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. 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)). The Board may limit the total time for public input on each item to 20 minutes. With Board consent, the presiding officer may increase or decrease the time allowed for public presentation, depending on the topic and the number of persons wishing to be heard. The presiding officer may take a poll of speakers for or against a particular issue and may ask that additional persons speak only if they have something new to add (BP 9323).  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)).

Based on the recent data regarding the increased COVID-19 cases and deaths, and Governor Newsome's order to close business sectors, the Superintendent recommends approval for the 2020-21 school year to begin with the Intermittent Distance Learning model (Distance Learning) and the Learning House model with an evaluation by the Return to School Executive Committee prior to the end of the first quarter to determine the continuation of Distance Learning or a transition to in-person (at school) learning. 

Purpose:

To approve a resolution declaring the Instructional Method including remote learning for the first quarter of the 2020-2021 School Year.   This resolution is brought forward based on the data collected to inform the decision for Santa Rosa City Schools to begin the 2020-21 school year in a remote-only learning environment. Specifically to start school on August 17th in either our Distance Learning or Learning House Model noted in our Return to School Plan.  This decision would mean that all students will be learning remotely five days per week for at least the first quarter of school.

Considerations:

Decision to Recommend Remote Learning

There are several factors that SRCS leadership has been monitoring in preparation for the start of school in August. The following data has been collected and is being used to inform our decision to begin school on August 17 remotely.  

Since July 3, there have been 714 new cases of COVID-19 out of 1979 Sonoma County’s total number of cases. This represents 36% of the total cases that have occurred in the last 13 days.  During this same time period, 7 of the 16 total deaths due to COVID-19 have occurred.  This means 44% of the total COVD-19 deaths in Sonoma County have been in the last 13 days.   

In addition to an alarming surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths, Governor Newsom has extended his order dated July 1 and closed specific business sectors that had reopened.  As of July 13th, 31 counties are now on the “watchlist” including Sonoma County.    

The Superintendent has repeatedly said that decisions regarding the return to school will be based on the science of the COVID-19 spread while ensuring our district maintains appropriate funding.  Those thresholds have been met with the information received in the last few days.  

Following the newly developed Return to School Plan (RTSP) as the guide to safely reopening schools, current conditions challenge guiding principles and safeguards. For example:

• The recent increase of new COVID-19 cases and deaths challenges the first guiding principle to “Safeguard the Health and Safety of Students and Staff” on page 13.

• Protocols from Public Health remain unavailable, even though protocols for contact tracing are required should a staff member or student be identified as having COVID-19 as part of the RTSP guiding principle “Sonoma County Health Notification for Student/Staff Illness” on page 26.

• We have not received the protocol from Public Health for what will constitute closure of a classroom or the school site, should a staff member or student contract COVID-19, an additional safeguard cited in the RTSP “Partial or Total Site Closures” on page 26.

Services and Support for Students and Families

Another consideration for being able to choose to start school in remote learning is the assurance from the State Controller that we will meet the statutory requirements for attendance funding protection. As long as we demonstrate that criteria or the guiding principles of our RTSP cannot be met, we can justifiably provide remote learning instead of in-person instruction.

The decision to begin school with students learning remote comes the responsibility to serve our most marginalized and vulnerable population. Support in so many areas for the basic needs of our students and their families is a priority that may necessitate small groups of students receiving in-person assistance at school practicing social distancing.  Other areas that are being planned and scheduled include but are not limited to:

• Childcare

• Tutoring and homework supervision

• EL academic support

• Special education services 

• Socialization Activities

• Counseling 

• Restorative circles

• Integrated Wellness Center services

• Community partnerships to provided activities 

• Boys and Girls Club

• Sonoma Environmental Education Collaborative (SEEC)

• Landpaths 

• Water and Energy Education Program (Sonoma Water)

• Grab and Go meals will be provided during remote learning

• Redwood Empire Food Bank Distributions

The Models for School

Learning House 

The Learning House is a virtual learning environment that goes beyond the traditional school  experience. Each Learning House groups together students from throughout the district with a small team of core-subject and elective teachers, to form a learning community. Students get to know students from other schools and the teacher team works with all of the students and includes standards-based instruction, project-based learning, design thinking, and projects that blend together learning across content areas helping students connect their learning to real world application. Students learn to develop skills necessary to engage with issues we face in our local, national, and international community through exploration of:

• SELF: Through the use of curriculum focused on discovering purpose and belonging our students discover who they are, what’s important to them and their current purpose.

• LIFE:  With the help of our community partners and staff, our students learn how to articulate their purpose and design their roadmap for the future. 

• COMMUNITY:  Once our students have a sense of themselves and their future plans, they turn their focus to the community,  learning the importance of civic engagement and service learning.

• SERVICE:  Civic engagement and service learning will be demonstrated through student led real world projects.

• CONNECTION:  Intervention and enrichment are a key component of the program to strengthen and engage all learners.

Key points about Learning House:

• For grades KA-12 

• Students meet students from other schools (placed in classes with student from other schools)

• Curriculum includes standards based instruction, project-based learning, design thinking and real world projects.

• The curriculum is integrated with core subject areas (English, math, science, history)

• Enrichment and Intervention will be provided

• Students remain “registered” in their current school while in Learning House, so they don’t lose their spot in that school

• If students are in a specialized school or program, such as ArtQuest or a language immersion charter school, they do not lose their spot in that school or program; however, they will not be taking those specialized classes. Students who enroll in Learning House may not be able to complete specialized program (such as IB or Early College Magnet) requirements before graduation

• There will be several “Learning Houses,” so there is room for everyone

• All learners are welcome, including Special Education, English Language Learners

• Students will receive standards-based instruction, so this model is an option for high school students who are interested in taking tests such as AP tests or the SAT

• Electives will be offered

• Students will attend online school every day except Wednesday, when teachers are in professional development. On that day, students will check-in with teachers but will not have online instruction.

• Students will be in Learning House for at least one full semester (until Winter Break in December)

Distance Learning 

The Distance Learning Model is designed to provide a traditional education similar to the experience students would have had at their school, just in an online format. In this model, students will follow a traditional school schedule.

• Students meet with a group of classmates and teachers from their current school

• Middle and high school students have classes with teachers from different subject areas, just as they would in traditional school

• Access to content and assignments via Google Classroom (grades 4-12) and SeeSaw (grades KA-3) platforms

• Students will attend online school every day except Wednesday, when teachers are in professional development. On that day, students will check-in with teachers but will not have online instruction. 

• Students enrolled in specialized programs (such as ArtQuest, IB, SPARQ, University Center, Early College Magnet) will be able to continue in those programs through Distance Learning 

• Students enrolled in charter schools (CCLA, SRFACS, SRCSA, SRACS) will be able to continue in those schools through Distance Learning

Key points about Distance Learning:

• Students and teachers from current school

• For grades KA-12

• Students will utilize Google Classrooms in grades 4-12 and Seesaw in grade KA-3 for content and assignments

• Students who want to continue to take classes from their specialized programs (ArtQuest, IB, SPARQ, University Center, Early College Magnet) or charter schools (CCLA, SRFACS, SRCSA, SRACS) can do so in this model 

• All learners are welcome, including Special Education, English Language Learners

• Intervention and Enrichment opportunities will be provided 

• Students will receive standards-based instruction, so this model is an option for high school students who are interested in taking tests such as AP tests or the SAT

• Electives will be offered

• Students will be in Distance Learning for at least one quarter of the school year. If it is safe to open school buildings after October 9th, students in Distance Learning would get the choice to stay in Distance Learning or return to school in the Hybrid Model (2 days in school/3 days remotely) 

Request Form for the Selection of Learning House or Distance Learning 

For the First Quarter of the 2020-21 we will be remote learning.

Option 1 - My student will be enrolled in the Learning House. I understand this commitment is for half of the school year.

Option 2 - My student will be enrolled in Distance Learning for at least one quarter of the school year.

If you selected Distance Learning, please select from the following choices. For the Second Quarter of 2020-21 school year, if we are able to begin a Hybrid Model: 

Choice 1 - My student will remain in Distance Learning (remotely).

Choice 2  - My student will transition to Hybrid (2 days at school/3 days remotely) if school buildings reopen.

Santa Rosa City Schools developed a Draft Return to School Plan (RTSP) together with 220 stakeholder including the leadership of the Santa Rosa Teachers Association (SRTA) and the Santa Rosa Classified Chapter 75 (Classified 75), teachers, classified staff, parents, students, and community members. The final RTSP is submitted for the Board's review and approval.  Since the draft RTSP was presented, Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) have been negotiated with both labor organizations and the RTSP updated accordingly.

SRCS Return to School Plan (Attached) Updated: July 18, 2020, 2:00pm - Formatting Corrections Only.

The Spanish version of the plan is being reviewed for accuracy and will be posted upon completion.

----------

Purpose

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and state of emergency declared by Governor Gavin Newsom, Santa Rosa City Schools (SRCS) suspended in-person learning on March 26, 2020. There is an understanding that we are in a time of unprecedented change for our educational system. It is incumbent on our community to take concrete steps forward based on the best information available. We face unparalleled challenges to meet many of the needs of our students, families, staff, and school communities. Santa Rosa City Schools is choosing to view this challenge as an opportunity to design a Return to School Plan, also SRCS’s Continuity of Learning and Attendance Plan, with equity and innovation at its core.

Considerations

Since March, Superintendent Dr. Diann Kitamura has been meeting regularly with County Superintendent Steve Herrington and other local Superintendents, as well as Dr. Sundari R. Mase, Health Officer for the County of Sonoma. Dr. Kitamura served on the School/Health Committee charged with creating the Sonoma County Roadmap to a Safe Reopening document.

Before the 2019-20 school year ended, SRCS sent surveys to all families and staff about their situation and preferences for 2020-21, and received more than 2,400 responses. Family and staff input was also the focus of a June 3rd Special Board Meeting video conference that was attended by more than 450 people.

In May, SRCS convened an Executive Committee (EC) and several subcommittees to make recommendations for the creation of the Return to School Plan for the 2020-21 school year. The EC includes representatives from the Santa Rosa Teachers Association (SRTA), the Santa Rosa Classified Chapter 75 (Classified 75), school site administrators, and district office administrators. The subcommittees included Health and Safety, Distance Learning for Health Compromised, Childcare, Elementary Instruction (KA-6), Middle School Instruction (7-8), and High School Instruction (9-12). The committees included students, parents, classified staff, certificated staff, and administrative staff, totaling 220 members. 

This collaboration of the RTS Committees allowed these stakeholders to come together sharing their ideas and lending their voice to the process. Out of that work, six consistent themes came forward that are listed as the considerations for the development of the plan. These themes are: 

Santa Rosa City Schools’ Return to School Plan was developed in alignment with the following:

• Sonoma County Health Orders

• CDC Cleaning Guidelines

• California Department of Education Opening Guidelines

• Sonoma County Road Map to Reopening Schools Safely

• CA Senate Bill 98: Education Finance Trailer Bill 

And in with consideration and input from the following:

• Return to School Subcommittees’ Information (see above)

• Staff Survey

• Parent Survey

• Santa Rosa Teachers Association Survey

Guiding Principles

Santa Rosa City Schools created this plan taking into consideration a wide range of input and requests. These overarching principles inspired by our 220 members of the Return To School Committee serve as our guide through the decision-making process.

• Safeguard the health and safety of students and staff

• Comply with the State,County Health Department, and CDC guidelines

• Consider feedback from diverse and multiple sources

• Ensure equitable access to teaching and learning:

• Prioritize the needs of most vulnerable students

• Ensure students have individualized check-ins at least once a week

• Provide consistent online experiences

• Leverage resources to address achievement and opportunity gaps

• Adhere to while remaining flexible with RTS plans for “in-school” and “at-home” learning strategies

• Make informed decisions to revise the RTS plans as needed using an inclusive and fair decision-making process

• Leverage community resources to enhance RTS plans

• Foster student learning and progress

• Reduce negative or unintended consequences

• Maintain positive learning environments

Memorandum of Understanding with SRTA and Santa Rosa Classified Chapter 75

SRCS worked together with the SRTA and Classified 75 on a Memorandum Understanding (MOU) aligned to implement the RTSP. The Classified 75 MOU regarding "Stay at Home" provisions is complete.  An MOU with Classified 75 regarding the return to school is still pending.  The MOU with SRTA has been negotiated and a Tentative Agreement (TA) on July 9, 2020.  SRTA has presented the TA to its member for a vote. Agreement reached on July 10, 2020.   Those items in the RTSP that still needed negotiations have been updated in the RTSP.

Flexibility and Responsive

The SRCS Return to School Plan is a living document that will need to be modified as we begin school and throughout the year.  The uncertainty of COVID-19, power shutoffs, fires, and other unexpected situations is dependent upon the a regular review and feedback look for the plan.  The RTS Executive Committee will be the body to conduct regular review evaluations and feedback loop.

The Board will consider approving a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was reached with Santa Rosa City Schools and the California School Employees Association, Chapter 75 (CSEA 75) collective bargaining representatives regarding COVID-19 2020-2021.

Purpose

The purpose of this item is to share with the Board a revised Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between California School Employees Association Santa Rosa City Schools Chapter 75 and the District to support a high quality instructional program, promote public health and the safety of employees and to ensure the continuity of district operations during the COVID-19. 

Considerations

The MOU in consideration before the Board on July 22, 2020 represents months of work, problem solving, mutual understanding and flexibility in the unknown environment of COVID 19, though the MOU before the Board for consideration this evening is specific only to agreements regarding the current and regular work of the Chapter's members.

Should COVID 19 cause learning and operational needs to change,  considerations for staffing and continuity of operations will need to be addressed through appropriate channels and processes.

Due to COVID 19, and as a result of Governor Newsom and the Sonoma County Public Health Officer issuing orders for shelter in place, SRCS students learned at home (Distance Learning) between March 23, 2020 and the end of the school year. These orders also designated essential businesses and services of which K-12 public education is authorized as "essential".  For SRCS, our essential services are to maintain continuity of operations to provide meals for students, custodial services for facilities and equipment, and distance learning. 

As a result CSEA staff have been working onsite and remotely since March 13th. 12 month employees were designated to return to work July1, 2020 but have been provided the opportunity to work remotely, if feasible fore their job classification, until August 3, 2020.

The Distance Learning Plan, born out of the immediate necessity to provide instruction remotely, began to transform into a Return to School Plan (RTS). The RTS Plan represents thousands of person hours from hundreds of classified and certificated staff, administrators, community leaders, and involved parents.

While the Distance Learning Plan was transforming into the Return to School Plan, both parties understood that the initial MOU would need to be revised when it expired to encompass the flexibility and nimbleness now needed to address evolving staff and student health and safety requirements while providing multiple learning options depending whether or not students were learning at home (distance learning or "click") learning at school (traditional or 'brick'), or a mix of the two (hybrid or 'brick and click").

The Return to School (RTS) Plan states, "There is an understanding that we are in a time of unprecedented change for our educational system. It is incumbent on our community to take concrete steps forward based on the best information available. We face unparalleled challenges to meet many of the needs of our students, families, staff, and school communities. Santa Rosa City Schools is choosing to view this challenge as an opportunity to design a Return to School Plan, also SRCS’s Continuity of Learning and Attendance Plan, with equity and innovation at its core." 

It was through these frames that the parties entered into negotiations between June 30-July 2, 2020 to reach a a Tentative Agreement that supported the Return to School plan. 

Before the Tentative Agreement could be approved by CSEA Regional and ratified by CSEA SRCS Chapter 75, it was determined that further negotiations to address the specific learning scenarios developed in the Return to School Plan could not be negotiated until CSEA Labor Relations Representative could return from an absence to read and review the Board approved Return to School Plan.

The MOU before the Board tonight represents the Stay at Home scenario. Further negotiations will be scheduled to bargain any impacts and effects on the working conditions of CSEA SRCS Chapter 75 as a result of COVID 19 on the Return to School Plan.

History: On March 19, 2020 CSEA 75 and the District entered into a MOU (CSEA 75 19-20 #3)  based upon Executive Order C19-03 to Shelter in Place (SIP). This MOU expired on June 30, 2020 upon which both parties engaged in good faith negotiations to draft a new MOU that would continue to address the safety and welfare of bargaining unit members while also addressing the fluid and dynamic potential Return to School options based upon the most recent and accurate data and research from health officials. On Thursday, June 2, a written Tentative Agreement was reached recognizing the mutual interests of both parties.

The Board will consider approving a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was reached with Santa Rosa City Schools and the Santa Rosa Teachers Association (SRTA) collective bargaining representatives regarding COVID-19 Pandemic and the Return to School 2020-2021.

Purpose

The purpose of this item is to share with the Board a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Santa Rosa Teachers Association (SRTA) and the District to support a high quality instructional program, promote public health and the safety of employees and to ensure the continuity of district operations during COVID-19. 

Considerations

The MOU in consideration before the Board on July 22, 2020 represents months of work, problem solving, mutual understanding and flexibility in the unchartered environment that is COVID 19. 

Both parties acknowledged the profound responsibility to work together to make sure that our students, staff, and community are safe, healthy and served during the unique constraints of this global pandemic. To this end, the constructive and collaborative nature of the negotiations was noted by both teams.

The Tentative Agreement was signed by all parties on Friday, July 10, 2020 and a ratification vote by SRTA is due July 21, 2020, and is expected to pass.

The MOU represents months of work due to COVID 19, and as a result of Governor Newsom and the Sonoma County Public Health Officer issuing orders for shelter in place. SRCS students learned at home (Distance Learning) between March 23, 2020 and the end of the school year. These orders also designated essential businesses and services of which K-12 public education is authorized as "essential".  For SRCS, our essential services are to maintain continuity of operations to provide meals for students, custodial services for facilities and equipment, and distance learning.

The Distance Learning Plan (DLP), born out of the immediate necessity to provide instruction remotely, began to transform into a Return to School Plan (RTS). The RTS Plan represents thousands of person hours from hundreds of classified and certificated staff, administrators, community leaders, and involved parents.

While the Distance Learning Plan was transforming into the Return to School Plan, both parties understood that the initial DLP MOU would need to be revised when it expired to encompass the flexibility and nimbleness now needed to address evolving staff and student health and safety requirements, while providing multiple learning options depending whether or not students were learning at home (distance learning or "click") learning at school (traditional or 'brick'), or a mix of the two (hybrid or 'brick and click").

Moreover, the MOU represents a mutual commitment to mitigate learning loss, ensure that English Learners and Students with Special Needs receive enhanced learning opportunities, that pedagogy and practice must change to a new way of learning based upon access and equity, and that we must also focus on the social and emotional wellness of students and staff, and strengthen our partnerships and communication with our parents and families.

The Return to School (RTS) Plan states, "There is an understanding that we are in a time of unprecedented change for our educational system. It is incumbent on our community to take concrete steps forward based on the best information available. We face unparalleled challenges to meet many of the needs of our students, families, staff, and school communities. Santa Rosa City Schools is choosing to view this challenge as an opportunity to design a Return to School Plan, also SRCS’s Continuity of Learning and Attendance Plan, with equity and innovation at its core." 

It was through these frames that the parties entered into negotiations between July 1-July 10, 2020 to reach a Tentative Agreement on July 10, 2020 that supported the Return to School plan. 

History: On March 20, 2020 SRTA and the District entered into a MOU (SRTA 75 19-20 #4)  based upon Executive Order C19-03 to Shelter in Place (SIP). This MOU expired on June 30, 2020 upon which both parties engaged in good faith negotiations to draft a new MOU that would continue to address the safety and welfare of bargaining unit members while also addressing the fluid and dynamic potential Return to School options based upon the most recent and accurate data and research from health officials. On Thursday, June 10, a written Tentative Agreement was reached recognizing the mutual interests of both parties.

Purpose

The purpose is to update the district's policy. 

Considerations

It is being requested to make the following changes:

1) the language, "No school will be named for a living person," be stricken; 2) change the language, "A citizen advisory committee shall be appointed ..." to "A citizen advisory committee may be appointed ...";  3) add the word "memorial" in paragraph 1b under Memorials. 

Previous Board History

This policy has come before the Board on the following dates:
4/22/15 (Item F-7)
6/10/15 (Item F-13)
1/27/16 (Item F-4)
12/11/19 (Item G-3)
3/11/2020 (Item E-6)
2/26/2020 (Item E-7)                                                                                                      

Please see the agenda item E.7 for more information about rationale for the renaming of James Monroe Elementary.

Purpose

To approve a resolution to rename James Monroe Elementary to the George Ortiz Elementary.  Director Omar Medina has brought forward this resolution to remove the name James Monroe from an elementary school in Santa Rosa City Schools due to James Monroe, the 5th president of the United States own as many as 250 slaves.  Further, Director Medina is requesting the name James Monroe be replaced with George Ortiz.  Mr. Ortiz was a founding patron for the Latinx community.  His relentless pursuit for equal opportunity, education, employment, and health care for the Latinx of Sonoma County was the start of an empowerment movement.  His legacy can be felt in many organization that operate today because of the support and leadership of Mr. Ortiz.

Considerations

The following was written by Chris Smith on January 22, 2020 in the Press Democrat:

George Ortiz, the farmworker turned social worker widely regarded as the patron of Latino empowerment and community pride in Sonoma County, died last Wednesday morning. Ortiz, a relentless civic titan who co-founded both the vast California Human Development anti-poverty agency and the Latinos Unidos scholarship and cultural organization, was 85.

For more than 50 years, he was at the forefront of efforts to organize and bring equal opportunity and treatment to Mexican-Americans living in the North Bay and beyond. His advocacy resulted in countless Latinos going to college, pursuing positions of influence, seeing improvement to their pay, professional prospects and access to health care, and openly celebrating a culture that had previously been marginalized. “We’re much more literate,” Ortiz told The Press Democrat in 2001, speaking about the change he helped spur. “We’re much more enlightened. We’re much more ambitious.”

And yet his message always to members of Sonoma County’s deep-rooted and burgeoning Latino community was that they were capable and deserving of far more. “As much as things have changed, they haven’t,” the son of Mexican immigrants told a Press Democrat reporter last September, as he dealt with advancing cancer. “We’re the grunts of this community. We’re not the CPAs or the attorneys.” Still, many more Latinos are in such professional roles now, including local elected office. Admirers credit Ortiz with inspiring and improving the lives not only of Latinos but of seniors and people with disabilities and others in need of advocacy, affordable housing, addiction treatment and job training. “There are very few people who walk this Earth who have done as much as George Ortiz,” said state Sen. Mike McGuire of Healdsburg. “He was so successful in life because he led with his heart,” said McGuire, whose projects with Ortiz date back to the creation of a day labor center when McGuire served on the Healdsburg City Council. “He was force to be reckoned with, and he was the epitome of the American Dream.”

Upon learning of Ortiz’s death early Wednesday morning, longtime friend and comrade Alicia Sanchez was ever more grateful that she attended a celebration of his life and his mission last August in Windsor. “George’s spirit moves us,” Zeke Guzman, current president of Latinos Unidos, told those present at the party at the Mary Agatha Furth Center.
When the ailing but beaming Ortiz addressed the grateful crowd, he said, “I never expected this honor in my life and it’s very important to me. It brings me a great deal of happiness and tranquility.” Unable to resist the opportunity for activism, he declared, “We need to resist the White House people, we need to push back, we need to organize and we need to vote.”
Sanchez was 17 when she met Ortiz, and for a time she worked for him in Santa Rosa at what is now California Human Development. Sanchez, who today is 68 and a community organizer and leader of bilingual radio station KBBF, could never bring herself to call her mentor “George”. “He was Señor Ortiz to me,” Sanchez said. She credits him with drawing Latinos together and rallying them to claim power, to embrace their culture and to be “proud of who we are.”

Ortiz was regarded as an ally, friend, brother and mentor by another well-known Sonoma County leader, Herman J. Hernandez, founder of the leadership group Los Cien. George had a golden heart,” Hernandez said. “I learned a lot from him.”
He said Ortiz was a master at forging collaborative relationships among people and organizations committed to helping Latinos lift up their lives. Even as Ortiz was being weakened by the prostate cancer that had spread to other parts of his body, “He was there at Los Cien. He was on the phone, he was making comments,” Hernandez said. “The community was his passion.” Ortiz received many honors for all that he did for farmworkers, Latino children aspiring to higher education and others. Among those tributes, California Human Development named a Larkfield residential complex for farmworkers the Ortiz Family Plaza.

In 1999, The Press Democrat named Ortiz one of the 50 people most responsible for shaping Sonoma County through the 20th Century. In 2017, the North Bay Business Journal bestowed on Ortiz its Latino Business Leadership Award.
In 2018, Sonoma State University conferred upon Ortiz the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters. That same year, the Mexican government presented him one of its highest honors, the Ohtli Award, for his efforts on behalf of Mexican nationals in the U.S. Only months ago, Sen. McGuire, a Democrat, and Republican colleague Jim Nielsen of Tehama visited Ortiz and his family at their home in Santa Rosa and presented him a Gold Resolution from the Legislature.

Noting that as a young man Ortiz enlisted in the U.S. Army, McGuire said, “He served his country in so many ways.”
George L. Ortiz was born in East Los Angeles in 1934, the youngest of six children of immigrants who worked as migrant farmworkers. As soon as he could, young Ortiz went to work in the fields, too.

“We used to go and pick in Utah,” Ortiz told The Press Democrat in 2004. “Potatoes in the fall. We did oranges and lemons in Riverside. Peaches in Cucamonga. Grapes in Ontario.” He was paid a nickel for every 65-pound sack he produced. “I weighed 75 pounds,” he said. “Those bags were heavy.”

A track scholarship allowed him to enroll at Fresno State College and become the first member of his family to attain higher education. He studied social services, and in the early 1960s moved north and became a social worker, first for Sonoma County and then for California Rural Legal Assistance. He focused on struggling farmworkers, going so far as to offer them citizenship and English classes. Then he met Gerald Cox. The Catholic monsignor had worked in social justice alongside Cesar Chavez when he came to Santa Rosa in 1962 after serving a stint at Hanna Boys Center in Sonoma Valley. As a new chancellor with the Santa Rosa Diocese, Cox set out to learn of the needs of farmworkers. Reading about Ortiz, he invited the social worker to lunch at the Sizzler near Coddingtown. “That’s when and where the modern history of Latinos in the county begins,” wrote Press Democrat columnist Gaye LeBaron in 2008.

Latinos Unidos began, Ortiz recounted, by offering a scholarship from “$500 Jerry said he got from a gambler ... we gave five $100 scholarships that first year. “It wasn’t the money, it was a symbol of community support.” As brothers in activism, Ortiz and Cox also rallied Latino workers to march with Chavez, by then leader of the United Farm Workers.
In 1967, Ortiz and Cox joined with immigrant and winery worker Aurelio Hurtado and attorney Louis Flores to found in Santa Rosa the nonprofit North Bay Human Development Corp. Its mission was to assist farmworkers and others who struggled from poverty and injustice. “We were angry, sick and tired of the way the system was treating us as citizens and human beings,” Ortiz would recall. “So we did something about it.” The nonprofit, later renamed California Human Development Corp., started off with a $120,000 federal War on Poverty grant to provide job training in five Northern California counties.

Ortiz served as the group’s chief from 1967 until his retirement in 2004. It grew under Ortiz to become one of Sonoma County’s largest nonprofits, with about 400 employees, about 20,000 clients and reported revenues of $25 million at its peak.
Crisis hit with a bankruptcy declaration in 1994. Ortiz said at the time, “Over the course of 27 years, we’ve made a few mistakes, basic business decisions that didn’t work out.” Today, the organization says it serves 25,000 people a year in 31 Northern California counties, with revenue of more than $17 million.

Though Ortiz retired as director 16 years ago, when he was 69, he remained a mentor and a source of inspiration at the agency. “George has a legacy that’s really deep rooted,” said Anita Maldonado, CEO of California Human Development for nearly three years. “He was here from the very beginning. I call him my second boss.” Maldonado said Ortiz would say proudly that he was always what he set out from Fresno State to become: a social worker. “He told me, ‘Never forget about the people.’”

The following was written by the Presidential History Geeks of Washington DC:

James Monroe was one of the most popular presidents in history. The collapse of the Federalists left him with no organized opposition at the end of his first term, and he ran for reelection unopposed, the only president other than George Washington to do so. A single elector from New Hampshire cast a vote for John Quincy Adams, preventing a unanimous vote in the electoral college, more as a tribute to Washington than as an insult to Monroe.

Monroe's popularity seemed to withstand a number of difficult issues, not the least of which was slavery. In 1819 the Missouri Territory applied for statehood as a slave state, but that application failed largely due to opposition from the New England states.. An amended bill was put forth which proposed gradually eliminating slavery in Missouri, but that just led to two years of bitter debate in Congress. The Missouri Compromise bill resolved the issue, pairing Missouri as a slave state with Maine, a free state, and barring slavery north of latitude 36/30' N forever.

Earlier, as Governor of the slave state of Virginia, Monroe had to address the issue of slavery when, on October 15, 1799, some slave traders attempted to transport a group of slaves from Southampton, Virginia to Georgia. The slaves revolted and killed the slave traders. In response, the authorities killed ten slaves on the spot without the benefit of trial. Five other slaves were tried without the benefit of a jury. Four were convicted and the fifth entered a plea and was flogged and branded. As Governor, Monroe postponed their executions to check their identities, granting a pardon to one. Two of the slaves were allowed to be hung, while the other died in jail. Some historians argue that Monroe restored the requirement of civil protection for slaves sentenced to death for capital crimes.

When Monroe was Governor of Virginia in 1800, a plot was discovered in which hundreds of slaves from Virginia intended to kidnap Monroe, capture Richmond, and negotiate for their freedom. Due to a storm on August 30, they were unable to attack. This event is known as Gabriel's slave conspiracy. Monroe called out the militia, and slave patrols captured some of the slaves, who were given trials (though some criticize those trials as lacking the same procedural fairness given to white accused.) Monroe used his authority to pardon and sell some slaves instead of hanging them.Despite this, between 26 and 35 slaves were executed.

Monroe himself was a slave owner and owned dozens of slaves. He took some of his slaves to serve him when he resided at the White House from 1817 to 1825; following the custom of other slave owning presidents. There was no domestic staff provided for the presidents at that time.

Like other Presidents, Monroe expressed the opinion that slavery was wrong, but did so after his term in office. As president of Virginia's constitutional convention in the fall of 1829, Monroe reiterated his belief that slavery was a blight. He said in a speech "What was the origin of our slave population? The evil commenced when we were in our Colonial state, but acts were passed by our Colonial Legislature, prohibiting the importation, of more slaves, into the Colony. These were rejected by the Crown." At the convention, Monroe made his final public statement on slavery, proposing that Virginia emancipate and deport its bondsmen with "the aid of the Union."

Monroe was part of the African Colonization Society formed in 1816, which included members like Henry Clay and Andrew Jackson. These men were not abolitionists, but they did find common ground with some abolitionists who supported the notion of colonization, i.e. relocating former slaves to other countries. This group helped send several thousand freed slaves to Africa between 1820 and 1840. The concern slave owners like Monroe and Jackson had was to prevent free blacks from influencing slaves to rebel in southern states. With about $100,000 in Federal grant money, the organization also bought land for those people in what is today Liberia. The capital of Liberia was named Monrovia after James Monroe. It is the only foreign capital to be named after an American President.

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 1, 2020 through July 10, 2020 for a total of $1,470,917.04. 

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 1, 2020 through July 10, 2020 = $1,470,917.04
Warrants (Total 20/21 Fiscal Year): July 1, 2020 through July 10, 2020 = $1,470,917.04

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 July 9, 2020 = $953.09.
District-wide donations year to date = $3,778.09.

 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 = $1,034,188.30

These projects address:

• Operational Sustainability
• Capacity
• Longevity
• Scalability

On June 22, 2016 the board approved the EYEP SOLUTIONS California Multiple Award Schedule (CMAS) primary data storage and disaster recovery purchasing and installation.

Considerations:

Data Storage

A - Fast primary data storage:

Fast network primary data storage is essential for operating the entire network infrastructure.

The fast storage solution implemented in 2016 was specifically chosen and dimensioned to support the bond funded network infrastructure upgrade project for critical applications like communications, emergency announcements systems and network security. The solution was purchased with a 3 year support contract and it still performs well at this time. It will be vendor supported through 2023 and the yearly support costs, although increasing by 15% on a yearly basis, are still acceptable.

It is therefore recommended to continue with this solution for a maximum of 2 more years.

The replacement of this storage solution should be coupled with the Data Center server refresh scheduled in the same time frame.

B - General data storage:

The storage solution that was in place in 2016, prior to the network infrastructure project, was not upgraded and, in time, it was repurposed as general data storage solution for less demanding needs like non-critical and development servers. This older solution hosted the email solution until its migration to Gmail and continues to host user files and department shares. SRCS has moved most of the critical servers to the new faster storage system or migrated applications to the cloud (Student Information System, outside DNS, email, etc.)

This older storage solution was still supported in 2016, and we extended its useful life beyond the vendor support window. Currently, SRCS does not have a support agreement in place. All files on this storage unit are still backed up in the event of failure.

It is recommended to replace this solution.

Backup - Disaster Recovery Storage 

A reliable Disaster Recovery (DR) solution is a key component of an overarching business continuity strategy to protect Santa Rosa City Schools’ data and applications from the effects of events that could put SRCS operations at risk: cyber-attacks and equipment failures, for example. The deployment of a reliable DR solution allows SRCS to maintain or quickly resume mission-critical functions in case of such events.

The backup solution implemented in 2016 provided two backup devices: one in the Data Center for direct backup and one at a secondary location to replicate the backups from the Data Center to provide full passive data protection in case one of the two sites was fully disabled. The backup solution was dimensioned for 3 years of use with enough capacity to grow for an extra year if necessary. A 3-year support contract was purchased along with the hardware in 2016.

The solution served SRCS well during the many power failures caused either by fires or PSPS events. Unfortunately, one of these power failure events caused damage to one of the units.

Currently, the support contract is expired and renewal costs over a 5 year period are not advantageous for SRCS when compared to the cost of a full solution refresh including support for the same time period.

Additionally, the current solution is listed for End of Support by the manufacturer in 2022. This product will be come obsolete in approximately two (2) years. 

It is recommended to replace both these backup units.

Proposed Data Storage and Backup 

As stated, both the general storage for non-critical applications and backup systems are at an inflection point where they are either not vendor supported or nearing end of vendor support.

SRCS is proposing a replacement solution that combines the general data storage for less demanding needs with the backup solution. The solution relies on two high availability, 3 node identical systems, one in the Data Center and one at the secondary, Data Recovery location.

The configuration is flexible and can be adapted to provide data storage services from both locations, backup at both locations for local resources, and cross replication between the Data Center and the Data Recovery sites.

An important outcome of this recommendation is the assurance of business continuity through a complete passive Disaster Recovery plan with two backup appliances located in two separate geographical locations, on two different power grids.

The system can easily be scaled up when necessary and options for archive offloading to cloud for long time storage is possible should the costs justify it.

The system is much easier to use reducing the time SRCS technology personnel spends on support calls with the vendor.

The new system will be more cost effective, more efficient, and provide for future growth while tightly integrating both systems. The pricing for installing the new system with 5 years of support is 3/5 the cost of supporting the current systems over the same period of time.

This model will also set half of the foundation for a true, active Data Recovery site that can fully serve all services for the entire district in case the Data Center becomes incapacitated. The other half of this foundation is the installation of a computing solution in the Data Recovery site which SRCS will be submitting for board approval in a different board agenda item.

Conclusion

The Disaster Recovery Solution plays a vital role in protecting our current and future business.
Data Storage ensures the new and current infrastructure performance meets our education and business
objectives.

Using the Development Group, Inc - CMAS contract for Data Recovery Solution and Data Storage purchase and installation allows us to receive exceptionally good pricing. As discussed at previous Board meetings, CMAS sets the ceiling for product price in the pre-negotiated contract.

Previous Board Activity

June 22, 2016 - Approval of EYEP SOLUTIONS CMAS Contract for Data Storage and Disaster Recovery Solution Purchasing and Installation
February 10, 2016 - Approval of Phase II for the Network Access and Infrastructure Project
September 9, 2015 - Approval of Phase I for the Network Access and Infrastructure Project

Purpose:

A reliable Disaster Recovery (DR) solution is a key component of an overarching business continuity strategy to protect Santa Rosa City Schools’ data and applications from the effects of events that could put SRCS operations at risk: cyber-attacks and equipment failures, for example. The deployment of a reliable DR solution allows SRCS to maintain or quickly resume mission-critical functions in case of such events.

Considerations:

There are two main types of Data Recovery (DR) strategies: passive and active.

Passive DR strategy

The passive DR strategy relies on a backup solution at a main Data Center with copies of the backup at a secondary location.  In this configuration, the Data Center has all the computing power and all services are being run from one location.

This strategy ensures that in the event of disaster, affecting the Data Center, the resources can be restored after the Data Center is resurrected or, in case of total loss of the Data Center, the backed up resources can be restored on newly purchased equipment at a different site.

Active DR strategy

In an active DR strategy configuration both the Data Center and the Data Recovery sites have computing power along with the respective backup solutions attached to them and in most cases they cross replicate the backup files.

Most applications are configured in high availability mode either in a publisher - subscriber configuration if the application allows it or just backup applications that can automatically take over or can be quickly configured to take over the load for all services as needed.

This strategy ensures that in the event of disaster, at either the Data Center or the Disaster Recovery site, the other site can keep all services up and running without or with limited interruption.

History

On June 22, 2016 the board approved the EYEP SOLUTIONS California Multiple Award Schedule (CMAS) primary data storage and disaster recovery purchasing and installation along with a 3 years support agreement and it is due for a refresh (a different board agenda addresses this refresh of equipment).

This was a passive DR solution that was deemed sufficient at the time of the implementation.

The solution served SRCS well during the many power failures caused either by fires or PSPS events allowing SRCS to restore the services with very little downtime with the exception of times when the power was off for prolong periods of time at the Data Center.

The frequency of PSPS events last year and the prospect of more probable and extended fire seasons forces SRCS to reconsider its DR strategy in order to ensure the operation of vital systems needed for learning, efficient communication, student and staff safety, and business continuity.

Proposed solution - Active DR

SRCS is proposing the migration to an active DR strategy with the implementation of a computing solution at the Data Recovery site with enough capabilities to automatically carry over most vital services from the Data Center.

In preparation for this strategy SRCS received the board approval for the following preliminary projects:

• May 11, 2016  - E-Rate discounted 5Gbps secondary internet circuit at the DR site and Dark Fiber installation between the Data Center and the Disaster Recovery sites. Completed
• March 27, 2019 - E-Rate discounted 5Gbps Wide Area Network circuit upgrade to the DR - in progress
• Jul 08, 2020 - E-Rate discounted firewall solution for the DR site - in progress

Most services will be configured in a high availability mode and, when needed, all network traffic will be automatically re-routed to the Data Recovery site through the upgraded AT&T 5Gbps Wide Area Network (WAN) circuit and to the internet from there through the newly approved firewalls and the 5Gbps secondary internet connection.

This recommendation, in conjunction with the proposed refreshed backup recovery solution, provides a complete active Disaster Recovery plan with two independent computing systems and two backup, cross replicating appliances located in two separate geographical locations, on two different power grids.

The system can easily be scaled up when necessary and the system is much easier to use reducing the time SRCS technology personnel spends on support calls with the vendor.

A 5 year hardware and software support plan is included in this proposal.

This proposal also allow SRCS to devise a staggered hardware refreshment plan between the Data Center, which is due for a refresh in two years, and the Disaster Recovery site without interruption of services.

Using the Development Group, Inc - CMAS contract for Disaster Recovery Data Center Computing Solution purchase and installation allows us to receive exceptionally good pricing. As discussed at previous Board meetings, CMAS sets the ceiling for product price in the pre-negotiated contract.

Previous Board Activity

March 27, 2019 (F.2)- E-Rate Application for 19-20 Funding Year
June 22, 2016 - Approval of EYEP SOLUTIONS CMAS Contract For Data Storage and Disaster Recovery Solution Purchasing and Installation
May 11, 2016 - Approval of E-Rate Applications for Dark Fiber, Internet Connection and Telecom Services
February 10, 2016 - Approval of Phase II for the Network Access and Infrastructure Project
September 9, 2015 - Approval of Phase I for the Network Access and Infrastructure Project

The Board will consider the approval of a contract with Seesaw for Schools as a digital platform for Kinder Academy - 3rd grade.

Purpose:

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a switch to a distance learning format in March 2020 that highlighted the need for a common digital platform through which teachers, students and families could communicate and assignments be shared and collected.  Seesaw for Schools provides a platform that is user-friendly for students in the primary grades, Kinder Academy - 3rd grade.  It is learning platform currently used by many teachers in Santa Rosa City Schools that allows teachers to share content, students to demonstrate their work and create portfolios, and parents, teachers and students to communicate with one another.  As we plan for the return to school and consider different models of instruction that include a component of distance learning, a platform such as Seesaw will provide an essential tool to support instruction and communication in the primary, KA-3, classroom.

Considerations:

Upon the quick transition into shelter in place and distance learning, teachers used various platforms by which to provide assignments, feedback and communication. At the district-wide professional development day held virtually on Monday, April 13, training was provided to staff on several platforms including Seesaw and Google, both of which were already being used in many classrooms across the district.

As the school year concluded, staff and parent surveys went out and the SRCS Return to School Committee was formed. Through these staff and parent surveys as well as in our Santa Rosa City Schools Return to School Sub-Committee discussions, feedback was provided that having a common platform would be helpful for staff, students and families. This included the suggestion that a different platform, such as Seesaw, might be more user-friendly than Google, for example, with younger students. 

A contract with Seesaw will provide licenses for all Kinder Academy - 3rd grade students and teachers.  Included in the contract are many free resources developed to encourage usage of the platform in support of learning and communication with students and families.  Some of these resources include webinars, getting started guides, and account management.  Additional professional development with program experts is also included in this contract to provide multiple opportunities for teachers to receive the support to get started and continue to grow in usage of the platform. 

The 1 year contract for Seesaw for Schools licenses and professional development is $16,537.25.

The Board will consider approving Resolution 2020/21-02 regarding the use of the Education Protection Account (EPA) funds for the 2019-20 fiscal year. Although the funds are not additional funds to the District, Proposition 30 transfers tax revenues to an EPA and requires that each K-14 local agency determine how the funds are spent and approve the spending during a public meeting.

Purpose

The language in Proposition 30, the Schools and Local Public Safety Protection Act of 2012, requires new revenues generated from Proposition 30 to be deposited into a newly created state account called the Education Protection Account (EPA). Schools districts, county offices of education, and charter schools will receive funds from the EPA based on their proportionate share of the statewide revenue limit amount, which includes charter school general purpose funding. A corresponding reduction is made to an LEA’s revenue limit or charter school general purpose state aid equal to the amount of their EPA entitlement. Thus, the EPA funds are not new funds but represent funds previously withheld from the District.

Considerations

Although the EPA funds are not new funds and they are not considered restricted funds, the District must determine and report on how the funds are spent. Such a spending plan must be approved by the governing board during a public meeting and the plan must be published on the LEA’s website. By law, EPA funds cannot be used for any administrative costs.

For the 2019-20 fiscal year the EPA funds are as follows:

• Santa Rosa Elementary District $693,718
• Santa Rosa High School District $2,064,038
• Santa Rosa Accelerated Charter School $24,814
• Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts $77,410
• Santa Rosa French American Charter School $90,500
• Cesar Chavez Language Academy $80,218

Since the EPA funds represent a large percentage of the budget, the recommendation is to use the EPA funds for teacher salary expenses. This recommendation does not impact payments to teachers or teacher seniority, and it complies with the law.

If approved, teacher salary expenses that were incurred during the 2019-20 school year will be transferred into these EPA accounts during the year end close process. This is done at year end because the final EPA amounts are known at this time.

Education Code
EC 14041

Previous Board Activity

August 14, 2019 E.7. Approval of Resolution 2019/20-002 for the Use of 2018/19 Education Protection Account (EPA) Funds

July 25, 2018 E.18. Approval of Resolution for Proposed Use of 2017/18 Education Protection Account (EPA) Funds

August 9, 2017 (Item E.12): Approval of Resolution for Proposed Use of 2016/17 Education Protection Account (EPA) Funds

Because the EPA funds do not represent additional funds to the district, there is no fiscal impact.  If EPA funds are not expended in accordance with the requirements of Proposition 30, civil or criminal penalties could be incurred.

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

Purpose

To ensure there is cash on hand to meet our financial obligations prior to receiving all revenues, including our largest revenue of property taxes. This is a protective measure to ensure our fiscal obligations can be met with state aid deferral periods enacted for the 2020-21 fiscal year.

Considerations

This resolution will allow the County Treasury to extend to SRCS a line of credit to cover any negative cash-flow for the 2020-21 fiscal year to cover costs until revenues are received. This line of credit, if used, has a 1% annual interest charge for the line credit. This is an annual routine agenda item. This resolution covers the 2020-21 fiscal year only.

For Fund 01, the SRCS’ General Fund, and Charter Funds 06, 07, 08, & 09 only, the Governor's budget does include state revenue deferrals, and with the timing of property tax receipts (December/May) will require the District to borrow cash during certain months. The District projects the funds listed to be in negative cash status during the first part of the year until our December property tax revenue is received. We also anticipate using the line of credit during the State revenue deferral periods from February through the end of the 2020-21 fiscal year as follows:

Santa Rosa City Schools projected deferred state aid revenue in 2020-21 is $18,911,147 as follows:

• February 2021 (Deferred) to November 2021 - $4,228,344

• March 2021 (Deferred) to October 2021 - $4,230,866

• April 2021 (Deferred) to September 2021 - $4,221,743

• May 2021 (Deferred) to August 2021 - $4,185,956

• June 2021 (Deferred) to July 2021 - $2,044,237

SRCS will utilize cash balances in other funds, when appropriate, to offset the need from the Sonoma County Treasurer until future revenues are received. 

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 2020-21 fiscal year.

Previous Board Activity

August 28, 2019 E.10. Approval of Resolution No. 2019/20-009 requesting fund transfer under article XVI, section 6 of the State Constitution to borrow funds from the Sonoma County Treasurer as needed during the 2019-20 Fiscal Year

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 an approximate 1% annual interest rate. The cost to the district is approximately $119,055 for the anticipated use of the line of credit. 

The Board will consider the approval of a contract with Collaborative Education to support Brook Hill Elementary, Albert Biella Elementary, Steele Lane Elementary, James Monroe Elementary School, Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts, Comstock Middle School, Cook Middle School, Slater Middle School, Ridgway High School, Santa Rosa High School, Montgomery High School, and Elsie Allen High School who all fall under the Continued School Improvement Grant or Low Performing School Base Grant from the State of California. The services are provided to improve student outcomes and provide learning opportunities to administrators and teaching staff to enhance pedagogical practice and collaboration.

Rationale: 

“The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires state educational agencies to determine school eligibility for comprehensive support and improvement (CSI). Local educational agencies (LEAs) with schools that meet the criteria for CSI must partner with stakeholders to locally develop and implement a plan to improve student outcomes” (CDE; CSI May 2020). Schools’ eligibility for the above is based upon using the data from the California School Dashboard (Dashboard). There are two ways to become eligible:  1). Low graduation rate  (68% average over two years) and/or;  2). Low academic performance (lowest achieving five percent of Title 1 schools sorted by number of red and/or orange indicators on the Dashboard). The 2019 CSI eligible SRCS schools all qualified for CSI in the category of low academic performance. In order to improve and meet the accountability requirements for CSI, the district received elementary and secondary level grants to fund a locally developed and implemented action plan that addresses the reasons for eligibility, is based on a school-level needs assessment, include evidence-based interventions, and identify resource inequities (CDE; CSI 2020).

In addition to CSI eligible schools, there are additional grant funding sources, the elementary and secondary Low Performing Student Block Grants (LPSBG). The LPSBG is awarded to assist other schools in SRCS that are not eligible under CSI requirements but are still low achieving. “The LPSBG provides funds for local educational agencies (LEAs) serving students identified as low-performing on state English language arts or mathematics assessments, who are not otherwise identified for supplemental grant funding under the Local Control Funding Formula, or eligible for special education services” (CDE; LPSBG 2019). The monies awarded are to be used to address the requirements for the grant, which state that “(a)s a condition of apportionment, a school district, county office of education or charter school shall develop a plan describing how the funds will increase or improve evidence-based services for the identified pupils to accelerate increases in academic achievement, and how the effectiveness of the services will be measured.” (CDE; LPSBG 2019).

Purpose:

Consultants from Collaborative Educational Practice will facilitate the processes necessary to meet the requirements for both grants. The consultants each have over 24 years of experience and are experts in teaching and leading at all levels of the organization to improve pedagogy, leadership, and student achievement. They will work at the site level with the administrators and/or teachers to facilitate a series of sessions to customize an action plan that will include some or all of the following:  multiple source data analysis, root cause analysis, school plan development, and implementation, development of coherent intervention and instructional design and delivery action plans in face to face and remote settings across grade levels/departments, resource identification, student achievement monitoring and professional learning for teachers and leaders will be conducted using the inquiry-based learning cycles throughout the school year.  Additionally, the work will include and address the needs of student groups identified on the Dashboard. All sessions will be provided according to the site needs either face to face or virtually. All reporting requirements will be fulfilled using the feedback loop process provided to the teaching and learning team at the district office. The supports will be based on ensuring equitable access for all students to reach their full potential building and honoring their assets.

Considerations:

Due to the pandemic, education systems and traditional approaches to both teaching and learning and professional development have been disrupted, however, the requirements to comply with CSI were not waived and schools must engage in and report on the requirements listed in the Rationale section. In order to achieve the requirements, both teachers and leaders need time to learn together, to build coherence and to calibrate around the design and implementation of the required action plans. Additionally, this process requires time and trust. The consultants recommended to facilitate this work have worked with many of the teachers and leaders in SRCS over the last three years.  During that time, they built relationships with staff facilitating processes that started the key elements around building functioning teams, designing rigorous instructional tasks, and monitoring student learning with student work. Teams have begun to see progress and growth in establishing their teams and have built a level of trust in the process. Continued support from the consultants will aide in pinpointing learning loss that may have occurred during the initial portion of the pandemic along with areas in which students need continued support in order to overcome those losses and then excel academically.

Board Policy: 
BP 3600

Previous Board History:
February 27, 2019 (Item E.11): Approval of Low Performing Block Grant Application 

There is no direct financial impact to the district. The funding source is through the Low Performing School Block Grant and the Comprehensive Support and Improvement provided through the California Department of Education.

Funding for qualifying elementary CSI schools $510,369.00

Funding for qualifying middle and high CSI schools $850,616.00

Funding remaining from the three year 2018-2021 LPSBG $213,089.74

The Board will consider approval of a Provisional Internship Permit Application (PIP) for Adolfo Saldana.

This Single Subject Provisional Internship Permit (PIP) will allow the district to fill a world language, Spanish with an EL authorization, teaching position at Montgomery High School (1.0 FTE) for the 2020-2021 school year.  Spanish is a high need credential area. PIPs are not renewable and are issued on a one-time basis per applicant in any credential subject area.  Adolfo Saldana is currently enrolled in a credentialed program.  This teaching position has been posted on EdJoin, Facebook and job fairs.

The Board will consider approval of the proposed job description for a COVID-19 Coordinator.

Purpose

The proposed job description for a COVID-19 Coordinator is to create a position dedicated to facilitating clear and consistent system-wide communication with all stakeholders regarding information, processes and plans specific to COVID and aligned to other district Emergency Response and Safety plans.

Consideration

This is a new position with primary responsibility to:

1. Under the general direction of the Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources, this position has primary responsibility for the development and maintenance of a comprehensive COVID-19 response plan for all District sites, students and employees. This includes facilitating the coordination of any COVID-19 -related plans with other plans such as the District’s Safe Schools Program, Emergency Preparedness Management (including active shooter drills, earthquake and fire preparedness and crisis management) and the district's Injury Illness and Prevention Program (IIPP).

2. The COVID-19 Coordinator will ensure consistent messaging district-wide including all communications, notifications, processes, procedures, and guidelines pertaining to the safety of the staff, students, and visitors. Provides direction and develops systems and practices to disseminate information directly to the staff via email, memo or other direct means of communication while adhering to all applicable confidentiality requirements.

3. The position is to also identify and control, to the maximum extent possible, the risk of loss, damage or injury to people, property and revenue, by identifying the sources of COVID-19 related risk, evaluating risk probability and magnitude, and recommending policies, procedures and practices to mitigate risk and liability.

The position description and requirements emerged from the very thoughtful research, discussion, and needs assessment work compiled and analyzed by the members of the Return to School (RTS) Plan committee members. Specifically, that "As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and state of emergency declared by Governor Gavin Newsome, Santa Rosa City Schools (SRCS) suspended in-person learning on March 26, 2020. There is an understanding that we are in a time of unprecedented change for our educational system. It is incumbent on our community to take concrete steps forward based on the best information available. We face unparalleled challenges to meet many of the needs of our students, families, staff, and school communities. Santa Rosa City Schools is choosing to view this challenge as an opportunity to design a Return to School Plan, also SRCS’s Continuity of Learning and Attendance Plan, with equity and innovation at its core.

The District will designate a COVID-19 Coordinator who will:

1. Coordinate notification of staff, students/parents (following Public Health Guidelines) when there has been a COVID-19 exposure at a school site or other district worksite
2. Collect and report data to the Sonoma County Public Health Office
3. Be a single point of contact for concerns and questions from staff, parents, and students via a telephone, email or video conferencing during the day
4. Provide Contact Tracing in conjunction with Public Health guidelines
5. Provide for the dissemination of related communications
6. Set up COVID-19 related training for students, parents, and staff. This will include training on pre-screening and self-assessments protocols to determine when students or staff should remain at home instead of coming to a school site or other district worksite.
7. The school site administrator (Principal in most cases) or the district office department directors will act as their respective site or department lead to inform and receive information from the COVID-19 Coordinator.”

The Memorandum of Understanding negotiated with SRTA, and pending ratification by July 21, 2020, also names the role and work of the COVID-19 Coordinator:

“MOU #26. In the interest of all unit members getting consistent messaging districtwide, all communications, notifications, processes, procedures, and guidelines originating with the COVID-19 Coordinator pertaining to the safety of the unit members will be disseminated directly to the unit members via email, memo or other direct means of communication while adhering to all applicable confidentiality requirements.”

This is a temporary position necessitating a 1-year adjustment to the Classified Scheduled Management Salary Schedule, to include the 12-month position of COVID-19 Coordinator at Range 6, $99,120 113,012. This would be required as part of this item to include the approval of a 1-year temporary position.

History

COVID-19 has created unprecedented needs, brought forth new concerns, and requires new ways of thinking and doing in the ways in which we communicate and provide leadership and direction to ensure meaningful teaching and learning, and safe and secure schools. In previous years there have been similar positions such as Coordinator of Safe School and Coordinator, Risk Management and Benefits to address generalized needs in these areas. The COVID-19 global pandemic necessitates a focused plan, and a focused coordination in regards to communication,  assessment of risk and liability, the monitoring of resources allocation, and alignment to other safety and security plans.

Board Policy
BP 4111 Recruitment and Selection

The Board will consider approval of the revised Job Descriptions for Coordinator of State and Federal Programs.

Purpose

The proposed revisions to the job description for the Coordinator of State and Federal Programs is to accurately represent the skills, experience, and education necessary to support students and families K-12 in the effective leadership of the SRCS. The updated qualifications will foster an applicant pool with a wide range of experience, expertise and education.

 Consideration

The current job descriptions no longer accurately represents the leadership and strategic nuances needed for this position. This revised job description better ensures that there is coordinated development, implementation, monitoring and assessment of state of federal programs that demonstrate improved learning and achievement for all students.

Additionally, the revised job description better aligns the work of this person to ensure that State and Federal funding and allocations support the work of the District's Mission Vision and Priorities (MVP), LCAP and associated goals and outcomes at the site level through WASC accreditation at our high  schools and the Site Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) at all of our schools.

This position also aligns to the revised job descriptions for principals that recognizes the ever changing needs of students requiring highly effective, innovative leaders who know and demonstrate knowledge of both technical and adaptive leadership practices that ensure equitable outcomes for all students. The Coordinator of State and Federal Programs must also represent this mindset and be able to support such as well. 

The revised job description also clearly calls out the skills, knowledge, and disposition required of this position to be a knowledgable instructional leader who demonstrates a belief and commitment to equity, and not just as a "compliance coordinator."

Board Policy
BP 4111

Purpose

To Authorize school meal contracts for the 2020-2021 School Year for the following districts, schools, and organizations:

• Sebastopol USD 

• Horicon Elementary School District

The districts/schools listed above have requested the continuation or implementation of meal services.

Sebastopol USD meal contract, submitted to the board in May 2020, was revised to better meet the needs of Sebastopol USD in the 2020/21 school year. The revisions include changing the meal ordering deadline and an adjustment of the termination clause of the contract. The revised meal contract for Sebastopol USD requires board approval to be a valid contract.

Considerations

Contracts have been an integral part of the financial makeup of CNS for a number of years. For the 2020-2021 Fiscal Year, these contracts are anticipated to generate approximately $150,000 in revenue for the Child Nutrition Services Department. 

Revenue in excess of cost associated with the contracts will be used to offset costs for commodities, and basic goods for the meal program serving Santa Rosa City Schools students. Other factors considered with these contracts include the general labor costs and benefits including increases to PERS. 

Board Policy
BP 3550

Previous Board History

May 27,2020 (F.8) Approval of the Child Nutrition Services (CNS) Meal Contracts for the 2020-2021 School Year

June 26, 2019 (E.16)  Approval of the Child Nutrition Services (CNS) Meal Contracts for the 2019-2020 School Year 

June 27, 2018 (E.10) Approval of the Child Nutrition Services (CNS) Meal Contracts for the 2018-19 School Year

July 26, 2017 (E.16) Approval of the Child Nutrition Services (CNS) Meal Contracts for the 2017-18 School Year

These items are presented for informational purposes only.

The following are future board update items:

• Bond Update (Facilities and Technology)
• CNS Update 
• Fir Ridge / 7-11 Report
• District Boundaries  Report 

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. 

Purpose

Administrative Regulations are used to provide clarity to the procedures and practices that the District uses to support and administer Board Policies.  The SRCS Child Care program provides before and after school care to over 500 students each day and also maintains a summer program. The SRCS Childcare program provides a sliding scale fee for service to schools that do not qualify for state-subsidized after school programs. Due to the capacity of the program, maintaining an up to date and an accurate waiting list is important to families and the effective administration of the program.  The COVID-19 Pandemic requires a temporary change in the priorities for creating the SRCS Childcare program enrollment lists.

Considerations

On July 24, 2019, the Board amended the existing “waitlist” for the District Childcare programs to reflect the priorities of the community experience through our Fires and other difficult community experiences. Now, based on the need for essential workers, Distance Learning, and the need to provide “learning Loss” mitigation to our students, the Board will consider further priorities to align with the District’s Mission, Vision, and Priorities.

The following schools are where the District maintains a fee for service Child Care program and the current waitlists numbers: The need for “waitlists” at each Child Care location is the result of a lack of workforce to fill the positions of Child Care Worker.  This is an issue for other child care programs in the county as well.  This AR establishes temporary priorities for enrollment during the COVID-19 Pandemic. 

These new priorities address establishing childcare for “essential workers,” “vulnerable populations” for “learning loss” and District employees. Another clean up of language is around removing any priority for Keysight Technologies for Hidden Valley since there is no longer an existing MOU.

Board Policy
BP 5148.2
AR 5148.21

Education Code
Edcode 8420

Previous Board Action
7/24/19 (G.1) AR 5148.21 Childcare Wait list Protocol

Brief History:

On November 13, 2019, the Board of Education authorized the formation of a Surplus Property Advisory Committee to make recommendations on the use of proceeds from the sale of the Fir Ridge Parcel (APN 173-620-030)

The Fir Ridge parcel was acquired in 1988 as part of an agreement between the City of Santa Rosa, the developer, and SRCS for the development of a school site or for low/moderate-income housing. Between 1988 and 2015, the holding agreement was amended twelve times. In 2016, a Memorandum of Understanding was entered into between the City of Santa Rosa and SRCS to extend some deadlines. In 2019, the first amendment to the 2016 MOU was approved by the City of Santa Rosa and SRCS. 

On January 22, 2020, the Board of Education approved eight (8) members for the Surplus Property Committee. The following members of the community were approved:

• Herman G. Hernandez: Community member, SCOE Board Member

• Frank Pugh: Community Member, Former SRCS Board Member

• Mike Lopez: Business Community Member, Member of the SRCS Budget Advisory Committee

• Will Lyon: SRTA Representative for Teachers

• David Guhin: City of Santa Rosa Assistant City Manager / Director Planning and Economic Development

• Betty Garcia: CSEA Representative, Member of the SRCS Budget Advisory Committee

• Anna Guzman: Administrator

• Kristen Hendricks: Parent, Member of the Budget Advisory Committee, Member of the Measure I and L Citizens' Oversight Committee. 

Pursuant to Education Code Section 17388, et seq. (the “Code”), before excess real property is sold or leased, the governing board of a school district must appoint a district advisory committee (“Advisory Committee”) to advise the governing board (“Governing Board”) on the disposition of such property.

The Advisory Committee must consist of not less than seven (7) and not more than eleven (11) members, and must be represented by each of the following:

1. The ethnic, age group, and socioeconomic composition of the District;

2. The business community, such as store owners, managers, or supervisors;

3. Landowners or renters, with preference to be given to representatives of neighborhood associations;

4. Teachers;

5. Administrators;

6. Parents of students; and

7. Persons with expertise in environmental impact, legal contracts, building codes, and land use planning, including, but not limited to knowledge of the zoning and other land use restriction of the cities or cities and counties in which surplus space and real property is located.

The Surplus Property Advisory Committee shall do all of the following:

1. Review the projected school enrollment and other data as provided by the district to determine the amount of surplus space and real property.

2. Establish a priority list of use of surplus space and real property that will be acceptable to the community.

3. Cause to have circulated throughout the attendance area a priority list of surplus space and real property and provide for hearings of community input to the committee on acceptable uses of space and real property, including the sale or lease of surplus real property for child care development purposes pursuant to Section 17458.

4. Make a final determination of limits of tolerance of use of space and real property.

5. Forward to the district governing board a report recommending uses of surplus space and real property.

Next Steps:

Due to various factors including the onset of COVID-19 Pandemic, the committee will meet in August 2020 to complete the requirements as outlined above. The recommendation from the Committee, including a waiver to forgo other surplus property steps, will be presented to the Board of Education on August 26, 2020, for consideration. 

After the August 26, 2020, Board meeting, documents will be submitted to the State Board of Education for consideration on their November Agenda. 

Immediate steps after the State Board of Education meeting include:

• Board Meeting to authorize staff to file CEQA exemption

• Issue RFP seeking potential buyers or determine listing process

• Negotiate and Board approval of sale agreement 

Previous Recent Board History:

January 22, 2020 (F.14): Approval of Surplus Property Committee Members

November 13, 2019 (F.5): Approval of a Surplus Property Committee

October 23, 2019 (F.3): First Amendment to the 2016 Fir Ridge MOU

During this quarter April 1 – June 30, 2020, there has not been any Williams complaints regarding instructional materials, teacher vacancies and/or mis-assignments, or facilities conditions.

Previous quarterly report: April 22, 2020, Information Item I.2

SRCS Williams Uniform Complaint Form