The meeting this evening was very short, maybe a little more than a half hour. Very few community members were in attendance, just the husband of a board member and a student who gave a report to the board. Otherwise all in attendance were board members or employees of the district. Highlights as follows:
1) Board Member Comments - Update given on Trona Care activities and list of houses to be demolished. The list contains as many as twenty properties at this time including the burnt out apartment building next to the former Desert Rose Inn (aka, Pinnacle Inn). Trona Care is working with county code enforcement on this project.
2) TTA Report - Two issues reported: 1) Playground safety suggestion regarding manufacturer documentation relevant to safe usage of equipment. 2) Travel expense suggestion related to people who have non-traditional eating habits.
3) Superintendent - 1) Talked about transition at elementary. Principal of over thirty years retired at end of December. The duties of the elementary principal are now being covered by three people on a rotational basis. 2) ALICE training - Six district employees will attend active shooter training in Hanford, CA. The rest of staff will receive training locally in the not too distant future.
4) Retiree Payout - Retirement bonus to be paid.
5) Resignation - Paraprofessional retirement.
6) Coaches - Board approved coaches for four sports.
7) Travel Policy - Discussion. Board members will study proposed policy, propose changes, and approve at future meeting. Specifically the issue to be dealt with is employee food costs incurred while on trips for the district.
8) Royalties and Enrollment: December royalty check: $349k. Current enrollment k-12: 305 students. (The lowest year was 2013 with 247 students.)
NEXT REGULAR MEETING: February 14th