Pursuant to the Governor Gavin Newsom's Executive Order N-29-20, all members of a legislative body and appropriate staff will participate in legislative meetings via phone/video conference. 

The June 23, 2020, Sylvan Union School District Regular Board Meeting will use a video conference and phone conference service.  If you would like to participate in the meeting or provide public comment, the meeting accessibility is below:

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Velma Silva Beck at vbeck@sylvan.k12.ca.us

Instructions will also be posted on our district website at www.sylvan.k12.ca.us

When: June 23, 2020 05:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Topic: SUSD Regular Board Meeting at 7:00 PM

Please click the link below to join the webinar: 
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83037284533

Or iPhone one-tap : 
    US: +16699006833,,83037284533#  or +13462487799,,83037284533# 
Or Telephone:
    Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
        US: +1 669 900 6833  or +1 346 248 7799  or +1 253 215 8782  or +1 929 436 2866  or +1 301 715 8592  or +1 312 626 6799 
    Webinar ID: 830 3728 4533
    International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kpuDzOUJM

(Government Code 54956.95) Number of Cases: One (1)

Case Number: 2925695/57732-00074

Title: Administrative Assignments

(Education Code 54957.6) District Negotiator: Debra M. Hendricks and Didi Peterson
Employee Organizations: All Groups

Pursuant to the Governor Gavin Newsom's Executive Order N-29-20, all members of a legislative body and appropriate staff will participate in legislative meetings via phone/video conference. 

The June 23, 2020, Sylvan Union School District Regular Board Meeting will use a video conference and phone conference service.  If you would like to participate in the meeting or provide public comment, the meeting accessibility is below:

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Velma Silva Beck at vbeck@sylvan.k12.ca.us

Instructions will also be posted on our district website at www.sylvan.k12.ca.us

When: June 23, 2020 05:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Topic: SUSD Regular Board Meeting at 7:00 PM

Please click the link below to join the webinar: 
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83037284533

Or iPhone one-tap : 
    US: +16699006833,,83037284533#  or +13462487799,,83037284533# 
Or Telephone:
    Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
        US: +1 669 900 6833  or +1 346 248 7799  or +1 253 215 8782  or +1 929 436 2866  or +1 301 715 8592  or +1 312 626 6799 
    Webinar ID: 830 3728 4533
    International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kpuDzOUJM

Individuals that would like to address the Board of Trustees should email Velma Silva Beck at vbeck@sylvan.k12.ca.us by 6:55 PM the evening of the board meeting and provide the following speaker card information (form is attached):

Name:

Address:

Phone Number:

Clarify if you are a Parent, Community Member or staff member

School(s):

Agenda Item or Topic:

The Board of Trustees to receive public comment on the 2020-2021 Fiscal Year Proposed Budget.

The Board of Trustees is required to adopt an annual budget by July 1 each year.  The budget must include a statement of reasons that substantiates the need for a combined assigned and unassigned ending fund balance that is above the minimum recommended reserve for economic uncertainties for the budget year.  

 Please find attached the following budget documents: 
    - 2020-21 Fiscal Year Budget packet which includes: 
         o Budget Certification 
         o Workers’ Compensation Certification 
         o Official State Financial Reports (SACS-Standardized Account Code Structure forms) for all funds the District operates 
         o SACS Form ADA 
         o SACS Form MYP 
         o SACS Criteria and Standards Review 
         o SACS Technical Review Checks 
    - 2020-21 Budget MYP 
    - 2020-21 Fund Balance Reserves (Statement of reasons in excess of minimum recommended reserves)

The Board of Trustees will be taking action on the State Financial Report inclusive of the Criteria and Standards

It is recommended the Board of Trustees adopt the 2020-21 Fiscal Year Budget as provided.

Since approval of Proposition 30, Education Protection Account (EPA), increasing sales tax and income tax for upper-income tax payers, each school district is required to report the use of these funds.   EPA revenue funds are deposited into resource 1400.  The estimated EPA for fiscal year 2020-21 is $9,543,707.   EPA revenue is expended entirely on school site employee salaries and benefits.  For 2020-21, EPA is budgeted for salaries and benefits for middle school teachers and counselors.   Attached is an exhibit of the spending determinations for EPA showing that the majority of the funds are allocated for instruction (certificated teachers salaries and benefits) and a portion for guidance and counseling services (counselors salaries and benefits).  The accounting of EPA will be posted on the District’s website with the adopted budget documents and updated with final receipt amount and expenditures at the end of each fiscal year. 

Proposition 30, The Schools and Local Public Safety Protection Act of 2012, approved by the voters on November 6, 2012, temporarily increases the states sales tax rate for all taxpayers and the personal income tax rates for upper-income taxpayers.  The revenues generated from Proposition 30 are deposited into a state account called the Education Protection Account (EPA). 

Despite implementation of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) in fiscal year 2013–14, EPA entitlements continue to be calculated based on adjusted revenue limits.  The funding amounts continue as components of the LCFF as part of an LEA's (local educational agency) floor calculation.  The California Department Education (CDE) calculates EPA entitlements based on the statewide total of revenue limits and charter school block grant funding.  Each LEA's EPA entitlement is then reduced so that funding from local revenue and the EPA combined do not exceed the LEA's adjusted LCFF.  The CDE will allocate EPA revenues on a quarterly basis (September, December, March, and June) through the 2030–31 fiscal year.* 

*Proposition 55 (2016), the ballot measure to continue the increased personal income taxes for an additional 12 years—not the increased sales taxes—contained in Proposition 30 (2012), continues the use of the EPA as the fund into which the increased revenues are deposited for the purpose of distributing to California school agencies. 

Proposition 55 continues the requirement that the funds received from the EPA cannot be used for salaries or benefits of administrators or any other administrative costs.  Therefore, the following requirements still apply to local school or community college agencies with respect to funds received from the EPA: 
    • Adopt a spending plan in the public session of a meeting of the Governing Board before the fiscal year begins 
    • Post a report on the website of the amount of EPA funds received and how the funds were spent 
    • Make the necessary information available for the external auditor to confirm compliance during the annual financial audit

It is recommended the Board of Trustees adopt Resolution 2019/2020 - #30: 2020-21 
Education Protection Account.

As we prepare for the safe reopening of schools in August, we are proactively planning for the provision of distance learning either by parental choice or by necessity in the event that a classroom or school is required to close due to an outbreak of COVID-19. With this in mind, we are working to ensure that the necessary tools and equipment are in place to pivot teachers and students from brick and mortar classrooms to remote teaching and learning. The most important piece of equipment to support at-home learning conditions during distance learning is the district-issued student device. In order to bridge the digital divide for students, it is necessary to supplement our district-wide 1:1 student-to-device ratio to include students in grades TK, Kindergarten, and First Grade. In addition, several special education groups will need district-issued devices in order to access digital learning resources through our distance learning platform. Therefore, we have identified Title I funds to be used for the purchase of student Chromebooks (quantity four hundred eleven (411)) to positively impact both student engagement and performance during distance learning in the 2020-21 school year.

Staff is requesting approval to purchase chromebooks from the lowest bidder, Arey Jones.

Staff recommends the Board of Trustees approve the purchase of Chromebooks (quantity four hundred eleven (411)) with Arey Jones for use during distance learning in the 2020-21 school year. 

Staff recommends the Board of Trustees approve the purchase of Chromebooks (quantity four hundred eleven (411)) with Arey Jones for use during distance learning in the 2020-21 school year. 

Ruckus is our wireless access point system that we have used in Sylvan District for many years. We currently have two (2) controllers that are accessed to manage the multiple access points. One (1) controller is very old and manages five old access points.

This quote is for the purchase of five (5) new access points and a year of WatchDog support for the newer controller. Purchasing these five (5) new access points allows us to remove to the old controller and the five(5) old access points. This will allow us to manage our wireless system using one controller and continue with uninterrupted wireless service. The cost for this quote will be paid out of funds we have received from selling back old technology so there is no impact to the General Fund.

This quote does not supersede the ERate wireless upgrade project, but this does allow us to have uninterrupted wireless access. Without movement on this quote our wireless system is at risk. If the decision to move forward with the ERate wireless upgrade project is made, the five (5) new access points purchased will be used with the wireless upgrade. After researching with our IT contracted partner, it was determined that this option is the most viable and provides us the best service for wireless connectivity. Once the quote is approved, our IT contracted partner will submit a ticket with Ruckus. They will work with Ruckus to migrate our access points to the newer controller.

This contract with Nicro, Inc. is for the repair of underground sewer lines at Woodrow Elementary School.

For many years now, the sewer lines at Woodrow have been a constant source of issues ranging from poor toilet drainage to sewage backup coming up through the floor drains.

Maintenance and Operations has had to call out to various plumbing companies to clear the sewer lines on multiple occasions, at great cost to the district, as well as requiring that restrooms be shut down during repairs, resulting in disruption to the school day. 

Repairing the damaged section of pipe will require digging and trenching to an estimated depth of 7- 12 feet. Trenching to this depth (below 4’) requires that OSHA approved shoring and shielding devices are in place throughout the repair. 

This project is on the capital Outlay Plan but the cost is much higher than it was originally estimated, due the complex requirements of the project.  The cost difference can be absorbed by cost savings realized from other projects.  These projects are funded from the Routine & Restricted Maintenance Funds.  

We recommend proceeding with this work as soon as possible to take advantage of a mostly empty campus. 

The Board will consider approval of contract with Nicro, Inc. for the repair of underground sewer lines at Woodrow Elementary School.

Over the last year, maintenance staff has worked to complete projects approved by the Board of Trustees in 2019. Due in part to COVID-19 and the resulting impact on staffing levels and contractor availability, not all projects are complete and will be carried over into the 2020-21 fiscal year budget.  Attached is an update to the 2019-20 Plan.

For 2020-2021, we currently have $1,397.000 of projects identified, with an anticipated budget for new projects of approximately $1,322.000 and $75,000 from carry-over projects. Staff has reviewed the project list and identified high priority projects to be considered for funding for the 2020-21 fiscal year. Attached is the FY 2020-21 Capital Outlay Plan as well as the System Replacement Plan.

This Capital Outlay Plan is approved a year in advance but must remain somewhat fluid as unanticipated projects are likely to occur throughout the year that may rise to a higher priority than those projects identified on the Capital Outlay Plan. 

Once Board approval for the overall plan is received, staff will move forward with scheduling the projects as it is feasible for the timeline and need of each project. Staff will seek competitive pricing on all projects and request individual approval for each project before awarding contracts for work exceeding $45,000.

Routine Repair and Maintenance (Fund 01.8150) $1,397,000

Some project costs are estimated

As part of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, staff has been reviewing standards and procedures regarding the disinfection of classrooms and other school interior areas. As a result of this review, it has been determined that electrostatic fogging is the most effective, productive and cost-efficient method of ensuring that interior surfaces are appropriately treated.

After reviewing several different application devices, the Clorox 360 system offers some clear advantages and balances cost versus efficacy and efficiency. Fourteen (14) units would be required to allow for one (1) unit per school site as well as one unit for the roving custodian that takes care of Maintenance and Operations, Nutrition Services, Child Care and the District Office. 

We have obtained pricing from Schilling Supply Company (Online) and Randik (Local).

Schilling Supply Company    $82,712.00 

Randik Paper                        $67,201.29

We have received our NCR Property & Liability Insurance renewal for the 2020/2021 year, effective July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2021.  Our renewal is with Northern California Relief (NCR), which the board approved district membership to join this Joint Powers Authority (JPA) in September 2019.  As a reminder, this included a three (3) year membership commitment to the NCR JPA.  

Our renewal premium for 2020/2021 represents an annual increase of $32,143 over the 2019/2020 year.  These increases are as a result of overall member increases in claims (not specific to Sylvan), particularly liability claims relating to sexual/abuse molestation claims, driven by the recent change in law to extend to the statute of limitations.  This change in law greatly increases insurance exposure and it is expected to see these claims continue to rise.  Increases are also as a result of property losses due to the vast loss and devastation suffered from all of the recent CA wildfires.  NCR shared that California has now been placed on a "high risk" list by insurers due to these wildfires as insurers are still recovering from these massive losses. 

The attached two (2) proposals give two (2) options for renewals.  Option 4.0 is for coverage remaining as is with MRL/Deductibles of $100K for both Property & Liability coverage.  Option 8.0 is for coverage changing to MRL/Deductible of $50K for Property ($100K for Liability as is), with an added cost of $3,240 to reduce this property deductible by $50K.  This is a per incident deductible so reducing this deductible would be very beneficial to the district's exposure for a very reasonable cost.  We also received a quote to reduce the Liability deductible by $50K but the cost of that is much more, at approx $30k, so it is not recommended at this time, however, we can continue to evaluate this option in future years.  

One more thing to note on the renewal options is that both of these options include the cost of our excess insurance, an annual cost of $74,164.  This was also a recent change in carriers from SELF to SAFER and was approved by the Board on May 12, 2020.  SAFER was recently made available to us through our NCR membership and resulted in a much more favorable renewal than SELF, which would have otherwise cost the district approximately $64K more than SAFER. 

In summary, it is recommended the Board of Trustees approve the NCR Property & Liability 2020/2021 renewal with Option 8.0, which includes a reduced MRL of $50,000 for Property Coverage, at a cost of $382,233 plus $74,164 of excess insurance cost for an overall Total Program Cost of $456,397.

Attached you will find both renewal options (4.0 & 8.0) as well as a renewal comparison spreadsheet that includes 2019/2020 coverage vs 2020/20201 Option 4.0 vs Option 8.0.

It is recommended that Board of Trustees approve the minutes of the June 2, 2020 Regular Board Meeting.

We have two (2) postage machines with Pitney Bowes.  Our District Office postage machine was just recently updated.  We are now updating the postage machine at Maintenance and Operations. The current quarterly cost is $929.04 and the new cost will be $1,045.98.  This will be an increase of $116.94.

We are requesting approval of a new sixty (60) month lease with Pitney Bowes for a new postage machine at Maintenance and Operations.  

Staff recommends the approval of the lease agreement with Pitney Bowes for the new postage machine at Maintenance and Operations. 

It is recommended the Board of Trustees accept the lease agreement with Pitney Bowes for the new postage machine at Maintenance and Operations. 

General Fund R0000 - Quarterly increase of $116.94

Each School Site Council is required to review data and revise the School Plan for Student Achievement annually.  The School Site Council evaluates the effectiveness of the actions pertaining to each goal based on student performance. Goals and actions ensure the school conducts a high-quality program that is effectively managed and operated within appropriate legal parameters.  The plan is tied directly to the school site budget.

Staff recommends the approval of the 2020-2021 School Plans for Student Achievement for the thirteen (13) Sylvan Union School District schools.

It is recommended the Board of Trustees approve the 2020-2021 School Plan for Student Achievement for Sylvan Union School District.

The Sylvan Union School District has qualified for State of California ASES funds in the amount of $237,837 for C.F. Brown and Sylvan Elementary Schools.  The After School Education and Safety (ASES) Program will provide the funds to the District, which will be utilized to partner with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Stanislaus County (Club).  The Club will provide services in furtherance of the ASES Program’s purpose to deliver literacy and educational and recreational enrichment activities for the benefit of students from the ending of each regular school day to 6:00 p.m. 

Staff recommends the approval of the agreement not to exceed a total fee of $237,837.  Compensation will be reduced for indirect costs incurred by the District for Administrative Support of the grant.  Additionally, total compensation will be adjusted downward in an amount each year to cover the cost of employment compensation of district employees who will provide services to support both the ASES Program and Boys & Girls Clubs of Stanislaus County educational and recreational enrichment activities.   

It is recommended the Board of Trustees approve the Portrait Agreement for Orchard Elementary School with Shoob Photography for the 2020-2021 school year.

It is recommended the Board of Trustees approve the Portrait Agreement for Orchard Elementary School with Shoob Photography for the 2020-2021 school year.

The District has received donations as follows: 

1. The donation of $280.00 from Patricio "Jose" Jimenez to Mary Ann Sanders Elementary School for instructional materials, curriculum or interventions for students. 

2. The donation of $592.00 from Sherwood Parent Teacher Club to Sherwood Elementary School for the purchase of playground equipment for students.

3. The donation of $300.00 from YourCause Employee Giving Program to Somerset Middle School for instructional materials, curriculum or interventions for students.