The board meeting was well-attended this evening with several students and community members present. The following are some of the more interesting items on the agenda:
1. Avid Presentation - Mr. Wolfe presented an overview of what AVID is all about. He discussed how AVID can help the district to teach Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Several students talked about how AVID has helped them to be more academically successful.
2. Common Core Math Standards - Ms. Wilhelm and Mr. Steinke presented information about changes in math curriculum which have been brought about by the adoption of CCSS. They spent some time talking about the change from the traditional math pathway to an integrated pathway and how they believe it benefits students. Briefly the integrated pathway integrates geometry with algebra so that it is no longer taught as a separate yearlong class.
3. Special Education Verification Review - Mr. Tsubota spoke about a recent compliance review conducted by the California Department of Education to ensure that TJUSD is complying with all regulations relevant to special education. A team spent several days auditing district records, observing instructional activities, and talking to various individuals throughout the district to make sure that special education students are receiving proper instruction. The district did well with only minor items being found to be out of compliance. All items that were out of compliance will be fixed within 45 days.
4. Social Skills - Mr. Tsubota discussed various activities, materials, programs, and events that are used by the district to teach general social skills to students and to deal with issues such as student conflict, bullying, and other interpersonal difficulties sometimes faced by students. He listed a number of items currently being used and stated that he plans to increase resources for this type of instruction in the future, including use of online resources.
5. Public Comments - Two parents spoke out about bullying at school and suggested ways that the school and community might deal with this issue. One parent suggested that a mentoring program be developed.
6. Certificated Negotiations - Superintendent Olney listed contract items to be discussed in upcoming negotiations including salary, extra duty hours, evaluations, and class size.
7. Calendar - The calendar for the 2014-2015 school year was approved. The only major change noted was that instead of having two three-day weekends in February, only one four-day weekend is scheduled.
8. Interim Report - Dawn McMillen (Financial Manager) presented a financial report. She discussed the budget for the next few years including revenues, expenditures and other projections.
9. Social Media Policy - One of the board members requested a discussion regarding social media. She stated that she had concerns regarding social media in general and how it is used by students and district employees. Superintendent Olney discussed this matter with the board so that he could get some clarification regarding their concerns and also to help them to understand the issue a little more completely. He explained that social media is often used for educational purposes and that he didn't want to risk blocking the ability of teachers to communicate regarding educational matters with students and parents, but that there are potential risks if social media is used inappropriately. A school employee spoke up and explained that she used Facebook to communicate with a student regarding books that the student was reading over the summer and that she felt that this was beneficial to the student. Supt. Olney concluded that he will draft a suitable policy regarding social media use and present it to the board at the April meeting.
NEXT MEETING: April 3, 2014 (a week earlier than would normally be the case)