SRCS Board Meeting Agenda Analysis - 7/8/2020

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BOARD MEETING
Santa Rosa City Schools
July 8, 2020 6:00PM 
5:30 p.m. - Closed Session 6:00 p.m. - Open Session

*** streamed ***
A live link will be posted on the SRCS website (link).
https://bit.ly/SRCSvideoboardmeetings

Please take time to review the following abbreviated version of the agenda.  Click here to see the entire agenda. It has live links on many items with more information.  If you want to comment to the board about any upcoming items, email  agendacomments@srcs.k12.ca.us. Please CC wearesrta@gmail.com on your comments.

Closed Session Items: 
A.1. Public Comment On Closed Session Agenda Items To comment, email Melanie Martin at mmartin@srcs.k12.ca.us prior to 4:00.
B.1. Public Employee Appointment/Employment
B.2. Public Employee Performance Evaluation (Title of employee being reviewed: Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, Principals, Vice Principals, Assistant Principals, Directors, Coordinators)

C. RECONVENE TO REGULAR OPEN SESSION (6:00 p.m.)

C.6. Public Comment on Non Agenda Items
SRTA members are invited to raise their hand and provide voice only comments during the meeting. Please observe the time limit. The standard is three minutes, but recently it has been modified at times to a two minute limit. Items not on the agenda are addressed at this time.  Items on the agenda are addressed during discussion of the item, using the same process.

Comments are needed at the board meeting to bring a members perspective to the messages contained in this analysis, and share real experiences of the impact of district policies and practices.  Please commit to watching a board meeting, and speaking to an agenda item that impacts you or your students. Speakers are most impactful when they are well spoken, composed and reasonable.

E. DISCUSSION / ACTION ITEMS
E.1. (Action) The Santa Rosa City Schools Return to School Plan will be presented to the Board of Education for Review and Approval Summary
Safeguarding the health and safety of students and staff is an overarching guiding principle for this plan. It is aspirational as it focuses on Connection, Instruction, Safety, Technology, Communication, and Professional Development. “To Be Negotiated” is inserted in all areas that will be written to reflect agreements in a future MOU. 

SRCS Return To School Plan - DRAFT

SRTA notes that the District is asking for approval of the DRAFT RTS Plan while acknowledging that the guidelines are a mandatory subject of negotiations. We support the adoption of this DRAFT now so staff and families can start planning. We look forward to a finalized plan to be presented along with duly negotiated MOUs at the July 22nd Board meeting.  We stand by the process that has gotten the RTS Draft to this point and, as redacted, we agree that it represents the best thinking for our Return to School Committee. We intend to work with the District to have a ratified MOU by then if we can reach agreement.  

SRTA appreciates the collaborative efforts utilized to create the Return To School plan. Members' recommendations, voices, and concerns were taken into account while writing and revising the current plan. We believe this process allowed for a higher quality RTS plan. We expect that lessons learned from this experiment in robust collaboration will make future collaborations more meaningful and successful. We are grateful to the School Board and Dr. Kitamura for supporting this difficult work.

SRTA Members’ number one priority is the health and safety of our students and our staff. That remains our top focus as we move forward. The Return to School Plan is NOT an agreement to reopen our classrooms; it is a guideline for HOW to reopen our classrooms IF it is safe and reasonable to do so. That is a huge IF at this point. The virus will have to behave, and we will have to grow our District’s capacity to implement these guidelines, before we can return to schools safely.

It is important to note that the Covid MOU, to be negotiated with the Union, will override the RTS plan. This one-year MOU will replace the contract for the topics which it covers. It will contain the “lines in the sand,” the minimum safety requirements the District must provide, and the maximum the District can direct our members to do as employees. SRTA will continue to negotiate to achieve the strongest, safest MOU possible with reasonable workloads. If the MOU contradicts the RTS plan, the RTS plan will need to be revised to be in alignment with the MOU.

We are living in an unprecedented pandemic. Forty-one percent (41%) of all of 1360 cases of Covid-19 in Sonoma County were diagnosed in the last two weeks. This confirms that nearly 3% of our local population has contracted Covid-19. That is 524 new cases in the past 14 days while our death rate has recently doubled. This dramatic shift came after the information gathering for the plan. 


Once the MOUs are agreed to and this RTS plan is approved by the Board, we are still a long way from being able to reopen our schools safely. A close reading of this ambitious DRAFT RTS plan will find over 150 instances where further plans and protocols will need to be created, shared, and carried out in order to fulfill the vision of the plan. Important decisions still to be ironed out include:

• Safety conditions: sanitation, class size, PPE, medically fragile staff and families, and the default to distance learning 
• Working conditions and workload: prep times, distance learning times, and the Wednesday planning times
• SPED concerns: IEPs, 504s, and SSTs 
• Professional development: times, topics, and obligations to attend

CLICK READ MORE TO SEE THE REST OF THE ANALYSIS

E.2. (Action) Graduation Requirement to Include Ethnic Studies
SummaryThis item is a resolution to adopt Ethnic Studies as a graduation requirement, by adding the following language to Board Policy 6146.1:Beginning with the class of 2025, a single two-semester course or two semesters (10 credits) of any a-g offerings in Ethnic Studies developed pursuant to Education Code 51226.7. Any Ethnic Studies course taken must meet a UC/CSU a-g course requirement and shall also accrue credit for coursework in the subject that course is offered. 
Board Policy 6146.1 Clean Copy This is a clean copy of the proposed new policy.
July 8, 2020 Board Policy - Revised Ethnic Studies This is a redline copy of the proposed new policy, with the language from the last meeting clearly redacted.
Updated Draft Cost of Implementing Ethnic Studies Updated costs include time to write courses as well as curriculum as requested by SRTA.
    Acosta Educational Partnership Consulting         $83,150
    Subs for CRSH                        $43,200
    Summer Course Writing (240 hours)            $13,300
    CCD Course Writing Release    (18 Teachers, 6 days)    $19,440
            Total for 2020-2021        $159,256
Acosta Educational Partnership Consulting         $76,500
    Subs for CRSH                        $43,200
    Summer Course Writing (240 hours)            $13,466
    CCD Course Writing Release    (18 Teachers, 6 days)    $19,440
    Course Materials (Estimate)                $75,000
            Total for 2020-2021        $247,805
            Two Year Total         $407,061
SRTA supports an embedded K-12 Ethnic Studies curriculum. We find this implementation timeline to be very ambitious, given our current COVID situation and budget restraints.

E.4. (Action) Raising Board stipend by 5%
Summary
The Board will consider approval of revised Board Bylaw 9250 increasing the stipend for board members by 5% to $441.00 per month an annual total of $5,292 for each Board member. Combined total compensation for all Board members would be $37,044.
Proposed BB 9250

SRTA is appreciative of the service of the board and supports this adoption. Trustee Medina has asked that the board annually increase their stipend by the 5% allowed by law. This could make serving on the board more attractive and affordable to a broader range of candidates. 

E.5. (Action) Approval of Resolution In Support of The California Schools and Local Communities Funding Act of 2020 
Summary
This item is in support of Proposition 15. The text of the initiative follows.
 
INCREASES FUNDING FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS, COMMUNITY COLLEGES, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES BY CHANGING TAX ASSESSMENT OF COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 
Increases funding for K-12 public schools, community colleges, and local governments by requiring that commercial and industrial real property be taxed based on current market value. Exempts from this change: residential properties; agricultural properties; and owners of commercial and industrial properties with combined value of $3 million or less. Increased education funding will supplement existing school funding guarantees. Exempts small businesses from personal property tax; for other businesses, exempts $500,000 worth of personal property. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: Net increase in annual property tax revenues of $7.5 billion to $12 billion in most years, depending on the strength of real estate markets. After backfilling state income tax losses related to the measure and paying for county administrative costs, the remaining $6.5 billion to $11.5 billion would be allocated to schools (40 percent) and other local governments (60 percent). (19-0008.)
Resolution

SRTA along with CTA support PROP 15: SCHOOLS & COMMUNITIES FIRST.
https://www.schoolsandcommunitiesfirst.org
This will 

• Reclaim $12 billion per year for K-12 schools, community colleges and local communities 
• Close commercial property tax loopholes that corporations and wealthy investors use to avoid paying their fair share of property taxes 
• Protect all homeowners and renters by maintaining tax protections for ALL residential property 
• Ensure strict accountability so that money goes directly to our schools and communities

The board has prioritized Sustainable Funding. 

SRCS believes that the chronic underfunding of public education in California is unacceptable and undermines the health of our community. The current funding levels limit student outcomes and staff compensation. The SRCS Board commits to working with our community to create additional funding opportunities and to being consistent and fierce advocates for full and fair funding from the State of California.

The resolution is another action to support this priority. SRTA supports the board creating an action plan around achieving this priority. SRTA encourages Santa Rosa City Schools, as well as the individual trustees to officially endorse Schools and Communities First (Prop 15).


School District: https://www.schoolsandcommunitiesfirst.org/endorse-organizations
Board Trustees: https://www.schoolsandcommunitiesfirst.org/endorse-elected-public-officials

F. CONSENT ITEMS 
F.2. Approval of Personnel Transactions
Personnel Transactions

EdJoin has a total of 23 current postings for 29 jobs (31 less than last month) jobs for SRCS. There are 29 certificated openings (3 less than last month), and 1 certificated management (one less than last month). There are 48 current classified openings (65 less than last month).

SRCS has openings for 10 Special Education teachers, and 4 HS Counselors for next year, along with 10 various other teaching positions.

SRTA welcomes Theresa E Garcia, as well as welcoming  back Carla Forchini  (MHS), Krystin Bradford (SLES), Jesus Barragan (PHS), Urjita Parekh (SRHS), and Heidi Pedrazzetti (COSA).

SRTA bids farewell to these three resigning members, Brian Halloran (EAHS), Kristine Holtzer (EAHS), and Erica Stevens (SPSV).  We are losing 39 years of experience as these teachers leave us for greener pastures.

CSEA has two resignations. 

F.4. Approval of Donations and Gifts
Donation/Gift Detail
Donations Year to Date by Site
SRTA thanks the Santa Rosa Press Democrat for the donation of the layout honoring all of the Santa Rosa City School retirees.

F.5. Approval of Contracts 
Summary

Contract #
Provider
Cost
Description

Serving District Students


1
Blackboard
$1,326.28
District website and content management system software, with web hosting and support.

2
California School Board Association (CSBA) Membership Dues
$19,321.00
CSBA has written or developed, and as necessary, updates, a reference policy manual, including sample policies, regulations, bylaws, and exhibits, based on applicable state and federal law.

3
California School Board Association (CSBA) GAMUT Online
$11,140.00
Board Policy and Administrative Regulations are currently housed through GAMUT. This allows the District to continue to offer this service/resource to our community.

4
Fagen, Friedman & Fulfrost, LLP
$175-$350/hr
Legal Services provided for general SRCS business and Bond related issues

5
Dominican University
$0
Dominican is approved to provide viable teaching interns with Santa Rosa City Schools. There is no mention in the contract of s stipend for the teacher providing 200 plus hours of  general support/mentoring and supervision.

6
Sonoma State University
$0
SSU is approved to provide viable counseling interns with Santa Rosa City Schools for 200-600 hours. There is no mention of district provided supervision in the contract.

7
Pacific Union College
$0
Pacific Union is approved to provide viable teaching interns with Santa Rosa City Schools. The honorarium for supervising teachers is blank in the contract.

8
National University
$0
National University is approved to provide viable teaching/counseling interns with Santa Rosa City Schools. The honorarium provides $600 for supervising teachers.

Total value of contracts = $31,787.28

Summary of Contracts
Contracts
SRTA notes that it is a significant undertaking to provide supervision for a credential candidate. Members must receive remuneration for their mentoring efforts.

F.6. Approval of CISCO Firewalls Purchase and Installation and Renewal of 5 Year CISCO Network Security Contract
Summary
This provides Firewalls Installation, Support and Malware serving the two load balanced SRCS internet connections. This five year contract is for $500,000 broken into 0% interest annual payments of $100,000.
5YR CISCO Network Support Enterprise Agreement
Firewall Substitution Request for E-Rate Firewall Application
Original 2019 E-Rate Firewall Application
USAC Approval of Firewall Substitution Request - Hardware
USAC Approval of Firewall Substitution Request - Hardware Support
USAC Approval of Original 2019 E-Rate Firewall Application

F. 7. Approval of the Career Technical Education (CTE) Incentive Grant Application
Summary
This is an annual grant application. SRCS is applying for $610,636, requiring the district to spend at least a total of $1.8 million on our CTE programs for the year. This is a 2:1 matching grant, where Perkins grant funds count for the match.
SRCS self evaluated the CTE program and states on a scale of 0-3, 5 areas of a rating of 1 (emerging) and 8 area ratings of a 2 (quality.) There are no zeros (Not Yet) and no 3’s (Exemplary.)
Of particular note are the following plans for using these funds:

• SRCS proposes to reduce potential barriers by paying for membership fees, substitute teachers, and travel expenses for regional and national leadership development competitions.
•  Funds will support SRCS K-12 and postsecondary faculty to collaborate, plan, and review curriculum and instruction across all levels of education ensuring CTE students have smooth transitions to college and career.
• SRCS wants to build internal capacity and hire a CTE Industry Liaison to offer WBL internally.
• SRCS seeks to create new pathways in Building and Construction Trades-Residential and Commercial Construction; Arts, Media, and Entertainment-Performing Arts; Engineering; Business and Finance-International Business to build upon a strong bilingual middle school program.
• CTEIG funds will enable all SRCS teachers to fulfill requirements to earn CTE credentials. SRCS will ensure that when new CTE teachers are hired they have already have appropriate industry experience and their CTE credential. In addition, SRCS wants all 60 teachers at Elsie Allen HS to teach CTE pathways and offer PBL through equity-centered design-thinking to all students.
• CTEIG funds would be used to develop a series of CTE promotional videos with students who will co-create content and work in front and behind the camera so they can gain work-based learning skills, and support all CTE pathways to encourage recruitment of new students into all CTE programs.

CTE Career Incentive Grant Application

This item has been promised to be pulled into discussion. With a $19 million shortfall in our three-year budget and without having had any discussion with SRTA on the matter, it is an overreach to place this into the consent items, and we appreciate the opportunity for discussion.

SRTA sees $650,000 of this grant going to consultants to help build a comprehensive CTE program at Elsie Allen High School. All staff at Elsie Allen will be expected to teach CTE pathways and provide Project Based Learning (PBL) through equity-centered design-thinking. This is a change to working conditions for teachers to become CTE credentialed teachers and teaching CTE pathway courses, and the Union has not consulted on or negotiated this.

The application includes requiring all future Elsie Allen teachers to already hold CTE credentials on top of their subject. As it is, SRCS has a difficult time attracting teachers, and we are in the middle of Covid budget cuts, so this may not be the time to erect this additional hurdle for employment or the additional costs.

How are these plans created and chosen? What is the process for developing these plans? How is participation targeted? Who is the consultant? Have they been vetted? Is this CTE plan building on the work of the Specialist Certificate Committee from the last two years? If so, has the previous work been fully evaluated before taking next steps?

SRTA respectfully thanks the Board in advance for pulling this item into discussion and requests that SRTA be included in this conversation before it comes forward as an action item.


F. 8. Approval of the Agricultural Career Technical Education Incentive Grant Applications
Summary
This grant supports our programs at SRHS and EAHS. In the past, grant funding has been used to support student participation in Career Development Events and FFA leadership activities, the purchasing of equipment and supplies to assist students with raising livestock to be exhibited at local fairs, professional development for the Agriculture Science teachers provided by the California Agricultural Teachers’ Association, and the purchasing of classroom instructional materials.$41,836 grant with a 1:1 matching requirement.

The grants offer a $2,000 grant stipend per teacher which would total $12,000. SRCS is ineligible for these funds because our classes run above the required maximum of 24:1. The losses to each school are offset by the Career Pathways consumable supply budgets, as it costs less to make up the grant differential for each school rather than staff at the lower ratio. 

Application for Elsie Allen High School $18,572
Application for Santa Rosa High $23,264

SRTA approves of support for the programs at SRHS and EAHS.

F. 9. Approval of Maria Carrillo High School Press Box Site Package
Summary
 In 2018 the Board approved the purchase of a new press-box provided by Sturdi Steel with the understanding the site package would be bid at a later date. The existing press-box was found not to be in compliance with the Division of State Architect regulations. Contract Documents with DMR Builders in the amount of $269,500 from a bid placed on April 1. 
Maria Carrillo Press-box site installation
SRTA recognizes that the board has already approved this project, and that the MCHS Press Box requires replacement. It is hard to understand why this has taken so long to get to this point, and why such a simple room costs so much. 
G. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 
Minutes from 6/24 will be approved.
Minutes and Approved Resolutions_6-24-20


I. INFORMATION ITEMS

I.1. Future Board Discussion Items
SRTA Members are encouraged to prepare for the upcoming agenda items.

• Bond update: Facilities and Technology 
• CNS: End of year
• Cook/CCLA  Update (Boundaries, Programs)
• 45 Day Budget Revision

SRTA still awaits the promised plan and timeline for forming the new LCAP and an invitation to evaluate the effectiveness of the prior LCAP and to collaborate on the new LCAP. 
SRTA awaits the next Relationship Building and Communication meeting, and the shared EERA training that was agreed upon. 
SRTA looks to the future scheduling of the following items:

• SRCS Foundation Update
• Fir Ridge / 7-11 Report  
• Youth Truth Data / Goal Update / LCAP
• Instructional Minutes
• Redistricting Draft
• School Impact Fees
• SAFS Policy Updates
• Lease / Leaseback Montgomery High School
• Parcel Tax Update
• Online Enrollment and Meal Application After Action Report
• Update on ELPAC
• CTE Update
• Student Voice Policy
• Dress Code Policy
• Financial Aid Awareness Month
• T & L K-12 Update
• Emergency Preparedness Discussion
• BEST Plus Update
• PE update

SRTA members have prioritized the following concerns regarding teaching and learning during a pandemic.

Priority Number One: Protect the Health and Safety of our Students and Staff

Technology Needs

• Tech set up student email accounts functioning on day 1, and provide clear information for students and staff about those accounts
• Software: Licenses for programs, new and better apps for Distance Learning as well as continuing with online resources that were free in spring. Communication is needed about what we will have access to and any details to access them with enough lead time so staff can prepare to use these effectively.
• Provide one-to-one technology for students, so we can depend on students' ability to use wifi, camera, device with keyboard and mouse, etc. prior to school “starting.”
• Provide a strong tech support team for all (students, parents, staff), including communicating what is available and how to access it, including parent and student G-Suite orientation (or any other platform put in place)
• Tech provide better internet service for those that require it (students and staff) including communicating how to request, and a summary of what to expect with a timeline
• Tech share plan to process, clean and replace chromebooks, including timeline.

Intervention Needs

• Clear online behavior expectations for students, as well as discipline plan. 
• Provide intervention plans to address the learning loss associated with students such as Struggling learners, English learners, and students with disabilities, including clear expectations from staff.
• Delineation of academic supports provided through an intervention plan, including elementary students.
• Sped Support System clearly laid out.
• Clearly delineated and communicated intervention plan for outreach and support of “invisible” students, marginalized students, non-independent learners, medically fragile, or students not participating well in distance learning. 
• New Covid rules around additional safety precautions when on campus, and policies for response
• Parent and student education campaign to inform them of all of the above.

Professional Development Needs

• Avoid rushing back in the classroom until we have a clear plan of how we can teach effectively.
• PD for Best Practices for online learning (including by level and subject)
• PD around what staff can do to support equal access to all.
• PD around helping motivate Kids to participate in DL
• PD Time to prep for distance learning: time to talk and coordinate with department, time for vertical and horizontal articulation to share strategies and ideas, time to learn more technology apps and programs for distance learning including ongoing Google Classroom training
• PD around efficiently and effectively doing a hybrid model including sufficient planning time before this model is attempted.
• PD sharing clear expectations for students and staff

This update can be forwarded to others. 
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