Members of the public may address the Board on items listed on the closed session agenda. Speakers are limited to three minutes each (Board Bylaw 9323(5)).

This is an opportunity for members of the public to speak to the board on non-agenda items.  Comments on items that are on the agenda will take place during the discussion on that agenda item.  Members of the public may address the Board on matters within the subject matter of its jurisdiction. Please submit a Speaker Card to the Board Secretary prior to the meeting being called to order. Upon recognition by the Board President, please approach the podium. The Board shall take no action or discussion on any item not appearing on the posted agenda, except as authorized by law (BB 9323(2)). Speakers are limited to 3 minutes each (BB 9323(5)). Should a member of the public have comments that pertain to a complaint against an employee of the District, the Board advises that the matter should first be pursued using the appropriate district complaint procedure (BB 9323(6)).

All consent items are enacted by the Board in one motion, unless a Board member requests that an item be removed and discussed separately.  

The Board will consider approval of absent Board Member(s), if necessary, due to illness, jury duty, or a hardship deemed acceptable by the Board in accordance with Education Code Section 35120.

The Board will consider approval of the personnel transactions submitted. 

Staff is presenting Personnel Transaction items for Board approval.

Approved by vote on consent agenda.

The Board will consider approval of the vendor warrants submitted.  The attached warrant register lists all vendors for the period January 4, 2019, through January 14, 2019, for a total of $2,518,270.43. 

Staff is presenting the Warrant Register List for Board Approval.

Financially significant vendor warrants that highlight the largest check or invoice paid to a particular vendor:

Warrants (Current): January 4, 2019, through January 14, 2019 = $2,518,270.43 
Warrants (Total 18/19 Fiscal Year): July 1, 2018, through January 14, 2019 = $40,915,039.38

Approved by vote on consent agenda.

The Board will consider approval of the donations and gifts submitted.

Parents, students, community members, and businesses make donations and give gifts to the schools on a regular basis. Donations come in the form of money, goods, or services. These donations are appreciated and welcomed by the schools and departments.

Donations received since January 11, 2019 = $12,667.76 
District-wide donations year to date = $381,221.67

Approved by vote on consent agenda.

 The Board will consider approval of the contracts submitted.

Staff is submitting contracts on behalf of schools and departments for specified services to be performed by individuals, contractors or consulting firms.  For fiscal and learning impacts, see the attached summary sheet.

Total value of contracts = $120,957.59

The Board of Education will receive Resolution No. 2018/19-035 and additional information regarding the 2017-18 reporting of developer fee financial activity as required by Government Code Sections 66001(d) and 66006(b). This requires districts to provide an annual accounting of the fees to the public. The Board must then review the information no earlier than 15 days after the information has been made available to the public. The document presented herein was made available for public review in the Business Office on December 26, 2018.

Purpose

The Board is required by the Government Code to adopt a resolution regarding the accounting of SACS Fund 25 (Developer Fees). The draft resolution and accounting must be publicly available on or before the 180th day after the close of the Fiscal Year (December 26, 2018.) A draft of the resolution and accounting was put on public display at the Developer Fees counter in Fiscal Services on December 26, 2018.

This is a required annual report. The Board approved the report for 2016-17 on January 10, 2018. In addition to this annual report, financial reporting on the collection and expenditure of developer fees regularly occurs as part of other required reports such as the budget, the interim reports, and the annual audit report.

Considerations

In order to finance the construction or reconstruction of school facilities needed to accommodate students coming from new development, Santa Rosa City Schools establishes and collects developer fees on residential, commercial and industrial construction within the district.

Developer fees shall be deposited, invested, accounted for and expended pursuant to Government Code 66006. Developer fees shall be deposited in a separate capital facilities account, and shall be used only for the purpose for which they were collected. Interest income earned by the capital facilities account shall also be deposited in that account and used only for the purpose for which the fee was originally collected. 

For this account, this information shall be made available to the public within 180 days after the last day of each fiscal year.

Board Policy

AR 7211 Facilities - Developer Fees

California Law

Gov Code 66006 Fees for Development Projects

Previous Board History 

January 10, 2018 (Item F.4) The Board approved the Annual Capital Facilities and Developer Fee Report and Resolution 2016-17.

December 14, 2016 (Item F-6) The Board approved the annual Accounting of Development Fees and Resolution for the 2015-16 fiscal year.

In the 2017-18 fiscal year, the District collected fees and interest of $1,653,100.78, which are 82.47% higher than the prior year, and 48.65% higher than the average of fees collected over the last 7 fiscal years.

The Board will consider approval of Resolution 2018-19/034 to declare miscellaneous items and equipment as obsolete and of insufficient value and authorize staff to sell and/or dispose of the items. 

Purpose

Disposal of Obsolete Items and Equipment.

Consideration

All of the items identified in the Obsolete/Surplus Items & Equipment List is aged, unusable or inoperable. The storage container at Biella Elementary School has predominately been used as extra storage at the site. Removal of the container will free up space at the site. The container will be donated and removed at no expense to the District. The CNS van has been out of commission and stored in the CNS Yard. The van will be scrapped. There is no anticipated expense for the disposal of the van. Resolution 2018/19-034, if approved by the Board, will allow the District to dispose of the container and van. 

Board Policy
BP 3270 
AR 3270

Education Code
Ed Code 17546 

Previous Board History
December 12, 2018 (Item E-7)

The classification of Mental Health Clinical Supervisor was approved by the Board In April 2017. This position was created to hire and manage clinical interns in the then, soon to be opened Santa Rosa Integrated Wellness Center. The position is designed to also supervise clinical interns throughout the District and is considered a Classified Supervisory position due to managing and evaluating employees that are non-certificated. The position has not received any applicants since its posting. This action increases the compensation to bring it in align with similar positions in Sonoma County.

Purpose

To bring the proposed salary in-line with similar positions in Sonoma County due to workforce shortages.

Considerations

Based on the education level and work experiences required for this position there is a need to increase compensation in order to attract quality candidates. Petaluma has a similar position. Also, based on the internal relationship to align with School Psychologists.

The position is grant funded initially for use in the Integrated Wellness Center.  This position is on the Classified Supervisory Schedule to accommodate supervising interns that non certificated Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW) interns.

In the future, Student and Family Services expect to hire our own LCSW interns and eventually employees. These hires will reduce our need for outside clinical vendors and provide equivalent services at a potentially lower cost.  

Board Policy

BP 4140 Bargaining Units
BP 4200 Classified Personnel 

Previous Board History

April 11, 2018: E7

The original salary was established at range 123 $ 51,459 for step 1 and with all benefits included will be budgeted cost of $ 63,357. This action will raise the salary to range 137(new) $75,000  for a fully budgeted cost of $92,250

This funding was secured from the various grants Santa Rosa City Schools has received to support fire victims. Based on current grant allocations, this position can be funded from the grant for at least two years without any contribution from the general fund or other funding sources.

Approved by vote on consent agenda.

The Board will consider a Variable Term Waiver Requests to the State of California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) for Jennifer Couderc.

This Variable Term Waiver will allow the district to fill a Single Subject Math teacher position at Santa Rosa High School for the 2018-2019 school year.  Jennifer Couderc is currently enrolled in a CTC credential program. 

The Board will consider approval of the issuance of a Request for Bids for three vehicles for Elsie Allen and Santa Rosa High School Agriculture Programs. 

Purpose

The Board will consider approval of the issuance of a Request for Bids (RFB) for the purchase of one truck for the Elsie Allen High School Agriculture Program and one passenger van and one Expedition for the Santa Rosa High School Agriculture Program. 

Consideration

The Career Technical Education Incentive Grant (CTEIG) is a state initiative with the goal of providing students with the knowledge and skills necessary to transition to employment and post-secondary education upon graduation.  CTEIG funding will be utilized to purchase the following:

• A 2019 truck for the Elsie Allen High School Agriculture Department
• A 2019 passenger van and a Expedition for the Santa Rosa High School Agriculture Department

The estimated cost of all three vehicles is $107,000.

The vehicles will be replacing two vans and a truck which will be declared as surplus at a future Board meeting. The vehicles will be used by both programs to transport students to FFA Leadership Conferences and Career Development Events. Additionally, the truck will be utilized by the Elsie Allen High School program teachers for Supervised Agricultural Experiences project visitations and to transport student FFA projects to the fair. Santa Rosa High School will also utilize the vehicles to transport students to and from the school farm as well as to deliver flower arrangements made by students to community events.

The anticipated release date of the RFB is January 28, 2019. Bids will be due to the District Office no later than February 12, 2019. All bids will be reviewed and a successful bid will be presented to the Board for approval on February 27, 2019.

Board Policy

Board Policy 6178 – Instruction, Career Technical Education
Board Policy 3311 – Bids
Board Policy 3270 – Sale and Disposal of Books, Equipment, and Supplies  

In preparation for potential Reduction in Force (RIF), the Board will consider adoption of Resolution 2018/19-036 to apply specific skipping criteria to deviate from terminating certificated employees in order of seniority date.

Purpose

In determining the order of termination, the governing board may establish criteria based on the needs of the District and the students in accordance with Education Code section 44955 (d).  This is known as “skipping.”

Considerations

The Board and District must retain staff with the required credentialing and authorizations to serve the students of the District.  For example, using English Learner (EL) Authorization as “skipping” criteria would allow less senior certificated employees who have the training to be “skipped” and a more senior employee who does not have English Learner (EL) Authorization to be noticed for possible termination.  The “skipping” criteria are established based on retaining certificated employees who possess specific training or a certificate/credential that is crucial to the needs of the District and the students.  

In addition to being in accordance with Education Code and Board Policy, the identification of such criteria supports the retention of qualified staff representative of our Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) Goals and Theory of Action (TOA)

Board Policy
BP 4111
BP 4117.3

Education Code
Section 44955 (d)

Previous Board History
February 28, 2018

In preparation for potential Reduction in Force (RIF), the Board will consider approval of Resolution 2018/19-037 to adopt seniority date tie-breaking criteria for establishing an order of termination for employees who first rendered paid probationary service to the District on the same date and to comply with the requirements of Education Code section 44955.

Purpose

When establishing a seniority list, there will be certificated employees with the same seniority date which is described as the first day of paid service in a probationary status.  In determining the order of termination, should a reduction in workforce become necessary, the Governing Board may establish criteria based on the needs of the District and the students in accordance with Education Code section 44955.  The listing presented herein has been modified from the order established in 2017-2018.

Considerations

The Board and District must retain staff with the required credentialing, authorizations and experience to serve the students of the District.

In addition to meeting the requirements of Education Code and Board Policy, establishing seniority criteria in alignment with Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) Goals and the Theory of Action (TOA) provide an opportunity to retain qualified staff.

Board Policy
BP 4111
BP 4117.3

Education Code
Section 44955

Previous Board History
February 28, 2018

The Board will consider approval of an application for the Career Technical Education Incentive Grant Application.

Purpose

The Board will consider approval of an application for the Career Technical Education Incentive Grant in the amount of $250,000 to support Career Technical Education programs in the District. 

Consideration

The California Career Technical Education Incentive Grant (CTEIG) is a state initiative with the goal of providing students with the knowledge and skills necessary to transition to employment and post-secondary education upon graduation. Funding is utilized to support Career Technical Education (CTE) Programs with meeting the California Department of Education-approved “Eleven Elements of a High Quality CTE Program”. 

Grant applications are due on January 25, 2019. Grant award amounts will be provided to the State Board of Education (SBE) during the March 2019 board meeting. Following approval from the SBE, Grant Award Notifications will be sent in April 2019 to the local educational agencies which were awarded grant funds. The 2018–19 application will cover the grant period beginning June 1, 2019, and ending June 30, 2020.

Board Policy
Board Policy 6178 – Instruction, Career Technical Education

Education Code
Education Code (EC) sections 53070–53076.4

Previous Board History
May 11, 2016 (E-9)

Financial Impact:  For the funding term June 1, 2019, through June 30, 2020, a match of $2.00 for every $1.00 received is required. Santa Rosa City Schools would need to provide a match of $500,000 for the grant term. Base LCFF and Carl D. Perkins Grant funds will be used as the district match.

Staffing Impact: All CTE programs receiving CTE Incentive Grant funding must have a properly credentialed CTE teacher who has work experience in the industry sector in which they are teaching.  

The Board will consider approval of the publication of the 2017-2018 School Accountability Report Cards (SARCs) for all district school sites on the Santa Rosa City Schools' website. 

 All schools’ SARCs: SRCS PDFs for Board Consideration 2017-18 

Purpose

The Board is being asked to approve the publication of the 2017-2018 School Accountability Report Cards (SARCs) for all district school sites on the Santa Rosa City Schools' website.

Considerations

Annual approval of SARCs ensures the public is informed on a wide range of topics at each of our schools. Topics included: Internet Access, Leadership, School Mission Statement, Enrollment Data, Conditions for Learning, School Facility Conditions and Planned Improvements.

SARCs are to be published on or before February 1st of each year after the Board formally approves the publication of the documents. SARCs are hosted by the California Department of Education at http://sarconline.org. The current SARC is linked for each school on the SRCS website.

Due to the excessive volume of printed documents, a link has been provided for review of all schools’ SARCs: SRCS PDFs for Board Consideration 2017-18 or copy and paste this link: https://srcs.link/2Cx6rnH

Board Policy

BP 0510

Education Code

Proposition 98 established that all schools prepare a School Accountability Report Card (SARC)

EC Section 33126 establishes the items required in the SARC, when they are to be published, and annual notification to parents.

Previous Board History

January 24, 2018 (Item E-9) Board approval of the 2016-17 SARCs
January 25, 2017 (Item E-9) Board approval of the 2015-16 SARCs
January 27, 2016 (Item E-12) Board approval of the 2014-15 SARCs

SARCs have been presented to the Board for approval at the last meeting in January dating back to approximately 1989.

Approved by vote on consent agenda.

The Board will consider approval of Resolution 2018/19-033 Recognizing February 4-9, 2019 as Week of the School Counselor.

Purpose 

National School Counseling Week, sponsored by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), will be celebrated from Feb. 4-8, 2019, to focus public attention on the unique contribution of professional school counselors within U.S. school systems and how students are different as a result of what school counselors do. National School Counseling Week highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career.

Consideration 

Santa Rosa City Schools is fortunate to have a strong base of School Counselors. Through LCAP funding under Goal 2, The Santa Rosa School Board has recognized the need for additional support in the area of Elementary Counselors, College and Career Counselors and our Support Our Language Learners (SOLL Counselors). Together their positive impact on the lives of students and staff has been tremendous. 

Previous Board History

January 24, 2018 (Item F.4)

Approve Resolution 2018/19-033 recognizing February 4-9, 2019 as Week of the School Counselor.

The Board will receive information on the transition of Cesar Chavez Language Academy (CCLA) to the Lawrence Cook Middle School (LCMS) Campus for the 2019-20 school year. 

Purpose

The Board will receive an update on the transition of CCLA to Cook Middle School Campus for the 2019-20 school year. 

Considerations

History

The Cesar Chavez Language Academy (CCLA), as it continues to add grade levels (TK-8 in 2020-21), is rapidly outgrowing their current facility located on the Comstock Middle School Campus. Identified issues at the site include:

• Site Capacity – Projected enrollment for both sites (Comstock/CCLA) exceeds current capacity
• Drop-off/Parking – Issues with access
• Restroom Facilities – Limited facilities impact the CCLA campus now
• General Use Areas (e.g. Library, Multi-Purpose Room, Cafeteria)
• Play Areas – Accessible grass and general use areas

District Staff presented three possible scenarios for consideration. Many factors were examined on the potential move including:

• The ability of the school to grow to a TK-8 Charter with necessary classroom space
• The desire of Administration, staff, and parents to keep the school on the west side of Santa Rosa
• The ability to provide needed amenities that would be required by a TK-8 school
• The ability to welcome neighborhood at the middle school level without being part of the immersion program

After taking into consideration the factors listed above and others, staff recommended and the Board approved the move of CCLA to the Cook Middle School Campus for the 2019-20 school year. The following sites were considered to house CCLA permanently:

• Comstock Middle School with the addition of new buildings to increase capacity
• Lewis Educational Center
• Cook Middle School 

District Staff presented the CCLA / Cook transition information to the following groups:

• CCLA Staff
• Comstock Middle Staff
• CCLA/Comstock Parents
• Cook Middle Staff
• Cook Middle Parents

Planning / Transition Year 1 (2018-19)

The transition committee was formed with representatives from Cook Middle School, CCLA, Parents, and District Administration. The transition committee was formed to help guide the process of combining the two schools into a single campus to include school organization, use of available space, and school culture. 

Transition Committee Members

Transition Committee Meeting Dates:

The Transition Committee meets approximately every 3 weeks. The committee has met on the following dates. All meetings are held at Cook Middle School. 

October 3, 2018 - Transition Committee Meeting: Committee information, projected timelines
October 25, 2018  - Transition Committee Meeting: School Organization and upcoming site visits
December 10, 2018 - Most Committee members also visited two local dual-immersion schools to review their programs prior to the transition committee meeting: shared initial site map
January 9, 2019 - Transition Committee Meeting: Committee walked the Cook campus to look at available space and current usage

-Upcoming Meetings

January 24, 2019 - Joint Cook / CCLA Staff Meeting
January 31, 2019 - Transition Committee Meeting

-Remainder of 18-19 School Year in Preparation for August 2019 Opening of School

• PBK Architects finalizing campus map to present to Board at 1/23 meeting 
• Finalize classroom configuration for grade levels and teachers
• Finalize shared spaces and administrative offices
• Finalize requirements and Bid Summer 2019 site construction work
• Finalize 2019-20 Logistics including bell schedules and campus use
• Allocate time for staff collaboration

Transition Year 2 (2019-20)

During the 2019-20 school year, CCLA will operate as a TK-6 charter school and Cook Middle School will be a neighborhood 7-8 school. Through the course of the year and in preparation for the 2020-21 school year, the transition committee and staff will work to finalize bell schedules, school naming, programs, and services offered at the site. During Year 2, additional needs for the site will be determined and planned. 

The Board will be provided with a list and description of new course proposals for the 2019-2020 school year. The Board will also be presented with information about the new Next Generation Science Standard models to be implemented in the 2019-2020 school year.

Purpose

Per Board Policy 6140.1, The Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, on behalf of Middle and High Schools principals, submit to the Board of Education the annual listing of courses for approval. If approved by the Board of Education, These courses would be available for all middle or high schools to use in the master schedule pending sufficient student demand and sections available allotted through Human Resources and Business Services. These courses support the Common Core State Standards,  District and Site goals, replace existing courses, and do not require additional sections.

Consideration

New courses were brought to site leadership teams which encompass the administrative team and department chairs from each high school. Upon gaining approval by the site, it was then forwarded to the appropriate steering committee which includes a department chair from each high school.  The courses are then discussed, approved and moved forward to the Vice Principals and Teaching and Learning Directors for final review. While the courses may be brought forward from a specific site, once approved, they may be taught throughout the district.  The courses being submitted do not require additional sections as they either are a replacement or an update to an existing course to reflect the Common Core State Standards.

Last year the secondary math department chairs voted to move to an integrated approach to mathematics. This year the Math 2 CP and Math 2 HP courses are being submitted to replace Geometry. The new classes are the second in a sequence designed to give students an opportunity to build proficiency in mathematics and provide connections and interrelationships between Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2. Math 1A CP Level 3 and Math 1B CP Level 3 are the equivalent of Math 1 P designed to allow Special Day Class students to access the curriculum of the Math 1 P course over two years. The intent of moving towards Integrated Math is to help the District reach our LCAP goal for targeted groups to promote more of them into higher level math classes. These courses will meet the "c" Mathematics requirement for UC/CSU admissions.

On September 4, 2013, the State Board of Education (SBE) adopted the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for California Public Schools, and the secondary science department chairs have created the following courses designed to allow the students to meet the NGSS. Three courses are being submitted to meet the first year science course in a three year sequence — Living Earth CP, Earth Science CP, and Earth Science in Agriculture CP. In Living Earth, CP students will learn about organisms structures and processes, ecosystems, inheritance and variation of traits, and biologically integrated with earth science course ideas. Earth Science CP will have students learning about the Earth’s place in the universe, Earth’s Systems, and the relationship between Earth and Human Activity while gaining proficiency in using the NGSS science and engineering practices. Earth Science in Agriculture CP is a revision to a current course. The changes are being made to align the course with the NGSS. These courses will meet the “d” Science requirement for UC/CSU admissions.

Exploring College and Careers is being submitted on behalf of the middle schools. At previous Career and Technical Education (CTE) Steering Committee meetings, the need for articulation between middle schools programs and high school CTE programs was discussed. Several staff members traveled to Yorba Linda  Middle school to participate in and an experiential visit to the College and Career Readiness Lab. The lab provides middle school students the opportunity to explore potential careers, establish a career and educational goals aligned with their interests, and strengthen the alignment to the CTE programs offered at the high schools.

Maria Carrillo High School

Orchestra HP is being submitted by Maria Carrillo High School for students who are highly skilled musicians to have a course that allows them to grow as musicians.

Introduction to Computer Principles CP is being submitted as a replacement for the Computer Foundations course currently being taught. This course will focus on STEAM skills and better prepare students for success in the high-tech industry sector.

Montgomery High School

As an International Baccalaureate (IB) school, Montgomery is committed to increasing their IB course offerings to allow more students to participate in the IB Curricula. This year the site is submitting a revision to the Math Studies IB SL course currently being offered. The new course, Math Applications, and Interpretations IB SL is the first year of a two year sequence of Math that will allow students to meet the requirements for the IB Diploma. This course will also serve as either the third year of Math for students who took /Geometry P/Math 2 CP as freshmen or as a fourth year of Math for students who began with Math 1 CP in high school. Students who complete Math Applications and Interpretations IB SL as juniors will have the opportunity to take Math Applications and Interpretations IB HL as a senior, and it will also count as one of the higher level courses required for the IB Diploma. These courses will meet the “c” Mathematics requirement for UC/CSU admission.

As a result of declining enrollment in Social Anthropology IB SL, Montgomery High surveyed the students to determine what course they would be interested in taking as their IB elective course. The students chose Psychology IB SL to replace the current Social Anthropology IB SL course. This course will meet the “g” Elective requirement for UC/CSU admission.

Environmental Systems and Societies IB SL is a third-year science course that will allow more students to complete the third year of science without taking advanced Math courses. This course is a hands-on science course that will cover the NGSS Earth Science standards. This course will meet the “d” Science requirement for UC/CSU admission.

Piner High School

AP Computer Science Principles is being submitted by Piner High School. This course will help the site goals of designing STEM curriculum that is Common Core-based and promotes opportunities for students to be assessed against the common school-wide rubrics and increases the number of students completing a-g courses with a grade of C or better. This course will meet the “g” Elective requirement for UC/CSU admission.

Board Policy

BP 6000 Concepts and Roles

Previous Board Activity

The Board of Education annually approves new course submissions in January each academic school year.

These new courses are either replacing or a revision to existing courses; therefore, there will be no additional staffing costs.

The approximate cost of textbooks and other instructional materials is estimated to be 2.3 million dollars from Base Funding.

Approve of New Course Proposals for 2019/20.

The Board will be presented with information about first semester grades for 9th-grade and progress of the implementation of the new Integrated Math curriculum and graduation requirements. 

Purpose

The data and artifacts are provided to inform the Board about the implementation and progress of the 9th-grade implementation of the Common Core State Standards and a-g courses.

Considerations

In Spring of 2018, Santa Rosa City Schools Board of Education approved new graduation requirements to be aligned with a-g. The new graduation requirements begin with this current 9th-grade class.  

The disparity of students who are college and career ready in Santa Rosa City Schools are not equal amongst subgroups.

-Our data shows the percentage of students who are meeting the a-g requirements are trending down, while the state and county are trending up.
-Ensuring that race, ethnicity, language, special education, and socioeconomic status are not the predictor of student outcomes
-Meeting the goals of the SRCS Strategic plan and LCAP
-Monitoring student progress on the California State Dashboard
-Special Education Resource Students show disparate expectations when compared to neighboring districts
-Providing Special Education students with a more flexible graduation model as allowed through an Individual Education Program (IEP).

Support for 9th-grade implementation

Tiered Supports

Tier 1: All students in Tier 1 receive high-quality, scientifically based instruction, differentiated to meet their needs, and are screened on a periodic basis to identify struggling learners who need additional support.

-Advocacy/Guided Study/Tutorial/Collab
-Differentiated Instruction
-BEST +
-AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination)
-Push-in teaching
-Collaborative teaching
-CCD (Collaborative Curriculum Design)
-BAWP (Bay Area Writing Project)
-Newsela
-Tutoring
-Homework Club
-Curriculum TOSAs (Teacher on Special Assignment)
-Site TOSAs (Teacher on Special Assignment)
-Family Engagement Facilitator
-Naviance
-College and Career Centers

Tier 2: In Tier 2, students not making adequate progress in the core curriculum are provided with increasingly intensive instruction matched to their needs from levels of performance and rates of progression.

-Support Classes
-Sheltered Classes
-Odysseyware/Cyber High
-Summer School
-SAY (Social Advocates for Youth)
-SOLL Counselors (Supporting Our Language Learners)
-SART/SARB (School Attendance Review Team/School Attendance Review Board)
-SSTs (Student Study Team)
-504s
-MTSS Counselors
-Restorative Specialists
-Student Intervention Team
-Online credit recovery

Tier 3: At this level, students receive individualized, intensive interventions that target the students' skill deficits for the remediation of existing problems and the prevention of more severe problems.

-SDC (Special Day Class)
-RSP Classes
-IEPs (Individualized Education Program)
-Non-Public School
-EL Designated Support

Additional Supports:

-Site 9th-grade a-g implementation teams
-District a-g implementation teams
-MTSS Coordinator at each high school
-Extended College and Career Center Hours
-Monitoring student progress on the California State Dashboard
-Special Education Resource Students show disparate expectations when compared to neighboring districts
-Providing Special Education students with a more flexible graduation model as allowed through an Individual Education Program (IEP).

Additional Supports:

-Site 9th-grade a-g implementation teams
-District a-g implementation teams
-MTSS Coordinator at each high school
-Extended College and Career Center Hours
-Smaller class sizes in Math 1

Grades

First Semester grades for 2018 show a slight increase in F grades from 14.6% to 21.2% 

Algebra Readiness Grades 9th Grade 2017-2018

Next Steps

On January 15 SRCS had planned a meeting to gather feedback about a-g at SRTA's request. Instead, SRTA had their a-g forum at the CTA office  They also surveyed their members.  They will be presenting the feedback from the forum and survey at this board meeting.  SRCS, led by Teaching and Learning will be holding an a-g forum on January 24th.  ELA and Math Chairs with a counselor rep, teachers from those departments and admin from the site have been invited.  Feedback from this forum will be shared at the February 13th meeting.

Board Policy
BP 6146.1 Graduation Requirements

Education Code
Ed Code 51228

The Board will receive a report providing information regarding priorities and strategies to recruit and select the best staff to serve the needs of all Santa Rosa City Schools students.

Purpose

In accordance with Education Code, Board Policy and Administrative Regulations, negotiated agreements with bargaining units CSEA and SRTA, and goals established in the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) and Theory of Action (TOA), this plan highlights the intentional development and strategic implementation of recruitment, training, and retention practices to ensure that Santa Rosa City Schools' workforce is highly qualified, highly effective, and highly supported in meeting the needs of all students.

Considerations

Research and best practice demonstrate that student learning and achievement improves when students are known well by an adult, are met with both high expectations and high levels of support, and are provided access and opportunity to learn in a physically, emotionally, and psychologically safe environment. It is therefore imperative that all staff in Santa Rosa City Schools are committed to these beliefs and also supported in meeting them on behalf of students.

This report includes current information regarding the context and reality across the nation, state, and local community in the difficulty to hire the necessary staff to fill vacancies and meet the needs of students.

This report also includes information regarding targeted professional learning, on-going and aligned support for all staff, and a timeline and plan to evaluate the effectiveness of our staffing priorities and strategies.

The Board will consider acceptance of the independent audit report for the combined Santa Rosa Elementary and High School districts. The report has been completed by the firm Chavan & Associates, LLP for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018.

Purpose

Independent audits are conducted each year and presented to the Board of Education for acceptance.

As required by Education Code 41020, the audit report was filed with the Sonoma County Superintendent of Schools, the State Department of Education, and the State Controller's Office.

Considerations

The audit contained Five (5) findings:

Finding 2018-001: Capital Assets (20000) - Material Weakness - Repeat of finding 2017-001

Criteria: Generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and Education Code Section 35168 require the District to maintain records that properly account for capital assets. Capital asset records serve as a management tool and have an important bearing on management decisions, such as long-range acquisition and abandonment projections.

Condition: During the audit of the District’s capital assets we noted deficiencies in the District’s Process to maintain the capital asset listing as it relates to additions, deletions, completion of projects (construction in progress to depreciable asset) and accumulated depreciation.

Effect: The District’s capital asset balance could incorrectly include or exclude capital assets. As well as incorrect calculations of depreciation expense.

Cause: Due to the high degree of personnel turnover and the limited District staffing, the District has been unable to oversee the tracking of capital assets throughout the year.

Recommendation: We recommend the District ensure that internal control procedures are followed throughout the year to adequately track additions, deletions, completion of projects, and accumulated depreciation in the District’s capital asset program.  The District should investigate the need for additional staffing or training in the Business Office and ensure that an up-to-date capital asset listing of all assets of $5,000 is maintained throughout each fiscal year.

Corrective Action Plan: The District has purchased California Financial Services and trained staff on its use. This will enable the District to track projects and their status. As projects are completed, they will be added to capital assets. The District agrees with the auditor’s recommendation and will implement policies and procedures during fiscal year 2018-19 to address the causes of the condition(s) noted.

Finding 2018-002: Accounts Payable Accrual (30000) - Material Weakness - Repeat of finding 2017-002

Criteria: According to General Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) all expenses should be recognized when incurred.

Condition: During our testwork over the District’s accounts payable, we noted that the District was incorrectly excluding some invoices for work prior to June 30, 2018.

Effect: The accounts payable was understated by $4,819,986.

Cause: The District was not adequately overseeing the accrual process at year end.

Recommendation: We recommend the District review the process of accounts payable with staff.

Corrective Action Plan: The District agrees with the auditor’s recommendation and will implement policies and procedures during fiscal year 2018-19 to address the causes of the condition(s) noted.

Finding 2018-003: Journal Entry Support (30000) - Significant Deficiency

Criteria: In order to facilitate proper and efficient review of journal entries by someone other than the person preparing the journal entry, the journal entry should include all supporting documentation needed for review.  The documentation should be kept with the journal entry for future reference and review.

Condition: The District did not have the supporting documentation immediately available for journal entries posted to categorize allowable expenditures from unrestricted to restricted resources.

Effect: The District had to spend a substantial amount of time locating proper support for journal entries sampled during our audit. If the support is not readily available and filed with the journal entry, it increases the risk that a state or federal agency will disallow the costs included in the journal entry. There were no questioned costs associated with this deficiency based on the procedures we performed.

Cause: The District received additional funding during the year and recorded journal entries to categorize allowable expenditures from unrestricted resources to restricted resources. It appeared the District was short staffed when the entries were posted, causing time constraints. Thus, support that had been reviewed electronically when the entries were posted was not filed with the journal entries and not immediately available during the audit. District staff was able to provide the support once they had time to locate the files.

Recommendation: We recommend the District maintain all relevant support with journal entries to facilitate review and ensure timeliness when journal entries are requested for examination. This will reduce the risk that expenditures will be deemed unallowable by granting agencies.

Corrective Action Plan: The District agrees with the auditor’s recommendation and will implement policies and procedures during fiscal year 2018-19 to address the causes of the condition(s) noted.

Finding 2018-004: Unduplicated Pupil Counts (40000) - Repeat of finding 2017-005

Criteria or Specific Requirements: Supplemental and concentration grant amounts are calculated based on the percentage of "unduplicated pupils" enrolled in the LEA on Census Day (first Wednesday in October). The percentage equals:

• Unduplicated count of pupils who (1) are English learners, (2) meet income or categorical eligibility requirements for free or reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Program, or (3) are foster youth. "Unduplicated count" means that each pupil is counted only once even if the pupil meets more than one of these criteria (EC sections 2574(b)(2) and 42238.02(b)(1)).
• Divided by total enrollment in the LEA (EC sections 2574(b)(1) and 42238.02(b)(5)). All pupil counts are based on Fall 1 certified enrollment reported in the CALPADS as of Census Day.

Condition: During our testing of the EL students and the CALPADS reporting, we noted 3 out of 40 students tested were incorrectly classified as EL in CALPADS. After expanding the sample to include all students with discrepancies between the District’s internal student system and CALPADS for EL status, we noted a total of 94 students were incorrectly accounted for in CALPADS as EL students. Of the 94 students, 51 of those students were correctly listed as FRPM, leaving a total of 43 students considered incorrectly listed as “unduplicated pupils” in CALPADS.

Questioned Costs: The dollar impact of this finding is as follows:

Elsie Allen $1,712

Piner High $3,638

Montgomery High $2,996

Santa Rosa High $856 

Effect: The unduplicated pupil counts reported in the CALPADS 1.17 and 1.18 reports should be adjusted for the following changes as a result of the procedures performed:

Elsie Allen 779 Adjusted Total

Piner High 868 Adjusted Total

Montgomery High 687 Adjusted Total

Santa Rosa High 841 Adjusted Total

No changes to enrollment were identified as a result of testing the unduplicated pupil counts.

Cause: The District did not properly review errors in the upload from the District’s system to CALPADS and students transferred from other District to ensure proper classification of EL status. In addition, the District did not review the CALPADS data for accuracy during the adjustment window annually.

Recommendation: The District carefully review all errors during data uploads to CALPADS as well as pay close attention to students transferring in from other Districts to ensure students are properly classified in CALPADS during transfer. In addition we recommend the District review all CALPADS data for accuracy during the adjustment window annually and establish a system of review that provide adequate oversight of this reporting process and ensures appropriate communication between the District Office and various sites.

Corrective Action Plan: The District agrees with the auditor’s recommendation and will implement policies and procedures during fiscal year 2018-19 to address the causes of the condition(s) noted.

Finding 2018-005: Instructional Materials (70000)

Criteria or Specific Requirements: California Education Code section 60119 requires the governing board to hold a public hearing or hearings at which the governing board shall encourage participation by parents, teachers, members of the community interest in the affairs of the school district, and bargaining unit leaders for the purpose of making a determination of the sufficiency of the District's textbooks or instruction materials or both. The District is required to hold the public hearing on or before the end of the eighth week from the first day pupils attend school for the year.

Condition: The first day of school was August 15, 2017. The eight week of school was the week of October 2, 2017 however the District held the meeting the ninth week of school on October 11, 2017. 

Questioned Costs: None

Effect: The District did not provide sufficient time for changes to be implemented if needed.

Cause: The District is not in compliance with California Education Code section 60119.

Recommendation: The District should review over California Education Code section 60119 to ensure all requirements are followed in the future.

Corrective Action Plan: The District agrees with the auditor's recommendation and will implement policies and procedures during fiscal year 2018-19 to address the causes of the condition(s) noted.

Board Policy
AR 3460

Education Code
Ed Code 41020

Previous Board History
On September 12, 2018, the Board approved the Unaudited Actual Financial Report for 2017-18
On February 14, 2018, the Board approved the 2016-17 Independent Audit Report

Accept the 2017-18 Independent Audit Report.

The Board will receive a report on Governor Newsom's proposed 2019-20 State Budget that was released on January 10, 2019 and how it impacts our district.

Purpose

By January 10^th each year, the Governor of California is required to publicly present a proposed State budget for the succeeding fiscal year that begins on July 1. Although the State budget does not become official until it is agreed upon by the Legislature and signed by the Governor, the Governor's January proposal provides guidance for Santa Rosa City Schools' own 2019-20 budget planning and decision making that often must be completed by the end of February.

Consideration

The Governor's budget proposal includes increases to the 2019-20 COLA funding percentage rates as well as decreases to the employer rate for CalSTRS contributions. The proposal will be updated in May and signed into law in June 2019.

Education Highlights from the 2019-20 California State Budget Proposal

Proposition 98

Adopted by state voters in 1988, Proposition 98 sets in the State Constitution a series of complex formulas that establish the minimum funding level for K-12 education and community colleges from one year to the next. This target level is determined by prior-year appropriations that count toward the guarantee and (1) workload changes as measured by the change in average daily attendance (ADA), and (2) inflation adjustments as measured by the change in either per capita personal income or per capita state General Fund revenues, whichever is less. The gains experienced over the last several years continue with the 2019-20 State Budget proposal.

Current- and Prior-Year Minimum Guarantee

Proposition 98 minimum guarantee has declined from the 2018 Budget Act for both 2017-18 and 2018-19 due to lower-than-anticipated ADA and a year-over-year decline in General Fund revenue growth from 2017-18 to 2018-19.

For the current year, the Governor’s Budget acknowledges a decline of $525.7 million from the 2018-19 Budget Act. Therefore, the Proposition 98 guarantee is now estimated at $77.9 billion, down from $78.4 billion in the enacted Budget. The 2017-18 year reflects a more modest decline of $120.1 million, lowering the minimum guarantee from $75.6 billion to $75.5 billion.

However, despite the declines of the minimum guarantee, the Governor’s Budget maintains level funding by continuing a $44 million “over-appropriation” in 2017-18 and using settle-up payments to offset otherwise unfunded 2018-19 obligations.

2019-20 Minimum Guarantee

For 2019-20, the Governor’s Budget proposes a Proposition 98 guarantee of $80.7 billion, an increase of $2.8 billion year over year. The guarantee is projected to be based on Test 1—funding based on education’s proportion of the General Fund in 1986-87.

Cost-of-Living Adjustment and Average Daily Attendance

The estimated statutory COLA for K-12 education programs in 2019-20 is 3.46% and is applied to the LCFF base grant targets, as well as other education programs that are funded outside of the LCFF. Those programs include Special Education, Child Nutrition, Preschool, Foster Youth, American Indian Education Centers, the American Indian Early Childhood Education program, and the Mandate Block Grant, all of which are proposed to receive the statutory COLA. Statewide, ADA is expected to continue declining—from 5.935 million in 2018-19 to 5.928 million in 2019-20.

Local Control Funding Formula

The Governor’s 2019-20 State Budget proposal includes an increase of $2 billion in Proposition 98 for the LCFF reflecting the 3.46% COLA. This brings LCFF funding to $63 billion.

LCFF Target Entitlements for School Districts and Charter Schools

The target base grants by grade span for 2019-20 are increased over 2018-19 by 3.46% to reflect the estimated statutory COLA:

The Transitional Kindergarten (TK)-3 grant increase for the class-size reduction (CSR) grade span adjustment is $803 per ADA in 2019-20, and the grade 9-12 base grant per ADA is increased by $243 in recognition of the need for Career Technical Education (CTE) courses provided to students in the secondary grades.

School districts and charter schools are entitled to supplemental grant increases equal to 20% of the adjusted base grant (includes CSR and CTE funding) for the percentage of enrolled students who are English learners, eligible for the free and reduced-price meals program, or in foster care. An additional 50% per-pupil increase is provided as a concentration grant for each eligible student enrolled beyond 55% of total enrollment.

Special Education

Acknowledging the rising cost of Special Education services, Governor Newsom proposes $576 million (of which $186 million is one-time) to support expanded Special Education services and school readiness supports at LEAs with high percentages of both students with disabilities and unduplicated students. Eligible LEAs may use these grants to fund supplemental services not currently included in an individualized education program for a student with disabilities and for preventative services that may reduce the need for additional services in future years.

CalSTRS and CalPERS Payments

Governor Newsom’s proposed State Budget recognizes the growing burden of pension rate increases that LEAs face. A total of $3 billion in one-time non-Proposition 98 funds will be used to buy down CalSTRS employer contribution rates in 2019-20 and beyond and to reduce employers’ long-term unfunded liability. Based on current assumptions, a $700 million investment would be used to decrease the statutory CalSTRS employer contributions in 2019-20 of 18.13% to 17.1% and in 2020-21 from 19.1% to 18.1%. (The current CalSTRS employer contribution rate is 16.28% for 2018-19.) The remaining $2.3 billion would be applied toward employers’ long-term unfunded liability, which is expected to translate to an estimated reduction in the employer contributions beyond 2020-21 of approximately half a percentage point.

Governor Newsom proposes an infusion of $3 billion into CalPERS as a supplemental pension payment in 2018-19, which follows on a $6 billion supplemental payment made to the system in 2017-18.

Early Childhood Education: Child Care, State Preschool, and Kindergarten

Governor Newsom’s first State Budget includes significant new investments in children and young learners as a critical part of his “California for All” vision. Many of his proposals leverage one-time funding as a way to ensure that the state does not overcommit itself while building the essential components of the early care and education (ECE) infrastructure. Governor Newsom’s ECE budget includes the following key investments:

• Universal Preschool: The Budget proposes instituting universal preschool for all low-income four-year-olds in California over a three-year period, and includes a first-year investment of $124.9 million in non-Proposition 98 funding for new full-day preschool slots for community-based providers. The Budget also proposes to shift $297.1 million in non-LEAs part-day slots from Proposition 98 to the non-Proposition 98 portion of the Budget to enable community-based providers greater flexibility to draw down full-day, full-year funding for state preschool slots. Finally, the Budget proposes to remove a barrier for families to access full-day wraparound services under the State Preschool Program by eliminating the requirement to demonstrate that the need for care stems from employment or postsecondary enrollment.

• Full-Day Kindergarten: To incentivize the provision of full-day kindergarten throughout the state for which facilities constraints are viewed as a barrier, the Governor’s Budget invests $750 million in one-time (non-Proposition 98) funding to build new kindergarten facilities, which LEAs have identified as the biggest barrier to providing full-day programs. This investment builds upon the 2018 Budget Act’s $100 million investment for the same purpose and administered by the Office of Public School Construction (OPSC).

• Birth to Three: The Governor proposes to spend over $200 million in state and federal funds on home visiting programs and child developmental and health screenings as a way to bridge the child readiness gap and ensure positive health and life outcomes for all children.

• Child Care: The Budget proposes $490 million in one-time funding (non-Proposition 98) for child care facilities ($245 million) and the professional development of child care workers ($245 million—non-Proposition 98) to improve the overall quality of child care.

As part of long-term visioning, the Governor proposes to invest $10 million to develop childcare and universal preschool roadmap for California. The roadmap will address systems capacity issues, workforce development needs, and identify funding options. Additionally, the roadmap may contemplate changes to TK due to its intersection with universal preschool. This work will augment California’s federal preschool development grant for which the California Department of Education is conducting a state needs analysis.

School Facilities

The State Budget includes some bright spots for school facilities. Since the passage of Proposition 51 in 2016, approximately $1.2 billion in bond funds have been sold. The Budget proposal includes the sale of an additional $1.5 billion in 2019-20 alone to support the State Facility Program, including New Construction, Modernization, Career Technical Education, and the Charter School Facilities programs.

In addition, the Budget includes $1.2 million in ongoing Proposition 51 bond funds and State School Site Utilization Funds, and 10 positions in the OPSC to process the more than $4.5 billion in school facility applications currently pending.

Discretionary Funds

Governor Newsom’s 2019-20 State Budget does not propose any one-time Proposition 98 discretionary funding for school districts, charter schools, or county offices of education (COEs).

Longitudinal Data System

Governor Newsom is proposing $10 million one-time non-Proposition 98 to plan for and develop a longitudinal data system that would connect student data from early education providers, K-12 schools, higher education institutions, employers, other workforce entities, and health and human services agencies. The funding would be used for initial planning purposes and the initial stages of implementation, once an implementation plan is adopted by the Administration and the Legislature. Governor Newsom has continuously expressed his support for this type of data system and the proposal is consistent with his “cradle-to-career” education strategy that looks to connect all education segments.

Systems of Support

The new Administration is committed to continuing the evolving accountability system that has been implemented as part of the LCFF. With the latest release of the California School Dashboard in December 2018, 374 school districts have been identified for differentiated assistance. The proposed 2019-20 State Budget provides $20.2 million in additional funding for COEs to work with these identified districts as required by statute. These funds will be distributed consistent with the formula adopted in the 2018-19 State Budget.

Board Policy
BP 3100

Previous Board History
January 24, 2018 (F.8) The Governor's Proposed 2018/19 Budget 

The Board will consider approval of Form J-13A Request for Allowance of Attendance Due to Emergency Conditions for School Closure and Material Decrease for the High School District, Elementary School District, Santa Rosa French American Charter, Santa Rosa Accelerated Charter, Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts, and Caesar Chavez Language Academy.

Purpose

This Form J-13A requests from CDE to have these closure days excluded from the years' average daily attendance (ADA) calculation that determines our funding. It also requests from CDE to use the estimated level of attendance that likely would have occurred without the fires in the calculation in lieu of the actual attendance on the days we experienced a material decrease in attendance after reopening. 

Considerations

On November 9 and 13, 2018 due to the unhealthy air quality from the Camp fire in Butte County, Santa Rosa City Schools closed all schools as well as experienced a material decrease in student attendance in the days following when schools reopened.

Previous Board History

November 14, 2018 (F.8.) Approval To Re-submit Form J-13A Request for Allowance of Attendance Due To Emergency Conditions for Material Decrease to the California Department of Education As a Result of the October 2017 Wildfires

February 14, 2018 (F.9) J-13A waiver for lost school days and instructional time

June 27, 2018 (E.19) Approval to Submit Form J-13A to the California Department of Education to Request an Allowance of Attendance Due to Emergency Conditions

Approve Form J-13A Request for Allowance of Attendance Due To Emergency Conditions for School Closure and Material Decrease to the California Department of Education.

The Board will consider the Special Services plan to the California Department of Education’s finding of Significant Disproportionality for Santa Rosa City Schools for White students in Separate Schools. This plan was developed with stakeholders through focus groups in the district.  

Purpose

Each year the California Department of Education (CDE) provides Federal monitoring oversight for students receiving Federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) funds. This oversight is done through an analysis of Special Education data uploads to CDE. CDE then compares data from CALPADS and reviews for disproportionality.  The disproportionate metrics are developed by CDE. Annually the CDE notifies Districts if they have any “disproportionality” in a number of areas reviewed by the state: Suspension/ Expulsion, Least Restrictive setting, Identification by Disability and racial or ethnic disproportionality overall. When a Local Education Agency (LEA) has three years with the same disproportionality the LEA is considered “Significantly Disproportionate."

When Identified as “Significantly Disproportionate” the district is required to go through a four-phase  programmatic menu process. As part of this process, the District is required to set aside an amount, equal to the amount of funds received by the Federal Government, and develop a plan that aims to prevent the identified group (White students in Separate Schools) from being disproportionate. This is called the Comprehensive Coordinated Early Intervening Services Plan (CCEIS).

Considerations

During the self-assessment phase of the programmatic improvement process, the Comprehensive Coordinated Early Intervening Services Team (CCEIS) conducted focus group sessions for 90 minutes to 2 hours to determine the root cause areas of significant disproportionality with regard to White students in separate settings. Individual interviews and focus groups included: Special Education staff, site and district administrators, teachers, classified staff, program specialists, counselors, school psychologists, students, parents, feeder school, and administrators.

Review of anecdotal data revealed common themes across the focus groups. These included data quality issues, lack of consistent multi-tiered interventions, inconsistent Special Education procedures and practices and Section 504 not done with fidelity. Analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data revealed the following root causes as they relate to White students in separate settings

The CCEIS plan requires the allocation of $333,059.89 that is from General, Supplement or State Special Education funds which have been set aside in the current year budget.

Approve the Comprehensive Coordinated Early Intervening Services Plan (CCEIS) Budget allocation.

These items are presented for informational purposes only.

Attached for reference is a list of educational acronyms and abbreviations.