Subcommittee meetings: Jan 15th, 23rd 2019

I’m writing this a bit in retrospect, so I’ll summarize more than usual.

January 15, 2019 – Facilities Subcommittee: received an update on construction projects (a two- or three-page list), reviewed and approved creating an annual budget allocation for playground maintenance of $500,000 per year, and heard a report on how the Proposition 39 grant has been used for energy upgrades around the district. We also decided to forego the following month’s meeting. The larger issue not handled here, I thought, was at what level of playground facilities does our community want us to maintain: A cadillac, buick or chevy level. You may be able to view the reports at this link; the official minutes might be accessible through this link.

January 23, 2019 – Governance Subcommittee: We reviewed and approved (sent on for consideration to the whole board) changes to the policies concerning charter schools, “Communication With the Public,” liability claims, and terms of office. Each of these consisted of technical updates following either changes at the state level, or boilerplate language suggested by the state school boards organization. Two other policy changes approved (local-only, not derived from CSBA) were physical education standards (allowing for sports or marching band students to receive exemptions from PE if certain requirements are met) and homework/makeup work, which sets “reasonable” limits. You may be able to view the policies and proposed changes at this link.