I got an artist in Vallejo to design my campaign signs and just paid the invoice (attached).
Hope to also get my signs printed within the next month. Maybe I’ll get my website re-done by then.
Wednesday we had a special meeting of the board to consider a censure resolution of a fellow board member. The nine members of the public were unanimous in speaking against it. The board was unanimous in voting for it. Obviously there’s a gap there, probably in understanding.
After the public spoke, we each took a turn (although some of the public had left by that time; a mid-day meeting isn’t friendly to any of us). I wanted to get “on the record” the comments I’d prepared, which I’ve included below. My actual comments varied a bit (I added some in response to other board members’ comments), and you can see the entire meeting on Youtube, but this is what I prepared and read from:
“I’d like to speak in favor of the motion.
“I perceive this action as a formal disavowal of reckless and irresponsible actions by Trustee Petero. The resolution is intended to shield the board and the district from legal and financial liability for those actions. The actions described in the resolution do not need elaboration. The document speaks for itself.
“We had a clear warning in our self-evaluation last week; renegade actions by zealous board members can have serious financial consequences for districts. The example we heard about involved over four million dollars in damages paid out, and it didn’t sound like that was a rare thing. It’s difficult to balance our obligations as elected officials with the need for oversight and accountability to the community, but it’s a fine line we must learn to walk. If we enter schools and speak with school employees as if we’re the boss, we’re doing it wrong. We’ve collectively chosen the superintendent to be the boss, and we’ve agreed not to undermine that. Work environments become toxic when it’s not clear who the real boss is. That’s why we have placed limits on ourselves and empowered the superintendent to monitor us in keeping within those limits.
“Perhaps this action will have no ultimate effect. If Trustee Petero from here forward abides by the proper limits of the office she has been elected to, then there will be no consequences aside from a bit of shame for having behaved enthusiastically but carelessly. But if the behaviors don’t change and legal claims arise, then I would expect this resolution to matter greatly. It would constitute a defense against our responsibility if employees, for instance, are subjected to unlawful harassment or intimidation. This resolution would be a major part of our defense.
“My hope is that will have no effect, because the behaviors would change.
“In speaking for the motion, I would also like to also respond to those in the community who have criticized the formal tone of our discussions, who say that our careful language looks artificial, and that we’re avoiding addressing this head on. Perhaps they are hoping for the drama of a personal battle.
“The reason we choose to address behaviors (rather than personalities) is to keep ourselves focused on our mission: to shape an environment where students’ needs come first, and not to descend into personal conflicts. We choose to focus on problem-solving because our district is faced with many legitimate challenges and needs, and should not be distracted by matters like this. That is why I support the motion. Thank you.”
In our most recent board meeting, during the annual board self-evaluation, a board member Ana Petero mentioned a personal letter I had written her more than a month earlier. I interpreted her remarks to mean the letter was not helpful to her, that my use of the word “clique” had a negative effect. I told her I hoped she made the letter public so others could could judge for themselves.
The other day (May 15th, 2021) in an email she gave me permission to make it public. Here is a transcript (it was handwritten). (Here is a link to the original handwritten version, with highlighting and circles added by the recipient.)
–beginning of transcript–
“3/26/21 Fairfield
“Ana, I felt bad when we left last night after the meeting. It felt like you were angry at me for being angry at you. I didn’t mean for it to be like that. I apologize for not communicating well. Let me try a different way.
“I wanted to talk to you because it sounded like you were not accepting directions given by the board president. That’s a problem, and it will end worse for you than for him.
“I remember I went through some painful times learning this myself, when I was brand new and David Isom was the board president. (Don’t ask about the time I had to apologize to Martha for saying, “Fuck this” right after a meeting!) Gayla would affirm – there were several meetings when I came home upset and in turmoil after feeling like I had not been treated right in a meeting or in an email. It’s not what I was expecting.
“It felt like there was a little clique that was marginalizing Joan and myself, trying to shut us up. I’ve since learned that it’s very much like a clique, but a focused, purpose-driven clique working darned hard to bring about good conditions for the students. And Kris is a key part of that.
“We’re sensitive to anyone who does not accept that. I learned it pretty quickly (though painfully). (The CSBA Masters in Governance trainings were part of that. I have a few more to finish – I can’t wait until they start up again in person. I’d love to go together.) I’m not sure Joan really learned that. (You should ask her.) The clique won’t respect you until they feel you respect them, and that takes time to accept the way they do things until you get to know them, and they get to know you. Then you can start to influence them, slowly. That’s the advice I got from Dave Gaut before I got elected, to just watch and follow for at least six months (I’d say a year) before taking a strong position on things. It takes that long for the other members to learn what you’re about and learn to trust you. There’s a lot of reciprocation, subtle but important. I bet all political offices (at least multi-member boards, councils or commissions) are like that. (You could ask Monica Brown about that.)
“The full-frontal approach doesn’t work for a new member, and just causes lots of pain all around (but more for you than for them). I don’t want you to experience more pain that you have to. We need you as a member of the team – you obviously have loads to contribute – but we need to learn to trust you first.
“I hope you’ll consider talking to Jonathan, making sure he’s comfortable with the way you use our time in public. We chose him to run our meetings and represent us, and as long as he has the support of the majority of the board, he has an awful lot of discretion on what to permit.
“Please don’t get angry or discouraged. Hopefully you can put your emotion to good use, by driving you to stay up to date, gathering information and asking questions privately, without unnecessary public confrontation. Again, I went through a lot of this. It takes time to earn respect from a group, and it takes time to gain respect for a group. (I started out with very little respect for the group.)
“I’m hoping you’ll find a way through this. Feel free to call me.
“Thanks,
Craig”
–end–
I’ve stopped summarizing or linking to meetings, but the most recent meeting contained some prepared comments that I wanted to get “on the record.” Here they are.
In our annual board self-evaluation meeting May 13, 2021, I spoke of a “serious problem we have,” and “an elephant in the room” that we’re avoiding. I then read a version of these comments I’d prepared:
(begin comments:) “Since this is a board self-evaluation, I think our board would function better if we had some safeguards in place. They relate to recent conditions. I think we need a new protocol for board member contacts with staff. May I describe it?
“Since we have selected the superintendent to oversee all district business, and …
“Since the overwhelming majority of this board has developed extraordinary confidence in the current Superintendent’s abilities and judgment, and …
“Since we are operating at a time of intense concern, ranging from Covid to staff turnover, and …
“Since board member activity outside of formal meetings can have a powerful positive or negative effect on employee morale and performance, and when acting outside of professional norms could result in significant legal and financial liability to the district …
“Therefore, I propose we empower the Superintendent to more closely supervise and limit board member contacts with employees. These are the specifics of what I propose:
“No board member will meet with district employees without the Superintendent’s authorization.
If a meeting or visit with District staff is authorized, the superintendent may require the presence of legal counsel to assure that information requests and discussions are appropriate and in compliance with personnel policies and protect the district against possible legal claims.
“All board member requests for information will be made through the Superintendent. Any requests that would, in the superintendent’s opinion, unduly divert staff from primary-mission concerns, will require majority board approval, to the Superintendent’s satisfaction.
“These procedures, which supersede those in the Governance Handbook, would be in force for six months after adoption. At that time, they will be reviewed for possible continuance or modification.
“These procedures may be modified by a majority vote of the board at any time. A version of these procedures will be incorporated into the Board Bylaws as soon as practical.
“I think our board would function better if we had these safeguards in place. I propose we take steps to implement them at our next board meeting.” (End comments – see meeting record on Youtube for exact record.)
At a later point in the meeting (after the annual board self-evaluation had ended, and near the beginning of our regular meeting, I made a motion which I’d prepared ahead of time:
“I move we adopt the agenda but with a change. I move that we remove all opportunities for board member questions or comments, except to make motions or speak in favor or against any motion. I’ll share my reasons during debate on this motion.”
Speaking in favor (debate):
“I propose we follow strict rules of order just for this meeting as a test run, to see how it goes and evaluate it. If we like it, we can later incorporate this into our written protocols. This would address a problem we’ve had recently. Let me explain.
“I was unhappy with our last two meetings, when some of our time and attention were distracted by what I thought of as either intentional disrupting or at least grandstanding, which I define as gratuitously speaking to the public as opposed to the board. So I’d like to see if a meeting without board comments and questions functions well and meets most of our needs while avoiding those pitfalls.
“This would focus us on the purpose of these regular business meetings, which is to formally approve or disapprove proposed actions. That’s the primary rationale for why we meet.
“Here are some additional reasons I think this would help us.
- Proper rules of order do not provide for discussing issues except for debating motions. If you study Roberts Rules, which our rules or order are based on, you will come to that conclusion.
- We have been distracted and perhaps even bullied in the recent past by speeches that either did not relate to the immediate business at hand or were repetitive and abusive of the privilege.
- This may well make our meeting more time-efficient.
- Our handbook specifies on four different pages (5, 6, 8, and 15), that we are to ask questions and collect information outside (and ahead of) our business meetings. In addition, all action items come up in two separate meetings; the first time as information, and the second time for final action after debate.
- As public officials, we have more than enough opportunity to ask questions, express opinions, seek clarification or make statements. We can post on social media, we can issue press releases, or we can do any of activities that contributed to us getting elected.”
One reason the latest meeting was difficult for all of us is because public opinion was so divided and even our individual positions varied so much. Each of us had put so much personal time into studying (and listening), yet we were forced to compromise and choose something few of us would have chosen first. It was multaneosly painful and gratifying to finally settle on one of four four choices.
One thing I was surprised by was that my personal choice would change because of the public comments. I like to think of myself as immune to emotional appeals or political winds. But I found myself changing as I saw how any why people in the community view the issues.
Anyway, I can’t adequately describe all of my thoughts on this issue, but at least I can get my comments “on the record” with this blog entry. These are the comments I read during the meeting (which I had been revising and shaping for days, including right up to just minutes before the vote).
“First, I would like to acknowledge all of the people who took time to express their opinion and feelings about this issue. Although I rarely respond personally, I always listen to or read every comment. Almost all of them are deeply honest and sincere. We’re not counting for and against. We’re listening. This isn’t just some political campaign. These are life stories.To each of you, thank you for taking the time.
“Of the four options: 1.) re-open as soon as possible; 2.) re-open after we reach red status; 3.) re-open after orange status, or 4.) not re-open this year, I’m not comfortable choosing option 1, (opening now while we’re in the purple tier). I’m also not comfortable with option 4 (no re-opening this school year). I favor option 2, reopening when the county reaches the red tier, though I could support option 3.
“Why re-open this year? We haven’t eliminated the risk, but we have good knowledge on how to manage that risk. Over the last ten/eleven months, we’ve watched schools around us and around the country that opened and seen what happened. Yes, there are new variant strains of the virus to be concerned about, but the consensus remains that carefully using protective equipment can keep the risk of infection low enough to re-open. The state has indicated they will support us in re-opening if we choose that, but we need to keep the pressure on the state to accelerate vaccinations so that all school staff have access to them.
“When we do re-open, it won’t be all grade levels or all classes equally. It will be phased in by priority, and even then only for 2-½ hours in the morning for elementary students. Middle and high schools would remain in distance learning in the morning but will be allowed to come in the afternoon.
“Parents will be able to choose their comfort level. If they want their students to remain home in distance learning, they can make that choice and keep their students in the same class.
“School employees, however, will not be able to “choose their comfort level.” School employees are classified as essential workers. The work won’t be pain-free, and it won’t be risk-free, just as with other essential workers.
“Teachers will have to carefully follow unpleasant safety practices using uncomfortable safety equipment. It won’t be a return to normal, and we can’t take for granted the close teaching and learning environments we’ve had in previous years. But it will be there for those students who choose it.
“There will still be many unknowns. There will be more surprises and infections and disruptions to people’s lives. Even with schools closed to in-person attendance the last ten months, many children and families have contracted Covid and been seriously affected.
“If we are waiting until there is no more anxiety, we will be waiting for a long time. We shouldn’t ignore that anxiety, but we can look for solid information on what preventative steps will reduce risk.
“I have sympathy for those who are deeply uncomfortable with this. The district is going to great lengths to provide safety equipment, but teachers will need to go to great lengths in their classrooms to keep the risk of infection as low as possible. It’s a huge burden for employees, from top to bottom. We only choose it because of our responsibility to students and to the community.
“If the county, state or federal government advises us to close again, we’ll do so. We can halt at any time if the recommendations change. But in the meantime, I will vote to re-open when we reach the red tier, which is option 2.”
The other issue of the evening that drew interest was extending the superintendent’s contract. I hadn’t prepared remarks for that, and I’m sure what came out was garbled, but I spoke in strong support of her performance and service.
I said there was a misunderstanding in the community (one that I used to share) about her role; it was more us using and dictating to her than the other way around. It’s a finely-tuned process of balancing voices between the board and administration, and not a good place to scrimp on dollars spent. I said we could hire a replacement for half her rate but we’d wind up being sorry real fast if we did. There is so much we count on her and her team to get right.
-Craig Wilson, February 12, 2021
The “meat” of our regular business meetings is usually either staff slideshow presentation or “action” items. This latest (November 12th) was no exception.
We had a slideshow about “Supports for Students in Distance Learning,” which was basically an update on how distance learning is going. (Various strengths and weaknesses.) You can see the slideshow on the board agenda platform under item 4B.
Among the “Action Items” was proposal to offer the former Falls Elementary School for sale/auction to the highest bidder.
Public comments centered on whether and when to re-open schools to in-person instruction. We’ve previously committed to consider this at our first board meeting of the new year.
Except for Covid-related issues, most of our regular business meetings consist of routine items. Someday I’ll list and describe the routine issues that come up during a typical year.
We also held a special meeting Tuesday to approve waiving our usual no-bid contract provisions. We’ll need to quickly purchase large amounts of personal protective equipment for Covid. We want to be prepared to re-open even before the risk of infection is zero.
In December we’ll be attending (online) the annual education conference put on by our state association, the California School Boards Association (CSBA). It’s a big deal. If not for Covid, we’d have travelled to Anaheim for this. I’ll give you an update next month.
The regular school board meeting last night had no unusual items (although distance learning remains a deep concern for people on both sides), but three items stood out to me as marks of progress. The first is about English Language Learners.
Director Howard Kurnblum presented an annual report which showed our school district to be exceeding the statewide average in several measures of program effectiveness, showing that our district is well on its way to becoming “a beacon EL (English Learner) program in Northern California,” as Mr. Kornbloom said. You can view the slideshow here.
The second presentation was about the Special Education Local Plan Area (“SELPA”) to which our district belongs. The information was given by assistant superintendent to the SELPA Andrew Ownby, who was the director of special education in FSUSD before moving to the SELPA.
Ownby gave an overview and history of the SELPA, as well as a link to the agency’s website, where all of their information is disclosed. The link is here.
The third presentation that caught my eye was about a national “Principal Pipeline” program that our district is participating in, sponsored and paid for by the Wallace Foundation. Assistant Superintendent Sheila McCabe told about our involvement with the program and described the benefits we are receiving.
There were several other items on the agenda, as well as a series of public comments (I counted 12) on the need to re-open schools in spite of the Coronavirus epidemic.
You can view school board meetings at this YouTube Channel, and you can see all agendas and support materials (including presentations) starting at this link.
This was a tough issue because the community is divided, and the vote was not unanimous. We received many comments from community members. In fact, the survey comments made an impression on me. There were many. When compiled into a document, they stretched for 129 pages. (I’ll link to it here.)
I was leaning toward not-reopening, and had prepared a mini scripted statement of my thinking, but I revised it a bit during the meeting, then read that when the time for a vote came. It was late in the meeting, but I noticed about 750 community members were tuned in and watching the meeting broadcast on YouTube when we voted on this. (At the moment it show 3,900 views. To find our YouTube school board meeting channel, search for “FSUSD Broadcasting“.)
Here is a version of what I said.
“It’s too early to return. Let’s look at it again at the semester break. I spent two hours earlier today reading through the 120 pages of comments submitted by students and community members. They tell a story, the many sides of the hardship we are enduring.
“We’re the largest district in Solano County, but we don’t want to lead on re-opening. We do want to lead and be a pioneer in educational quality in our classrooms, but we don’t want to lead in testing the boundaries of a global epidemic.
“Even though we can’t return yet, there is a lot we can do to make distance learning work better for more people, because it’s not working well for everyone. We can listen closely, collaborate, be flexible, stretch our understanding and try different techniques. Teachers have already made many changes. We’ve come a long way since we first started distance learning in March. The coming months will bring more insights, tools and new approaches.
“The survey responses contain many thoughts about ways we can improve. Let’s be creative, find new ways to be effective and pull together. We’ll get through this, but it’s not yet time to return.”
In my almost-two-years on the board, this matter drew the most intense interest of any. Thank you to all who took the time to comment. I put good time into reading everything that is communicated to me, even when I don’t respond personally. There’s a way in which we’re all on a team together, and I hope at the end of the day we’re somewhat satisfied with the result.
Here are some other items that caught my attention from last night’s meeting:
- I enjoyed the presentation on the history and current status of equity efforts in our district, the ways we have attempted to level up students who underperform, especially when there are patterns in racial or ethnic groups. The district often prepares slide shows on important subjects, and this was a good one. In case you can’t find it, I’ll link to it here.
- I noticed, during the presentation of the school day calendar for an upcoming school year, we will try an entire week off in February, instead of the frequent three-day weekends for presidents days. That will be interesting.
You may have noticed I haven’t updated this website in awhile. I want to change that, and start posting at least following each board meeting. (I’d also like to “tune up” the other pages on this website.) One of my motivators is the election season upon us. I won’t be on the ballot for another two years, but if I do decide to run again, I want to be able to run on a record, and for me, this website should show, to some degree, what my record it. It’s a small accountability bit. I don’t really do Twitter or Facebook, so this is the only place you can track me. (You can also see my calendar, where I’ve started logging every time I sit down to work on remote district business, including writing in this blog.)
One reason I tapered off on writing here is because I get no feedback, and my dashboard shows only a handful of followers. But I value this aspect of my public office (reporting), and I want to do more than faithfully serve. I want to communicate as well. This is my major way of communicating outside of meetings. Before I was a board member I never watched meetings, so this may be the only way for me to reach some citizens. At least things will be here on the record.
Thanks. -Craig Wilson, October 9, 2020
—
I’ve let quite a bit of time go by since writing. I’ll list the events I’ve attended since I last wrote, with brief summary comments and links to official minutes if they exist.
- October 22, 2019: High School Showcase Fair at Armijo High School. This was a chance for middle school students to come preview teachers, clubs and activities at all of the high schools. I enjoyed browsing and meeting teachers I have known. I also collected bits of information to put in my calendar for future events.
- October 24, 2019: Regular Board Meeting. Summary at this link.
- October 25, 2019: Suisun Elementary School Evening Festival. I dropped by and visited with a few people, including the principal. Suisun Elementary School is one of the handful of schools I am assigned to this year.
- October 28, 2019: Solano County School Boards Association Planning Meeting, at Solano Community College. Those of us on the steering committee plan the quarterly dinner education meetings.
- November 1, 2019: Ribbon cutting for the Armijo High School Family Resource Center. This is located in the old office wing. I enjoyed learning a bit about the program, toured the refurbished rooms, and visiting with other attendees. Somewhere out there are group photos of the ribbon-cutting.
- November 6, 2019: Fund-raiser “Dine and Donate” for Suisun Elementary School at McDonalds on Sunset Avenue. I enjoyed visiting and mingling with a few other guests.
- November 7, 2019: Regular Board Meeting. Summary at this link.
- November 12, 2019: Special Board Meeting. This was a combined City and School District meeting where we heard from student representatives and discussed common interests. Minutes available under the board meetings page.
- November 13, 2019: Meeting of the Superintendent’s Student Council, after school at the district office. I’d wanted to see what this group was like, and I was terribly impressed at the level of engagement and the substance of the discussions.
- November 13, 2019: Evening Awards and Recognition reception for students at Sem Yeto High School, held at the Fairfield Community Center Willow Hall. I enjoyed visiting with parents, students and staff.
- November 15, 2019: “An Evening of Improv Theater” at Armijo High School, where the drama students entertained the audience with impromptu sketches. They were so talented! I attended with my wife. Long-ago former board member Gretchen Shilts was also in attendance with family, because one of her grandchildren was performing! What a treat.
- November 16, 2019: The annual band festival hosted by Fairfield High School “Tournament of Champions” was held on Dover Avenue this Saturday morning. It made me proud to see dozens of bands from Northern California compete.
- November 18, 2019: The evening dinner and education meeting of the Solano School Boards Association was held at the Alternative High School building in Dixon. I had helped plan this event, and it was a smashing success, I was later told. We had several speakers presenting on communications. Several dozen board members from around the county attended.
- November 21, 2019: Special board meeting held to approve a grant application. You can see the minutes under the board meetings page.
- November 21, 2019: Later that evening I attended the Mid-Year Graduation for High School Students at the Kroc Center in Suisun. This honored several dozen students who completed their graduation requirements after the traditional June graduation from any of the high schools in the district. I enjoyed this event, and along with the other board members got to shake hands and congratulate each of the students.
- December 4-7, 2019: I flew to San Diego (with my wife Gayla, at my expense) for the Annual Education Conference of the California School Boards Association. This was a big deal (my second since becoming a board member), and I wrote a separate report about it for the board, which you can read under the agenda materials of the January 9th board meeting. (I don’t know how to directly link to it, but you can find it on the board meetings page.
- December 12, 2019: This was the last regular board meeting of the calendar year, and had to be held in a conference room upstairs (324) because the main board room was undergoing improvements to the audio-visual system. You can see the minutes from the board meetings page.
- December 17, 2019: I met with the Facilities Committee, one of the subcommittees of the board. You can read the minutes here.
- December 18, 2019: I visited one of my assigned schools, Crystal Middle School, right before Christmas vacation started, and found everyone peppy and ready for the break! I enjoyed meeting all of the office staff.
- December 20, 2019: I meet with the assistant superintendent of educational services, Dr. Sheila McCabe for a one-on-one briefing on how the California Dashboard works. This is the primary accountability mechanism the state has designed for public schools, and we had received a detailed presentation on it at the last board meeting.
- January 9, 2020: This was our first regular meeting of the new year, and the new audio equipment was not completely set up, but I think it’s an improvement everyone will appreciate. You can view the official minutes under the board meetings page, but the summary has not yet been posted.
- January 13, 2020: LCAP Stakeholder Meeting at the Armijo High School Library. This was a meeting for community members to learn about and communicate their priorities for the district at large. The district is writing its three-year plan, called the LCAP (Local Control and Accountability Plan), which must meet state requirements. I wanted to see what these meetings were like, and very much enjoyed the breakout groups, let by facilitators Eric Cortes (student board member) and Shelley Ghannam (assessment operation manager).
- January 14, 2020: The meeting of the Facilities Committee. You can read the minutes here.
- January 16, 2020: I attended another of the LCAP Stakeholder Meetings, this time at the Fairfield Community Center Willow Hall. I enjoyed seeing a different mix of people here, and got to visit with teacher Laura Quertermous, a special education teacher who cares greatly about teacher turnover problems in our district. I was glad to hear that she helps recruit and retain new staff.
- January 22, 2020: I attended another meeting of the Superintendent’s Student Council, after school in the district office. I was again impressed by the discussion.
- January 23, 2020: I visited Crystal Middle School during a student basketball game, and visited a bit with the Principal, Mr. Dowd.
- January 23, 2020: Our regular board meeting. The minutes are not yet posted, but can be located under the board meetings page.
As always, you can see my official calendar here.
Here are the events of the last month or so (continuing from when I last posted). A reminder: you can see my events, past or future, at any time by viewing my official online calendar at this link: https://craigwilsonfairfieldsuisunschoolboard.com/calendar/
During the district-wide open houses (officially called “Back to School Nights) I visited Oakbrook Academy of the Arts on Tuesday, September 10, then Crystal Middle School Wednesday, September 10, then Sem Yeto (at Fairfield High School) and Sem Yeto Satellite (at Armijo High School) on Thursday, September 11th. I enjoyed each of these visits, visited with some teachers and staff at each, and learned.
The next event was the monthly Governance Subcommittee meeting Friday September 13th at noon (for which I took an unpaid day off work). We reviewed 21 various written policies in need of updates due to changes in state laws or regulations. You can see all of the details at this link (or in one of the folders below that link). If you’d like to follow the governance subcommittee, its materials are always posted here.
The following Monday (September 16th) I met with a handful of board members from other school districts in Solano County for a monthly planning session of the Solano County School Boards Association. We are preparing for the next quarterly dinner meeting November 18th at Dixon High School, to which all 58 school board members and superintendents in Solano County are invited. (I can’t yet provide a link. We are currently working on getting a web page for the group.)
The following Friday I took another unpaid day off work for a two-day (September 20th and 21st) board member training conference in Santa Rosa, called “Masters in Governance.” These were the first two of a five part series of board member basics that most school board members in California participate in. This was a powerful learning experience, with more than a hundred other mostly new board members throughout northern California, held at the Sonoma County Office of Education training facility. I stayed Thursday and Friday nights in a motel in Santa Rosa for that and later wrote a report about the training. It is included in the agenda materials from our October 10th meeting, available (along with materials from all full board meetings) from this page.
The following Thursday, September 26th, was our regular board business meeting (most months we hold two). You can see the “summary notes” of that meeting (and all meetings) at this link.
Our first regular business meeting for October was the 10th.
Yesterday, October 15th was the monthly Facilities Subcommittee meeting. (See the materials here.) We received updates on constructions projects and deliberated how best to proceed with the Tolenas kitchen cafeteria expansion. Those minutes will be posted soon at the above link.
The last regular business meeting for October will be next Thursday, October 24th.
On another note, plans are firming up for the annual training conference in December, the “CSBA AEC” which all board members usually attend. Last year it was held in San Francisco; this year will be in San Diego. The district purchased an airline ticket for me, and I purchased a separate one for my wife, Gayla – it’s a three-day event, and she’ll enjoy tagging along as much as she can. See my calendar for exact dates, and I’ll be writing about that before too long.
Craig
Craig Wilson, Board Member, Fairfield-Suisun School Board (personal website - not official, not speaking for district) 