Only two individuals not employed by the school district attended this meeting. One was a former student and the other was a reporter from the Ridgecrest Daily Independent. The following are the highlights of the meeting from my point of view:
1. Deana Garrison noted that the entire football team is currently academically eligible to participate in sports events. She stated that this has not happened in years. Superintendent Olney reiterated this point later in the meeting.
2. Olney shared information regarding recently released test score results. He prefaced his remarks by explaining that two-thirds of school districts in California wound up with decreased API scores this year. He then stated that the district saw an overall improvement of 9 API points to attain a district-wide average of 792 with the elementary scoring above 800.
3. Leo's Painting - A mural was accidentally painted over during the summer. The ASB requested that the company (Leo's Painting) pay $1800 to cover the cost of replacing the mural. The company submitted a check for $2500.
4. Technology - The district will be installing new alarms to help protect new tech equipment. Also the long-awaited network upgrade should take place by the end of the month. On top of that the district webpage has been update. It can be viewed by clicking this link: http://trona.k12.ca.us/
5. Wellness Committee - Jeff McCurdy presented a report regarding revisions which will be made to the district's wellness plan so that it conforms with recently altered federal standards for nutrition, fitness, and nutrition/fitness education.
6. Public Comment - A former student who graduated in June 2013 and who is now a freshman at Cerro Coso Community College delivered an angry complaint regarding how poorly prepared he was for college level writing. He went into some detail about what was not covered in high school English classes and clearly blamed his instructors for the difficulties he is currently experiencing with college coursework.
7. Textbooks - No new textbooks were purchased this year since upcoming curriculum changes will necessitate the purchase of texts across the curriculum in the near future. The Common Core State Standards will force textbook updates and so it makes sense to wait until the standards are finalized and textbooks are written to cover them before purchasing new textbooks. However, supplemental materials have been purchased to help with the transition to the new curricular standards in the meantime.
8. Educational Protection Account (Proposition 30) - Olney explained that Prop 30 did not increase funding for education. All it did was protect districts from further cuts. In order to satisfy requirements of Prop 30 the district must verify that funds protected by the proposition are being used for instructional purposes. Olney assured the board that this was the case.
9. Gym Floor - Significant buckling of the gym floor occurred over the summer. Repairs must be expedited so that students will have full use of the gymnasium as soon as possible. Repairs will cost approximately $38,000 with the cost covered by insurance. A large portion of the gym floor will be replaced and other modifications will be made to fix all problems with the floor.
10. The school board approved a Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Trona Teachers Association. The agreement will cover the 2013-2014 school year.
ROYALTY UPDATE: A total of $3.9 million was received by the district for the 2012-2013 fiscal year. So far one check for $307k has been received, covering the month of July for the 2013-2014 fiscal year. Last year the July check was for $361k.
Next Regular Meeting: October 10, 2013, 6 PM in the District Board Room.