10th Site, Budget Review, Science Curriculum, and Heritage Months.

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The Board will start its day early with a 10am Study Session on May 15th covering all things 10th site, construction, and school modernization.  You can participate by joining us in the LASD Boardroom from 10am to 2pm or you can follow along with us at home on zoom by registering here.  As usual, all public comment must be made in person in the boardroom.    The entire agenda for this special meeting can be found here.

The Board returns for its regular meeting at 7:00pm and  contemporaneous public comments may only be made in person in the LASD Boardroom. If you plan to participate in person, follow county guidelines as they relate to masking. We will continue to use the Zoom webinar platform for community members to follow our meetings at home, but public comment will not be allowed on it. If you cannot attend in person, and have a comment that you would like the LASD Board to consider in its decision making, please email all of us at [email protected] by 5pm on Saturday, 5/13/23.  To register to watch the board meeting from the comfort of your home, click here.  The entire agenda and supporting documentation for this week's meeting can be found here.

Before we get started with regular business, representatives from from Egan Junior High will give the Board a presentation on elective offerings and the transition from 6th grade to junior high.

First up on the agenda, Superintendent McGonagle will present Non-Represented Employee Compensation.  This is an action item and the supporting documentation can be found under agenda item I.1.  Non represented employees include everyone from principal and director level positions to executive secretaries.  The Board is asked to approve salary increases in line with what the teachers and staff unions received (6% this year, and 6% next year). 

Next, Erik Walukiewicz will present the Budget Review Committee's recommendations.  This is a discussion item and the Budget Review Committee's (BRC) report can be found under agenda item I.2. The BRC found that the drying up of one time COVID monies means that the District needs to right size the staffing (made larger during COVID with the extra money) and cut costs to restore reserves while also maintaining LASD's strong programs and services.  The BRC recommended $2.8 million in reductions and efficiencies to right size our staffing and cost cut.  It includes staff reductions done almost entirely from attrition (not layoffs) and other non-staff related cost reductions such as reducing the frequency of tech refreshing.  You can see all the reductions in the supporting documentation under agenda item I.2. 

Then, Dr. Carrie Bosco will present Grades 6-8 Science Curriculum for adoption.  This is an action item and Carrie's presentation can be found under agenda item I.3.  The Board approved Twig as our TK-5th Science Curriculum and withheld on approving the same for our 6-8th graders as our Curriculum Committee found it not sufficient for those grade levels.  Starting this past fall, LASD piloted 2 more curricula (after piloting others in the school year prior).  6 out of the 8 teachers on the Curriculum Committee ranked Elevate as their first choice science curriculum for our 6-8th graders.  The district recommends the Board approve Elevate as the 6-8th grade curriculum.  

I will then next be presenting a list of Heritage Months to Recognize by the District and the Board.  I have also crafted 2 resolutions recognizing May as Jewish American Heritage Month and Asian Pacific Heritage Month, respectively.  This a combination of discussion and action items.  The list of heritage months to recognize over the school year can be found under agenda item I.5.  The resolutions can be found under agenda items I.6 and I.7.  Considering the commemoration of these heritage months are in line with LASD's commitment to anti-bias and work in recognizing and uplifting often marginalized communities. 

Last, but definitely not least, the Board has another round of Board Policy Updates to discuss.  The Board Policies can be found under agenda item I.8. As stated in prior updates, the California School Boards Association (CSBA) frequently advises local school districts on updates and deletions to board policies, bylaws and regulations based on recent changes to Federal and California state law and regulations.

Please note, this is just the highlights of what is on the agenda for the 5/15/23 meeting.  You can inform yourself about the rest of the agenda at the link provided above.  As always, feel free to email me with any questions.