New Year, New Data

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The Monday, January 8, 2024, LASD Board meeting will start its open session at 7:00pm and contemporaneous public comments may only be made in person in the LASD Board Room. We use the Zoom webinar platform for community members to follow our meetings at home. 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].  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.

First up on the agenda, Greg Drummond will present LASD's 2022-23 Student Performance Data.  This is a discussion item and Greg's presentation can be found under agenda item H.1 using the link provided above.  This presentation shows that LASD's CAASP results (statewide testing) remained about the same year over year from the 21/22 school year and significantly better than statewide results.  Furthermore, our special student groups such as English Learners, Economically Disadvantaged and Student's with Disabilities did better in LASD than the statewide average.  Lastly, the data shows that students that we have had with us longer (since, TK, K, etc.) have performed better than those who were more later in joining us.  

Next, Sarah Gerlinger of the Curriculum and Instruction Department will present on LASD's Supporting Environments Filled with Safety and Belonging.  This is a discussion item and her presentation can be found agenda item H.2.  Environments Filled with Safety and Belonging is part of LASD's Student Experience wheel and includes, in addition to a physically safe spot in which to be educated, a space where a student's identity is kept safe and which is culturally affirming.  Ms. Gerlinger will present what LASD has done in this space to date and the plans LASD has for the future in this space. 

Then, LASD's energy consultant, Terra Verde will present our Annual Solar Project Performance Report.   This is a discussion item and their presentation can be found under agenda item H.3.  The short of it is that our solar panels across the District have produced 95.7% of the energy we expected (or our consultant expected).  I look forward to hearing more from our consultants and Erik. 

Erik Walukiewicz will next present information on what a Design Build Process entails and the steps the district would have to go through to use it in the construction of the 10th site.  This is a discussion item and Erik's one page primer on the Design Build Process can be found under agenda item. H.4.  In November 2023, the Board directed the District to start the process of using a Design Build Process for the construction of the 10th site.  This does not mean the board has started constructions or made any final decisions about plans for the 10th site.  What it does mean is that the Board has evaluated different ways of constructing schools sites and has determined the Design Build Process is the quickest, most cost efficient process to build a quality school site.  
 
Erik with then present a Notice of Completion with Play and Park Structures.  This is an action item and his memo describing the project and the Notice of Completion can be found under agenda item H.5.  This notice of completion is for a new inclusive play structure placed at Covington Elementary School and made possible by grants from outside organizations.  Inclusive play structures are scarce in the Los Altos area and it was time to rectify that.  The playground was placed at Covington because it is the site of the district’s largest Special Education Program for students with moderate to severe learning needs.

Next, Superintendent Sandra McGonagle will present LASD's Draft 2024/25 School Calendar.  This is a discussion item and the draft calendar which is drafted to closely align with the MVLA High School District calendar can be found under agenda item H.6.  This is a first reading, and the calendar will not be approved until LASD's next board meeting. 

Then, the Board will consider i​ts Board Committees and Appointments list.  This is an action item and a draft of the committees and appointments to those committees can be found under agenda item H.7.  This is a procedure the Board goes through every calendar year and it allows Board members to try out new committees if they so choose.  

Sandra will next present a contract with Contract with TeamCivX for the Board to consider.  This is an action item and the contract can be found under agenda item H.8.  The Board is asked to approve this contract with TeamCivX (the consultancy the District has worked with all its prior successful ballot measures, including its most recent Measure A parcel tax renewal) to research and consider the feasibility of a bond measure for the November 2024 general election ballot.  In prior meetings, the Board has directed staff to looking into funding mechanisms to not only construct a school on the 10th site, but to also undertake necessary maintenance of the rest of its nine current facilities.  

Last, but not least, Sandra has a bunch of Board Policy Updates for the Board to review. This is a discussion item and all of the Board Policies can be found under agenda item H.9.  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 California state law and regulations and our Board gradually updates our policies based on CSBA's recommendations. 

Please note, this is just the highlights of what is on the agenda for the 1/8/24 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.