The Monday, March 1, 2021 LASD Board meeting is a Special Study Session focused solely on School Reopening. It will start at 7:00pm and it will be held using the Zoom webinar platform.  To register in advance for the meeting, click here.  The entire agenda and supporting documentation for this week's meeting can be found here.

As a study session, this meeting will have no action taken.  Sandra McGonagle's presentation can be found under agenda item B.1 using the link above.  While it won't be the only topic of discussion, her presentation goes over what little data we have to understand LASD student academic progress during the pandemic and any comparison data we have from prior years.  In these unprecedented times, we simply don't have the data we have had in prior years, because standardized testing is not happening currently.

What does the data show? For K-5 students in the aggregate we are tracking to prior years in reading and writing.  For math, the same students also seem to be doing well, but we don't have data to track to prior years.  Our low socioeconomic status students (SED) are struggling, but not necessarily more than they may have in prior years.  That being said, we recognize that LASD will need to focus on this bridging the achievement gap of our SED students for the rest of the school year, Summer School, and the next school year.  This is constant struggle we have in our district and we remain ever vigilant in closing the gap.

Please note, these are just the highlights of what to expect at our 3/1/2021 meeting.  You can inform yourself more using link provided above.  As always, feel free to email me with any questions.    

Monday, February 8, 2021 LASD Board meeting will start its open session at 7:00pm and it will be held using the Zoom webinar platform.  To register in advance for the meeting, click here.  The entire agenda and supporting documentation for this week's meeting can be found here.

First up on the agenda, Jeff Baier will give us the latest School Reopening Update. This is a discussion item and his presentation can be found under agenda item H.1 using the link above. Our campuses are still diligently following all COVID protocols to keep staff and students safe.  Last week, 6th graders from across the district participated in their first week of pooled testing.  Pooled testing involves students from the same cohort swabbing their individual noses,  placing all their swabs in the same reagent vial and then the vial is sent for testing. All 6th grade cohorts that participated tested negative.  All but one cohort participated in the testing.  

Next, Jeff will present the Mental Health Survey Results.  This is a discussion item and the presentation can be found under agenda item H.2.  A mental health survey was conducted in October and November of 2020 on the staff and the students (through their parents).   The survey results show that over all both staff and students had an "overall positive mental health and wellbeing," but that that 75% of the staff and 40% of students are at least moderately stressed or anxious.  Please check out the presentation to learn more. 

Then, Jeff, will present LASD's Community Commitment to Healthy Schools.  It is an action item and the Commitment can be found under agenda H.3.  To keep our schools physically reopened and safe, we are asking each community member (staff, students and families) to make their own health and safety, as well as that of other community members a priority.  This document explicitly outlines commitments we require all community members to follow to prevent the spread of COVID on and off our campuses.   

Randy Kenyon will next present the 2021-22 Preliminary Budget.  This is a discussion item and his presentation can be found under agenda item H.4.  The assumptions that went into this budget include any revenues we would receive from the Governor's proposed budget (which is always minimal for our district as we rely almost solely on local funding (property tax, parcel taxes, LAEF and PTAs), expected property tax growth, our expected enrollment, and  an increase in funding transfer to BCS, among many other things. 

Then, CACF will present Citizens Advisory Committee for Finance (CACF) Mid Year Report.  CACF is officially the District's oversight entity for how we spend our parcel taxes.    Unofficially, they are a whole lot more.  CACF advises the Board and Randy Kenyon on the best ways to expend (or not expend) our resources in the best interests of the fiscal health of LASD.  This is a discussion item and their presentation can be found under agenda item H.5.  CACF has recommended we monitor the toll of the pandemic on our aging HVAC systems, how enrollment spikes in the next school year will effect our budget, and last, but not least, how expenses to combat "learning loss" as a result of the pandemic will effect the District's bottom line.  

Next, Randy Kenyon will sunlight both the District's and the staff union's (CSEA) Negotiating Interests.  This is an action item and both sets of negotiating interests can be found under agenda item H.6.  The Board is asked to approve the District's negotiating interests.  Both parties would like to discuss compensation and insurance.  Additionally the CSEA would like to negotiate additional paid leave.     

And now, what what you have all been waiting for, the DRAFT 2021-22 District Calendar will be presented.  This is an action item and the draft calendar (and the MVLA High School District's calendar) can be found under agenda item H.7.  The Board is asked to approve this calendar which does not differ much from the current school year's calendar and tracks to the high school district's calendar.  

Next, the Board is asked to consider who to vote for in the 2021 CSBA Delegate Assembly Election.  This is an action item and the candidates applications/resumes can be found under agenda item H.8.  The Board is asked to choose 6 candidates out of 9 running to be our representatives to the California School Boards Association (CSBA) Delegate Assembly.  Our representatives to the Delegate Assembly are tasked with representing our area's interests with the CSBA to ensure that this statewide organization is advocating with the state government in all of our districts' best interest. 

Last, but not least, the Board is asked to discuss an upcoming Study Session: Review of School Reopening set for March 1, 2021.  This is a discussion item and there is no presentation attached to the agenda.  It is my understanding that Jeff will be asking for direction on what the Board would like to cover in this upcoming study session including, a review of the District's work this school year, what we want to do regarding pandemic related learning loss, and how that effects the summer and the upcoming 21/22 school year.  

Please note, these are just the highlights of what to expect at our 2/8/2021 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.