February 15, 2023
REDWOOD CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Redwood City, California
APPROVED MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING
February 15, 2023
REGULAR BOARD MEETING
1. Call to Order
President Márquez called the Closed Session to order at 5:33 p.m.
1.1 Roll Call
Present at the Closed Board meeting: President Cecilia Márquez, Vice-President Janet Lawson; Trustees Mike Wells, and Alisa MacAvoy; and Superintendent Baker.
Others present during the Closed Board meeting: Deputy Superintendent Wendy Kelly, CBO Rick Edson, Director of Student Services Antonio Perez, and County Counsel Lauren Carrol.
Absent for the Closed Board Meeting: Trustee Weekly.
2. Oral Communication on Closed Session Items Only
None.
3. Closed Session - 5:30 PM
3.1 Conference with Labor Negotiators (§54957.6) Agency designated representative: Wendy Kelly, Deputy Superintendent & Employee organization: RCTA
3.2 Consideration of Student Expulsion
4. Reconvene to Regular Session at Approximately 6:30 PM
4.1 Roll Call
Others present during the Regular Board meeting: Trustee Weekly, Assistant Superintendent Liz Wolfe, Will Robertson, Gonzalo Cordova, Itzel Gloria, Blake Boehm, Erica Gonzalez, Marcus Peters, Katherine Rivera, Winnie Wong, Brianna Turner, Anna Herrera, Elsa Aispuro, and many others.
4.2 Report Out on Closed Session from February 15, 2023
Regarding item 3.1, the School Board received information from the attorney and adhered to the given recommendation.
Regarding item 3.2, the School Board received information and no action was taken.
5. Welcome
President Márquez welcomed those present.
6. Changes to the Agenda
Superintendent Baker requested to move Action Item 14.1 to after Discussion Item 12.1. He also informed the School Board that the Garfield SPSA presentation would happen at a later date.
7. Approval of the Agenda
The School Board approved the agenda as amended (MacAvoy, Weekly; 5-0).
Trustee Weekly (Ayes)
Trustee MacAvoy (Ayes)
Trustee Wells (Ayes)
Vice-President Lawson (Ayes)
President Márquez (Ayes)
8. Oral Communication
Speaker’s Cards:
Chris Robell expressed concern over the clarity of roles and responsibilities for the bond oversight activities. He also inquired and wanted to know more about the bond sub-committee.
9. Bond Program Consent Items (Action Required)
The School Board approved the Bond Program Consent Items (MacAvoy, Lawson; 5-0), taking the following action:
9.1 Recommendation re: Approval of Bond Program Consent Items
9.2 Recommendation re: Approval of Measure T Bond Program Tracking List of Items Under $20k
Trustee Weekly (Ayes)
Trustee MacAvoy (Ayes)
Trustee Wells (Ayes)
Vice-President Lawson (Ayes)
President Márquez (Ayes)
10. Bond Program Action Items
None.
11. School/Community Reports
None.
12. Discussion Items
12.1 Measure T Bond Financing Overview
Blake Boehm from KNN, Erica Gonzalez, and Marcus Peters from Stifel provided the School Board with a Measure T Financing Overview presentation.
Trustee MacAvoy thanked the team for the presentation. She expressed being proud of the work that was done with Measure T and is looking forward to what will get done with Measure S.
Chris Robell explained the School Board has a fiduciary obligation to the taxpayers. He expressed his concerns and opinions over the sale of bonds. He requests that the School Board look into minimizing fees and wonders if bond insurance is necessary.
Trustee Wells expressed his gratitude for the presentation. He asked Blake to explain the difference between negotiated and competitive offerings.
Blake explained the pros and cons of negotiated and competitive bond sales.
President Márquez thanked Blake, Erica, and Marcus for the presentation, and their work.
14.1 Recommendation re: Adoption of Resolution No. 24 - Authorizing the Issuance and Sale of General Obligation Bonds, 2022 Election, 2023 Series A of the District and Authorizing Other Documents and Related Actions
Speaker’s Cards:
Chris Robell commented on the bond interest rates.
The School Board adopted Resolution No. 24, authorizing the issuance and sale of General Obligation Bonds, 2022 Election, 2023 Series A of the District and authorizing other documents and related actions (Weekly, Lawson; 5-0).
Trustee Weekly (Ayes)
Trustee MacAvoy (Ayes)
Trustee Wells (Ayes)
Vice-President Lawson (Ayes)
President Márquez (Ayes)
12.2 Single Plan for Student Achievement for Orion, and Taft Community Schools
Orion SPSA Presentation:
Orion Alternative and Mandarin Immersion school administrators Katherine Rivera, Winnie Wong, and Brianna Turner reported to the School Board an update of their school’s Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) report. Orion administrators reported on their goals to improve attendance, and reclassification rates, and demonstrate at least one year’s growth in ELA and Math. In addition, the Orion team also reported on school events, student voices, and parent outreach. Lastly, they informed the School Board that they would find it helpful if Orion Alternative School was made a home school for the neighborhood families, among other supports.
Speaker’s Cards:
Chris Robell expressed concern over the average daily attendance (ADA) rate at the schools. He stated he would favor a parcel tax over a bond measure to make sure schools were able to fulfill operating needs instead of new buildings.
Trustee Wells thanked Katherine, Winnie, and Brianna for the presentation. He extended his thanks to all of the Orion staff. He referenced the core value, “learn with joy,” and stated that all schools are building wonderful communities. Trustee Wells asked if there was a safety net for those students/families who continue to struggle to make it to school.
In response to Trustee Wells's concerns, Principal Katherine clarified the admin team's new approach to ensure they target more families/students to minimize absenteeism rates while also considering the available time and resources.
Trustee Weekly stated Orion is a wonderful school. He thanked the Orion team for providing a holistic education for the students. He also referenced Trustee Wells’s previous concern and wondered whether there were other tools/strategies to target those students/families who continue to be chronically absent.
Vice-President Lawson echoed the previous comments. She thanked the Orion team for their presentation. Additionally, she commented she had received correspondence from parents in both programs at MI. A resounding theme from the correspondence she received is the love for the programs from the families. She also gave a shout-out to all the Orion teachers that were in the audience.
Trustee MacAvoy also acknowledged the presence of the Orion staff, parents, and families who attended the meeting. She thanked the Orion team for the presentation and all their work. Trustee MacAvoy praised Christina, the librarian at Orion, for creating an inclusive space. Lastly, Trustee MacAvoy expressed gratitude toward the Orion team for sharing their concluding comments.
President Márquez thanked the Orion team. She praised Principal Katherine for her work in managing both programs. President Márquez noted that she liked hearing about the daily community circle. She also gave a shout-out to the mental health counselor, teachers, and school administrators for their work. Additionally, she stated her concern regarding attendance.
Superintendent Baker thanked the Orion team for the work they do. He acknowledges that having two programs in one school site has its challenges. Furthermore, Dr. Baker commended Katherine and the administrators for keeping the vision and ensuring everyone, including the adults in the community, respect and treat each other well. Superintendent Baker informed Principal Katherine that he would continue providing the needed support to ensure all staff, teachers, and administrators continue to be treated with respect.
Taft SPSA Presentation:
Taft Community school administrators Anna Herrera and Elsa Aispuro reported to the School Board an update of their school’s Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) report. Taft administrators briefed on their goals to improve attendance, and reclassification rates, and demonstrate at least one year’s growth in ELA and Math. In addition, the Taft team also reported on school community events, student voices, and parent outreach. Lastly, they informed the School Board that they would find it helpful if Taft Community School was assigned a full-time school psychologist, among other supports. Anna Herrera extended her gratitude to her entire faculty at Taft.
Trustee Weekly thanked the Taft team for the presentation and for the work they are doing. Trustee Weekly asked for clarification on the chronic absenteeism percentages reported on slide 7 of the PowerPoint.
Principal Anna Herrera clarified that for Spring 2022 and Spring 2023, the target remains the same at 5%.
Trustee Weekly commented he appreciated the focus on the deltas and student academic improvement. He also mentioned he liked hearing that student goal-setting led to positive progress. Additionally, he emphasized the need for funding to help parents get fingerprinted to volunteer at the school.
Trustee Wells thanked the Taft team, the families, and the students. Additionally, he praised the effort made toward community building. Furthermore, he praised the team for making the data visible in the presentation/report on how students that were receiving certain interventions were improving. Lastly, Trustee Wells commented on how important coaching and professional development is.
Trustee MacAvoy praised the Taft team for the presentation. She mentioned she liked that Anna concluded her presentation by thanking her staff. Additionally, she recognized that the Taft Community was strongly affected by the pandemic. Trustee MacAvoy praised Anna Herrera for the work she is doing to improve student attendance. Trustee MacAvoy also agrees that there should be a discussion on how to make fingerprinting accessible to more parents. She gave a shout-out to all the parents and staff who joined and listened in on the Board meeting. Lastly, Trustee MacAvoy and Anna Herrera discussed the garden and resources that can be used to help Taft get back a gardening area.
Vice-President Lawson echoed the previous comments. She thanked the Taft team for the presentation and extended her thanks to all the staff that were present at the Board meeting. Vice-President Lawson agreed that challenges to fingerprinting and transportation need to be addressed. Vice-President Lawson also liked hearing about the mental health services, the decrease in suspensions, and the decrease in behavioral issues at the school.
President Márquez thanked all of the Taft staff. She acknowledged that the Taft community has many barriers to overcome and that some schools have greater challenges than others. President Márquez remarked the School Board and district are there to provide the needed support.
Superintendent Baker commended Principal Anna Herrera because, during the pandemic, she was one of the first to say she wanted to bring the students back. She worked with her faculty and the union to be able to welcome students back into school. Additionally, Superintendent Baker praised Anna for providing food for the families that needed the food. He also praised Elsa, Community School Coordinator, for finding resources that helped provide rent assistance or to find places for families to live. He commended the Taft team for their work.
13. Consent Items
The School Board approved the Consent Items (Lawson, MacAvoy; 5-0), taking the following action:
13.1 Recommendation re: Approval of Consent Items
13.2 Recommendation re: Approval of 2022-23 Measure U Application for KIPP Excelencia Community Prep
13.3 Recommendation re: Approval of the Agreement between the Redwood City School District and Play Thrive for the fiscal year 2022-2023
13.4 Recommendation re: Approval of the Agreement between the Redwood City School District and WorkEd for the fiscal year 2022-2023
Trustee Weekly (Ayes)
Trustee MacAvoy (Ayes)
Trustee Wells (Ayes)
Vice-President Lawson (Ayes)
President Márquez (Ayes)
14. Action Items
14.2 Recommendation re: Adoption of Resolution No. 25, Determination of Order of Employment for Certificated Employees for Elimination of or Reductions in Particular Kinds of Services for Fiscal Year 2022-2023
The School Board adopted Resolution No. 25, determination of order of employment for certificated employees for elimination of or reductions in particular kinds of services for fiscal year 2022-2023 (MacAvoy, Lawson; 5-0)
Trustee Weekly (Ayes)
Trustee MacAvoy (Ayes)
Trustee Wells (Ayes)
Vice-President Lawson (Ayes)
President Márquez (Ayes)
15. Board and Superintendent Reports
15.1 Report from Board Members and Superintendent
Vice-President Lawson had nothing to report.
Trustee Wells had nothing to report.
Trustee MacAvoy reported that she attended the North Star musical, Frozen. Additionally, she attended a CSBA Annual education conference committee and met with different parent groups about different topics.
Trustee Weekly had nothing to report.
President Márquez had nothing to report.
Superintendent Baker reported that he spoke with a Woodside resident who is interested in helping RCSD students.
16. Information
16.1 RCSD Review of Connect Community Charter School's First Interim Financial Report for FY 2022-23
No questions or comments.
16.2 RCSD Review of Connect Community Charter School's Audit Report for FY 2021-22
No questions or comments.
16.3 RCSD Review of KIPP Excelencia Community Prep's First Interim Financial Report for FY 2022-23
No questions or comments.
16.4 RCSD Review of KIPP Excelencia Community Prep's Audit Report for FY 2021-22
No questions or comments.
16.5 RCSD Review of Rocketship Redwood City Charter School's Audit Report for FY 2021-22
No questions or comments.
16.6 RCSD Review of Rocketship Redwood City Charter School's First Interim Financial Report for FY 2022-23
No questions or comments.
The Trustees thanked the team that worked on the information items.
17. Correspondence
Trustees reported receiving email correspondence.
18. Other Business/Suggested Items for Future Agenda
Trustee Weekly commented he would like to hear an update on the issue regarding fingerprinting.
19. Board Meetings Calendar
19.1 Changes to the Board Meetings Calendar
None.
20. Adjournment
The board adjourned the meeting at 9:56 p.m. (Weekly, MacAvoy; 5-0).