TJUSD Board Meeting - June 08, 2017
Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2017 9:22 am
This meeting lasted approximately two hours and there were lots of people in attendance. Here are the highlights as I recall them:
1) Student Report - Of particular interest is a fieldtrip which the ASB will be going on. They will participate in "team building" activities and will learn about how to properly conduct a meeting and other things such as the Brown Act.
2) Trona Teachers Association (TTA) - Board informed of a proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding the use of computer surveillance equipment in the classroom which the district will review and which will be negotiated between the TTA and the district.
3) Superintendent's Report - Several items mentioned including Senior Trip, Kindergarten Graduation, the video surveillance MOU, a couple of retirements, and various renovation and remodeling projects to be completed during summer recess. The board was reminded that asbestos issues could potentially complicate some of the projects.
4) Public Comments - There were a lot of people who wanted to address the board this month. All were concerned about the selection of a cheer coach. Ten individuals addressed the board. Approximately half spoke on behalf of one person and the other on behalf of another person. There was a letter with twenty-five signatures mentioned, but not presented to the board, and for the most part different people simply expressed their preferences for one person or the other. However, there was one issue which was particularly troubling. Apparently one of the cheer coach candidates had sent an extremely inappropriate text message to one of the students on the cheer squad. That coach admitted that she had sent the text, but instead of acknowledging how inappropriate it was for her to send the message, she attempted to excuse her behavior in a manner which was utterly unconvincing and made it seem that she failed to comprehend the seriousness of what she had done. The message was read out loud for the board and it was extremely graphic with a long list of slang terms for anal sex being used. Basically, it was the kind of thing that would have gotten a teacher fired without question.
5) While reviewing recent expenditures, board members asked about charges from a company called onPoint. This company has installed lots of computer and audio/visual equipment for the district. It has also remodeled a few classrooms and it provides training for teachers on how to use the equipment it has installed. The board was concerned about the amount of money being paid to this company and wanted to know if they were getting a reasonable return on their investment. They also had heard that teachers were not completely satisfied with the company. In response to their concerns the superintendent, the elementary principal, the high school principal, and the TTA president spoke. On balance the company was portrayed as providing good service, but some of the training provided has been mediocre.
6) Cheer Coach Selection - This item was tabled and will be discussed at a meeting scheduled for this evening (June 09).
7) Sixth Grade Camp - A lengthy discussion regarding how to get the most out of Sixth Grade Science Camp with lots of input from those in attendance. Fund raising efforts, student behavior at camp, fairness and equity, etc. were all addressed during the discussion.
8) Free Lunch - After a somewhat lengthy discussion regarding the costs of providing free lunch, the board voted to provide free lunch for all students next year. Free breakfast is already provided, but now free lunch will also be available.
9) Dress Code - This discussion was tabled due to the length of the meeting up to this point and will be discussed next month.
JULY MEETING: July 13, 2017
1) Student Report - Of particular interest is a fieldtrip which the ASB will be going on. They will participate in "team building" activities and will learn about how to properly conduct a meeting and other things such as the Brown Act.
2) Trona Teachers Association (TTA) - Board informed of a proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding the use of computer surveillance equipment in the classroom which the district will review and which will be negotiated between the TTA and the district.
3) Superintendent's Report - Several items mentioned including Senior Trip, Kindergarten Graduation, the video surveillance MOU, a couple of retirements, and various renovation and remodeling projects to be completed during summer recess. The board was reminded that asbestos issues could potentially complicate some of the projects.
4) Public Comments - There were a lot of people who wanted to address the board this month. All were concerned about the selection of a cheer coach. Ten individuals addressed the board. Approximately half spoke on behalf of one person and the other on behalf of another person. There was a letter with twenty-five signatures mentioned, but not presented to the board, and for the most part different people simply expressed their preferences for one person or the other. However, there was one issue which was particularly troubling. Apparently one of the cheer coach candidates had sent an extremely inappropriate text message to one of the students on the cheer squad. That coach admitted that she had sent the text, but instead of acknowledging how inappropriate it was for her to send the message, she attempted to excuse her behavior in a manner which was utterly unconvincing and made it seem that she failed to comprehend the seriousness of what she had done. The message was read out loud for the board and it was extremely graphic with a long list of slang terms for anal sex being used. Basically, it was the kind of thing that would have gotten a teacher fired without question.
5) While reviewing recent expenditures, board members asked about charges from a company called onPoint. This company has installed lots of computer and audio/visual equipment for the district. It has also remodeled a few classrooms and it provides training for teachers on how to use the equipment it has installed. The board was concerned about the amount of money being paid to this company and wanted to know if they were getting a reasonable return on their investment. They also had heard that teachers were not completely satisfied with the company. In response to their concerns the superintendent, the elementary principal, the high school principal, and the TTA president spoke. On balance the company was portrayed as providing good service, but some of the training provided has been mediocre.
6) Cheer Coach Selection - This item was tabled and will be discussed at a meeting scheduled for this evening (June 09).
7) Sixth Grade Camp - A lengthy discussion regarding how to get the most out of Sixth Grade Science Camp with lots of input from those in attendance. Fund raising efforts, student behavior at camp, fairness and equity, etc. were all addressed during the discussion.
8) Free Lunch - After a somewhat lengthy discussion regarding the costs of providing free lunch, the board voted to provide free lunch for all students next year. Free breakfast is already provided, but now free lunch will also be available.
9) Dress Code - This discussion was tabled due to the length of the meeting up to this point and will be discussed next month.
JULY MEETING: July 13, 2017