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Health & Fitness

Patch Blog: School Board Round-Up

School Board Member Alex Zucco wraps up the March 28 board meeting.

I want to thank The Patch and Nathan for allowing me to contribute this story, hopefully on a continued regular basis, that will cover some of the topics and discussions that happen at our School Board meetings.

For a short time we enjoyed having someone from the Patch attend every meeting. It was that kind of coverage, I thought, was truly what the Patch and AOL/Huffington Post had in mind by launching this news service; having another set of eye/ears in the room during these public meetings, that don’t get the sort of coverage larger entities do, to avoid having situations that occurred in Bell. 

So as time allows, I will send in a “loose” recap of what goes on…it will only include items in Special Study Sessions and Open Sessions, items on the agenda, anything said at the dais or at the podium by a member of the public…in other words: anything the KGEM camera sees or if you were sitting in the audience, I will try and include it.

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And, to be true test of my writing ability, to remove any editorializing…this will be just what is said. Not how it is said, or why it is said…just the words that are said. And I will warn you – I am not succinct. 

The evening began at 5pm for a Special Study Session on the budget. I won’t go into this too much, because this was a “first look” for the Board on what the Budget Town Hall presentation will look like when we begin our meetings: Weds., April 11th @ 5pm at Monroe Elementary, Mon., April 16th @ 12noon at the District Office and Weds., April 25th @ 7pm at Santa Fe Middle School. If you want to see the finished product and be part of the budget process, come to one of the three information meetings. 

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We had Closed Session and the returned back to the Board Room for a Regular Meeting. Our Regular Meeting began with one of my favorite parts of our meetings: The BEACON (Business Education And Community Outreach Network) Committee honoring our Staff for their great work. Tonight Vicky Walden, the health clerk from Wild Rose, Gloria Ruiz, a 3rd grade teacher from Wild Rose, Nadia Medina, a custodian from Bradoaks and Kelly Montgomery, a 2nd grade teacher from Bradoaks were our honorees – thanks to all of them and our partnership with BEACON. 

Board Reports are a place for Board Members and our Student Representative to report out on anything they have done since the last Board meeting, either in regards to the schools or our community.

Board Vice President Rich recognized the wonderful event MAFA (Monrovia Association of Fine Arts) had in which several community members were recognized, including our very own Student Board Representative, Solana Feldthouse.

Board Member Gililland highlighted Monrovia High School’s “Sign on the Line” campaign and attended one featuring many of our students committing to attend CSU Sonoma. Miss Feldthouse reported on the goings-on at Mountain Park and Canyon Oaks and all of the college acceptance letters coming in for students. 

There was no Public Comment. 

Our Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Jason Buchanan presented the District Technology Plan (item 6.3) as required by the State of California. It gave a broad look at everything we are going to do and would like to do, resources allowing, and how that will happen.

The full report is posted as part of the Board Packet if you are interested. A motion unanimously passed to authorize MUSD to designate specific material, product, things, or services as our “standard” (item 7.4) which allows the District to standardize processed at all of our sites and bid processes with the intent of saving the District money (approximately 30%), time and storage space and brings MUSD into compliance with SCAQMD (South Coast Air Quality Management District). 

Our Chief Business Office (CBO), Connie Wu, presented our Long-Term Maintenance Report/Deferred Maintenance Report (item 7.5) which outlines different facility project needs and different funding sources.

The report also includes the language on “flexibility” offered Districts to “capture” or transfer any unused maintenance funds to the General Fund, which at the end of February 2012 was $244,714. Board Member Hammond did comment he wanted to reiterate an earlier point from the Budget Study Session, that deferring maintenance can have a potentially higher cost later and to be mindful of that consequence. 

A motion unanimously passed to enter into an agreement for installation and conveyance of facilities and grant an easement to SoCal Edison (item 7.6). This is standard to allow Edison access to service the box on the MHS campus. There were some comments regarding length of easement, access/permission and termination. An Edison Representative was present to answer the questions to the Boards satisfaction. Board Member Gililland did ask if Edison was no longer the sole energy provider, would this limit us – and it would not. 

Item 9.1, the potential policy on transportation fees, did not move forward and will not be implemented at this time, but brought back as larger issue during the budget discussion. The policy sought to have a means in which the School District would charge all non-Free/Reduced lunch bus-riders a fee ($50 a semester) to ride the bus to and from school.

The home-to-school transportation for all non-Special Ed students cost the District $380,000 and what small portion we used to be reimbursed for this service by the State, has been eliminated. We were able to recoup about $170,000 this past year, but we can expect nothing next year.

The idea, as other Districts have and are legally allowed to do by Ed Code, is charge for the service. Currently, Arcadia USD charges $80 a quarter, but many other districts have eliminated the home-to-school transportation all together. The potential revenue in charging is, at most, $16,000. If three students were to choose to leave our District because of the fees, maybe they could get a ride to and from school at another District that might be charging (yet) – the minimal revenue would be a wash with the loss of ADA (Average Daily Attendance).

The discussion around this issue involved comments from Board Member Gililland that while this discussion has happened before, those were very different times and as Board President Wong mentioned during the Budget Study Session – “Everything has to be on the table”. Board Vice President Rich also commented on the minimal return and potential loss, and being more open to a District-wide charge of having home-to-school bussing since it benefits all students, but reexamining offering the service at all – considering the $110,000 loss this year, and a $380,000 loss next year. I echoed these comments and reiterated I would, unfortunately, be more inclined to cut the service entirely for the savings, than charge the minimal amount and still be about over $100,000. 

The CTO was back at the podium for a first reading of the policy on the use of technology by employees (item 9.2). This was a refresh of our policy to ensure it was able to keep up with the advances in technology and how MUSD is billed for these services. There was some discussion on “incidental personal use” and wanting that clarified. It will be brought back with the clarification on the Consent Agenda.

The CBO brought the first reading of the new policy and regulation for the proposed International Student Program (item 9.3). This is a program MUSD is entering into with the State Department and has potential of generating some revenue and a cultural exchange. President Wong wanted to ensure this did not add extra work to our Staff and language proficiency was included in the criteria.

I had concerns following a news report on ABC, reporting on alleged abuses and poor placement of students in this State Department program, and I wanted to ensure students entering our District would be carefully placed and know who and how to contact someone if they needed help or had a complaint. This item will come back on the Consent Agenda as well.

 Item 9.4 on including in-kind contributions in lieu of fees for facilities, did not receive a 1st or 2nd, so it did not proceed.

The discussion on the potential Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Monrovia Youth Baseball League (MYBL) (item 9.5) was the largest discussion of the evening. The short version: it did not pass (2-3: Hammond and Rich voting for the MOU and Gililland, Wong and Zucco voting against it).

The extended version was to first clarify if the MOU could be considered since the previous item, 9.4, failed. And in the absence of any policy, it was determined we could - but future policy adoption, could affect the MOU, in regards to any in-lieu or in-kind aspect. Board Member Gililland’s reservations began with #5 of the MOU: charging a $10 per player fee for every non-scholarship player and how was that determined.

Board Member Hammond felt that since MYBL was an invited “guest”, there should be a separate agreement and consideration for their organization. The previous 20-year joint agreement MYBL had enjoyed with the City and School, created an entirely different set of conditions for MYBL and set them apart from the other Historical Groups. He also pointed out, there was another instance of allowing an organization, Boys and Girls Club at Mayflower, to not pay fees for use to be on that campus, to further validate the precedent for allowing an organization to be treated differently.

Board Member Rich did not see a problem in having an MOU with any/all of the designated Historical Groups: MYBL, AYSO Region 2, Sierra Madre Girls Softball Association (SMGSA), Boys Scouts, Girl Scouts, Arcadia National Little League, Boys and Girls Club.

My concerns were treating one organization differently and I wanted to see all of the Historical Groups treated the same. I did not want to send the message MYBL was more important than AYSO or SMGSA or Scouts or any of the many art/music classes that are offered on some of our campuses and have to pay fees to be in those classrooms.

And absent any sort of 20 year contract, AYSO had a 40+ year history in this community, the Scouts far longer (80+) and the District was not in the position to say “no” to revenue. I also did want to send the impression that the condition of the fields was of a greater importance to the District than what was going on in the classrooms, and that potential revenue from field use fees could help, if not add resources, at least not further eliminate – like our cut in Librarians, Counselors, Health Aids, ---- the list goes on far too long.

Board Member Rich did add that for these historical groups, the potential revenue might not even exceed $50,000 and could not cover the cost of a Counselor  – which is true, but any additional revenue matters at this point. I also felt the failing of the City to not provide adequate “Open Space” was not the duty of the School District to rectify – we have limited resources and virtually no way to generate revenue, and the Cities failing at planning for more Open Space was bigger than MYBL.

Board Member Hammond asked if it was solely about money, in this environment –I say “YES”! He asked would I consider the flat rate of $10 per player as proposed by MYBL for these historical groups as opposed to the per field/per day fees as currently proposed. I would, but questioned if these groups open up their books to us and show MUSD their registration numbers?

Board President Wong added the circumstances that lead us to this point, that no one on the Board questions the value added by the organizations and the hardship it creates with the fees, but times were different. Board Member Hammond wanted to make sure we had some solid direction for MYBL for them to plan successfully for their future seasons and eluded to another long-term agreement for their security, organizations need to know they are secure and have a home.

I added I didn’t believe a 20-year contract would be legal under current CA law; a 2-year contract was all that was allowable – not unlike your cell-phone contracts nor did I think long-term contracts like this were in MUSD’s best interest.

MYBL Vice President, Jack Taylor, spoke and several MYBL supporters stayed for the duration of the meeting to be part of the discussion. Mr. Taylor gave the Board a copy of the MYBL playbook, invited Board Members to come out to the games and see the wonderful things happening with MYBL and thanked the Board for all of their time.

He reiterated some earlier points, and added he did think MYBL was also unique in that they could only be in Monrovia and their organization is on a field in Monrovia six days a week  – AYSO, SMGSA have the ability to be in more than one community, and MYBL was the only group in attendance that evening and they were here to be a partner with MUSD. Since the MOU failed to pass, in New Business (item 11.0) we directed staff to bring back a revised fee-schedule and agreement for our Historical Groups.

It’s not done yet! We went to Board Advocacy (item 9.6). Board Member Gililland and Superintendent Wagner have worked on crafting a message for the Board, our Staff and Community to have for those occasions you may feel empowered to call or write a State or Federal lawmaker. I added I wanted to explore the idea of our District writing our own legislation, being more pro-active.

Specifically, ADA – Average Daily Attendance and the elimination of this program. It does not cost a district any less money to teach and operate if a child is not in class, we have hard costs and they don’t change each day a parent decides to take their son/daughter to Disneyland for their birthday. I acknowledged I was certain the State would find a new way to short Schools money, but for communities like Monrovia – that have a strict Truancy Law (not all do), the purpose of holding back money is not an incentive to get students in the class, but is now only punitive.

Five hours of Board Meetings – and 2,400 words to “summarize”. That’s the best I can do, I hope you take the time to read this or watch the meeting on KGEM or attend a meeting now and again.

The District will keep you posted on those Budget Town Hall meetings – show up, be heard and be part of the solution. 

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