The Presiding Officer will call the meeting to order at 5:45 p.m. before the Board Recesses to Closed Session.  The Regular Meeting will convene by 7:30 p.m. 

Persons wishing to address the Board should fill out a green speaker card.  Cards turned in by 5:15 p.m. will be given priority. Speakers will be randomly selected based on topic and position, with BUSD students generally given priority. Public Testimony is limited to 15 minutes with a 3-minute limit per speaker per topic although the time allotted per speaker may be reduced to 2 minutes at the discretion of the President. 

The Board may recess into Closed Session before or after the public meeting under the authority of the Brown Act (including but not limited to Government Code section 54954.5, 54956.8, 54956.9, 54957, 54957.6, as well as Education Code section 35146).  Under Government Code section 54954.3, members of the public may address the board on an item on the Closed Session agenda, before Closed Session.

Persons wishing to address the Board should fill out a green speaker card.  Cards turned in by 7:15 p.m. will be given priority.        

Speakers will be randomly selected based on topic and position, with BUSD students generally given priority.  Public Testimony is limited to 30 minutes with a 3-minute limit per speaker per topic although the time allotted per speaker may be reduced to 2 minutes at the discretion of the President. 

Board members and the Superintendent are given the opportunity to address any issue.  

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 

TO:      Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent
FROM:  Evelyn Tamondong-Bradley, Assistant Superintendent, HR
DATE:  March 22, 2017
SUBJECT:    Approval of Human Resources Reports

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
On a regular basis, staff presents Human Resources Reports listing employment actions for the Board to approve officially. Please refer to attached reports for details.

     BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

TO:           Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent
FROM:        Pasquale Scuderi, Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services
DATE:         March 22, 2017
SUBJECT:  Approval of Overnight Field Trips

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The following overnight field trips are being requested:

Pt. Bonita Retreat Center, Sausalito, CA-April 19-21, 2017
Approve participation of twenty-six 5th grade students, one teacher and five other adults on a three-day, two-night field trip to Pt. Bonita Retreat Center, Sausalito, CA. The group will depart Oxford School on Wednesday, April 19^th, at 9:15 a.m., and return Friday, April 21, 2017 at 1:30 p.m.  The group will engage in hands on science based lessons, learning about the environment, healthy nutrition and wellness, hiking, and thoughtful team building activities. BUSD will provide transportation.  Students will sleep in gender specific cabins.  The cost of $160.00 per student for the trip will be paid from teacher and parent donations.  No student will be denied access based on inability to pay.  Requested by: Beth Rhine, Principal.

Samuel P. Taylor State Park, San Francisco, CA-April 24-26, 2017
Approve participation of twenty-seven fifth grade students, one teacher, and five other adults from Jefferson Elementary on a three-day, two-night field trip to Samuel P. Taylor State Park in San Francisco.  The group will depart Jefferson on Monday, April 24^th at 9:00 a.m. and return Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at 2:30 p.m.  Students will learn about local ecology, environment protection, and native cultures while working on cooperative, decision-making, communication and leadership skills.  Students will sleep in gender specific tents.  BUSD will provide transportation.  The total cost of $1500 is being paid through class fundraising, parent donations and a BPSF grant. No student will be denied access based on inability to pay. Requested by: Mary Cazden, Jefferson Principal.

BHS Jazz Lab IIa, Jazz Lab IIb, Jazz Ensemble, Reno Jazz Festival, Reno, NV-April 28-30, 2017
Approve participation of thirty students, one teacher and 8 other adults from Berkeley High School’s Jazz classes, on a three-day, two-night field trip to the Reno Jazz Festival.  The group will depart from BHS at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, April 28^th, and return at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 30, 2017.  Combos play music composed and arranged by students.  The festival includes many high school groups which will enable students to focus on analyzing the elements that make a good performance.  Students will stay in supervised, gender specific rooms at the Circus Circus Reno.  Students will travel with volunteer parent drivers to and from the event.  Parents have submitted a “Notification of Adults Driving Private Vehicles” as required by Resolution 04-65.  The $8,500.00 cost is being paid with BHS Jazz Association funds. No student will be denied access based on inability to pay. Requested by: Erin Schweng, BHS Principal

POLICY/CODE:
Education Code 35330
Board Policy 6153

FISCAL IMPACT:
As indicated above.

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the out of state travel and overnight field trips consistent with the District Policies and instructional programs.

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT  

TO:             Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent
FROM:        Pasquale Scuderi, Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services
DATE:         March 22, 2017
SUBJECT:  Out of State Travel Request

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The following out of state travel request is being requested:

AVID 2017 Summer Institute, Dallas, TX, June 21-23, 2017
Approval for Chris Albeck, Vice Principal at Willard Middle School, Sharon Arthur, Teacher at Willard Middle School, Melissa Corrigan, Teacher at Willard Middle School, Marcos Garcia, Principal at Longfellow Middle School, Janet Levinson, Principal at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School, Mary Patterson, Teacher at Longfellow Middle School, Crystal Paschel, Teacher at Longfellow Middle School, Maggie Riddle, Director of K-8 Schools and Patricia Saddler, Director of Programs and Special Projects to attend this three day, two night training.  The AVID 2017 Summer Institute will provide them with the expertise to increase schoolwide learning and performance for students in grades four through twelve.  The purpose of the AVID program is to restructure the teaching methods of an entire school and to open access to the curricula that will ensure four-year college eligibility for almost all students.  Requested by Patricia Saddler, Director of Programs and Special Projects.  Travel and conference is approximately $2,300.00 per person and will be paid using LCAP AVID funds.

POLICY/CODE:
Education code 35330
Board Policy 6153

FISCAL IMPACT:
As indicated above.

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the out of state travel consistent with District policies and instructional programs.

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 

TO:             Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent
FROM:        Pasquale Scuderi, Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services
DATE:         March 22, 2017
SUBJECT:   Out of State Travel Request

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The following out of state travel request is being requested:

18^th Annual White Privilege Conference – Understanding, Respecting, and Connecting, Kansas City, MO, April 28-30, 2017
Approval for Stephen Cahill, Learning Support Coordinator at The Berkeley School and Rebecca Greco, Humanities Teacher and Librarian at The Berkeley School to attend this three-day, two-night conference.  The 18^th Annual White Privilege Conference will provide them with examination into the challenging concepts of privilege and oppression and offer solutions and team building strategies to work toward more equitable instructional practices.  The conference will allow them to brainstorm how to build on their knowledge for how The Berkeley School faculty/staff can build an environment where students are impacted by the Teaching Tolerance Social Justice standards.  Requested by Patricia Saddler, Director of Programs and Special Projects.  Travel and conference cost is approximately $2,059.34 and will be paid using Title II A funds.

POLICY/CODE:
Education code 35330
Board Policy 6153

FISCAL IMPACT:
As indicated above.

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the out of state travel consistent with District policies and instructional programs.

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 

TO:             Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent
FROM:        Pasquale Scuderi, Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services
DATE:         March 22, 2017
SUBJECT:  Out of State Travel Request

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The following out of state travel request is being requested:

The TCRWP June Writing Institute, New York, NY, June 19-23, 2017
Approval for Jennifer Corn, Principal at Thousand Oaks Elementary School, Paco Furlan, Principal at Rosa Parks Elementary School, Rene Molina, Principal at Berkeley Arts Magnet Elementary School and Katia Hazen, Principal at Washington Elementary School to attend this five-day, four-night training.  The TCRWP June Writing Institute will provide them with staff developers to work with them to study methods and plan curricula, revitalize their thinking to foster independence and a growth mindset in student writers.  They will also learn how to develop classroom and school cultures that value self-assessment. Requested by Maggie Riddle, Director of K-8 Schools.  Travel and conference cost is approximately $2,800 per person and will be paid using K-8 Schools General Funds designated for Administrator Professional Development.

POLICY/CODE:
Education code 35330
Board Policy 6153

FISCAL IMPACT:
As indicated above.

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the out of state travel consistent with District policies and instructional programs.

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

TO:             Donald Evans, Ed. D., Superintendent
FROM:        Javetta Cleveland, Deputy Superintendent
DATE:          March 22, 2017
SUBJECT:  Approval of Contracts/Purchase Orders for Services Contracts

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The District contracts with consultants or independent contractors who can provide valuable and necessary specialized services not normally required on a continuing basis. The following contract services are requested. Expenditures are within budget.

1. LifeLong Medical Care to provide supervision and implementation of the Super Science Saturdays program at Washington, LeConte and Rosa Parks Elementary schools for the period from 2/20/17-5/26/17. The cost will not exceed $41,800. To be paid from LCAP Supplemental Fund. Requested by Patricia Saddler.
2. Mid County Officials Network to provide sport officiating for the King, Longfellow, and Willard Middle School LEARNS Afterschool Program sports league for the period from 11/14/16 - 6/16/17.  The cost will not exceed $24,446. To be paid from Afterschool Parent Paid Fees. Requested by Aaron Jorgensen.
3. Increase in contract amount, PO#170456, to United California Glass and Door, to provide additional door and gate repair services for the Maintenance Department. The original purchase order in the amount of $4000 was issued on 8/9/16. The additional amount requested is $6000 for a total amount of $10,000. To be paid from Measure H. Requested by Steve Collins.
4. Increase in contract amount, PO 170034, to Roto Rooter to provide additional plumbing services for the Maintenance Department. The Board approved $15,000 on 6/15/17. The additional contract amount will increase the cost by $10,000 for a total amount of $25,000. To be paid from Measure H. Requested by Steve Collins.

POLICY/CODE:
Public Contract Code: 20111
Board Policy 3310

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the contracts with Consultants or Independent Contractors as submitted.

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

TO:             Dr. Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent
FROM:        Pauline E. Follansbee, Director of Fiscal Services
DATE:        March 22, 2017
SUBJECT: Approve Listing of Warrants issued in February 2017.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Each month the District writes several checks to vendors for services provided and goods received.  The checks are written against both the Restricted and Unrestricted General Fund.  The summaries of warrants for the month of February is attached for the Board’s review.

POLICY/CODE:
Educational Code Section 41010 et seq.

FISCAL IMPACT:
$5,300,012.15 for the month of February 2017 from various funds.  

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the monthly bill warrant list for the month of February 2017.

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

TO:             Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent
FROM:        Pauline Follansbee, Director of Fiscal Services
DATE:         March 22, 2017
SUBJECT: Approval of Payroll Warrants Issued in February 2017

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
On a regular basis, the Board receives information on the total amount paid employees during a month.  The attached represents a summary of pay warrants from various funds for the month of February 2017.

POLICY/CODE:
Educational Code 41010 et seq.

FISCAL IMPACT:
$8,143,226.01, for February 2017 from various funds.

STAFF RECOMMENDATION: 
Approve payroll payments made in February 2017.

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

TO:                Donald Evans, Ed.D, Superintendent
FROM:           Timothy E. White, Executive Director of Facilities
DATE:           March 22, 2017
SUBJECT:    Authorization for a Budget Increase for Malcolm X Building Envelope Rehabilitation Project

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
On March 9, 2016 the Board approved an item clarifying the structure and scope of the Malcolm X construction projects which consists of the Interim Housing portion and the Building Envelope Rehabilitation Project.  The budget was increased by $918,768 for a total for both projects of $4,398,122.  On June 15, 2016 the Board awarded a contract to Vila Construction for the Malcolm X Building Envelope Rehabilitation Project increasing the budget $800,000.  On December 7, 2017 the Board approved a contract increase for WLC Architects and a project budget increase of $160,137 for a project total budget of $5,358,259.

On November 2, 2016 the Board approved Futility Resolution 17-041 for change orders exceeding the 10% threshold.  To date, there have been 16 approved change orders totaling $358,661.  There are many change orders yet to be negotiated and approved.  The change orders generally fall into four categories: repair of existing dry rot wood framing; a modified design to the window framing and flashing; unforeseen conditions; and increased flooring replacement and painting.

There are four  primary reasons for the changes:

1. Dry Rot:  During the design of the project an exploration was performed to obtain an understanding of the repairs needed. Based on this information, we included allowances in the bid for dry rot repairs.  After full removal of the exterior stucco, it was found that the dry rot in the framing of the building was much more extensive than anticipated and covered by the allowances.  The dry rot repairs are anticipated to cost approximately $500,000.
2. Hidden Conditions:  Once the existing stucco was removed, the design team determined that there needed to be a more substantial waterproof flashing system at the wood framed openings for the new windows. We estimate that this change will increase the project costs by $400,000.
3. Change orders for Unforeseen Conditions: In addition to the two major issues above, there are multiple smaller change orders which include addressing waterproofing and interior plaster repair in the auditorium along with other additional items that were not in scope. We estimate that these will increase the project costs by $380,000.
4. Additional Scope: While classrooms and other areas are empty during construction, we deem this a prime opportunity to repaint and replace flooring. A separate project would be more expensive and require disrupting the school operation again.  We estimate that this additional scope will add approximately $220,000.

POLICY/CODE:Board Policy 3310

FISCAL IMPACT:
The project is funded through Measure I.   The change orders outlined will require an increase to the project budget of $1,500,000.

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the increase to the budget of $1,500,000 for a total project budget of $6,858,259

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

TO:             Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent
FROM:       Susan Craig, Ed.D., Director, Student Services
Pasquale Scuderi, Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services       
DATE:        March 22, 2017
SUBJECT:  Approval of School Safety Plans             

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Each California public school must have and maintain an individual safety plan at each site.  This plan is a composite of various community, agency, and school resources to ensure proper response to any emergency.

All School Site Safety Plans have the following standard components, although individual plans and responses may differ from site to site:

• Directory of District and City Emergency Contact Information
• List of Safety Team Members
• Emergency Action Plans
• Overview of District and School Site Responsibility for Students to and from School
• Basic Actions for Safety Responses
• Responsibility and Duties for all District Staff
• Procedures for Emergency Drills and Evacuation
• Crisis Response Team Protocol:
• Intruder Shooting and Hostage
• Bomb Threats
• Student Unrest
• Policies and Procedures for:
  Sexual Assault or Offense to and from School
  School and After-school Disturbances, Fights, or Assaults
  Arrest of Student
  Anti-Bullying Policy
  Sexual Harassment Policy
  Hate Motivated Behavior Policy
  Child Abuse Reporting
  Suicide Attempt
  Staff Notification of Dangerous Students
  Dress Code
  Campus Supervision
• Selected Rules and Procedures for Student Discipline
• District Suspension and Expulsion Policies
• Exposure and Control of Bloodborne Pathogens
• Implementation Plan
• Structural Assessment and Review 

2016 Safety Plan Goals

All BUSD Safety Plans include the following two District-wide goals this year. In addition, every safety plan includes at least one site-specific goal:

Goal 1: Safety Drills

Strategy: Initiate drills for armed intruder preparedness, earthquakes, and fire as follows, record the drills in the Drill Schedule Google Doc, and provide notification to families of upcoming drills:

1. Fire drills: pre-schools and elementary schools – monthly; middle schools, high schools, and adult school – 4X year
2. Earthquake drills: pre-schools and elementary schools – 2X year simple drills/ 1-2X year more complicated drills; middle schools, high schools, and adult school – 1X year simple drill/ 1-2X year more complicated drills
3. Armed intruder drills: 2X year all sites, must use the ALICE protocols, 1 drill must be during the after-school program for applicable sites. Review the ALICE armed intruder preparedness protocols with all staff.

Goal 2: School Climate

         Strategies:

1. A team of staff from every elementary and middle school will participate in two full-day Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) trainings which includes a site assessment of PBIS practices and a plan for increased implementation of PBIS and restorative practices.
2. The school will have a process in place through the through the Coordination of Services (COS) Team to identify high needs students and provide targeted support. The COS team shall meet bi-weekly, at a minimum.
3. The school will implement school-wide strategies that support a welcoming and inclusive school community including continued implementation of PBIS and Toolbox (Pre-K – 8) and Restorative Justice (middle and high schools).

All sites have completed their Safety Plans and obtained approval from the School Governance Council and/or Site Safety Committee. 

A copy of each site’s Safety Plan has been placed in the Superintendent’s Conference Room for review.  The Safety Plans are now being presented to the Board for approval. 

POLICY/CODE:
Board Policy 3516
Education Code 32280-32289

FISCAL IMPACT:
None 

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the School Safety Plans 

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

TO:             Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent
FROM:        Nutrition Services Department
DATE:          March 22, 2017
SUBJECT:  Restructure of Nutrition Services to Address Staffing Shortages and Change in Service 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Nutrition Services Department has seven vacant Nutrition Service Assistant (NSA) positions without substitutes to backfill the vacancies on a day to day basis.  There is no eligibility list due to lack of applicants and qualified candidates.  Human Resources has recruited at the adult school, UC Berkeley and the Berkeley City College but has not been able to fill the all of the NSA positions due to lack of interest. On any given day the department is operating at a deficit of 32% of required staffing.  In order to manage the staff shortages, Nutrition Services has used managers, secretaries, drivers and support staff to fill in for vacancies to ensure that both breakfast and lunch are prepared, distributed, and served on a timely basis at all sites. In addition, the Nutrition Services has moved from operating elementary schools with two persons per site to only one Satellite Operator and the NSA’s have been temporarily reassigned to the central kitchen instead of working at their respective school sites.

The central kitchen staff are now pre-packaging individual servings of meals to facilitate the single person operation at elementary schools.  The central kitchen staff are cooking all foods including items that were previously prepared at the school site (for example, rice) in order to lessen the burden on the Satellite Operator working alone at the site.  Salad bars service remains intact.  Although, Nutrition Services is unable to provide a buffet style food service as specified by BUSD Food Policy, the change to the single service model still continues to follow the same menu providing the same quality meals.  However, the food delivery system is different and not at the same level.  The perception, however, is that the food has changed but it is the delivery system that has changed.  The students as well as parents are rejecting the same food because it is being served in a different manner.  This is affecting our participation rates and therefore, our bottom line.

The NSAs provide the preparation and distribution of food for breakfast and lunch.  The NSA positions are difficult to fill at .40 FTE (3 hours per day, $14.22 to $17.34 per hour) and are 10 month positions.  Comparable positions at neighboring districts are .67 FTE and which are at least 5 hours a day or more.  The most recent compensation study did not award these positions an increase because they were already paid higher than the average in comparison to other districts.  However, in other Districts, the positions are paid for more hours.  Since these positions are only .4 FTE, they are less desirable due the amount earned per week and month. Retention is also a concern. 

Staff believe that increasing the number of hours for these part-time positions will make these open positions more marketable and create better retention rates.  Staff feels that additional resources are critical to sustaining the high quality program, providing consistent services and preventing burn out from staff that are covering for others.  Staff have signed an MOU agreement with BCCE, pending board approval, for this reorganization.  This reorganization will allow more consistent services to school sites and students.  Staff is requesting approval to address the staffing shortages as follows:

• Eliminate four vacant .40 FTE NSA central kitchen positions that are unfilled or filled as a second job.
• Decrease a current .80 FTE NSA at King Middle School through attrition to a .67 FTE when the position becomes vacant.
• Decrease a current 1.0 FTE NSA at King Middle School to .67 FTE through attrition when the position becomes vacant.
• Decrease a vacant .93 FTE NSA at King Middle School to .67 FTE.
• Increase Seven NSA positions from a .4 FTEs (3 hours) to .76 FTEs (5.75 hours).  Additionally, change each of the two NSA positions working two .4 FTE jobs to 1.0 FTE.  The .4 FTE positions currently work at one location.  The change to .76 FTE will allow the employees to work at the central kitchen and a primary location each day.  Each employee will start at the central kitchen and then report to their assigned school site.  For example, an employee will work 2 hours at the Central Kitchen and an assigned elementary school site for 3 hours.  Paid travel time, shift differential and breaks are worked into this model.  We will grandparent all current employees into the 5.75 hour positions and therefore, no existing employee will be forced to 5.75 hours.  All new hires will be required to work 5.75 hours.  

POLICY/CODE:
N/A

FISCAL IMPACT:
An estimated $86,900 to be paid out of Cafeteria Fund in 2017-18 and $15,000 for the remainder of 2016-17.  $_$55,947 of this amount is due to increased funding for statutory (including PERS) and health benefits that the NSAs are currently not eligible due to the low number of hours. not meeting the eligibility for health benefits.  In 2018-19, $86,900 may need to be contributed from the general fund.  It should be noted that 5 years ago during the State recession, Nutrition Services, reduced the amount of (meals for the needy funding) being transferred from the general fund to the Cafeteria Fund by $100,000.  This restructure will essentially return those funds back to the program.  In 2015-16, the Cafeteria Fund had deficit spending of $165,700 and ended with a balance of $505,000 in reserves.  In 2016-17, the Cafeteria fund is projected to deficit spend by $214,000 and ending with a balance of $290,000. The restructure will reduce the projected ending fund balance for 2017-18 almost entirely and therefore, possibly requiring the additional contribution from the general fund.  The current deficit spending has been caused by negotiated salary increases, compensation study, increases in PERS retirement, increase in food costs and reduction in revenue due to reduction in participation.  The Cafeteria Fund budget has absorbed all salary increases over the last 5 years without an additional contribution from the General Fund.  Staff will continue to work on balancing the budget by working with sites to increase participation.

In 2011-12, the District cut $100,000 from the Nutrition Services budget on an annual basis due to State budget cuts to the general fund.  This cut was made by decreasing the general fund transfer of the Meals for the Needy funding to the Cafeteria Fund.   In 2018-19 or the subsequent year, the General Fund may need to return the $100,000 cut to the Food Services budget to help offset increasing cost as well as increase participation or fees.   In 2010-11, the District previously transferred $800,000 to the Cafeteria Fund from the General Fund’s Meals for the Needy program funding. The Nutrition Services Department’s universal breakfast program generated the Meals for the Needy funding based on participation in the breakfast program and increased this funding by several hundred thousand to a high of $800,000 when the District moved to Universal Breakfast which increased participation and funding.  This funding was rolled into the new State funding formula (LCFF).  The District currently contributes only $632,000 of this funding to the Cafeteria Fund.

The District also transferred indirect food services cost (i.e custodial) out of the Nutrition Services budget to the General Fund and reduced the transfer to Nutrition Services for an additional $68,000 which had no overall fiscal impact.  Since the Meals for the Needy funding was rolled into LCFF and is unrestricted, the District continues to transfer the reduced balance of $632,000 from the General Fund to the Cafeteria Fund each year. 

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the staff’s recommended restructure of the Food Services Department for implementation in 2016-17 and subsequent years.

BERKELEY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Board of Education
1231 Addison St., Berkeley, CA 94702
510-644-6206
Official Minutes
March 8, 2017

President Alper called the meeting to order at 7:30. He reported that the Board convened to Closed Session at 6:00pm.

Roll Call
Board of Education:
Ty Alper, President – Present,
Josh Daniels, Vice President – Present
Beatriz Leyva-Cutler, Director/Clerk – Present
Karen Hemphill, Director – Present
Judy Appel, Director -- Present
Petra Silvey, Student Director, BHS – Excused
Alaunte Keys, Student Director, BTA – Absent

Administration:
Donald E. Evans, Ed. D, Superintendent
Javetta Cleveland, Deputy Superintendent
Pasquale Scuderi, Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services
Evelyn Tamondong-Bradley, Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources
Lyz Chairez, Recorder

REPORT CLOSED SESSION

President Alper reported out on closed session:

Collective Bargaining Government Code Section 54957.6(a) (Lead Negotiator: Legal Counsel Roy Combs) BFT Negotiations

The Board discussed this matter and provided direction to staff; no action taken.

Conference with Legal Counsel—Existing Litigation Workers Compensation Claim (Government Code Section 54956.9(b))

Claim no. 130900130
This item was postponed until the next meeting.

Public Employee Discipline/Dismissal/Release/Evaluation (Government Code Sections 54954.5(e), 54057)

Certificated Temporary Releases, Probationary Non-Reelections and Potential Administrative Reassignments
The Board discussed this matter and provided direction to staff; no action taken.

Public Employee Appointments: Principal, Berkeley Technology Academy (Government Code Section 54957)

Motion to approve the appointment of Ardarius McDonald as the Principal at BTA:
Hemphill/Appel and unanimously approved 5-0. 

Superintendent’s Midyear Evaluation (Government Code Section 54957)

This item was postponed until the next meeting.           

OPEN SESSION

APPROVAL OF REGULAR MEETING AGENDA
At the request of President Alper, information items 15.3, 15.4 and 15.5 were pulled for discussion.  

Motion to approve agenda as amended:
Hemphill/Daniels and unanimously approved 5-0.

Recognition of WE CARE Award Recipients

Deputy Superintendent Javetta Cleveland presented WE CARE awards to the classified staff who were recognized for providing excellent customer service.

PUBLIC TESTIMONY
A total of 17 people addressed the Board:

Two parents commented on staffing at LeConte.

A student and two adults adult spoke in support of REALM.

Three parents commented in support of all-student restrooms.

Two parents and an administrator commented on BUSD’s sexual harassment policy.

Four BHS Stop Harassing students read aloud a peer’s story.

A teacher addressed the Board on her own behalf.

A parent commented on BUSD’s disciplinary process.

Two students thanked the Board on behalf of BHS Stop Harassing.

UNION COMMENTS
BCCE President Paula Phillips commented on classified vacancies and BUSD’s recruitment process.

BFT President Cathy Campbell spoke in support of REALM.

COMMITTEE COMMENTS
DELAC representative provided the Board with an update on DELAC's meetings.

PTA Council commented on the extended learning programs LEARNS and BEARS.

CONSENT CALENDAR
Motion to approve the Consent Calendar:

Appel/Leyva-Cutler and unanimously approved 5-0

DISCUSSION ITEMS

Update on All Student Restroom Implementation at All District Schools
Director of Facilities Tim White and Director of K-8 Schools Maggie Riddle updated the Board on the number of all-student restrooms at the various sites. Director White expressed interest in engaging the community in this process. They will bring back a report with further updates at the March 22 Board meeting.

BOARD MEMBER AND SUPERINTENDENT COMMENTS

Director Leyva-Cutler thanked the parents and students who spoke tonight. She has moved her office hours to the first Monday of each month from 4:30 to 6:00 at Casa Latina.

Director Hemphill acknowledged the young women who addressed the Board tonight.

Director Appel expressed how important it is to hear the stories from the perspective of the harmed and those accused of causing the harm. She appreciated the students for recognizing the work BUSD has done in response to their requests. She will hold her next office hours on Saturday, March 18 at 10 a.m. at Take 5 Café.

Vice President Daniels acknowledged all of the people who showed up to speak. He encouraged families to complete the LCAP survey online.

Superintendent Evans shared the history of International Women’s Day in Berkeley.

DISCUSSION ITEMS (Cont.)

Audited Financial Statements for REALM Charter Schools for Fiscal Year 2015-16/Plan for 2020 Bonar Starting in Summer 2017

Deputy Superintendent Cleveland explained that BUSD provides fiscal oversight of REALM’s finances. Due to the lack of adequate reserves to keep up with its financial responsibilities, REALM has been issued a notice of violation. The next step is to allow REALM the opportunity to provide a plan for remedy by July. If those conditions are not met REALM is at risk of losing its charter. Questions and discussion followed.

Update on Extended Learning Programs LEARNS and BEARS

Extended Learning Program Supervisors Angela Gilder (LEARNS) and Aaron Jorgensen (BEARS) presented an update on the enrichment classes and academic support provided at the various sites. They also shared some of the program’s successes and challenges and next steps moving forward. Questions and discussion followed. They will bring this item back in the fall to provide an update on their progress.

Motion to extend open session to 11:30 p.m.:
Appel/Daniels and unanimously approved 5-0.

Extended Public Comment (Second Opportunity)

BCCE President commented on the extended day program positions.

Three people spoke in support of REALM

Three people commented on the process of contracting third-party enrichment classes. 

ACTION ITEMS

Certification of Second Interim Report for Period Ending January 31, 2017
Director of Fiscal Services Pauline Follansbee presented second interim budget highlights which included one time expenditures, multi year projections, and other considerations. Questions and discussion followed.

Public Hearing for Initial Proposals for Successor Agreement between the District and the Berkeley Federation of Teachers (BFT)

President Alper opened public hearing at 11:20 p.m.

No one came forward.

President Alper closed public hearing at 11:20 p.m.

Motion to approve the initial proposals for successor agreement between the District and BFT:
Appel/Hemphill and unanimously approved 5-0. 

ADJOURNMENT

President Alper adjourned open session at 11:21 p.m.

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT  

TO :           Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent
FROM:           Pasquale Scuderi, Assistant Superintendent, Ed. Services
  Erin Schweng, Principal, Berkeley High School
DATE:            March 22, 2017
SUBJECT:    New Course Sequence in Science Instruction at Berkeley High School/ Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

The NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) is part of a multi-state effort to create a K-12, modern science curriculum that weaves together:

• cross cutting science concepts (cause and effect, structure and function),

• core ideas in each science discipline (such as the physics idea that “forces at a distance are explained by fields,” the chemistry idea of “conservation of matter,” and the biological idea that “ecosystems have carrying capacities”), and

• the practices employed by scientists and engineers (such as analyzing data, developing models, and carrying out investigations).

The Berkeley High School science department unanimously supports a reimagined science program that prepares all students for success in STEM fields, both in terms of career pathways and access to higher education. The purpose of this item is to explain and seek Board approval for a new course progression in science education  beginning with a design and transition year in School Year (SY) 2017-2018, and moving toward a proposed full implementation of both new content and a new course sequence in SY 2018-2019 (concurrent with the timelines of the proposed redesign of the 9th grade program). Along these lines, the BHS Science Department, BHS Leadership, and the BUSD Educational Services Division are partnering to successfully transition to the Next Generation Science Standards through:

1. A forthcoming proposal to change our current high school course sequence from Biology (9), Chemistry (10), electives (11/12) to Physics (9), Chemistry (10), Biology (11), electives (12). This is shown in the tables immediately below. Note that AP Chemistry will still be offered as an alternative to 10th grade Chemistry, and AP/IB Biology will still be offered as an alternative to 11th grade Biology

CURRENT BHS SCIENCE SEQUENCE

* Includes AP/IB Biology, AP Environmental Science, IB Environmental Systems and Sustainability, Honors Anatomy & Physiology, AP Chemistry, Physics, AP Physics, Fire Science

PROPOSED NEW BHS SCIENCE SEQUENCE

*Includes topics from Earth/Space Sciences and Science/Engineering Practices (TBD)

** Includes AP/IB Biology, AP Environmental Science, IB Environmental Systems and Sustainability, Honors Anatomy & Physiology, AP Chemistry, Physics, AP Physics, Fire Science, Emergency Medical Careers, Sports Medicine

2) Creating a BHS science experience that emphasizes more physical science than our current program offers, aligning our curriculum with the NGSS.

3) Launching 10 sections of 9th grade physics during the 2017-2018 school year, and transitioning to all 9th graders taking physics by 2018-2019.

4) Redesigning our current chemistry and biology courses so that they align more closely with NGSS.

Ninth Grade Physics, along with revisions to the course content and pedagogy of biology and chemistry, represents a first step towards the overall and concurrent BHS redesign effort. One of the explicit goals of the redesign is to improve achievement among students who bring multiple risk factors and historical patterns of struggle with them to high school. Staff believes that the shift to a "Physics First" progression supports this overarching goal because:

• 9th Grade Physics is being explicitly designed as a hands-on, laboratory centered class organized for engagement and success by all students. Its real-world applications are designed to “hook” struggling students.

• 9th Grade Physics is a course that emphasizes math concepts also in use in our Math 1 curriculum. This will potentially improve student success in Math 1, and also success in Chemistry, another area of science requiring foundational proficiencies in mathematics.  

• Moving Biology after Chemistry reflects a national “physics first” movement that sequences the sciences in a way that makes sense instructionally. This is because Chemistry is based on Physics, and Biology is based on Chemistry. In other words, teaching physics first can result in more success for all students in Biology (as well as in Chemistry, Physics, and math).

At the same time, we’d like to emphasize that nothing in this proposal limits the number of AP, IB, or Honors classes that students take. AP offerings begin as they do now, in the sophomore year with AP Chemistry, and they continue through senior year.

We know that the redesign is not only about shifting the structure of our school, but also about changing the curriculum and methods in our classrooms. With the shift to an NGSS Physics course in the 9th grade, we will have a strong 9th grade program with Physics, Math 1, Ethnic Studies, and CCSS-aligned Freshman English.

BHS’s current science offerings and sequence were designed to align with the 1998 California Science Framework. The proposed Physics-Chemistry-Biology sequence described above addresses numerous areas in which our current science course sequence at BHS is poorly aligned with NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) The most notable differences between the current offerings and this proposal are:

• This proposal ensures that all students take physics.  Although physics is an integral part of the NGSS, 80% of BHS students currently graduate without having taken Physics.

• Engineering, Earth Science, and Space science are key curricular areas of the NGSS and are included in the proposed new offerings. BHS has no current offerings in Earth Science or Space Science, and limited offerings related to any type of engineering.  

Questions and Answers about This Proposal

Does this change mandate a 3 year science requirement?

No. Under this proposal, students can still graduate from BHS after having passed a single life science class, and a single physical science class. However, we’d like to note that over 80% of BHS students take three or more years of science, and that AMPS, AHA and CAS already have a 3 year science sequence.

What happens if a student does not pass Physics? (or Chemistry)

If a student does not pass 9th grade physics, they can (and should) progress to 10th grade chemistry, which gives that student another chance to satisfy their physical science requirement. If they pass Physics but don’t pass chemistry, they can still move on to Biology (because they’ve met their physical science requirement, and can move on to meet their life science requirement).

What is the timeline for this proposal, and why?

We plan to launch 10 sections of 9th grade physics in 2017-2018. The sections will be in BIHS, and in AHA. We are choosing these programs because we wanted to develop the course to meet the needs of all BHS students. We chose BIHS because it’s the smaller of the two large programs (which matched our capacity), and we chose AHA because we had a science teacher with a physics credential who was eager to participate in the program’s first year.

In 2018-2019, we’ll have all 9th graders take physics. We’re going to full-scale implementation in year two to harmonize with the rollout of the universal 9th grade that’s part of the BHS redesign.

Why is this the proposal?

Ninth Grade Physics, 10th Grade Chemistry, and 11th Grade Biology allows us to

• Align with the NGSS

• Increase from 20% to 100% the number of students who study physics

• Support struggling students

• Align with school goals around increasing student success in math

• Align with the BHS redesign

• Enable students to continue to access AP/IB courses in grades 10 - 12

Are other districts moving to this physics-first progression?  Is there a track record of this working?

“Physics First” is part of a national movement to teach science in a way that has a logical progression. At the same time, it is not the way most districts sequence their science courses. High Schools in the Bay Area which teach physics first include  Encinal High School (Alameda), and Capuchino High School (San Bruno), Pioneer High School (San Jose), the Head Royce School (Oakland), and the College Preparatory School (Oakland).

Can we see a sample student schedule for 1) A student who wants to “max out” their AP/IB schedule and 2) A student in the Biotech Academy?

Sample Schedule 1: (Student who takes the maximum # of AP/IB courses)

*IBESS = IB Environmental Systems and Sustainability; APES = AP Environmental Science

Sample Schedule 2: (Student in Biotechnology Academy)

How will this progression affect the small schools (that currently have a different progression than AC and BIHS)?

The small schools have committed to 9th grade physics. However they might modify the 10th, 11th, and 12th grade course sequence to best fit their community. For example, AHA is interested in continuing to offer “Honors Anatomy” as part of their course sequence, but might move that course to the 12th grade (it is currently taught in the 10th grade).

How does this affect Special Education students?

As we indicate above, 9th grade physics is specifically designed to engage and “hook” students at all levels. We’re hoping for greater success with special education students as well. The overlap with Math 1 should also increase students’ success in Math. We are determined to work with the SPED department to ensure that:

• Our courses are designed for accessibility in terms of reading level and math.

• The curriculum is organized to provide for numerous “re-entry points” for students who might experience absences or other difficulties.

• The course is linked to supporting materials (example: textbook) that enable case managers and instructional aides to support their students in mastering the material.

In addition, part of our ongoing work in our department is to adapt curricula to meet the needs of students in special education and to modify assessment practices so that they are in line with students’ IEPs.

How does this affect students at Berkeley Technology Academy (BTA)?

BTA offers Biology, Chemistry, and Integrated science. Our proposal should not affect BTA students in any way.

What are the best arguments against making this change?

This is the right move to make to improve science education at BHS. At the same time, because of our adherence to the 1998 standards, we are currently a life-science oriented department. The staffing/credentialing issues involved with this transition are challenging (but we’re confident that we can make these changes successfully). The best argument against making this change is that it’s not going to be easy for the adults involved: it will involve significant amounts of adult learning and changing content expertise and teaching practices. But, again, we’re convinced that this is more than worth the effort.

Next Steps

BHS Leadership, the BHS Science Department, and the District’s Educational Services Division previewed this proposal for the Board at its [date - was it Jan 25?] meeting.  Following the presentation, we are requesting that  the Board approve this new course progression and direction tonight or at the April 12 meeting, at the latest.  If the Board approves this proposal, staff will bring forward both a course approval and new textbook item for approval  the Board’s April 26th meeting.    

Concurrently, staff will be proposing shifts within existing budgets for professional learning and curriculum development to the Board during the upcoming discussions on the Superintendent’s Budget Priorities for 2017-2018 in order to support this work.  

As a preview of the budget shifts, we anticipate proposed shifts in dollars within both the common core implementation budget (a subset of the overall general fund budget priorities) as well as through an upcoming proposed revision of the three-year Educator’s Effectiveness Block Grant that the Board approved in November of 2016.

Reallocating funds within these two areas would support:

• Development of new curricula in our core course offerings (Physics (9), Chemistry (10), Biology (11). Note that AP Chemistry will still be offered as an alternative to 10th grade Chemistry, and AP/IB Biology will still be offered as an alternative to 11th grade Biology.

• Evaluation and piloting of accompanying texts and instructional materials

• Collaboration time for teachers to act as curriculum leads in physics, chemistry, and biology to adjust course scope, sequence, and methods in ways that will align with NGSS requirements.

• Support for summer curriculum development, workshop attendance, etc.

Tonight’s item serves as a first-reading of plans for new science content and instruction as well as a new science course progression at BHS. Staff’s goal is to begin implementing and offering the new three-year sequence in the Fall of 2017 in both BIHS and AHA, and in the fall of 2018 for all 9th grade students as part of the proposed new universal 9th grade curriculum at BHS.

POLICY CODE:
Board Policy 6142.92
Ed Code 99224

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the new course and course progression in high school science.

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 

TO :        Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent
FROM:           Pasquale Scuderi, Assistant Superintendent, Ed. Services
Erin Schweng, Principal, Berkeley High School
DATE:            March 22, 2017
SUBJECT:     Update on Common Core Mathematics at BHS

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Beginning with the 2015-2016 school year, BUSD began funding additional collaboration periods for ten teachers in order to develop, refine, and implement a new three-year approach to teaching mathematics at BHS; an approach that would align with the new demands and new design of math curriculum reflected in the Common Core State Standards. This new approach addresses the move from the traditional and siloed progression of Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, and reflects a shift to a more integrated overall approach to math that address the “key mathematical shifts” found in the common core. Those shifts include:

• Greater focus on fewer topics.

• Coherence: Linking topics and thinking across grades.

• Rigor: Pursue conceptual understanding, procedural skills and fluency, and application with equal intensity.

In the 2014-2015 school year, math teachers at BHS began piloting possible curriculum and settled on the Mathematics Vision Project (MVP). The curriculum, which was built exclusively for the common core rather than modified for it by an existing or major publisher, is essentially free and published under a Creative Commons License. Its development and implementation in 2015-2016 has  necessitated a sizeable increase in teacher collaboration and  planning and reflection time, worthwhile costs somewhat offset by a reduction in the instructional materials costs associated with more traditional, textbook-driven offerings. Beginning with the 2015-2016 school year staff developed and implemented Math 1, and this year is implementing Math 2. The progressions’ third and final installment is slated for implementation in the 2017-2018 school year bringing all three courses together in a complete three-year  sequence.

Math 1 and Math 2

To support this development effort the District began designating general fund dollars to support these efforts in 2015-2016. Approximately $200,000 was allocated to the effort in both 2015-2016 and in 2016-2017 which  allowed for the creation of 10 collaboration periods for math teachers to :

• Meet three times per week to plan and discuss lessons, to reflect on previous lessons, to analyze student work, and to refine common assessments

• Spend two periods per week in each others classes to provide direct student support to struggling students as well as to observe peers leading and directing lessons that the observing teachers will teach as well

Math  3

Implementation of the third course in the new integrated CCSS progression will begin in the Fall of 2017. A necessary overall reduction in the funds designated to support the common core will result in a smaller pool of teachers working in the collaborative model for Math 3 bringing the total number of participating teachers from 10 to 6. Additionally, resources to continue to support Math 1 and Math 2 teachers will be limited after June of 2017. Elsewhere, collaboration on the necessary adjustments to fourth-year courses will require funding from other sources moving forward.

Assessing Student Progress

Teachers look at a variety of indicators and information ranging from grades, common final exam data, pre- and post- assessment questions to look for growth, projects, common questions on assessments, as well as student work in class, and teacher reflection.

In Table 1 below we look at overall 9th grade math outcomes for the past four years using D/F rates; a period that includes the transition from our former course sequence to our new curriculum.

TABLE 1

TABLE 2 below represents the D/F rate for 9th grade students in the new CCSS-aligned math courses over the past 1.5 years.

TABLE 2

Math 1 D/F rates over 1.5 years (this does not include Advanced Math 1 or Math 1X):

The department looked at the Math 1 summary data above, along with comparable data for Math 2, and then each teacher was asked to analyze a list of their students with D/Fs and place them into one of five categories:

1. Missing one or more days of school per week from all classes

2. Missing one or more days per week from math or comes to class but isn’t engaging in or completing work

3. Comes to class regularly and seems to be working hard, but is not mastering the content

4. Comes to class regularly but is not working or focusing enough to learn the content or skills

5. Other

After teachers collected their data, staff reflected on what we could do that week to help our struggling students, what the department could do to help, what the school could do to help, and what the district could do. The data was collected from each teacher and was analyzed individually and collectively.

This analysis is being followed up with an inquiry cycle to directly address the needs of some of the students who fall into category (4) and how we can adapt our teaching practices to meet these needs. Category (4) is an important group of students because we are actually seeing them frequently and there may be ways we can get them to re-engage with the math and their learning in our classes. We also acknowledge that there are many reasons that students may fall into this category. For the inquiry cycle, teachers were asked to choose something to do differently in their classroom instruction that they think might support their students who fall into category (4). Over the next few weeks teachers will be asked to implement their strategy, collect data, reflect on how it went, and share their findings with the department. We hope to use these findings to add to our toolbox of strategies to engage and support struggling students. Additionally, we will continuously analyze and adjust our grading policies and the requirements needed to earn a passing grade for each course so that there is more consistency across the department.

Many of the tables above only demonstrate 1.5 years worth of data and more information over a longer period of time would be necessary to draw firmer conclusions about our curriculum and the overall CCSS alignment project. All 9th grade students at BHS are taking Math 1, even students earning a 1 or 2 in 8th grade math. To our knowledge, a 2 or lower is, at least in broad terms, a rough indicator that a student had notable if not substantial challenges in math when leaving middle school. Having a new curriculum is not enough to address the needs of these students who struggle in the 8th grade yet are still placed in Math 1 at BHS. We are not currently providing explicit mathematical transitional supports to these students so means and ideas to address that void in the summer preceding the 9th grade year or during the school day must be considered.  

The table below provides an overview of 9th grade math outcomes by grades by academic year. This snapshot includes the transition in the 2015-2016 school year to the new CCSS-aligned coursework.

TABLE 3: Three-Year Snapshot of Overall 9th Grade Math Grades

TABLE 3A

Grade data generally factors in common assessments, but isolating common assessments provides an opportunity to observe growth. While a roughly 30% D/F rate for ASI  3+ students in Math 1 in 15-16 is still indicative of  huge challenges, growth from pre-assessment to semester 2 finals for ASI 3+ students during the same period should be seen as a positive.

9th Grade Students in Math 1 SY 2015-2016: Growth From Pre-Assessment to S2 Final

Snapshots of Math 1 Grades by Gender for Semester 1 SY 2016-2017

In keeping with the District’s overall goal to pursue gender equity in the areas of science and mathematics, staff reviewed the following grade distribution for Semester 1 of this year to get some sense of how we were progressing.

TABLE 4: Math 1:  Current Year 2016-2017 Semester 1 Grades by gender (Percent)

TABLE 5: Advanced Math 1 Current Year 2016-2017 Semester 1  Grades by Gender

Current Observations on the Mathematics Vision Project

Midway through a three-year curriculum development and refinement effort math teachers remain focused on what is working and not working within the curriculum and/or coursework. Many students are doing well and still others continue to struggle. A challenging and rigorous curriculum with many entry points certainly poses instructional challenges. Recently staff has had conversations and engaged in data analysis protocols to determine the root causes of some persistent student struggles.

By way of reflection staff noted the following challenges:

• In 2015-2016 Math 1 teachers had collaboration and peer support time; having moved that resource to Math 2 in 2016-2017 could account for some of difference between the outcomes in Math 1 for those years

• The Math 1 curriculum was reorganized last summer and one of the more challenging units was moved from the second semester to the first semester.

• All students are entering Math 1 whether or not they passed 8th grade math. How can we better support students who did not pass math in middle school?

Positive Teacher Perspectives on the Curriculum

Students are being exposed to all of the strands (algebra, geometry, statistics/probability) every year so there are different access points throughout the curriculum. This is preparing students for multiple possibilities where their year 4 mathematics course is concerned.

Teachers like the curriculum (MVP) because it supports problem solving using multiple methods including the mathematical practice standards in general and student-centered activities based on discovering relationships and finding patterns as opposed to only algorithmic problem solving.

The curriculum also has a low threshold of accessibility with the challenge of extensions to support differentiation, and given the connections it makes between many topics, staff feels that many students are seeing the math and connections in new ways.

All students enter Math 1 as freshmen and now have an opportunity to take one of the fourth year classes. We have increased access to mathematics courses for all of our students, and the curriculum’s alignment to the common core was a key reason it was adopted.

Teachers are feeling positive about the curriculum in general and their students’ progress. Having teachers teaching a more unified curriculum (no algebra vs. IMP) has made a difference in the department in addition to the collaboration time, which has been invaluable to our work with a new curriculum.

Questions and Concerns About the Curriculum Format

While a curriculum without a traditional, hard copy textbook is an adjustment for some families and students, our staff notes that we do in fact have a “textbook.” All modules in the curriculum are online and students are given a hard copy of those modules which, like the traditional textbooks that the community may be more familiar with, often contain vocabulary, definitions, and examples. In some modules class notes provide additional supplemental information for students.

Additionally, we are providing supports like online videos that did not come with textbooks in the past. The MVP curriculum is accessible online and the publishers are continuously developing supplements and resources. In addition, the publisher is updating modules as we progress through the curriculum.

Existing and Developing Supports for Students

Math 1 and Math 2 tutoring is occurring Mondays through Thursdays from 3:30 - 4:30 in separate classrooms (each room has two teachers currently teaching the course plus student tutors, plus popcorn! The Berkeley High Development Group supports this effort).

The BHS Math 1 website with helpful links, videos, and examples has been posted and is live.  The Math 2 website will be up this month.

Student guides for students and teachers in Consultative Learning Center (CLC) classes are in development. These classes provide additional support for students with IEPs.

Along with our locally created resources, the MVP publisher has a website that is periodically updated with new supplements and resources as well.

African-American Students

Early indications are that the adoption of a new curriculum is not singularly changing outcomes for our African-American students. Data that we have right now is sorted by the Academic Support Index (ASI), which considers race in its application. This is a more rigorous curriculum that we are giving all students access to, and we need to figure out additional supports to provide, in particular, to our most struggling students.   

Moving Forward

In order to best work to close gaps in student outcomes, BHS leadership and mathematics staff should and in some instances are already are working closely with the BHS intervention team to target those students who are struggling in Math 1; additionally, the team must create space to work with District and middle school partners to develop a better and more systemic way to transition students who struggle in middle school and who are then placed- per our current District progression- into Math 1 at BHS regardless of middle school outcomes.

Other ideas that staff is seeking to develop to support student growth include:

• Work with Special Education case managers and CLC (support class for students with IEPs) teachers to offer additional supports for Math 1 students with IEP’s. Specifically, have a Math teacher available to CLC teachers and students during the school day to help tutor students.

• Institute monthly math nights for Math 1 students and parents with special invitations made to families of struggling students.

• Continue to recruit tutors to assist in our after school tutoring so that students get more individual attention.

• Educate tutors about how to best interact with the material and students.

• Continue to update the Math 1 and Math 2 Support websites so that it further meets the needs of our struggling students.

• Have one point person who can identify target students based on Grade 8 SBA scores and 8th grade math grades and current struggling students Math 1 and Math 2 to create a plan to better support their learning and then help them execute the plan. These students could participate in the support class, described below.

• Create a support class during the 6 period school day to pre-teach lessons, help students learn how to use class time effectively, help students stay organized, and teach students how to best advocate for themselves.

• Closer communication with the 6-8 Math coach so that the transition between 8th grade and 9th grade is smoother.

• Mentoring and providing support for teachers who are teaching these courses, particularly for those teaching it for the first time.

Many of these plans and concepts would require additional funds following the 2017-2018 school year; note that these needs will exist despite the fact that financial support for collaboration and coaching relative to common core will reduce significantly.

Additional Goals

With the remainder of this year and through the 2017-2018 school year, staff will be developing Math 3 and also working to realign and create new components for our fourth year math courses.

Staff plans to continue the development of support videos for the Math 2 and Math 3 support websites.

Following this year, it is anticipated that the Math 2 curriculum will be require updates and revisions (as Math 1 did this past summer).

Advanced Math

This is an accelerated, fast-paced course that rigorously covers all of the material covered in Math 1 and part of Math 2, with additional topics, challenging proofs, and open-ended problems. Students will also cover indirect and direct proofs of both algebraic and geometric topics. Students will be expected to explain the reasoning behind their solutions for open-ended questions using formal, academic language.The time commitment for this course is most similar to that of an AP course. A graphing calculator is required. This sequence prepares students for higher level math courses such as AP Calculus BC, AP Statistics, and IB-HL Math.

The following data provides a broad overview of enrollment and a small snapshot of grade performance in the course for this school year.

Advanced Math 1: Basic Enrollment Demographics by Race/Ethnicity for SY 2016-2017

There are 4 sections of Advanced Math 1.

Advanced Math 1: Basic Enrollment Demographics by Gender for SY 2016-2017

*enrollment as of 3/16/2017 - current records indicate that 9 students dropped the class after the first two weeks of school (5 male and 4 female students).

Advanced Math 1 Semester 1 Grades Overall SY 2016-2017

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Receive staff update and report.

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

TO:               Donald Evans, Ed.D, Superintendent
FROM:         Javetta Cleveland, Deputy Superintendent  
Pasquale Scuderi, Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services
DATE:          March 22, 2017
SUBJECT:   First Reading of Budget Priorities for Consideration for 2017-18: Base Grant (Unrestricted General Funding)

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The budget development process has begun for fiscal year 2017-18. Staff is currently in the process of assessing and allocating resources for alignment with the District goals and programs. The purpose of this Board item is to summarize the list of current and competing priorities and to obtain direction from the Board for items that the Board is not interested in funding or that may require additional information for consideration.  

The District’s base grant funds have many competing programs and services which will require staff and the Board to evaluate and prioritize funding needs.  The District’s base grant funding is generated based on average daily attendance (ADA) and supports all of the District’s educational needs.  Although the District’s ongoing base grant funding is increasing annually, in the 2017-18 year, due to decline in enrollment, the District is facing a $.5 million structural deficit.  This deficit is being caused by both a decline in enrollment and ongoing annual increases in employer retirement costs of $1.1 million for STRS and PERS.  There will be further increases in retirement cost in 2018-19 and the subsequent two years.   

The Governor’s January budget only  provides for $.4 million of additional one-time mandated cost reimbursement funding that cannot be used for ongoing programs and services.  This one-time funding has been substantially reduced from $2 million in 2016-17 and $5 million in 2015-16.  This funding reimburses the District for prior year mandated programs and services that are reimbursed by the State. These funds are unrestricted, however, the Governor recommends that these funds be used for content standards implementation, technology, professional development, induction programs for beginning teachers and deferred maintenance.

Staff will be analyzing the following needs and bringing back a recommendation to the Board that includes prioritization and possible funding sources while recognizing the District’s limited resources. Although some budget reductions are included, staff will determine budget reduction targets for fiscal year 2017-18 and 2018-19 over the next few weeks to ensure the District maintains a positive certification and balance budget in subsequent years.   Each of the items listed will be reviewed and budgets may be streamlined to maintain a balanced budget.

ONGOING BASE GRANT FUNDING

CUSTODIAL AT LONGFELLOW - ongoing base grant starting in $65,000

Longfellow and Washington are two (2) sites that are being maintained by hourly employees.  The new cafeteria requires a .75 FTE and Washington requires a .25 FTE, combining the two (2) positions is the recommendation.  The new kitchen is double the size of the old kitchen, and includes the outdoor patio and the garden area surrounding the building.  Additionally, daily cleaning is required for the front grounds of the new cafeteria as students litter from one side of the campus to the other while coming from the cafeteria. The old cafeteria space is not closed down and still requires custodial services since it has been incorporated into usable learning space that is used daily.  

Washington portables lost custodial  services to the high school.  Before the M building was built, the high school occupied seven (7) portables on the Washington school site.  Berkeley had a custodian come from the high school to maintain the portables when they were removed from the BHS campus to the Washington Annex.  Once the portables were turned over to the Washington school site, a split level custodial employee serviced the BHS kitchen (.75 FTE)  and .25 FTE maintained the Washington portables (.25 FTE).  The custodian then moved onto a full custodial 1.0 FTE position at BHS leaving Washington with a substitute and reduction of .25 custodial FTE.

ITINERANT (PERMANENT) CUSTODIAL SUBSTITUTE - ongoing $19,000 base grant funds

The District continues to have challenges with having available substitute custodians on the eligibility list.  Staff is requesting to make a substitute position a permanent employee and increase the annual daily substitute cost to include benefits for an additional cost of $19,000.  This position would be an itinerant position that is managed by the Operations Manager and logged each day for the person substituted for.  This is similar to the 1 FTE bus driver the Board approved last year to secure a substitute bus driver for absences.  The itinerant permanent substitute will be funded from a transfer of daily substitute dollars in the amount of $46,000 and as well as an increase in base grant funding of $19,000.

ADMISSION SUPPORT  ongoing $40,000 base grant funds

This $40,000 will be used to increase hourly and provisional support in the admissions office.

The District has recently made concentrated improvements in the processes it uses to verify residency. In June of 2015, the Board of Education directed staff to require families to provide proof of Berkeley residency before students are enrolled in Berkeley schools. Families must submit proofs of Berkeley residency when they first enroll in the Berkeley Unified School District, when transitioning from elementary school to middle school, and once again when moving from middle school to high school. In addition to the increase in administrative and communication hours that have increased under this new policy, a home visit is at times necessary to verify Berkeley residency and adds to the scope of the department’s work.  

NUTRITION SERVICES RESTRUCTURE - $86,000 funding by Nutrition Services with potential of contribution from base grant needed beginning in 2018-19

The Nutrition Services Department has seven vacant Nutrition Service Assistant (NSA) positions without substitutes to backfill the vacancies on a day to day basis.  On any given day the department is operating at a deficit of 32% of required staffing. Nutrition Services has moved from operating elementary schools with two persons per site to only one Satellite Operator and the NSA’s have been temporarily reassigned to the central kitchen instead of working at their respective school sites. The central kitchen staff are now pre-packaging individual servings of meals to facilitate the single person operation at elementary schools.  The central kitchen staff are cooking all foods including items that were previously prepared at the school site (for example, rice) in order to lessen the burden on the Satellite Operator working alone at the site.  Salad bars service remains intact.  Although, Nutrition Services is unable to provide a buffet style food service as specified by BUSD Food Policy, the change to the single service model still continues to follow the same menu providing the same quality meals.  However, the food delivery system is different and not at the same level. This is affecting our participation rates and therefore, our bottom line.

Staffing is requesting to increase the hours of the Nutrition Service Assistance to improve recruitment and retention of employees as well as return food delivery back to past practices.  The NSAs provide the preparation and distribution of food for breakfast and lunch.  The NSA positions are difficult to fill at .40 FTE (3 hours per day, $14.22 to $17.34 per hour) and are 10 month positions.  Comparable positions at neighboring districts are .67 FTE and are at least 5 hours a day or more.  

The most recent compensation study did not award these positions an increase because they were already paid higher than the average in comparison to other districts.  However, in other Districts, the positions are paid for more hours.  Staff believe that increasing the number of hours for these part-time positions will make these open positions more marketable and create better retention rates.  Staff have signed an MOU agreement with BCCE, pending board approval, for this reorganization.  This reorganization will allow increasing the hours of 7 NSA positions from .4 FTE to .767 FTE (5.75 hours) and 2 NSA positions to 1.0 FTE.  There will be an elimination of four of the .4 FTE NSA vacant positions or positions filled by employees working two jobs and reductions in FTE of other position to offset part of the cost.  Due to the urgency of current level of vacancies and recent change in food preparation and delivery as a result, this item is included in this Board agenda for action and includes more information.  The cost of the reorganization is $86,000 of which $50,000 represents health benefits in which the current employees are not eligible due to the few hours that they work.  

TEACHER INDUCTION PROGRAM PROGRAM (BTSA) -  ongoing $278,000 base grant funds starting in 2018-19

It costs the District approximately $278,000 annually to support our beginning teachers depending on the number of enrollees into the program each year. Currently, there are 48 teacher participants in our district program. The expenses include a BTSA Coordinator at .40 FTE and 37 mentors, in addition to the per participant fee of $2,000 per participant with a BUSD Mentor or $4,000 per participant if matched with a non BUSD Mentor.  

The Educator Effectiveness Block Grant was approved as part of the State Budget in 2015-16 and the one-time funding of $1,035,000 from that grant can be used to support the following purposes through 2017-2018:

• Beginning Teacher and Administrator Support

• Coaching and Support for Improvement

• Standards Based Professional Learning

• Promoting Quality and Effectiveness

Staff proposes continuing a previously approved  use of $278,000 annually between 2015-2016 through 2017-2018 to cover BTSA costs which will relieve the base grant funding of this obligation in the amount of $278,000.

Staff is recommending that BTSA be fully funded annually; this will help to ensure compliance and meet new teacher professional development needs. Based on early data for next school year, it appears that there will continue to be approximately be 50 teachers in the program and therefore $278,000 be needed for next year

Beginning in 2018-2019, the Educator's Effectiveness Grant sunsets and the annual cost of BTSA will revert to ongoing base grant funding.

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE COORDINATOR  $0 - Already fully funded in multi year budget

The IB Coordinator position has been absorbed into the base grant funding in 2016-17 and therefore, is already in the multi-year projections for 2017-18 and 2018-19.  Berkeley High’s International Baccalaureate accreditation requires a full-time IB coordinator. Originally fully funded by a private donor for multiple years, BHS parents and the BHS Development Group worked with site staff to solicit contributions to fund the position over time until the district could assume full funding for the position.

The arrangement and gradual release of funding by parents and private donors outlined in April of 2014 was discontinued early and the District is paying full funding in the current year:

2014/15 school year $10,000

2015/16 school year $20,000

2016/17 school year - reached full funding, no additional support from BHSDG as planned

2017/18 already in base grant in MYP as full funding

ROP PROGRAM COSTS - Absorb $50,000 into current CTE Budget (base grant) and use additional ongoing base grant funding of $65,621

The Local Control Funding Formula eliminated dedicated funding for the Regional Occupational Centers and Programs (ROCP) grant. Under a CCCOE BUSD transitional funding formula, funding from ROP zeros out after the 2018 - 2019 school year.  Currently 14 CTE sections are supported through ROP funds. 

CCCOE revenue to support the District’s ROP program  has been decreasing since 2013-14 from $347,416 to $153,133 in 2016-17 and will continue to decrease until funding is no longer provided.  The 2016-17 budget includes revenue from CCCOE of $184,289 which was over projected by $31,156.  Therefore, the 2017-18 multi-year projections will need to decrease revenue by $31,156 and decrease by another $84,465 based on further reduction of the county share for a total of $115,621.  In 2017-18, a total of $50,000 will be funded within the current unrestricted CTE budget and  the balance of $65,621 is requested from ongoing base grant funding.  It should be noted that the cost of this program for 2016-17 is $382,000 offset by $153,133 in revenue.   In 2018-19 through 2019-20 the District’s ROP program will have only a small resource and the full cost of $382,000 plus any COLA be funded out of base grant or will need a another funding source to continue.

The state has provided Career Technical Education Incentive Grant (CTEIG) funding through June 30, 2019 in order to encourage the development of new Career Technical Education programs and to support and strengthen current CTE programs through the transition to LCFF.  State funding for CTE after June 30, 2019 is unclear.  

SPECIAL EDUCATION CONTRIBUTION - $153,000 ongoing base grant contribution to STRS

In the 2016-17, the special education budget increased over the prior year 2015-16 budget for non-public agencies and settlements.  At second interim, the District increased the ongoing special education budget by $147,000. Therefore, this increase is already included in the multi-year budget.   Currently settlement cost are trending within budget and non-public agencies are trending at or higher than prior year.  Staff will meet to discuss non-public agency cost to determine if there is an opportunity to contain these cost.  Non-public agency cost are currently budgeted at $2.9 million and was $3.1 million in 2015-16.  Non-public school costs are currently budgeted at $1.3 million and was $1.4 million last year.  The cost of the additional contribution for STRS for 2017-18 is $153,000 and the $147,000 contribution increased at second interim has been rolled in the multi-year projections for a total of increase of $300,000 for 2017-18.The Special Education budget needs to be closely monitored during budget development to determine if proposed increase needs to be adjusted.  

ONGOING BUDGET REDUCTIONS

REDUCTION OF 2.0 FTE AT BTA

Berkeley Technology Academy (BTA) serves some of our highest needs students, in terms of both social-emotional and academic needs. BUSD has historically staffed the site at a 15:1 student to teacher ratio (assuming an enrollment of 150), even though the BSEP measure stipulates 18:1. This staffing ratio has resulted in the assignment of 10 full time teachers to BTA, with the General Fund and BSEP each providing 5 FTE.  However, with enrollment declining steadily over time, actual enrollment has been in a range of 60-100 students over the past five years, while the school has remained staffed as if for a larger population, which has resulted in student/teacher ratios of 10:1 or below in many classes.  The proposed allocation would provide staffing in 2017-18 of 8.0 FTE for a student enrollment goal of 90 students, with the General Fund contributing 2.53 FTE and BSEP contributing 2.54 FTE at a calculation of 18:1 via the Teacher Template, and an additional 2.93 FTE would be provided through Classroom Support from BSEP

REDUCTION OF CENTRAL OFFICE NON-SALARY BUDGETS - ongoing $25,000

Cabinet held two budget retreats to review central office budgets and make reductions to offset the budgeted structural deficit in 2017-18.  Staff reduced central office non-salary budgets for most departments by $15,000 to $25,000 for a total of $225,000.  Staff will establish a budget cut target for 2017-18 and 2018-19 and will continue to work on more budget reduction proposals in the upcoming weeks and months.  The Superintendent’s budget advisory committee held its first meeting to address budget priorities and reductions and will meet throughout the budget development process.  

ONE TIME EXPENDITURES 2017-18 and 2018-19

COMMON CORE IMPLEMENTATION AND PROFESSIONAL TRAINING - $1,069,590 one-time funds

The District has made significant investments over the past three years to support the transition to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This effort will benefit from an extension of investments at all grade levels and in most subject areas for professional learning and materials.

Staff is requesting continued funding for professional development and instructional coaching relative to new strategies, new curriculum, and key shifts in the approach to mathematics, science, and literacy instruction at elementary, middle, and high school.

The funds requested will also continue to support the implementation and continued development of the new math program for the high school. While the budget for these core related expenditures will be reduced overall next year, increases in some areas of the Next Generation Science Standards as well as some areas of professional development can be seen in the proposed budget.

Staff is attaching an updated budget proposal for common core/NGSS that requests $1,069,590 for the 2017-2018 School Year.

During school years 2013-2014 and 2014-2015, the Board approved use of a State-provided $1.8 million in one-time funds which could be used for CCSS implementation.  The Board approved $931,000 in one time mandated cost reimbursement funds for CCSS implementation in 2015-16, and an additional $1,386,730 was approved for school year 2016-2017 for the same purposes.

There is no guarantee that the State will provide more restricted funding for implementation of Common Core or NGSS, yet the State has recommended that districts continue to use part or all of the mandated cost reimbursement funds (which are unrestricted and can be used for any educational purpose) to fund resource needs for Common Core.  

At some point, common core will be fully implemented.  Therefore, these cost should significantly reduce in subsequent years.  Staff is recommending a reduction of about 50% of the one-time cost in 2018-19.  Staff is recommending that the Board reserve an additional $509,000 in one-time funding for fiscal year 2018-19.  This allocation represents a substantial reduction based on the premise that Common Core should be substantially implemented in its fifth year, as well as the fact that the 2018-19 budget is facing a structural deficit; in light of this structural deficit, maintaining reserves becomes increasingly critical as the District works to balance the budget.

Should additional and/or more specific funding for common core become available between now and January of 2018, staff would obviously seek to first utilize those funds toward the proposed investments in common core and thus preserve more flexible funding like mandated cost reimbursements for other educational expenses.

ATTACHMENT A includes an updated version of the CCSS budget proposal.

ATOD PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION - $70,000 one-time cost

For 2014-15 through 2016-17, the City of Berkeley and BUSD agreed to provide matching contributions of $70,000 each towards a contract with New Bridge Foundation to provide the ASPIRE Program, a research-based ATOD (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs) prevention and intervention program that includes a therapeutic component and education at Berkeley High School, Longfellow Middle School and King Middle School.

The ASPIRE Program is already offered through New Bridge at Berkeley Technology Academy and Willard Middle School through a grant. The program provides ATOD education and intervention support for students who are in possession and/or under the influence of ATOD while under school jurisdiction. ATOD intervention is used in lieu of suspension whenever feasible and allowed by law. Staff is recommending that this position be funded  for fiscal year 2017-2018;  the city match funding of $70,000 is expected to continue.

TECHNOLOGY NEEDS (CHROMEBOOKS) - one-time $40,000 base grant funds  

Digital skills are now a necessity for students at all levels, and providing each student with the opportunity to master these skills is is an essential component of the instructional day. From an equity lens, ensuring that these skills are integrated into our curriculum and taught during the school day. ensures all our students are equipped to access the curriculum.

There has been a very successful initiative in the elementary schools to have a cart with a Chromebook for each student in each grade 4 and 5 classroom and pairs of 3rd grade classrooms share Chromebook carts. Extensive PD and coaching was provided to classroom teachers (resulting in ~80 Google Certified Educators). An elementary Working Group developed an Instructional Technology scope and sequence that identified logical curricular tie-ins for increased use of technology, as well guided lessons about digital citizenship with the intention of achieving Common Sense Media Certification.

In a March 2017 survey of 4th and 5th grade teachers,

• In terms of change to their instructional day: 91% of teachers thought it made either a large (67%) or moderate (24%) amount of change in the instructional day

• In terms of engagement: 97% of teachers thought it made either a large (81%)  or moderate (16%) amount of change in student engagement in their classroom

• In terms of student learning: 93% of teachers thought it made either a large (53%) or moderate (40%) amount of change in student learning in their classroom

• In terms of the teacher’s ability to assess student learning, 87% of teachers thought it made a large (47%)  or moderate (40%) amount of change in student learning

• Professional Development (three half-day sessions for all 4th-5th grade teachers) was very well-received (and attended) by the teachers.

Collaboration with principals, teachers and other school staff has been ongoing for the 2017-18 for providing a similar 1:1 environment in 6th grade, including  the professional development for teachers. Funds from one-time sale of property have largely covered 1:1 for 6th grade classrooms, however there is a gap of $40,000 for 17-18. In 18-19, there is a need for $91,000 to complete 1:1 in all grade levels at the middle schools. Larger amounts of funds may be needed in out years depending on the long-term funding model for Chromebooks in elementary and middle schools. Professional development costs including the stipends for Google Certification and participation in the annual August Instructional Technology Institute held at our Adult School are already allocated for 17-18.

As part of the Common Core one-time expenses, an Instructional Technology Coordinator was approved for 2016-17 and is proposed for 2017-18. It is understood the position is not funded for 2018-19.

DISTRICT WEBSITE REDESIGN - one-time $40,000 in base grant funds

The Communications Team, chaired by BSEP & Community Relations Director Natasha Beery, is requesting up to $40,000 for a redesign of the district web site. It has been six years since the website template was adopted, and the current site does not take advantage of newer concepts in web technology (look at Palo Alto USD - https://www.pausd.org - for a good example), which is friendlier for use on mobile devices and easier to navigate. The BHS web page follows the same template as the district site, and would also follow the new template.

OLDER ADULT PROGRAM FUNDING - $70,000 (A reduction from $100,000 in base grant funding from the prior year

In 2015-16, the State budget brought a new stream of revenue dedicated to adult education. The District’s Adult Education Block Grant for 2016-17 is $2.7 million.  The adult education consortium increased the funding for 2016-17 by $.3 million.   Most likely the District will receive the same level of funding of $3 million for 2017-18 school year.  However, this new revenue stream has somewhat different requirements and restrictions than previous adult education revenue. The new funding can no longer cover the Older Adult Program which was covered from the prior Adult Education base grant funding used at the same level.  The new funding is not to be used to support courses designed for older adults (e.g., exercise, the arts, memory health) which have been consistently offered by BAS for many years.

Older Adult Education programs include lifelong learning courses for active seniors as well as frail elderly programs that are often held at senior centers or convalescent facilities. These programs are in fact fee-based, yet large segments of the students enrolled in these programs receive significantly discounted enrollment fees as a result of lower incomes.

Despite the fact that the programs are fee-based, last year, as in the preceding few years, fees covered only 7% of the total costs of lifelong learning and frail elderly programs combined. Specifically, in 2016-2017, the total costs of older adult programs combined was $207,527 while the fees collected is projected to total $19,400. The Board approved one time base grant funds of $100,000 to cover the balance.

For 2017-18, staff is recommended a reduced one time funding of $70,000 and increase fees in the amount $30,000.  Adult Education funds will cover the balance of the program cost with existing fees and unrestricted budget. The proposal for 2018-19, is to reduce the support from base grant funds to $60,000. 

TWO NEW SCHOOL BUSES - one-time base grant funds of $326,000

On September 21, 2016, the board approved a bus replacement schedule and replacement of three (3) buses in 2016-17.  The replacement of buses on the schedule for subsequent years would be determined annually during budget priorities.  Staff is recommending that the board approve bus replacement of the two (2) buses on the bus replacement schedule for 2017-18. The two buses that will be replaced do not have seat belts.  Staff is recommending that due to projected deficit in 2018-19 of $1.1 million that bus replacements on the 2018-19 schedule not be replaced but placed on hold.   

TRANSITION SUPPORT AT WILLARD MIDDLE SCHOOL - one-time $60,000 base grant funds

With a projected addition of two sixth grade classes and an increase in enrollment overall at Willard Middle next year, staff is recommending short term support with that transition. The principal has requested additional counseling and/or student support periods to meet the needs of an increased population. The additional sections added to Willard for 2017-2018 are explicitly a one time support and continuance of a comparable amount of additional supports beyond that year will require Educational Services to find that revenue through the use of other funds or through

Other Budget Priority Considerations if More Funding Becomes Available

BERKELEY HIGH SCHOOL REDESIGN SUPPORT - ongoing $550,000 (multi-funded)

The proposed redesign at Berkeley High School, which will be considered again in May of 2017 by the Board, will add approximately $550,000 to the school’s operating budget. The majority of the expense will be directed at creating a flexible collaborative structure to support students including an academic development advisory class for students facing significant or historical learning barriers. The particulars of this proposal are available to the public in the documents prepared and shared with the public at the February 15, 2017 special session to discuss the high school’s redesign. Staff is proposing that $100,000 be allocated from base grant funds for preparation and planning in 2017-2018 and then be increased by $100,000-$150,000 for a total of $250,000 in base grant funds to be redesignated to support the implementation of the universal 9th grade program in 2018-2019. The additional costs $250,000 to $300,000 associated with the $550,000 ongoing total will be sought from some combination of the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) supplemental funding as well as potential support from BSEP as well as potential repurposing of existing costs at BHS.

ACHIEVING PROPORTIONALITY WITH RTI STAFFING K-8

Staff will continue to explore opportunities to use additional resources to address some issues of proportionality where allocations of student support positions at K-8 schools are concerned.

TECHNOLOGY SERVER SPECIALIST - $120,000 ongoing cost

While the creation of the Technology Supervisor has led to much improved response to technology needs at the schools, there is still a significant lack of capacity to maintain our VMWare server infrastructure, which includes PowerSchool, Print Servers for schools, VersaTrans and Fleet Vision (Transportation), Destiny (Library), Read 180 (instructional), Shoretel and Mitel (telephones), Food Service (Nutrition Services), and other servers.  Currently, the server responsibilities are juggled by several people in the Tech Department, but the lack of a clearly identified point person causes issues with timely support and the ability to fix issues quickly. Staff has identified the need for a Server Specialist to support these needs. This position is not fully costed out, but with fringe benefits would likely be $110,000-$120,000.

SECOND REGISTERED NURSE (RN)- $120,000 ongoing cost to be split cost 50/50 with Medi-Cal Collaborative Funding

Due to the significant increase in the number of students with diabetes, and given the new regulations regarding EpiPen maintenance and training, Hearing/Vision screenings, and pre-enrollment immunization requirements, our current 1.0  FTE RN is unable to sustain the needs of these students along with the additional duties to assess, serve, and support students with IEPs who have significant health conditions.

A bill currently pending in legislation proposes a staffing ratio for nurses as 1:750 healthy students. Currently in BUSD the ratio is 1:6,500 (K-8 only).

Staff is identifying a need for an additional 1.0 FTE for another District Registered Nurse (RN) for $120,000 including benefits to be split 50/50 with Medi-Cal Collaborative funding.  

CUSTODIAL SUPPORT FOR EMERSON AND JOHN MUIR - ongoing $65,000 base grant funds

Facilities Operations is requesting an increase in evening custodial support from a .5 FTE to a 1.0 (Full time) FTE at each site. Currently the two schools share or split one evening custodian and receive approximately 3 hours each of evening custodial support.

Some years back, both John Muir and Emerson had a full time evening custodian as well as a full time day custodian. As a response to a temporary district budget crisis, our evening custodians were cut back to .5 FTE, or half time positions. Due to that change, our schools are currently not being cleaned nor maintained in a manner that keeps them consistently ready for instruction.

Currently both schools have over 300 students, John Muir has increased enrollment from 245 in 2011 to 302 in 2016, and over time, both schools have significantly increased the amount of services, service providers, and room space used both during and after school. These systems require additional cleaning and maintenance. Because the two schools share the same Evening Custodian, there are at least 3 hours that one of the schools is running their after school program without a custodian on site or available for emergencies.

Finally, due to the challenging timing of the cleaning schedules and start time of the schools, the school space is not ready for students each morning. For example, we need the classrooms, the cafeteria, the Library, the bathrooms and ideally the yards and the hallways, all ready for use by the start of each school day. Currently, our Evening Custodian can only do limited cleaning each evening at each site, so our Day Custodians have to clean classrooms, bathrooms, halls, the cafeteria and the Library before the start of the school day. This is impossible in the hours before school starts, so spaces are not ready for the students each morning.

This lack of staffing is causing serious health and safety concerns for both John Muir and Emerson Elementary Schools.

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST (OT)  - Ongoing $100,000 cost split cost 50/50 with Medi-Cal Collaborative Funding

Currently Special Education staffs 5.0 FTE for occupational therapist service providers + 1.0 FTE for a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) to serve students with IEPs. However, there is a significant need for OTs to provide services to students who do not have an IEP via RtI support, teacher training or for 504 Plan services. Currently the SpEd OTs serve 25% of their time addressing general education student & staff needs which takes away their available time to serve students with IEPs who require their services.

Staff is identifying a need for an additional 1.0 FTE for another Occupational Therapist (OT) for $100,000 including benefits to be split 50/50 with Medi-Cal Collaborative funding.  

HUMAN RESOURCES GENERALIST - ongoing $128,000 base grant funds

The Payroll Department performs some of the duties which should be performed in Human Resources.  This has been a concern for many years but there have not been enough resources in Human Resources to address it.  The job functions that Payroll performs on behalf of Human Resources include employee setups in the system, salary schedules, and STRS and PERS monitoring and compliance.  Based on auditing standards, there should be a segregation of duties between employment processing of new hires and processing of payroll.  Currently Payroll performs both sides of the transaction due to the lack of resources in Human Resources to perform this function.  The compensating control is that HR provides a supporting document to payroll for the salary placement for Payroll staff to input the information on their behalf which creates a lot of  unnecessary paperwork.  In other Districts, the employee setup in the system is performed in Human Resources.  The input of employee setups by Human Resources will prevent duplication of work and reduce the volume of paperwork flowing between departments.  Payroll operates with a Payroll Supervisor and two Payroll Specialist and due to the enormous work flow have not been able to ensure accuracy with salary payment and STRS and PERS reporting.  The District was recently audited and many discrepancies were noted with the STRS and PERS reporting in that Human Resources should be monitoring and processing.

Compared to most school districts with the size of Berkeley’s budget, the Human Resource department is larger and contain more than one HR Generalist.  The HR Generalist will focus on transactional and administrative duties to increase the efficiency of customer service delivery.  A Generalist assists senior management by providing human resources services including talent acquisition, employment processing, compensation management, training and development and records management.  In addition, develops human resources solutions by collecting and analyzing information and recommending courses of action.  This includes organizational data maintenance, leveraging knowledge base to troubleshoot and resolve a variety of system challenges, conducting regular audits and reconciling data to ensure accuracy, leveraging workflow tools, and collaborating with other departments to establish sound operational systems and procedures. The Generalist  prepares reports by collecting, analyzing and summarizing data and trends. The Generalist also ensures compliance with federal, state and local legal requirements including STRS and PERS by studying existing and new legislation, anticipating legislation and enforcing adherence to requirements and advising management on needed actions.  Staff is identifying the need for an HR Generalist in Human Resources for $128,000 including benefits.

FISCAL IMPACT

The District has limited ongoing base grant funding. The increase in base grant funding is $.5 million in 2017-18.  The increase of the $.4 million in base grant funds is at risk if the District’s enrollment does not increase by a projected 60 ADA to make up part of the enrollment decline in 2016-17 of 127.  Additionally, there are also increasing costs including step and column, inflation (CPI), and increases in employer-paid retirement costs of $1.1 million for STRS and PERS due to the State’s increase in rates.  Employer-paid retirement costs are scheduled to increase another $1.1 million in fiscal year 2018-19.  After the impact of the Governor’s January Budget, the District is projected to have a structural deficit of $.5 million in 2017-18 after removing the impact of one-time revenue of $.4 million.   

The Staff recommendations will cost $342,621 in ongoing base funding offset by budget reductions of $429,798 for a total reduction in the structural deficit for 2017-18 of $87,177.  Therefore, there is still a structural deficit of .4 million.  The staff recommendation also includes a request for $1.6 million in one-time base grant funds for 2017-18.  This will decrease the projected fund balance for 2017-18 from $6.4 million to $4.8 million.  The projected one-time cost increases for 2018-19 of $.9 Million which will reduce the projected ending fund balance for 2018-19 by $2.8 million above the 3% state required reserve.  

The demands for unrestricted general funding include many competing programs and services; funding is limited. Staff in conjunction with the Board will need to prioritize District programs and make trade-offs to ensure that the programs and services due not create unmanageable structural deficit.  Staff recognizes that based on these projections and deficit spending needs to be monitored.    Staff will establish a budget cut target for 2017-18 and 2018-19 and will continue to work on more budget reduction proposals in the upcoming weeks and months.  The Superintendent’s budget advisory committee held its first meeting to address budget priorities and reductions and will meet throughout the budget development process.

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Receive for Information and provide direction on program and support costs that should or should not be moved forward for action.

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 

TO:         Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent
FROM:          Tim White,  Director of Facilities
DATE:           March 22, 2017
SUBJECT:     Potential Bond Measure for Employee Housing                    

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Housing affordability is an increasingly serious issue in the Bay Area. The soaring cost of buying a home or renting an apartment has made it extremely difficult for many educators seeking to live in a community where they work. Districts such as San Francisco and Oakland are already exploring options for the creation of teacher housing to help recruit and retain teachers. 

One possible path to providing teacher housing in BUSD would be for staff to explore the feasibility of placing a bond measure on the November 2018 ballot to authorize the sale of General Obligation Bonds for the purpose of funding the construction of teacher housing and then to report back to the Board on the feasibility by August 2017.

Among the issues to be considered are:

• On what sites owned by BUSD could employee housing potentially be built? For each site, how many units could feasibly be built and at what cost?
• Are there other sites not owned by BUSD on which employee housing potentially could be built? For each site, how many units could feasibly be built and at what cost?
• What mix of unit types (studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, etc.) would best suit the needs of BUSD teachers?
• What are the legal issues, if any, of using G.O. Bonds to build employee housing?
• What are the viable financial mechanisms available to BUSD if it choses to provide employee housing (e.g., BUSD rents units to its employees, BUSD sells units to its employees but limits resale to other employees, BUSD/employee jointly own unit, BUSD engages a non-profit housing developer to create and manage the housing)?
• How many BUSD employees would be interested in such housing?

STAFF RECOMMENDATION: To explore options for the creation of employee housing to help recruit and retain teachers.

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 

TO:             Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent      
FROM:       Natasha Beery, Director of BSEP and Community Relations
DATE:        March 22, 2017
SUBJECT: Amendment to SGC Bylaws to include Small Programs   

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
According to the Bylaws for School Governance Councils (SGC) adopted by the Board April 23, 2008, the composition of the site committees at Berkeley Technology Academy (BTA) and Berkeley Independent Study are required to be as follows:

BTA = 8 members

4 Staff (+Alternate), including principal or designee; classified staff optional

2 Parents (+Alternate)

2 Students (+Alternate)

There must be at least 8 members, with a quorum being 5, at least 2 staff (including the principal or designee), 1 parent and 1 student.

Independent Study  = 10 members

5 Staff (+Alternate), including principal or designee; classified staff optional

3-4 Parents (+Alternate), with a minimum of 5 parents and students required

1-2 Students (+Alternate), with a minimum of 5 parents and students required

There must be at least 10 members, with a quorum being 6, at least 2 staff (including the principal or designee), 2 parents, and 1 student.

These requirements have proven a hardship for these small programs whose enrollment seldom exceeds 150 students. BTA currently has approximately 60 students and the Independent Study program 125. Despite outreach, BTA has not been able to elect an SGC this 2016-17 year. Independent Study is currently operating with 4 staff, 2 parents, and 2 students (+1 Student Alternate). 

There will also be a stand-alone TK at King CDC, which is not part of a K-5 program and whose conduct is not covered in the existing bylaws. BSEP site funds have been allocated for 53 students.  However, without an SGC, there is not a clear way to allocate those funds. 

We propose that the Board approve this Policy tonight, without awaiting a second reading of the policy.  Under Board Policy 9310, the Board can waive a second reading of a policy upon a 2/3 vote of the Board.

STAFF RECOMMENDATION

1) That the Board approve reduction of the requirements for SGCs at sites where there are fewer than 150 students to: 

Minimum Composition = 4

2 staff (of whom one is Principal or designee) + alternate

1 parent/guardian + alternate

1 student + alternate  (or at a TK-8 site, another parent/guardian) 

Quorum = 3

1 staff

1 parent

+1 either staff/parent

2) That SGC decisions/action, including the site plan and any changes, must be reviewed by the Assistant Superintendent for Ed Services and then approved by the BSEP Director in consultation with the BSEP Budget Analyst and/or BSEP Program Specialist who will assist small programs with deliberations.

3) That the TK program at King CDC be governed by the current bylaws with the modifications for composition and quorum for smaller schools as above. 

The revised quorum and composition chart is provided as an attachment.  This document should accompany the SGC bylaws found on Gamut at 0420E. 

The BSEP Office is working on fully revised bylaws in keeping with Measure E1 to be brought to the Board Policy Subcommittee and full Board later this spring.

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 

TO:             Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent      
FROM:       Pasquale Scuderi, Asst. Superintendent for Educational Services
DATE:        March 22, 2017
SUBJECT: Recommendation for Allocation of BSEP Class Size Reduction Funds in FY 2017-18

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
According to Measure E1 of 2016, “sixty-six percent (66%) of the Available Revenues shall be dedicated annually to reducing class sizes at all District-operated K-12 schools, and may also be allocated to provide funding for professional development, classroom support, program evaluation, and expanded course offerings.”^[1]

The goal of class size reduction has been a major component of every BSEP measure since 1986. Earlier BSEP measures set class size goals of around 26:1 for the elementary schools; under BSEP Measure A of 2006, the goal was a district-wide average class of 26:1 for the elementary school grades, with a further reduction to 20:1 at K-3 to qualify for the State of California program which rewarded districts for achieving that goal.

In 2013-14 the State changed class size reduction targets to 24:1 school-wide for K-3, which occasioned a reexamination of the elementary class size configuration in the BUSD. The 20:1 goal at K-3 made the transition to 26:1 at 4th grade mathematically challenging in schools with fewer sections, yielding either large classes or mixed grade classes.

With BSEP Measure E1, beginning in FY 2017-18, the District-operated elementary school average class sizes are being gradually adjusted, with the aim of achieving balanced class sizes in all elementary schools with school-wide K-5 averages of 23:1 achievable by the sixth year of the measure. This exceeds the State goal of 24:1 at K-3. The BSEP class size goals for grades 6-12 remain at district-wide averages of 28:1 and 18:1 for the continuation high school.

This recommendation was presented to the BSEP Planning and Oversight Committee on March 7, 2017 and adopted by the Committee on March 21, 2017.

Class Size Reduction and the Teacher Template

The contribution of BSEP Class Size Reduction (CSR) Funds for classroom teachers is estimated using a planning tool known as the “Teacher Template” (Appendix A). The Teacher Template calculates student enrollment and staffing for class size ratios to be paid for by General Fund (GF) resources and then calculates additional staffing to be paid for by BSEP funds.

This recommendation is based on the following assumptions:

?Staffing enrollment of TK-12 students is projected at 9,317.
?Average compensation (includes salary and employer paid fringe benefits) of classroom teachers is projected at $102,399. This includes the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) contribution of 14.43% in FY 2017-18.
?The indirect cost rate for FY 2016-17 is 5.96%. 

The attached “Teacher Template” details this recommendation. (Attachment A)

The staffing formula results in a total of 436.64 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) classroom teachers projected to be necessary to staff the TK-12 classrooms at the ratios listed above, of which BSEP would fund 129.14 FTE teachers (including the associated preparation/release time for BSEP funded teachers).

Under the terms of Measure E1, the revenues dedicated to class size reduction purposes may be spent for all costs attendant to them, including operational costs, and other costs associated with the opening or maintaining of classrooms to reduce class sizes. These costs are shown in the teacher template as “direct support.”  The costs of substitute teachers are also included in the overall staffing costs. BSEP therefore reimburses the General Fund based on the average teacher cost, plus expenses for substitutes, and direct support. Altogether, to meet these targeted class size reduction goals, the expense to the BSEP Class Size Reduction fund in 2017-18 is projected to be $13,835,200.     

It should be noted that enrollment projections are reviewed both prior to presentation of the budget to the Board for adoption in June, and again in early September after the actual enrollment has stabilized. The actual expense for the BSEP transfer to the General Fund for classroom teachers is calculated at the close of the Fiscal Year.

PROGRAM SUMMARY

In addition to the Class Size Reduction goal, which is achieved through the aforementioned transfer of funds from BSEP to the General Fund, this resource supports a number of expenses in support of high quality instruction, as permitted by the Measure.  These expenses are “directly charged” as the actual costs for the programs as they are incurred. For 2017-18, these expenses include:

Professional Development

The Professional Development Department has notably expanded its offerings toward building and sustaining teacher capacity over the past three years. With the arrival of the Common Core State Standards, as well as the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), professional learning efforts in math, literacy, and science have required deep investments as well as intensive and expansive coordination. The District’s PD Coordinator, multi-funded through both this budget and the District’s designated general fund dollars for common core implementation, now oversees and coordinates professional learning in all core subject areas at district-wide events, and at teacher-led Wednesday staff meetings throughout BUSD.

In addition, these funds support the development of professional learning community (PLC) work and protocols at all levels of the District. A particularly important support funded through this budget is the district’s K-5 Lead Literacy Coach who supports students and the teachers working with students who face the largest and most pronounced literacy challenges. At Berkeley High, the budget also forms the core of a teacher-led professional development team that works on curriculum as well as culturally-responsive teaching.

The BSEP Professional Development Plan for 2017-18 is found in Appendix B. 

Program Evaluation

As the District implements numerous educational programs designed to improve student achievement, staff must be able to assess the effectiveness of these programs in meeting their goals. Equity-driven and data-driven decision-making is critical to student success, and therefore, the District established the Berkeley Research, Evaluation, and Assessment (BREA) office to provide needed expertise.

BREA’s evaluations improve the ability of the School Board, staff, SGCs and the public to make informed decisions about the effectiveness of programs in order to maximize the use of resources to meet the needs of students, and in particular our most underserved students. BREA develops and maintains a central data warehouse of district and state mandated assessments which may be drillable to the site, classroom, case-management and student level to identify students who should be engaged through the intervention model. In addition, BREA teams with the Professional Development staff to support the development of data reporting systems across a range of program needs and works with the Office of Family Engagement and Equity in their efforts to document family and student engagement efforts.

The program evaluation is found in Appendix C.

Classroom Support

Berkeley Technology Academy (BTA) serves some of our highest needs students, in terms of social-emotional and academic needs. BUSD has historically staffed the site at a 15:1 student to teacher ratio (assuming an enrollment of 150), even though the BSEP measure stipulates 18:1. This staffing ratio has resulted in the assignment of 10 full time teachers to BTA, with the General Fund and BSEP each providing 5 FTE.  However, with enrollment declining steadily over time, actual enrollment has been in a range of 60-100 students over the past five years, while the school has remained staffed as if for a larger population, which has resulted in student/teacher ratios of 10:1 or below in many classes.  The proposed allocation would provide staffing in 2017-18 to 8.0 FTE for an expected population of 76 students, with the General Fund contributing 2.53 FTE and BSEP contributing 2.54 FTE at a calculation of 18:1 via the Teacher Template, and an additional 2.93 FTE would be provided through Classroom Support from BSEP.

At Thousand Oaks Elementary School, a small cohort of students in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade have been proposed to continue as a “bilingual maintenance” class.  These small classes would require an additional 3 FTE above the Teacher Template calculations, and are therefore found in the Classroom Support section.

Expanded Course Offerings (ECO) for Middle and High School offer a wide variety of options for students for before and after-school elective and enrichment classes that are not available within the master schedule. For example, ECO classes at Berkeley High include Advanced Placement (AP) augmentation classes, providing access to AP coursework for students who might not otherwise have such access, as well as science labs, yearbook and music classes. The current proposal is based on 7.6 FTE:  0.4 each at Longfellow and Willard Middle Schools, 0.8 at King Middle School and 6.00 FTE at BHS.

RESOURCE SUMMARY

^[1]

  BSEP Measure E1 of 2016, Section 3.A

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

TO:             Donald Evans, Ed.D, Superintendent
FROM:        Timothy E. White, Executive Director of Facilities
DATE:        March 22, 2017
SUBJECT: Facilities Plan Update 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
This report is an update of the Facilities Construction Plan approved by the Board on January 11, 2017.  Data in this report are current as of

March 15, 2017. This report includes updates of all active construction projects.  Maintenance projects are detailed in the Maintenance Quarterly Reports.   

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 

TO:        Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent
FROM:    Pasquale Scuderi, Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services
Pat Saddler, Director, Programs and Special Projects
DATE:     March 22, 2017
SUBJECT:     Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP)/ Draft Recommendations

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) is intended to be a planning and accountability tool for districts, describing the actions and expenditures that are expected to improve student outcomes.  The First Draft LCAP for 17-18 is being presented to the Board this evening as an information item. The information provided here  includes program action and service recommendations from the Ed Services Team that have been shared with Education Advisory Committee, District English Learner Advisory Committee, Parent Advisory Committee and the TK - 8 Principals.  

Three student groups were consulted, two at the middle school level and one at BTA.  Additionally these recommendations have been posted on the BUSD LCAP Webpage, with information for the community to provide questions and feedback.  

Here are the recommendations by goal for 2017 - 2018:

Goal One:  High quality classroom instruction

• Response to Intervention and Instruction  Teachers....................................$876,000

• Math Coaches..............................................................................................$220,500

• K-5 Literacy Coaches...................................................................................$242,000

• Math Support - Middle School......................................................................$100,000

• AVID (Grade 7-12) (adding EXCEL)............................................................$212,000

• Sixth Grade Bridge Program..........................................................................$60,000

• BHS Bridge Program................................................................................... $140,000

• STEM - Super Science Program K-5.............................................................$60,000

• STEM - Be a Scientist - Grade 7...................................................................$10,000

• Literacy Summer and Saturday Program (Ramp-Up)...................................$30,000

• Extended Day Academic Intervention K-8...................................................$120,000

• Extended Day Academic Intervention - Math (BHS) ....................................$20,000

Goal One subtotal.............................................................................................$2,090,500

Goal Two:  Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Systems

• Recruitment for Teachers of Color.................................................................$60,000

• Equity TSA.....................................................................................................$55,410

• ELD Teacher Coaches (Tk- 12)................................................................$1,004,263

• Professional Learning Communities (next steps)..........................................$40,000

Goal Two subtotal.............................................................................................$1,159,673

Goal Three:  Safe and welcoming schools

• K-5 & BTA Behavior Health........................................................................$144,000

• School Climate Teacher Leader Stipends(TK-8)..........................................$38,269

• Coordination of School Based Services.....................................................$130,000

• Bay Area Peace Keepers.............................................................................$25,000

• Intervention Counselors  3.0.......................................................................$280,000

• Restorative Practices Coordinator (BHS).....................................................$60,000

• Restorative Practices (BTA)......................................................................,,,,$25,000

• RJ Counselors (Middle School) 3.0.............................................................$297,000

• Site Coordinators for Family Engagement (4.07 fte)...................................$315,000

Goal Three subtotal..........................................................................................$1,314,269

Additional LCAP Expenses              

• LCAP evaluation (2.5%)...........................................................................$128,313

• LCAP Contingency (2%)..........................................................................$102,650

• Indirect Cost Reserve(7.0%)....................................................................$337,117

Subtotal.............................................................................................................$568,081

Grand Total:                                                                                                    $5,132,523

Proposed Changes for 2017-2018:

Recommended to be discontinued:

• RJ Pilot at Washington School................................................................$25,000

• RJ Training by SEEDS............................................................................$15,000

Recommended new services:

• Math Support Middle School....................................................................$100,000

This adds intensive math support class sections to each of the three middle schools. These sections will be taught by certificated math specialists and will be scheduled either within the school day or after school depending on the local needs and scheduling constraints of each middle school.

• Math Intervention BHS.............................................................................$20,000

A high school allocation for the same purposes outlined in the Math Support for Middle School item above.

• School Climate Teacher Leader Stipends................................................$38,269

Provides for a stipend to develop new teacher or to formally support existing teacher leadership around Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS) systems as well as Toolbox, Title IX, and other general school culture and climate concerns. Stipended teachers can lead site meetings and also  coordinate and collaborate with the District’s Coordinator of School Based Services.

• Intervention Counselor BHS....................................................................$100,000

Adds an additional intervention counselor to work in small student to adult ratio with highest needs students in 9th and 10th grade at Berkeley High School. This added  capacity for the school year 2017-2018 can then be rolled into the proposed restructuring of the 9th grade program at Berkeley High for 2018-2019. This additional counselor will also ideally receive baseline training in Title IX concerns and, coupled with a new Restorative Practices consultant  working in the areas of sexual harm and sexual harassment, as well as with the district’s new Title IX Coordinator, will provide increased capacity and sensitivity to these student safety concerns at BHS.

LCAP Supplemental Budget for 2017 thru 2019:

After  careful review and analysis of the mid year student data, the LCAP parent survey data, and stakeholder data it has been determined that there needs to be increased intervention in the following areas:

• Mathematics at the secondary level

• Improved English Language Development for Long Term English Learners

• Coaching support for teachers to integrate English Language Development strategies in all academic content areas

• Site level leadership for positive school climate systems that include Restorative Practices, Toolbox and Positive behavior interventions and support (PBIS)

Next Steps:

April

• 4/12- First  draft of LCAP Budget presented at Board

• 4/10 - LCAP draft presentation to EAC

• 4/20 - LCAP draft presentation to PAC

May

• 5/1-5/12 - Public Comment period on LCAP draft

• 5/3 - Board LCAP Presentation

• 5/28 - Superintendent’s Response to PAC LCAP Comments

June

• 6/14 - LCAP Final draft  and budget Public Hearing

• 6/28 - Final LCAP Approval

POLICY/CODE:
NA

FISCAL IMPACT:
LCAP Supplemental Funds

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Receive the preliminary recommendations.

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

TO:      Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent
FROM:          Timothy E. White, Executive Director of Facilities
DATE:          March 22, 2017
SUBJECT:      All Student Restrooms Update

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
We have currently labeled and posted signage for Gender Neutral restroom use at all of our school campuses. These restrooms are clearly labeled with the appropriate signage declaring them as, ’ALL STUDENT’ Restroom facilities.

The restroom facilities are for the most part single stall, single use restrooms that offer respectfully private accommodations to any student that wishes to use them. Berkeley High School has three of these single stall restroom facilities spread across the campus to make restroom facilities within reasonable walking distance for all.  The restrooms used for this purpose are private restroom formally designated for teaching staff. Please note that this reduces the number of restrooms for staff use.

When our previous report was submitted on March 8, 2017, Berkeley Arts Magnet and Washington Elementary School needed to have modifications made to correct restroom location or proper signage. The work at these two schools has been completed.

Next Steps
Phase Two of our rollout looks at expanding the restroom use from single use facilities to multi-use restroom facilities. There are many considerations for this subject, including code compliance, design and user comfort. The formation of a working group that includes all stakeholders, to create a long-term plan will be started and managed by the Facilities Division with other district leadership at the school site level.

POLICY/CODE:
School Facilities support for educational program.

FISCAL IMPACT: 
None.

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Accept as information update.

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

TO: Donald Evans, Ed.D., Superintendent
FROM: Dana Clark, Compliance Officer & Title IX Coordinator
Susan Craig, Ed.D., Director, Student Services
Pasquale Scuderi, Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services
DATE: March 22, 2017
SUBJECT: Information Regarding BUSD Complaint Policies and Procedures  

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
BUSD currently has multiple Board Policies and related Administrative Regulations pertaining to different types of complaints. The forms include:

• Complaints regarding site or District policies, practices, procedures, or employees (form 10.2)
• Uniform Complaint Procedures regarding discrimination under any protected category (i.e. disability, gender, gender identity, religion, race, sexual harassment) or regarding any school program receiving federal and state funds (form 10.3)
• Williams Complaints regarding school facilities, instructional materials, or teacher mis-assignments or vacancies, and (form 10.5)
• Bullying Complaints (form 10.4)

The related Board Policies and Administrative Regulations include:

• BP 1312.1, AR 1312.1 (re: Complaints Concerning District Employees, Policies, Procedures and Practices)
• BP 1312.3, AR 1312.3 (re: Uniform Complaint Procedures)
• AR 1312.4 (re: Williams Act complaints)
• BP 5131.2 (Anti-Bullying)

The District recognizes that there are overlaps and inconsistencies regarding the complaint policies and procedures that are confusing. Additionally, some of the complaint forms do not align with the corresponding policies, particularly regarding the appeal process.

The District has hired Dana Clark as the new Compliance Officer and Title IX Coordinator, and one aspect of her work will be to review the complaint forms and complaint policies.  At a Policy Subcommittee meeting on March 9, 2017, Ms. Clark was tasked with reviewing the existing policies and complaint forms, and coming up with a proposal for how to streamline the processes and make revisions as necessary to the various forms and policies.  She will report back to the Policy Subcommittee with a proposal to this effect on April 14, 2017. 

POLICY/CODE:
Board Policy 1312.1, AR 1312.1;
Board Policy 1312.3, AR 1312.3;
AR 1312.4;
Board Policy 5131.2
Education Code 60119 (Williams Act)
Code of Regulations, Title 5, Section 4600-4687

FISCAL IMPACT:
None

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Receive the information regarding policies and procedures.

Persons wishing to address the Board should fill out a green speaker card.  Cards turned in for the earlier open session public testimony will be given priority.  Speakers will be randomly selected based on topic and position, with BUSD students generally given priority.  Public Testimony is limited to 15 minutes with a 3-minute limit per speaker per topic although the time allotted per speaker may be reduced to 2 minutes at the discretion of the President.