grant, funding from the Berkeley Public Schools Fund and other sources to provide a robust program that reaches every 7th grade science class.

POLICY/CODE:
Berkeley Public Schools Educational Excellence Act of 2016 (Para. 3C, Measure E1 of 2016).

FISCAL IMPACT:
Expenditures of $398,622 (Revenue Allocation and Fund Balance from Measure A) from BSEP Effective Student Support Funds. 

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the recommendation for the allocation of BSEP Effective Student Support Funds in FY 2017-18 (BSEP Measure E1).

^[1] BSEP Measure E1 of 2016, Section 3.C

BERKELEY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

President Alper called the meeting to order at 7:32 pm. He reported that the Board convened to Closed Session at 5:45 pm.

Roll Call
Board of Education:
Ty Alper, President – Present,
Josh Daniels,  Vice President – Present
Beatriz Leyva-Cutler, Director/Clerk – Present
Karen Hemphill, Director – Present
Judy Appel, Director -- Present
Petra Silvey, Student Director, BHS – Present
Alaunte Keys, Student Director, BTA – Present

Administration:
Donald E. Evans, Ed. D, Superintendent
Javetta Cleveland, Deputy Superintendent
Pasquale Scuderi, Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services
Evelyn Tamondong-Bradley, Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources
Lyz Chairez, Recorder

REPORT CLOSED SESSION
President Alper reported out on closed session:

Parent/Student Challenge to Content of Pupil Records (Ed Code Section 49070 (c))

Motion to expunge expulsion referral:
Hemphill/Appel and approved 4-0
Ty Alper, President – Yes
Josh Daniels, Vice President – Yes
Beatriz Leyva-Cutler, Director/Clerk – Recuse
Karen Hemphill, Director –Yes
Judy Appel, Director – Yes 

Collective Bargaining (Government Code Section 54957.6(a)) Lead Negotiator: Lead Counsel Roy Combs—BFT Negotiations

The Board gave direction to staff; no action taken. 

Public Employee Discipline/Dismissal/Release (Government Code Section 54957)

The Board discussed this item. Alper recused himself for a portion of the discussion. No action was taken.

Superintendent’s Midyear Evaluation (Government Code Section 54957)

The Board discussed this item; no action was taken.

OPEN SESSION

APPROVAL OF REGULAR MEETING AGENDA 

Motion to approve agenda
Daniels/Silvey and unanimously approved 7-0 

PUBLIC TESTIMONY
A total of 16 people addressed the Board:

Three parents and a teacher commented on staffing at LeConte.

A person commented on the developer fees item.

Nine parents commented on the need of student supports at BAM. 

A community member commented in support of the REALM rental agreement. 

A teacher proposed the passing of a resolution in honor of May Day and in opposition to hate speech in Berkeley.

UNION COMMENTS
BFT President Paula Phillips commented on the elimination and reduction of specified classified positions and asked the Board to carefully consider the proposed layoffs.

COMMITTEE COMMENTS
The Construction Bond Oversight Committee provided the Board with an update.

BOARD MEMBER AND SUPERINTENDENT COMMENTS

Director Appel thanked the CBOC for its plans to renovate the King auditorium. She pointed out the information item regarding the policy to protect students from the government registry. She will hold office hours this Saturday from 10am-12pm at Mo’Joe Café.

Director Leyva-Cutler pointed out the resolution in honor of the Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta commemorative period in the consent calendar.

Vice President Daniels announced that the policy committee will be meeting this Friday at 12pm in room 126. 

Superintendent Evans reported that a request to review the criteria for the composition of the student advisory committee in the LCAP policy will be submitted to the policy committee.  He also reported that he did not convene an official Student Advisory Committee this year.

CONSENT CALENDAR
Motion to approve the Consent Calendar:
Daniels/Leyva-Cutler and unanimously approved 7-0.

DISCUSSION ITEMS

Berkeley Public Schools Fund Presentation
Allotted time: 15 minutes
Actual time: 11 minutes

Executive Director Erin Rhoades shared how the Berkeley Public Schools Fund has supported Berkeley schools.  Alper thanked Rhoades and her staff for their many important contributions to the District.

Update on Restorative Justice Practices
Allotted time: 45 min
Actual time: 52 min

Director of Student Services Dr. Susan Craig and the Restorative Justice team provided an update on school climate initiatives at the middle school and high school levels. Their presentation highlighted the kind of supports they are providing and how they are integrating them in the restorative practices work. Questions and discussion followed.

ACTION ITEMS

Approval of Rental Agreement with REALM Charter School

Director Appel moved to approve the lease with the understanding that REALM can come back with a modified request to house the high school instead of the middle school. Director Hemphill seconded.  Following discussion, Appel withdrew her motion.

The Board passed on this item to allow REALM time to consult and determine whether they want to move forward with the agreement as is. 

Motion to approve the rental agreement with the addition of the date REALM will vacate the property:
Appel/Daniels and unanimously approved 7-0. 

Approval of Resolution 17-059 Providing for Very Low, Low Income Housing Development Exemption from Previously Adopted Level I Residential Development Fees for School Facilities

Director of Facilities Tim White presented a revised resolution for the adoption of developer fees reflective of the Board’s request to present options for an exemption for low income housing. Staff did not recommend adding this exemption and instead suggested limiting the exemptions to the existing ones within government code. Questions and discussion followed. 

Motion to accept staff recommendation to not adopt any changes to resolution:
Daniels/Alper and approved 6-1
Ty Alper, President – Yes
Josh Daniels, Vice President – Yes
Beatriz Leyva-Cutler, Director/Clerk – Yes
Karen Hemphill, Director –Yes
Judy Appel, Director – No
Petra Silvey, BHS, Student Director – Yes
Alaunte Keys, BTA, Student Director – Yes

ADJOURNMENT
President Alper adjourned open session at 10:35 p.m.

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 

TO:          Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent
FROM:    Pasquale Scuderi, Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services
Maggie Riddle, Director of K-8 Schools
DATE:    April 26, 2017
SUBJECT:   Teaching and Learning Presentation: Rosa Parks Reading Achievement

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Tonight's board meeting provides the first in a series of presentations on how schools are effectively using formative and summative student data to drive and improve instruction for students.

Staff is pleased to provide these presentations to the Board and to the community as a means of sharing some of the most creative and supportive work that  teachers and school site staff members are doing with and for the District’s students and families.

This evening, educators from Rosa Parks Elementary School will share an overview of their models and processes for responding to student outcomes in reading; in particular,  how they respond when students struggle with their reading.

This is on the agenda as a presentation, not discussion or action.  If Board members have thoughts or questions about the presentation, we are asking that they direct them to the Superintendent following the meeting.

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 

TO:   Donald Evans, Ed. D., Superintendent
FROM:   Pasquale Scuderi, Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services
Ardarius McDonald, Principal, Berkeley Technology Academy
DATE:    April 26, 2017
SUBJECT:     Update on Berkeley Technology Academy

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
In 2006, District staff and the principal at the alternative high school proposed and subsequently received Board approval to implement a new school model for alternative education under the name Berkeley Technology Academy (B-Tech, now also BTA). Public documents from that period note that the new model, formerly called Berkeley Alternative High School (BAHS) was to be redesigned to better engage and support students who were perhaps disconnected or disenfranchised in traditional or typical educational systems.

At the time, BTA sought to create an alternative setting for students who might benefit from the program in light of one or more of the following challenges or needs:

• attendance issues

• generalized challenges adjusting in typical school settings

• deficient progress (credits earned) relative to high school graduation

• notable or sustained behavioral or discipline issues

• the desire or necessity to be employed while attending high school

• the desire for a smaller and more flexible school setting
  

The 2006 resolution defined the program more broadly than typical continuation programs, yet retained the baseline character of how the state defines continuation programs; specifically, as an alternative high school diploma program for students who are sixteen years of age or older, have not graduated from high school, are still required to attend school, and who are at risk of not graduating as a result of one or more of the issues listed in the bullet points listed above.

The current 2016-2017 staffing and structure of BTA remains in step with the 2006 model wherein lower class sizes (15) and the staffing required to produce those models (10.0 FTE) were allocated based on an assumed or projected enrollment of 150 students. In recent years, however, as evidenced in the chart below, enrollment overall has declined, and separate proposals are currently under consideration to bring staffing at BTA to a level more in line with the current enrollment. A current proposal under consideration will reduce the staffing at BTA to 8.0 FTE which remains generous relative to current enrollment, but leaves the new administration an opportunity to undertake new and proactive recruiting efforts to increase enrollment during the upcoming spring and summer months ahead of the 2017-2018 school year.

Structure  

At present, BTA, functions as our District’s sole continuation/alternative school. Its schedule allows for students to take 4, 90-minute, credit-bearing blocks each quarter thereby allowing students to earn up to 20 credits per quarter or 40 credits per semester as compared with the 30 that most students earn at BHS or at comparable comprehensive high schools. BTA’s offerings exceed the minimum credit hour and content requirements (180 minutes per day and 15 hours per week) set forth in the Education Code for continuation high school programs.  

Program

Per the 2006 documents establishing the program at BTA, students, most of whom enter after their 16th birthday or during their junior or senior years, still have access to UC/CSU-approved coursework in core subjects and required electives like world languages and arts. While matriculation rates to UC/CSU or four-year options are minimal at BTA (most continuation programs state-wide focus almost exclusively on high school diploma programs or workforce skills) current staffing has allowed us to continue to offer a broader range of classes needed to meet UC/CSU eligibility. Should there be further discussions about reductions in staffing relative to low enrollment at BTA, those discussions could include consideration of restructuring the program and condensing the curricular options to be more in line with the coursework needed for a more streamlined program that exclusively supports the pursuit of a high school diploma.

Conversely, another possibility would be to embrace the goal of promoting the school as a genuine alternative for 11th and 12th graders who might benefit from a smaller campus and school community. This scenario could maintain A-G offerings as well as offer a wider complement of career technical opportunities and workplace internships.

At present staff is recommending that the school and its new leadership be given the opportunity to increase enrollment over the next 6-8 months. After assessing enrollment in October of 2017, staff will initiate a discussion of options and possibilities for the program’s future given the state of enrollment and program participation at that time. Those discussions could include some long term restructuring that would provide a more streamlined continuation option to students that could rely heavier on work study and independent study options among other things.

Expanding Enrollment Through Exercising Regulations on Attendance

One additional consideration and support for increasing enrollment in the program long-term would be to expand and strengthen our use of involuntary transfers to BTA based on school attendance. Historically, involuntary transfers have been based on students committing acts enumerated in California Education Code 48900, yet Education Code allows governing boards to “adopt rules and regulations governing procedures for the involuntary transfer of pupils to continuation schools” that includes not only the behavioral issues in EC 48900, but also where a student “has been habitually truant or irregular in attendance from instruction upon which he or she is lawfully required to attend.” Staff plans to research and potentially propose the expansion of involuntary transfers based on attendance issues later this Spring.

Services and Supports

BTA leadership has assembled a full complement of student support services for students that can be accessed on campus. In terms of external supports, BTA students have access to the following programs and providers:

• City of Berkeley Mental Health Division- Mental Health Clinician (20 hours/week)

• New Bridge Foundation- Alcohol Tobacco & Other Drug Counselor (40 hours/week)

• SEEDS- Restorative Justice personnel

• Berkeley Gardening & Cooking

• Uongozi Academy “Leadership Development Program” with  Dr. Will Walker

• Entrepreneurial Skills Advising

• Mentoring and Tutoring from Doctoral Research students at UC Berkeley

• Youth Alive Program

• Youth Court-  Elizabeth Coleman Esq

• Alameda County Office of Probation

Internally, and in addition to the increased personalized, small group, and one to one time students receive with the general education teachers given the school’s staffing ratio, BTA also provides:

• A full time Special Education teacher and instructional assistant

• A full time academic counselor

• A full time Student Welfare and Attendance Coordinator

• 2 Student Safety Officers

Student/Community Profile

The following information provides a snapshot of demographic and graduation progress data for BTA.

Enrollment:

1Source: Dataquest

2Source: Dataquest, Cumulative references the total count of students attending BTA in a year.

Demographics:

Calpads

Source: Dataquest / Illuminate for ASI 3+

Graduation/Dropout Rates

Source: Dataquest

Suspension

Source: Dataquest

1Suspension rate is based on cumulative enrollment for that year.

Next Steps

BTA’s leadership will continue to develop and implement recruitment efforts. Unlike previous years where BTA simply received students referred into the program by BHS staff or who were placed there in the wake of behavioral incidents, the new leadership at BTA is seeking to extend more proactive and consistent efforts to reach families for whom the smaller setting with more intensive supports might be both beneficial and appealing.

Tonight’s presentation includes additional detail on the services outlined above, and provides a general overview of the vision and direction of current BTA leadership.

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Receive the report.

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

TO:          Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent
FROM:    Pasquale Scuderi, Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services
Pat Saddler, Ed.D, Director, Programs and Special Projects
DATE:    April 26, 2017
SUBJECT:   Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) – Actions and Services for 2017-18

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) is intended to be a planning and accountability tool for school districts. It describes the actions and supplemental expenditures that our school district expects will improve all student achievement outcomes, with explicit actions and services that are targeted to support students who are English Learners, foster youth or meet state criteria determining  low socioeconomic status.  Currently the plan is divided into three actionable goals:

1.    High Quality Classroom Instruction

2.    Culturally and Linguistically aligned systems

3.    Safe and Welcoming Schools

Goal One:  High quality classroom instruction - $2,040,500

1.1 Provide a culturally responsive Teacher Induction Program for all new first and second year teachers to ensure that they meet the necessary requirements to become appropriately credentialed.

1.2 Provide Teacher and administrator professional development (workshops, coaching, and collaborative planning time) to support the Common Core (CCSS) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) implementation including the integration of educational technology.

1.3 Provide on-going Teacher and Administrator professional development (workshops, coaching, collaborative planning time) in Common Core English Language Arts standards and TCRWP curriculum (Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop). Teachers will work to incorporate, systematic ELD and Constructing Meaning for identified EL Students for both designated and integrated ELD.  In addition, the ALD Class designed for Long-Term ELs at the Middle School will use the AVID Excel.

1.4S (ELA) and (Math) Response to Intervention and Instruction (RtI2).  Provide each (TK - 8 ) school (proportional to # of Unduplicated Students) with an Intervention Teacher who teaches using intervention programs such as Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI), A Story of Units and A Story of Ratios Intervention Binder and Do the Math.

1.5S Provide support to math teachers in grades TK, K-12 schools with high quality, differentiated common core aligned instruction, which includes Integrated Math Pathway at the high schools.  District-level coaches will lead workshops, facilitate planning, and provide coaching. Training will include identifying and supporting Unduplicated Students based on their needs within the Elementary, Middle and High-School Math Pathways.

1.0 FTE K-5; .6 FTE 6-8; plus stipends for Math Teacher Leaders (TK-8),

1.6S Provide Science, Technology, Engineering and Math hands on learning activities outside the school day in K-5, at the Superintendent's Super Science Saturdays in collaboration with the Lawrence Hall of Science.  Expand the Super Science program for 7th graders during the school year.

1.7 Provide increased access to course pathways and enrollment in Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses at the high school through outreach efforts and California Pathways grant. The CTE program will include the six ways needed to be College and Career Ready.

1.8S Provide English Language Arts / Literacy intervention through small group instruction and teacher coaching/lesson modeling with a Literacy Teacher Leader for each K-8 school. TK-5: .2 FTE funded by LCFF Supplemental with .6 FTE funded out of BSEP and .2 (?) funded by Sites. CCSS 6-8: 1.0 for King Middle, .6 for Willard and Longfellow,

1.9S Provide extended school day learning opportunities with small group ELA and Mathematics instruction for students in grades K-8. Teachers will be using research based intervention practices that incorporate innovation, ELD strategies and access to instructional technology.

1.10S Provide Common Core-aligned ELA and Math curriculum for the K-5 Summer School program to prevent summer reading loss and to accelerate achievement in Mathematics for students performing below grade level in Math.

1.11S Provide AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination) courses to increase access to postsecondary education and careers. Elective courses are offered for Gr. 7-12 and build 6th grade school-wide program.

1.12S Provide Bridge programs in high-school to support students in a college-going culture at the transition to and/or during high school by providing them with a summer program, a supportive community, access to technology, and after school class, skill development, and mentoring.

1.13 Provide summer school for high school students grades 11 and 12 not on track to graduate.

1.14 Provide Summer Math “Boot-Camp” for incoming 6th and 9th graders identified as performing below grade level in Mathematics.

Goal Two:  Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Systems  $1,144,263

2.1 Provide teacher and staff cultural competence professional development and use of culturally and linguistically relevant instructional practices with support of three-seminars on Cultural Competence for teachers, administrators, and instructional assistants.  Keep foundational academy to ensure that all teachers have attended training on culturally and linguistically relevant instructional practices.

2.1S  Create a system for direct support and advising for African-American male students. Develop a position that will design and implement a Student Resilience and Mentoring Project for African American Male students  in grades 7 through 10. The project will also include coordinating supports outside and within the district for students in grades 3 through 5. The goal would be to provide sustained and responsive services as a mentor and to improve attendance, reduce suspensions or expulsions, and to improve core academic outcomes for black male students. In its initial year, the position will build connections with students and families, hold affinity groups, and develop, in conjunction with Ed Services and site RTI or intervention personnel, sustained check-in and progress monitoring systems. A more expansive description and rationale for this position can be found below in item #4 of the New Services and Action Section.

2.2 Provide support and training to staff on issues of cultural competence, implicit bias, differentiation for learning styles and identify by training an Equity Teacher Leader at each site to lead the work.

2.3S Professional Learning Communities:

Continue to deepen the implementation with a specific focus on African American,, Special Education and unduplicated students through professional development designed to:

• Develop expertise of grade level teams with half day trainings that deepen teacher understanding of the PLC inquiry questions and structures

• Deepen PLC expertise of all TSAs, site and district by building their leadership in their coaching capacity through PLC structures to increase focus on issues of Equity, Cultural Competence and student achievement.

2.4S Provide a Consultant to recruit, retain, and provide recommendations and other supports for teachers of color.

2.5S Provide a Classified Employee teacher pathway.

2.6S Provide a certificated teachers at each site based on the number of ELs to provide direct ELD instruction, case-management, assessment, and instructional coaching for teachers on integrated English language development strategies.

2.6S Provide a certificated teachers at each site based on the number of ELs to provide direct ELD instruction, case-management, assessment, and instructional coaching for teachers on integrated English language development strategies.

2.8S Provide a professional development pathway to build the capacity of instructional classified employees  

Goal Three:  Safe and welcoming schools- $1,311,000

3.1S Provide culturally responsive training and support for all TK-6 certificated staff on the Restorative Practices, Toolbox social/emotional curriculum. Training will be organized by Coordinator of School- Based Services, and is designed to serve as a review for teachers focusing on the Toolbox skills of self- management, social and self-awareness, decision-making and building relationships, especially for Unduplicated Pupils.

3.2S Provide Three Intervention Counselors at BHS to ensure regular, individual contact with high-risk students to oversee all academic and social supports.

3.4S Provide a Restorative Practices (RP) program (alternatives to punitive discipline through behavioral intervention, implementation of restorative practices) through:

• BHS and BTA RP Program: provide restorative circles, professional development, harm circles and student workshops

• Impact Justice Restorative Conferencing: Provide RJ conferencing in potentially expellable cases, including sexual battery and sexual assault cases

3.5 Provide Behavior Specialists at K-8 and a full-time Counselor for BHS students with IEPs to build relational trust and provide alternatives to punitive discipline through behavioral intervention and counseling from Berkeley Mental Health and ATOD Counseling Services for New Bridge at BTA.

3.6S Provide Counselors to coordinate restorative practices training for staff and students at the middle school, and case management of a group of identified unduplicated students in Grades 6, 7 and 8.

3.7S Provide increased behavioral health services to support students dealing with trauma and other social emotional issues. Trauma-informed and Restorative practices will be delivered with a lens of cultural competency.

3.8S Provide coordination of school-based services to develop, train and support sites in the consistent implementation of culturally relevant Restorative Practices, Positive Behavioral Intervention Supports (PBIS), and Toolbox social-emotional domains that address the needs of students in danger of suspension. Additionally, ensure that the non-BUSD Services Providers are providing services that are aligned with our district practices.

3.9S Provide the Bay Area Peacekeepers Program to teach high-risk youth the skills to avoid violence and remain unharmed and free from suspension and incarceration.

3.10S Provide case management and intervention services such as Restorative Practices for students identified as at risk of suspension.

3.11S Provide coordinators for family engagement for all TK, K-5 schools and BHS to partner with parents and guardians to support their children’s’ education through collaborative connections, referrals, and parent education. Address particular communication and support needs for families of Unduplicated Students.

During the LCAP development process key district stakeholders (i.e. Parent Advisory Committee, Education Advisory Committee, Superintendent's’ Cabinet, Education Services Directors and Secondary Students) were provided with an opportunity to review the budget, the mid year student data that provided a snapshot of the essential local indicators and the California Dashboard State Indicator data.  Based on the stakeholder engagement there were six recurring challenges that staff prioritized during the development of the new LCAP 2017-18 thru 2019-2020.  These challenges were:

• TK – 8 school site have inadequacy of coordination of PBIS, Toolbox and Restorative school initiatives.

• Student support in Mathematics at the Secondary Level is needed to address the great number of students who are not performing at grade level mastery.

• Continuance of professional development for Teachers and administrators of professional learning communities that would include equity strategies and differentiation to better meet the various student learning styles

• Demand for professional development for classified instructional employees

• Shortage of Teachers of color

• African American Students and Students with Disabilities recurring low academic performance in mathematics and disproportionately being suspended

New Services and Actions

The following new services and actions represent the District’s latest thinking, adjustments, and responses to student challenges and input from stakeholder and advisory groups.

1.    Secondary Math Support Classes

At the middle and high school, students would have an opportunity to be enrolled in a math support class that would offer academic support.  Having a double period of math has been proven to increase student success.  These classes are being design to respond to the high percentage of unduplicated students who have performed below grade level in mathematics as indicated by the California Dashboard, grades and district math assessments.  Students who are enrolled in the math support classes will be monitored carefully to determine if this is the best intervention for improvement.

2.    Creation of a Classified Employee Teacher Pathway

Over the past three years we have worked with a consultant to recruit teachers of color to work in Berkeley Unified Schools.  This has been a consistent challenge due to the fact that there are very few candidates and surrounding districts compete for the few available candidates.  Currently there are five members of BCCE that have previously been enrolled in a teacher education program but for various reasons were not able to finish and receive a teaching credential.  These employees would apply to participate in a district sponsor loan program that would provide for tuition costs and books.  Participation in this program would require that employee to in turn commit to teaching in BUSD once the credential has been earned at which time a loan repayment plan would be established.

3.    Positive School Climate Teacher Leaders

In order to sustain school climate initiatives at the 14 BUSD elementary and middle school sites, this proposal request seeks funding for a School Climate Teacher Stipend to compensate leaders in supporting the integration of the following BUSD school climate initiatives: Restorative Practices, Trauma Informed Systems 101, PBIS and Toolbox.  This action would leverage the momentum built this year in fostering behavioral and social-emotional learning interventions and supports for our K-8 students.  A top priority will be to build on the recent BUSD Elementary Restorative Practices training held on March 30th, 2017.  Each elementary school sent a team to be thought leaders in leading restorative practice efforts at their sites.  Many sites left the training enthusiastic about infusing restorative approaches within their daily practices.  Having an identified site leader in this effort will provide a structure of support between the district office and the sites to implement the vital training and coaching elements of a strategic roll-out plan.  

Responsibilities

A site lead would be responsible for planning, facilitating and providing direct support at the site for implementation of the positives school climate initiatives.  This includes coordinating  meetings as well as gathering essential data to progress monitor the fidelity of interventions.

4.   Direct Support and Program Development for African American Male Students

Given persistent challenges and disparities in outcomes for black male students, the Educational Services team is seeking to develop an intensive support system for African-American males throughout BUSD. Many of these students continue to find themselves disproportionately impacted by or involved in a broad range of negative outcomes across our district. While outcomes like graduation rates and state math performance show African-American males in BUSD outperforming their counterparts across the county and state, those comparative gains are still well below many non-black peers and other ethnic groups across the district constituting a significant disparity or gap in outcomes that warrants continued and sustained attention.

These challenges facing young black boys and young black men are evidenced nationally in drop out rates, general struggles in school, contact with the police or the juvenile justice system, and in over-identification for special education services as well as a host of other disparities.

Inspired by both a desire to become increasingly specific and focused on the issues as they impact young black men, as well as by recent research on programs yielding positive gains and impact, Educational Services is recommending the creation of a position with the working title of Coordinator for African American Student Success.

This position, a classified position, would be tasked with developing cohorts for support in grades 7 through 10 to, in part, develop programs similar to those found in the most current research. In particular, around work done in the Becoming a Man (BAM) program in Chicago which has shown reductions in negative behaviors and contacts with law enforcement as well as gains in school engagement and graduation rates by coupling culturally specific supports with coping skills rooted in the psychology of automaticity .

To quote a recent Washington Post article on the program, while in the face of these challenges, "policymakers have increasingly rallied around early childhood interventions that might alter the life trajectories of young boys well before they ever become young men. But that is, of course, not a solution that will help men of color already drifting."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/06/03/young-black-men-face-daunting-odds-in-life-these-programs-can-help/?utm_term=.b06d2f6802ae

This position would focus exclusively on supporting and mentoring cohorts of kids in grades 7 through 10 during the school day, as well as to develop and facilitate groups like the Chicago program referenced above. The position would also coordinate mentorships in grades 3 through 5, and personally follow up with any black male student who is suspended at any time during the school year.

Coupled with a strong, skills-based program like AVID, we could build, with this position’s  leadership, a multifunction program that provides cultural support, coping strategies, and strong academic supports exclusively to these students.

At the March 29 Board meeting there was a request for additional information on the following actions and services:

Equity TSA Position:

• Conducted 38 classroom visits, 6 library visits, 5 site visits using the Equity Audit Tool.

• Conducted 13 interviews (1 parent of a SwD, 2 consultants, 1 librarian, 2 MS principals, 7 Elementary principals, all with anywhere from 3 - 50 years with BUSD (either as employees, consultants, or as parents/grandparents)

• Observed the “Model classrooms” , where there was had a high level of engagement and use of the four equity strategies within culturally relevant curriculum. The classroom library had a very diverse selection of books.

• Overall, evidence of equity based instructional practices was found to be inconsistent and not uniform across classrooms and sites.  There is a need for teachers and other staff to build stronger relationships with students and families of color.  African-American and Latino families, families with a home language besides English or Spanish, families that have been displaced by gentrification and travel long distances are more likely to be absent and participates less in school activities.

Professional Learning Communities Training:

• Continue to deepen the implementation with a specific focus on African American,, Special Education and unduplicated students through professional development designed to:

1. Develop expertise of grade level teams with half day trainings that deepen teacher understanding of the PLC inquiry questions and structures

2. Deepen PLC expertise of all TSAs, site and district by building their leadership in their coaching capacity through PLC structures to increase focus on issues of Equity, Cultural Competence and student achievement.

Coordination of Services Position – presented at the Board Meeting on 4/12/17

• The K-8 Coordinator of School-Based Services serves as a liaison between district leaders and sites in aligning BUSD climate initiatives across the 14 campuses.  There are three overarching areas of focus for this work: (1) Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), (2) Behavioral Health Initiatives, and (3) Restorative Practices.  

• Responsibilities:

Planning, coordinating and leading two K-8 school climate team trainings with a focus on PBIS, Welcoming Schools, Toolbox, Trauma Informed Systems 101, and Restorative Practices; Revitalized PBIS and rebranding PBIS with RiCE values (restorative, inclusive, culturally responsive, equitable) and creating a BUSD brochure on school climate initiatives to raise awareness in the community.  Served as a trainer and facilitator for the seven county, Trauma Informed Systems Initiative spearheaded by Berkeley’s 2020 Vision Committee.  Convened quarterly behavioral health meetings with agency provider leads.  Provided ongoing coaching, modeling, and support to sites on site specific needs that arise.  Coordinated a BUSD Elementary Restorative Practices training with agency partner SEEDS.  Holding bi-weekly meetings with first-year Restorative Practice Counselors at the middle schools. Worked with BREA to develop an online assessment platform in illuminate to capture, monitor and track services and their impact on case- managed and unduplicated students identified as high priority by district leaders. Support for Project AWARE and trained in Mental Health First-Aid.  Crisis response and consultation as directed by district leaders.  

English Language Development Model  

• will be presented as a discussion item at the May 3rd Board Meeting.  This presentation will include the Integrated and designated ELD instructional models, and overview of the language programs that are currently available TK-8 and EL student data.  There will also be an overview of focal areas that will be address in 2018-19.                   

Timeline for LCAP Approval:

April

•    4/25 - Special Parent Advisory Meeting

May

•   5/1-5/12 - Public Comment period on LCAP draft

•   5/3 - Board LCAP Presentation

•   5/28 - Superintendent’s Response to PAC LCAP Comments

•   5/31 – Draft Plan and Executive Summary

June

•   6/14 - LCAP and Budget Public Hearing

•   6/28 - Final LCAP Approval

POLICY/CODE:
BP-0460

FISCAL IMPACT:
LCAP Supplemental Funds

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Receive the preliminary recommendations

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

TO:          Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent
FROM:          Pasquale Scuderi, Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services
Pat Saddler, Ed.D, Director, Programs and Special Projects
DATE:      April 26, 2017
SUBJECT:    Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) -Recommendations for Early Approval

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) is intended to be a planning and accountability tool for districts that lists and describes the actions and expenditures that are initiated to improve student outcomes. The First Draft LCAP Recommendations for 17-18 were presented to the Board on 3.22.17 as an information item.  Subsequently, The Second Draft LCAP recommendations were presented on 4.12.17 as an information item, which included prioritization of Actions and Services to be considered for early approval.

In accordance with Board Policy 0460, staff may bring non-controversial employee positions to the Board prior to final LCAP approval;pushing the hiring or approval timelines deeper into the Spring makes both finding premium candidates and finalizing school site plans and schedules more challenging.

The following positions are being recommended for early approval:

Goal One:  High Quality Classroom Instruction

Goal Two:  Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Systems

Goal Three:  Safe and welcoming schools

Discontinued Actions or Services

Board Policy 0460 also states that the Superintendent must recommend a minimum of one action or service to be discontinued for the following  school year.  Based upon a review of student data (attendance, grades, suspensions and local academic assessments English Language Arts and Mathematics), and considering input from LCAP advisory committees, staff is recommending that the  following actions or services be discontinued in 2017- 18 and beyond:

RJ Pilot at Washington School - $25,000            

Staff is recommending discontinuing this pilot. The RJ work piloted at Washington is being recommended to be incorporated into the scope of work of the Positive School Climate Teacher Leader being proposed elsewhere in LCAP at all TK-8 schools.

Sixth Grade Bridge - $60,000

Inconsistent implementation and  varied student outcomes are pushing staff to consider alternatives to this item. Schools may choose to use some of the LCAP Afterschool funding to create a site-based program that targets similarly situated students who need extra support.  Additionally, the district is planning to provide training to the all 6th Grade Teachers on Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) School-wide Instructional Strategies.

Equity, TSA (.5fte) - $55,000

This position was created to conduct equity audits of the instructional practices and curriculum that is being used at the Tk- 8 schools. Data and information  that generated by this position during the school year will be used to further develop the implementation of classroom equity strategies and to expand professional development for teachers and administrators.

POLICY/CODE:
BP-0460

FISCAL IMPACT:
LCAP Supplemental Funds

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Receive the recommendations for early approval and to discontinue actions and services

 BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

TO:             Donald Evans, Ed.D. Superintendent
FROM:         Pasquale Scuderi, Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services  
Erin Schweng, Principal, Berkeley High School
DATE:          April 26, 2017
SUBJECT:   Ethnic Studies Course at BHS

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
This document and the attached course description aim to provide the Board with the most current thinking on the content of the forthcoming year-long ethnic studies course proposal, and also aims to provide an overview of the already UC-approved content that will be included in that course when it ultimately comes to the Board. Work on this year-long course will continue over the next several months.

Our developing Ethnic Studies course aims to engage students in both intellectually and emotionally rigorous course content constructed around issues of ethnicity, identity, service, and social justice. Deeply rooted in modern world history (1700- present), this course is a hybrid of historical and sociological approaches. Over the term of the course, students will examine how power, privilege, ethnocentricity, systemic oppression, and cultural hegemony intersect with their own individual experiences and appear throughout recent history. This course is intended to be an empowering critique of the systems and values that make up the fabric of students’ lives and communities.

Academically, the Ethnic Studies course will prepare students to excel in their Sophomore humanities courses by teaching students to 1) identify and examine bias and validity, 2) analyze both primary and secondary sources, 3) construct a persuasive argument both written and orally, with clear structure and relevant supporting information, 4) demonstrate the ability to build upon or respectfully disagree with ideas presented by peers, 5) articulate ways in which they have agency to enact positive change in their own lives and communities.

Over the past ten years, each smaller learning community at BHS has offered curriculum and units in ethnic studies in their 9th grade classes. Those 9th grade classes currently include:

• Academic Choice (AC)- Ancient Cultures World Civ

• Berkeley International High School (BIHS)- Freshman Global Studies

• Academy of Medicine and Public Service (AMPS) - Community and Ethnic Studies

• Communication Arts and Sciences (CAS)- Freshman Seminar History

• Arts and Humanities Academy (AHA) - Humanities History

At the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year, BHS put resources into a teacher-led collaboration that set out to distill select units and the best content from the ethnic studies curriculum in each of the five learning communities in an effort to build universal content in this area. Working together these teachers and staff members developed  shared curriculum that could be utilized in their respective programs and also put forward, through the BHS administration, a semester-long course proposal to the University of California’s Office of the President (UCOP). That course was approved in June 2016 and the BHS administration had planned to submit to the Board for approval.

Subsequent discussions around a universal 9th grade program at BHS beginning in the 2018-2019 school year have in fact revealed that the need toward that effort is more for a year-long course rather than a semester; a year-long course that consists of approximately 75% ethnic studies content and 25% of what has often been referred to as social living curriculum at BHS; curriculum that includes topics in general wellness that include social, sexual, psychological, and physical health. Like ethnic studies, social living has been taught across five communities with some degree of variation and, like ethnic studies, its inclusion into the proposed universal 9th grade will require some additional efforts to universalize the content currently being taught across the learning communities in that area into a universal course.

Concurrent with efforts to finalize the details of the proposed redesign at BHS, a year-long course is in development that will include the UCOP-approved content attached to this document, as well as additional ethnic studies content and social living topics within a year-long course. That course, depending on development and approval from UCOP, would be brought to the Board in the 2017-2018 school year for implementation in 2018-2019.

Attached is an outline of the pre-approved semester coursework that will be a part of the forthcoming Board proposal.

Staff recommendation:|
Receive the report for information.

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

TO:             Donald Evans, Ed.D, Superintendent
FROM:       Timothy E. White, Executive Director of Facilities
DATE:        April 26, 2017
SUBJECT: Facilities Plan Update 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
This report is an update of the Facilities Construction Plan approved by the Board on January 11, 2017.  Data in this report are current as of

April 14, 2017.  This report includes updates of all active construction projects. Maintenance projects are detailed in the Maintenance Quarterly Reports.    

Persons wishing to address the Board should fill out a green speaker card.  Cards turned in for the earlier open session public testimony will be given priority.  Speakers will be randomly selected based on topic and position, with BUSD students generally given priority.  Public Testimony is limited to 15 minutes with a 3-minute limit per speaker per topic although the time allotted per speaker may be reduced to 2 minutes at the discretion of the President.