RCSD Administration awarded a contract with August-Jaye Construction on May 30, 2019 for the Installation of Security Locks for the installation of the Security Hardware District Wide.  The supply of the Primus Cores were not a part of the contractor’s original scope.  Originally, the District sought to purchase the cores and provide them to the Contractor as an OFCI (Owner Furnished, Contractor Installed) item.  However, In August of 2019, the District decided to instead have August-Jaye, purchase the cores.  SVA Architects provided the Door Schedule for each campus as the basis of the order, which consisted of 1,165 cylinders.

This is the next part of the continuing improvements to the campuses within the District, which one of the goals is ensuring that our students have a safe environment. This ongoing project will achieve this by providing security hardware on all doors where students and staff occupy.  The following is a brief description of the work currently being done for the campus site: 

• Original Contract: 

• Replace all existing hardware with Security Hardware
• Replace old existing doors to facilitate the installation of the new OFCI locks

• Change order #1

• Procurement of the new locks

It is recommended that the Board of Trustees approve Change Order #1 with August-Jaye

Construction.

The total cost of the supply of the Primus cores is $149,143, which will be funded through Measure H & S bond funds.

Under the direct supervision of the Site Administrator, the Athletic Coordinator is responsible for creating and maintaining the middle school athletic program and for the direct supervision and leadership of athletic coaches. 

This position is necessary to support the middle school in implementing an interdistrict competitive after school sports program.

Approve Job Description for Athletic Coordinator.

There is zero financial impact to the District General Fund. This position will be 100% supported by the Ravenswood Education Foundation (REF). 

Under the direct supervision of the Superintendent, the Coordinator of School Moves is responsible for planning, organizing, and implementing the successful relocation of two elementary school sites due to the school mergers.

This position is necessary to support the District in relocating the two elementary school sites successfully. 

Approve Job Description for the Coordinator of School Moves.

Rape Trauma Services (RTS) would like to provide workshops to all students at Ravenswood Middle School to focus on Respecting Boundaries. These workshops would teach students to establish and communicate boundaries, identifying feelings, understand the impacts of harassment and bullying, and help create safe environments.

 Additionally, RTS is able to provide workshops to staff and parents particularly around commercially sexually exploited children (CSEC).

RTS is able to provide trained staff to give workshops around healthy boundaries. As our students are dealing with peer pressure of various kids, having these workshops will allow students to better navigate relationships with one another. Additionally RTS is able to provide workshops to parents and staff.

It is recommended that the Board approve the MOU with Rape Trauma Services.

There is not financial impact to the District.

A trainer provided professional development to our Reading Specialists and Special Education teachers on how to use the Fountas & Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI) System, which is the reading intervention curriculum we use district-wide.  This training includes how to instruct the different components of the curriculum, supporting English Learners, formative assessment, and structuring intervention.

We have some Reading Specialists and Special Education teachers who are beginning or emerging in their familiarity with and use of the Fountas & Pinnell LLI system, so this training is important to ensure teachers know how to use the curriculum to best serve their students.

It is recommended that the board approve the invoice for LLI training.

$1800, funded by Title II funds for professional development

The Spring Summit Convening will be March 23 and 24 in Denver, CO.  This 2-day training is an opportunity for both instructional leads and teachers who have not attended a Summit-led training to participate in multiple workshops around best practices for use of the Summit Learning curriculum and instructional model.  We are requesting permission for the following staff to attend: David Hicks, Vice Principal; Gretchen Schwarz, Literacy Coach; Gerardo Garcia, Science Teacher; Joshua Morse, Social Studies Teacher.

Ongoing training is important and valuable for continuing to improve the quality of instruction delivered to students on a daily basis.  By providing the opportunity for instructional leadership staff to attend the training, leaders can bring best practices back to the school site to then provide training for others; by providing the opportunity for teachers to attend who have not attended Summit-led training thus far, teachers can deepen their knowledge and understanding of the Summit Learning curriculum and best practices.

It is recommended that the board approve the staff members to attend the training.

Costs of the training are covered by Summit; substitute teacher costs are covered by the district: 2 substitute teachers needed for 2 days, $800 total.

NSTA Conference  // Boston, MA // April 2-5 (during Ravenswood’s Spring Break); Attendees: Natalia Loken, Ruth Cuellar, Sal Germano, Nicole Dekker, Alina Zhang, Lauren Traube

This premier conference brings together science education leaders and experts with educators for professional growth. Sessions, presentations, and workshops are designed to provide teachers with content, concepts, and strategies that they can take back to their classroom, school, and district.  This is the forum to start discussions about science education from the broadest perspective of the Next Generation Science Standards to the very specifics of skills and techniques that improve performance in the classroom. 

The Annual NSTA National conference in Boston will be a great opportunity for Ravenswood teachers to experience the latest in science content, teaching strategy, and research to improve our district’s best practices in science.  With the district’s implementation of NGSS and curriculum adoption and pilot process this year, it is a perfect time for our team to go to this national conference.

It is recommended that the board approve staff to attend the NSTA Conference

Conference Registration and Travel Costs = $2405 per teacher; $14,430 total; funded by Title II funds for professional development

TCRWP Symposium / New York, New York / 3/30-4/1 (during Ravenswood Spring Break); Attendees: Nico Janik, Stuart Shiraishi, Julie Souza

Teachers College Reading and Writing Project (TCRWP), is offering a 3 day symposium that will increase teachers science content knowledge through presentations from science education experts such as Paul Anderson (Bozeman Science) and Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Jordan.  It will also explicitly connect science instruction to our ELA curriculum, Units of Study. STEM Coordinator, Nico Janik and two 4th grade teachers have been accepted to attend this highly selective professional development opportunity.

Climate Change is a pivotal and critical issue our students' generation is faced with solving in their time.  Attendees will participate in workshops from scientific experts designed to lift the level of their own scientific literacy, and have opportunities to network with other passionate educators; learn ways to begin to engage students in this work through units of study that help students to read, write, and think more deeply about climate change.  Teachers will also learn how to align science instruction to our literacy curriculum, the TCRWP Units of Study, learning about the critical reading strategies that help kids be more powerful readers of science texts, and the writing strategies that will help them raise their voices in ethical arguments. 

It is recommended that the board approve staff to attend the TCRWP Science, Education, and Climate Change Symposium

Conference Registration and Travel Costs = $2520 per person; $7560 total; funded by Title II Funds for Professional Development

Columbia Teachers College FabLearn Conference/ New York, New York / 4/4-4/5 (during Ravenswood Spring Break); Attendee: Nico Janik, STEM Coordinator

The FabLearn Conferences bring together key influencers and thought-leaders from around the world in education, policy-making, academia, design, research, and maker communities to learn, present, and discuss digital fabrication in education, the maker culture, hands-on learning, and instructional tools. The conference features world-renowned keynote speakers, panels of cutting-edge researchers, educators and students, demonstrations of the latest technology, and, immersive hands-on workshops.

Nico Janik’s attendance at this annual conference will support and maintain Ravenswood’s innovative makerspace program.  Ravenswood has participated in this conference every year since 2012. Nico has spoken on panels and led sessions at this international conference, and was named a Fablearn Fellow in 2016.   This conference is a chance to meet with and learn from educators involved in Making and Making research from around the world and practice designing these experiences to connect to the Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards.

It is recommended that the board approve the STEM Coordinator to attend the FabLearn Conference

Conference Registration and Travel Costs = $1480; Funded by Title II funds for professional development

Staff will provide an update on the first year of the middle school with grades 6-8 on:

1. Human Resources

2. Student Services

3. Special Education

4. Curriculum & Instruction

5. Career and Technical Education (CTE) & PE

6. Visual and Performing Arts

7. Technology

8. Maintenance & Transportation

On January 16, 2020, the Board authorized the formation of a surplus property advisory committee pursuant to Education Code section 17388 et seq. (“Advisory Committee”). The Board delegated to the Interim Superintendent or her designee, to select seven (7) to eleven (11) individuals to serve on the Advisory Committee, bring recommended members to the Board for approval, establish the workings of the Advisory Committee, set a schedule and commence the required meetings in accordance with the provisions of Education Code section 17388 et seq. which delegation shall be valid until rescinded by the Board.

The proposed members to serve on the Advisory Committee are:

1. Melissa Brown,Teacher
2. Alex Quezada, Principal
3. Solomon Hill, Director
4. Uriel Pulido, Renter/Owner
5. Maria Vargas, Parent of Student
6. Mayra Mendoza Rivera, Business Owner
7. Gabriel Sanchez Velasquez, Business Owner
8. Natalie Walker, Renter/Owner
9. Melvisha Gaines, Renter/Owner

The schedule of the required meetings will commence on February 20, 2020. Subsequent meetings are scheduled for February 25, 2020 and March 3, 2020.

Education Code section 17389 states that an advisory committee must consist of not less than seven (7) and not more than eleven (11) members, and must be represented by each of the following: (a) the ethnic, age group, and socioeconomic composition of the district; (b) the business community, such as store owners, managers, or supervisors; (c) landowners or renters, with preference to be given to representatives of neighborhood associations; (d) teachers; (e) administrators; (f) parents of students; and (g) persons with expertise in environmental impact, legal contracts, building codes, and land use planning, including, but not limited to knowledge of the zoning and other land use restriction of the cities or cities and counties in which surplus space and real property is located.

Pursuant to Education Code section 17390, an advisory committee must undertake the following duties: (a) review the projected school enrollment and other data as provided by the District to determine the amount of surplus space and real property; (b) establish a priority list of use of surplus space and real property that will be acceptable to the community; (c) cause to have circulated throughout the attendance area a priority list of surplus space and real property and provide for hearings for community input to the committee on acceptable uses of space and real property, including the sale or lease of surplus real property for child care development purposes pursuant to Education Code section 17458; (d) make a final determination of limits of tolerance of use of space and real property; and (e) forward to the District’s governing board a report recommending uses of surplus space and real property.

The Board will direct the Advisory Committee to complete its duties as set forth in Education Code section 17390 including the preparation of the report referenced in Section 17390 to be presented to the Board for consideration. At future meetings the Interim Superintendent, or her designee, shall report to the Board regarding the Advisory Committee and its completion of the advising tasks set forth in the Education Code.

The recommendation is to approve the proposed members of the Advisory Committee. 

The 2004 Williams case required the district to asses the safety, cleanliness, and adequacy of school facilities. As part of that, CDE amended the School Accountability Report Card to require extended information on school facilities.

Each year, the County Conducts a surprise visit to schools in the early fall and assess the district across 15 categories.

There are three categories of evaluation:

This year we revamped our internal process. This year, 97.3% of our inspected areas were found to be in good working order. 

The Board will consider accepting the independent audit report for the Ravenswood City School District. The report has been completed by the firm Chavan & Associates, LLP, San Jose, California for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2019.  Sheldon Chavan will be present to review the audit with the Board and answer questions. The independent audit report for 2018-19 confirms the revenues, expenditures, and ending balances for the general fund and other funds that were presented to the Board in the Unaudited Actuals report at the September 12, 2019 meeting.  The 2018-2019 combined revenues with transfers-in in the General Fund amounted to $45,590,453 and combined expenditures with transfers-out were $42,044,403. As of June 30, 2019, the total General Fund ending fund balance (unrestricted and restricted) was $9,516,099.

The district did ask and received a temporary extension on the submittal date to the state due to extra time being necessary to locate requested documents.  The business office went through a period of turnover at the end of 2018-19 and the controller position was unfilled throughout most of the year.

There were two (2) findings for the 2018-19 fiscal year:

The first finding relates to the Child Nutrition breakfast program (page 92).  Students in the Newcomer program were double counted for breakfast and some lunches. The district will need to return $5,807 in federal reimbursements and has taken action in its point of sale software to reject duplicate claims.

The second finding relates to the district exceeding the allowable ratio of administrators to teachers (page 93).  Per California Education Code 41402 the district exceeded the allowable ratio of 9 administrators per 100 teachers.  The district will be incurring a penalty of $18,409.

The audit report also reviewed the progress the district made to address the two findings from the previous year’s audit.  The first finding from 2017-18 related to internal controls in Human Resources and Payroll in which a number tested employees had incomplete or inaccurate forms and one employee was overpaid (page 94).  The second finding from 2017-18 related to lack of supporting documentation for certain journal entries relating to federal programs (page 95).  In both cases the corrective action plans were implemented.

The Parent Institute for Quality Education would like to provide training for parents that is designed to develop skills and techniques so that parents can address the educational needs of their middle school children.

This PIQE would provide an opportunity for families to develop skills and techniques as the children prepare for high school.

It is recommended to approve the MOU with Parent Institute for Quality Education.

There is no financial impact to the district since the Hispanic Foundation of the Silicon Valley has agreed to cover the cost of the parent sessions.

HealthRIGHT 360 would like to partner with the District by implementing substance abuse drug treatment and mental health support through individual and group therapy to support students at the middle school. HealthRIGHT 360 would also be able to provide presentations and workshops to parents and the community.

This partnership would target students who have had multiple incidents with substance abuse. Once a student has had a situation with substance abuse, the school works with parents to implement Brief Intervention taught by District staff. If a student continues to have concerns with substance abuse, the school would offer HealthRIGHT 360 as an intervention for parents to opt in for their child. Both the parents and student need to agree to the intervention.

Providing substance abuse drug treatment and mental health support at the school site would support the student and the families address substance abuse concerns.

It is recommended that the Board approve the MOU with HealthRIGHT 360.

There is no financial impact to the District.

As a result of the school mergers, there is a bona fide reduction of classified services.

Approve Resolution 10: Reduction of Classified Services.

The District will save an estimated $226,380 on salaries and benefits for these classified reductions.