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)).

Title of position: Coordinator, State and Federal Programs

Title of employee being reviewed:  Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, Principals, Vice Principals, Assistant Principals, Directors, Coordinators

Name of Designated rep attending: Stacy Spector
Name of organization representing employee(s): CSEA

Name of Case: Solar vs. City of Santa Rosa, et al

Street address or parcel number:  040-070-21
Name of negotiators attending: Rick edson
Name of party (not agent): City of Santa Rosa
Instruction to negotiator will concern: Price and terms of payment

Case Numbers: 2016/17-23; 2017/18-09; 031219

President Klose will administer the Oath of Office to Student Board Member, Jazmin Moreno.  Jazmin is a senior at Ridgway High School.  She has been involved in many school activities, including President of the Science Club, President of the Tea and Talk club and a member of Farms Leadership.  She is also involved in many community activities, including Catholic Charities, Dia de los Muertos and Latin X Dance.  Jazmin is always up for a good challenge and will be an strong voice for all students of SRCS.  

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.

The Board will consider approval of the vendor warrants submitted.  The attached warrant register lists all vendors for the period July 27, 2019, through August 15, 2019, for a total of $7,063,618.40. 

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): July 27, 2019, through August 15, 2019 = $7,063,618.40
Warrants (Total 19/20 Fiscal Year): July 1, 2019, through August 15, 2019 = $15,047,108.38

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 August 15, 2019  = $73.83.
District-wide donations year to date = $2,167.45.

 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 = $431,250.00

The Board will consider approval of SRCS continued participation in the Mandated Block Grant program.

Purpose

Prior to the 2012-13 fiscal year, school districts filed claims for mandated cost activities annually. However, the State has suspended and deferred payments on mandates for many years, periodically funding small portions of the total due.

The State established a Mandate Block Grant (MBG) Program in 2012-13 allowing School Districts and Charter Schools to elect to participate in the Block Grant in lieu of filing individual claims. The State’s enacted 2019-20 budget includes funding for the Block Grant and also an amount of funding for prior year claims, regardless of whether Districts filed claims. The MBG funds are unrestricted in use. The estimated funding rates for 2019-20 are $32.18 per ADA for Grades K-8, $61.94 per ADA for Grades 9-12, and $16.86 per ADA for Charter School Grades K-8.

Considerations

The Mandate Block Grant covers 47 mandates. These are required activities that school districts and other agencies must perform. Prior to the implementation of the block grant, districts submitted claims for each individual mandate. As the state had funding, the mandates were paid. A sampling of the mandates includes:

Charter School I - IV
Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting
Collective Bargaining
Graduation Requirements
Immunization Records
Inter-district Attendance Permits
Williams Case Implementation I - III

Previous Board History

August 22, 2018, E.7. Approval of Mandated Block Grant Applications for 2018-19
September 13, 2017, E.9. Approval of Mandated Block Grant Application

Estimated Block Grant funding for 2019-20 is $110,132 for the Elementary District, $550,401 for the High School District, and $23,161 for the Charter Schools.

Ridgway High School is requesting the School Board approve their application to become a Schoolwide Title I Program. 

Purpose

As a current Title I Targeted Assistance School, all Title I dollars must be spent exclusively on identified students. Due to the restrictions on how such funds can be spent, what items can be purchased, along with the fact that our identified Targeted Assistance students are spread throughout the school, the ability to use these dollars in an effective way is limited. The current effort to reclassify SRMS as a Schoolwide Title I Program and help ALL students by offering supports to struggling students and also elevating the entire school's academic program. 

Considerations

In terms of qualification for Schoolwide Title I Program status, 67.3% of students currently enrolled at RHS are eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch (40% is the minimum to qualify for Title I Schoolwide Program). 

A school that operates a schoolwide program is able to take advantage of numerous benefits, including: 

• Serving all students. A school operating a schoolwide program does not need to identify particular students as eligible to participate. 
• A school operating a schoolwide program may consolidate federal, state, and local education funds to better address the needs of students in the school. 

Board Policy
AR 6171 Instruction - Title I Programs

Previous Board Reports
Board Report May 22, 2019, Item E-10
Board Report February 8, 2017, Item E-7
Board Report September 13, 2017, Item E-8
Board Report August 23, 2017, Item E-8

There is a potential positive impact to the General Fund. If approved, the school site will be able to utilize Title 1 dollars for more uses.  This flexibility may allow General Fund spending to be offset by Title 1.

The Board will consider approval of the MOU between the County of Sonoma and SRCS for Information Sharing.

Purpose 

The Upstream Investments Policy (UIP) is an initiative sponsored by the County of Sonoma Board of Supervisors, which began in 2007 as a response to the trend of increasing criminal justice costs. 

The initiative is staffed by the Human Services Department (HSD).  The “Upstream vision” is: “in Sonoma County, poverty is eliminated and all people have an equal opportunity for quality education and good health in nurturing home and community environments.”  The mission is that “all residents of Sonoma County will benefit from prevention-focused policies and interventions that increase equality and reduce monetary and societal costs.”

Considerations

Data sharing allows researchers to build upon the work of others rather than repeat already existing research. Sharing data also enables researchers to perform meta-analyses on the current research topic. Meta-analyses are important for gathering larger trends over a wider regional or topic area. Therefore data sharing ensures the continued production of these types of analyses.

Aggregates of these data, with all identifiers removed, may be shared with the Santa Rosa City Schools District, Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, members of the Upstream Investments Initiative, and other local collaborative groups when Human Services deems it important and relevant for shared outcomes and grant reporting, directing and developing resources, refining existing programs, and encouraging county-wide collaborations and linkages.

Sharing data increases data use within the Health and Human Services Departments by enabling reproducibility of results and informing the larger scientific community. This, in turn, can greatly benefit the public as better and more widely disseminated information can lead to informed decision making for both planning and policy. Data sharing also encourages more connection and collaboration between researchers, which can result in important new findings within the field. In a time of reduced resources and investments for science and research, data sharing is more efficient because it allows researchers to share resources.

SRCS has participated with READY (Road To the Early Achievement and Development of Youth) with the KSEP (Kindergarten Student Entrance Profile).  This data sharing agreement will allow SRCS data and data from other districts to be shared and analyzed to support how we as a community can better support student entering into kindergarten by providing equitable early childhood educational experiences.

The Board will consider the award of the bid for the SRCS Classroom Safety Door Lock Hardware Replacement Package #3 projects. This project is funded through Measure I and L.  

Purpose

This project will provide classroom safety locks on all classroom doors at Hidden Valley ES, James Monroe ES, Steele Lane ES, Hilliard Comstock MS, Santa Rosa HS . The new locks will have the ability to lock from either inside or outside of the classroom as a safety measure. The remaining sites will follow, in Phase IV, completing the installation of locks. The Phase iV bid package will be released in mid September. 

Considerations

As a core tenet of the Measure I and L Bond Programs, providing "Warm, Safe, and Dry" facilities was a top priority for both programs. As outlined in the Facilities Master Plan, classroom safety door locks were identified as need on the majority of our classroom doors.

In the spring of 2018, SRCS had a comprehensive door assessment and survey completed. With aging school district facilities, including classroom doors, all doors needed to be assessed to ensure new locks could be installed as well as the type/brand of lock that was suitable to facilitate this project.   

Bid Timeline

July 19, 2019: Notice Inviting Bids
July 19, 2019: Publication Date
July 26, 2019: Publication Date
July 30, 2019: Mandatory Bidders Conference (3 Contractors Participated)

August 6, 2019: Bids Due

Bid Results

On August 6, 2019, SRCS received three (3) bids for this project. The low bidder was below the Engineers estimate of $275,000.00

Based on an analysis of the submitted bid documents, verification of California Contractor's license 'B' is current and active, PBK Architects hereby recommends that the Santa Rosa City Schools enter into a separate formal agreement, as outlined in the Contract Documents, with August Jaye Inc. for the sum of One Hundred Ninety Two Thousand Two Hundred Eighty Dollars ($192,280.00).

Board Policy
3311

Previous Board History
October 10, 2018 (Item E-10): Approval of Hardware Package #1.This package included Brook Hill ES, Burbank ES, Elsie Allen HS, Herbert Slater MS & Abraham Lincoln ES. 

May 22, 2019 (Item E-9): Approval of Classroom Safety Door Lock Hardware and installation Bid for Package #2 - Montgomery HS, Piner HS, Maria Carrillo HS, Biella ES, and Lehman ES 

Measure I: $113,561.69
Measure L: $78,718.31
Total: $192,280.00

The Board will consider approving a resolution requesting the temporary transfer of funds from the County Treasurer.

Purpose

To ensure cash on hand to meet our financial obligations prior to receiving all revenues, including our largest revenue of property taxes that we receive in approximately December and April every year.

Considerations

Our current financial balance for all Funds with the County Treasury is enough to cover all of our budgeted cash-flow for this fiscal year. As a precautionary measure in the case our budget projections change, this resolution will allow the County Treasury to extend us this line of credit to cover any negative cash-flow needed for the year to cover costs until revenues come in. For this year taking out this line of credit is only for a precautionary measure and we do not anticipate using this or incurring any associated costs for this. There is no charge for taking this out, only a 1% interest charge for the credit we incur. This is only for this 2019-20 fiscal year and this resolution is brought to the Board every fiscal year for this and another one will be brought for the next 2020-21 fiscal year.

For Fund 01 our General Fund and Charter Funds 06, 07, 08, & 09 only, although the Governor's budget does not include state revenue deferrals, the timing of property tax receipts still may require the District to borrow cash during certain months. The District projects these funds to be in negative cash status during the first part of the year until our December property tax revenue is received, however we have cash balance in other funds to cover this until the Property Tax Revenues are received this year.

If approved, the Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE) will forward this resolution to the County Treasurer. Per the California Constitution, the amount requested does not exceed 85% of projected current year property tax revenue for this 2019-20 fiscal year.

This is a routine resolution to have these funds available in the event they are needed. In recent years, SRCS has not used this option. SRCS does not anticipate borrowing from the County Treasurer in the 2019-20 fiscal year. 

Previous Board Activity

August 22, 2018 F.2. (Action) Resolution Requesting Fund Transfer Under Article XVI, Section 6 of the State Constitution to Borrow Funds from the Sonoma County Treasurer As Needed During the 2018-19 Fiscal Year 

August 23, 2017 F.7. (Action) Resolution Requesting Fund Transfer Under Article XVI, Section 6 of the State Constitution to Borrow Funds from the Sonoma County Treasury As Needed During the 2017-18 Fiscal Year

The total funds borrowed would have a 1% interest rate. We do not anticipate borrowing any funds for this fiscal year and this is a precautionary measure.

Approve Resolution 2019/20-009 to borrow funds from the Sonoma County Treasurer as needed for the 2019-20 school year.

The Board will consider a data sharing agreement between Piner High School and the University of Texas at Austin, with Piner High School sharing data for the graduating class of June 2019 as part of a study called Students’ Paths to look at the impact of growth mindsets on student outcomes.

Purpose

Piner High School is requesting that Santa Rosa City Schools enter into a data sharing agreement with the University of Texas at Austin so that it may be part of a national study called Students’ Paths, led by academics such as Carol Dweck, Angela Duckworth, and David Yeager.  The study is focused on how working with students to understand and internalize a growth mindset can impact educational outcomes for the better. By providing data for the graduating class of June 2019, the study can track student outcomes for Piner graduates, as these students interacted with the growth mindset Students’ Path materials as incoming 9th graders during the 2015-2016 academic year.

Considerations

Piner High School took part in the first part of the Students’ Paths study during the 2015-2016 academic year.  The study required data sharing regarding 9th grade attitudes about learning after being exposed to a short series of activities intended to expose them to and teach them about growth mindsets.

The national study, after the first year, found that students showed an increased willingness to see learning as adaptive and to view their own efficacy with learning as something that is changeable and not fixed.

Sharing the data for the Piner High School graduating class of June 2019 will allow the national study to look at the impact of the growth mindset lessons on students from 9th grade during the 2015-2016 academic year at the moment of graduation, and beyond.

Ultimately, entering into the data sharing agreement will contribute to a national study regarding the efficacy of engaging students with growth mindset lessons.

And finally, Piner High School's participation in the study will allow the school to have access to the continued use of the Students' PATHS online growth mindset program expose students to learning about, and interacting with the idea of, growth mindsets.  Also, the study authors have promised to share ongoing reporting, resources, and networking opportunities, as well as possible professional development with the school.

There is no financial impact.  Being a part of the study only requires a data sharing agreement, at no cost to Santa Rosa City Schools.

The Board will consider approval of Resolution No. 2019/20-8 recognizing September as Attendance Awareness Month.

Purpose

To bring awareness to the importance of students attending school every day.  Attendance matters for success in school and in life and absences can easily result in a loss of very important teaching and learning time. 

Consideration

Celebrated for the first time in September 2013, Attendance Awareness Month is a nationwide recognition of the connection between school attendance and academic achievement. The goal is to mobilize schools and communities to promote the value of good attendance and to take concrete steps toward reducing chronic absence. 

Santa Rosa City Schools is the recipient of an attendance grant called Project SAIL (Student Attendance Improves Learning). Presently, the California School  Dashboard has not released last year's results but we feel very strong that we will see reduced percentages on the data for Chronic Absenteeism. Project SAIL's work includes the following data results compared to the previous two years.

SART = School Attendance Review Team meeting

SARB = School Attendance Review Board hearing

DA Referrals = Referral to the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office after a SARB hearing

Below are last year's California School Dashboard (https://www.caschooldashboard.org/). The California School Dashboard provides parents and educators with meaningful information on school and district progress so they can participate in decisions to improve student learning.
        

2018 CA Chronic Absenteeism Dashboard Results

The California Department of Education (CDE) changed their way of calculating chronic absenteeism last year by deciding to only utilize grades K-8. Because of this change, we are only reporting the K-8 data. 

The table demonstrates that we reduced our Chronic absentee students (students missing school by 10% or more) by 12.6%. One of the reasons the percentage is high is because there was a reporting anomaly for the  2016-17 secondary grades. This year we should clearly see the results of the SAFE Office.

More information and resources can be found at http://awareness.attendanceworks.org/

Board Policy
5113.1

Previous Board History
8/22/2018 (Item F-1)

In promoting student attendance we are hoping to bring back available dollars to the district. A 1% ADA growth approximates to one million dollars. 

Approve Resolution No. 2019/20-8 recognizing September as Attendance Awareness Month.

The 2019-2024 Santa Rosa City Schools strategic plan is being presented to the public for input.  This initial version of the vision, mission, and priorities of the board was developed by the Board and Superintendent in a series of meeting facilitated by Dr. Carlos Ayala beginning in February 2019.  The Board and Superintendent are now gathering feedback to the mission, vision, and priorities in board and community meetings, and an online survey.  Strategic Plan Survey

Purpose

In order to accomplish the vision and mission of SRCS, the District needs a strategic plan that guides the district and the decisions of the staff and Board.  The previous plan adopted in 2014 served the district for many years; however, the changing landscape both in terms of state and federal regulations, school funding,  and the needs of students and families necessitates an update to the strategic plan.

Considerations

During the 2012-13 school year, the SRCS Board and the superintendent began a dialog around a strategic planning process. The Board worked diligently with the Superintendent and various experts who helped design an inclusive process to lead the work in SRCS.  The current strategic plan has been in place for four years and it is time to review the current plan and work together with the school community to revise and update a strategic plan for SRCS.

Dr. Carlos Ayala began the facilitation for updating the SRCS strategic plan with the Board of Education and Superintendent beginning in February 2019.  Dr. Ayala worked together with the Board and Superintendent to use the feedback and input from the school community for the previous strategic plan to help inform the development of this updated version of the strategic plan for the district.  In addition to Board meetings, a survey will be provided and two school community forums will be held to ensure there is an opportunity for stakeholders to share their thoughts and ideas about the strategic plan for SRCS.  The community can also share their feedback at this board meeting.  Here is the link to the survey: Strategic Plan Survey.  It will be available through the end of September.

Upcoming events

September 3 – Community Meeting (Spanish bilingual)/ Elsie Allen High School / 5:30-7:00 p.m. (childcare provided)
September 4 – Community Meeting (Spanish bilingual)/ Montgomery High School / 5:30-7:00 p.m. (childcare provided)
September 30 – Survey closes
October 23 – Presentation of revised Strategic Plan 2019-24

Previous History

02/26/14 (Item F2) - Approval of Strategic Plan in 2014
04/17/19 - First Study Session for new Strategic Plan
05/15/19 - Second Study Session for new Strategic Plan
06/19/19 - Final Study Session for new Strategic Plan
07/24/19 - (Item F5) - Presentation of the SRCS Strategic Plan 2019-24
08/14/19 - (Item F8)

Herman G. Hernandez, PG&E, will present information on the Community Wildfire Safety Program. This program is intended to address the potential hazard of wildfires due to weather conditions by de-energizing the electrical grid when certain conditions are met.  Sonoma County, the City of Santa Rosa, and Santa Rosa City Schools are in an identified area where these protective measures may occur. 

Purpose

The Community Wildfire Safety Program is intended to address the potential hazard of wildfires due to weather conditions by de-energizing the electrical grid when certain conditions are met. Sonoma County, the City of Santa Rosa, and Santa Rosa City Schools are in an identified area where these protective measures may occur. 

Considerations

The risk of wildfire increases when several factors combine—these include high temperatures, high sustained and peak winds, as well as low humidity. During these conditions, electrical transmission and distribution lines may ignite fires if they are downed by winds and/or trees. To reduce the chance of accidental fire ignition in certain areas, PG&E has stated that they may de-energize electrical grids or blocks of an area(s) in advance of or during periods of heightened risk conditions. De-energization of electrical systems in affected areas may pose a life-safety risk to residents and impact other infrastructure systems. A Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) occurs when PG&E determines that it is necessary to de-energize distribution or transmission lines in a portion of its service territory because there is a danger that the lines will cause a wildfire. Not all PSPS events result in actual de-energization. If weather conditions change, the utility may decide that it is not necessary to shut the power off. PSPS is supposed to be the option of last resort for the utility.

Santa Rosa City Schools in actively engaged with other local school districts, the Sonoma County Office of Education, city and county agencies to address the impact and implications if PG&E were to enact a PSPS.

Key Concerns:

• Notification of power shut-offs
• Closing of schools
• Closing of schools and PSPS not enacted
• Closing of some schools in the PSPS zone and other school not needing to be closed.
• Families with no means for childcare if schools are closed
• Families in need of meals provided at schools if schools are closed
• Loss of ADA after school closure and PSPS enacted 
• Loss of ADA after school closure and PSPS not enacted 
• Spoilage of food with PSPS enacted
• Food contracts with districts not impacted by PSPS
• Physical Safety: Alarms, telephones

The Board will receive a summary of the general data and highlights of each of the 2019 Summer Extended Learning Programs.

Purpose

The summer Extended Learning Programs are a critical component of our learning plan for students. Elementary and middle school students have opportunities to build and maintain their academic skills, utilize technology and participate in project-based learning which enriches their educational experience and prepares them for the next level of their education.

The extended school year offerings for high school students provide support for meeting graduation requirements as well as opportunities for enrichment. The summer program teachers have created an engaging and challenging curriculum to help set up students for success upon returning to campus in the fall.

Actions

The following programs were offered this summer:

• Investigations Summer Camp in partnership with Migrant Education
• Extended School Year - Special Education
• Project Maker Camp
• Mike Hauser Academy
• Mariachi/Arts Summer Camp
• High School Summer Program

Outcomes: Summer Extended Learning Programs provide students additional opportunities to learn, collaborate with peers, and engage in enriching experiences. Santa Rosa City Schools looks forward to continuing to offer such experiences in the summer of 2020.

Extended Year Data:

Considerations:

• How do we address the root causes underlying academic failure that leads to the necessity of credit recovery?
• How do we assure that all students receive the best first instruction in our tiered model of student support?
• How do we honor the identities of our students and incorporate their assets into a teaching and learning system that builds their agency and initiates development of purpose?

 Previous Board Activity

9/12/18, 9/13/17, 8/24/16, 9/9/15, 8/27/14, 8/28/13, 3/13/13

Board Policy
Board Policy 6177 - Summer Learning Programs

California Education Code
California Ed Code 54444.3 - Summer School Program

Funding for the 2019 Extended Learning Programs was approved through LCAP on June 27, 2018.  Looking forward to next year, 2020, funding for the 2020 Extended Learning Programs was approved through LCAP on June 26, 2019.

The Board will be presented with Board Policy 5127 for discussion regarding updating it to reflect Education Code 35183.1 the wearing of tribal regalia or recognized objects of religious or cultural significance. In addition, changing to a gender neutral color graduation gown to provide a more inclusive and welcoming graduation ceremony for our students, families and staff.

Purpose

The Board of Education will discuss updating BP 5127 to reflect changes in Education Code and moving to gender neutral color graduation gowns. 

Consideration

Education Code 35183.1 was enacted on January 1, 2019 and states "a pupil may wear traditional tribal regalia or recognized objects of religious or cultural significance as an adornment at school graduation ceremonies".   

Gender neutral color graduation gowns allows for all students to feel included and safe.  Students, parents, and SRCS staff have requested this change as well.  Each site will have the opportunity to choose the single color of gown for graduation ceremonies commencing for the 2020 graduation.   Maria Carrillo High High School, Montgomery High School, and Ridgway High School already have only one color of graduation gown.  

An additional consideration is the ability to reuse graduation gowns within a family or for the high school to keep an inventory of gowns for student checkout since they will all be one color.

Education Code
Ed Code 220
Ed Code 234
Ed Code 35183.1

These items are presented for informational purposes only.

Attached for reference are the Board's Codes of Conduct and Code of Ethics board policy. 

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

The following are future board update items:

• Start of school overview
• Unaudited actuals
• Lease / Lease Back Montgomery High School
• Sufficiency of textbooks
• Culturally Responsive, Sustaining, and Humanizing (CRSH) Education and Ethnic Studies