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February 16, 2022

REDWOOD CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT

Redwood City, California

APPROVED MINUTES OF BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING

February 16, 2022

REGULAR BOARD MEETING

1.         Call to Order  

 

President Díaz-Slocum called the Closed Session to order at 6:15 p.m.

 

Present at the Closed Session: President María Díaz-Slocum, Vice-President Cecilia I. Márquez; Trustees Janet Lawson, Mike Wells, and Alisa MacAvoy; and Superintendent Baker. 

 

Others Present: Wendy Kelly, Deputy Superintendent

 

2.         Oral Communication on Closed Session Items Only

 

3.         Closed Session – 6:15 p.m.

 

4.         Reconvene to Regular Session at Approximately 7:00 p.m.

 

4.1     Roll Call

4.2     Report Out on Closed Session from February 9, 2022

 

President Díaz-Slocum reported that the School Board received information from staff and no action was taken. 

 

5.         Welcome

 

5.1     Welcome

 

President Díaz-Slocum welcomed those present.  The School Board dispensed with the Pledge of Allegiance.    

 

Others Present During the Regular Board Meeting:  Wendy Kelly, Liz Wolfe, Priscilla Aquino-Dichoso, Don Dias, Will Robertson, Jorge Quintana, Antonio Pérez, Kyle Brumbaugh, Itzel Ramírez, Gonzálo Cordova, Roger Lim, Fermín Camberos, Eliana García, and many more attendees. 

 

6.         Changes to the Agenda

 

Superintendent Baker requested to pull Consent Item 11.5 from the agenda.

 

7.         Approval of Agenda

 

The board approved the agenda as amended, (Márquez/Wells; 5-0).

 

8.         Oral Communication

 

None.

 

9.         Bond Program Consent Items (Action Required)

 

The board approved the Bond Program Consent Items (Wells/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

9.3  Recommendation re:  Approval of Storm Drain Upgrade Proposal at Adelante Selby Spanish Immersion School with Silicon Valley Paving

9.4  Recommendation re:  Approval of Picnic Tables Proposal at Adelante Selby Spanish Immersion School and Garfield Community School with Park Planet

9.5  Recommendation re:  Approval of Furniture Moving Services Proposal at Taft Community School with Rentacrate

9.6  Recommendation re:  Approval of New Buldings, Modernization and Sitework Project, Change Order #5 for Garfield Community School with Rodan Builders

9.7  Recommendation re:  Approval of Modernization and New Building Project Bid Package F Change Order #1 for Orion Alternative School (Formerly John Gill Elementary School) with Scapes

9.8  Recommendation re:  Approval of Final Construction Management (CM) Fee Amendment for Hoover Community School with RGMK

9.9  Recommendation re:  Approval of Modernization and New Building Project Bid Package D Electric, Change Order #5 for Orion Alternative School (Formerly John Gill Elementary School) with Vanden Bos

 

President Díaz-Slocum (Ayes)
Vice-President Márquez (Ayes)
Trustee Lawson (Ayes)
Trustee Wells (Ayes)
Trustee MacAvoy (Ayes)
 
10.      Bond Program Action Items (Action Required)
 
None.

 

11.      Consent Items

 

The board approved the Consent Items (MacAvoy/Lawson; 5-0), taking the following action:

 

11.1  Recommendation re:  Approval of Consent Items

11.2  Recommendation re:  Approval of January 12th Board Minutes (Study Session)

11.3  Recommendation re:  Approval of January 12th Board Minutes (Regular Board Meeting)

11.4  Recommendation re:  Approval of January 19th Board Minutes

 

President Díaz-Slocum (Ayes)
Vice-President Márquez (Ayes)
Trustee Lawson (Ayes)
Trustee Wells (Ayes)
Trustee MacAvoy (Ayes)
 
12.      Action Items (Action Required)
 
12.1  Recommendation re:  Approval of the Second Amendment to the Agreement with One Life Counseling Services for 2021-22
 
The School Board approved the second amendment to the agreement with One Life Counseling Services for 2021-22 (Márquez/Wells; 5-0).
 
President Díaz-Slocum (Ayes)
Vice-President Márquez (Ayes)
Trustee Lawson (Ayes)
Trustee Wells (Ayes)
Trustee MacAvoy (Ayes)  
 
12.2  Recommendation re:  Classified General Leave Request(s)
 
The School Board did not approve the Classified General Leave Request(s) (Márquez/Wells; 5-0).
 
President Díaz-Slocum (Ayes)
Vice-President Márquez (Ayes)
Trustee Lawson (Ayes)
Trustee Wells (Ayes)
Trustee MacAvoy (Ayes)  
 
12.3  Recommendation re:  Approval of Instructional Calendars for the 2022-2023 School Year – attachment    
 
The School Board approved the instructional calendars for the 2022-2023 school year (MacAvoy/Márquez; 5-0).
 
President Díaz-Slocum (Ayes)
Vice-President Márquez (Ayes)
Trustee Lawson (Ayes)
Trustee Wells (Ayes)
Trustee MacAvoy (Ayes)  
 
12.4  Recommendation re:  Adoption of Resolution 26, Determination of Order of Employment for Certificated Employees for Elimination of or Reductions in Particular Kinds of Services for Fiscal Year 2021-2022
 
The School Board adopted Resolution 26, determination of order of employment for Certificated Employees for elimination of or reductions in Particular Kinds of Services for fiscal year 2021-2022 (MacAvoy/Wells; 5-0).
 
President Díaz-Slocum (Ayes)
Vice-President Márquez (Ayes)
Trustee Lawson (Ayes)
Trustee Wells (Ayes)
Trustee MacAvoy (Ayes)  
 
12.5  Recommendation re:  Second Reading and Approval of Board Policy 5116.1 – Intradistrict Open Enrollment
 
Superintendent Baker opened the agenda item by stating that Trustees MacAvoy and Lawson had statements to share with the School Board and the public about Board Policy 5116.1 – Intradistrict Open Enrollment.  Superintendent Baker expressed that both Trustees were going to recommend to pull the Board Policy 5116.1 from the agenda and not take action for approval.
 
Trustee MacAvoy expressed that as a result of all the comments the School Board and Superintendent Baker received, as well as new information that has recently come in, the Board Policy Committee met to discuss and propose that the School Board postpone voting on the aforementioned board policy.  Trustee MacAvoy added that she would like to hear comments from all the speakers during the board meeting. 
 
Speaker’s Cards:
 
David Weekly, addressed the School Board by thanking them for taking public comment from the parent community.  Mr. Weekly stated that restricting student choice was going to negatively hurt the School District.  Mr. Weekly further added that he has volunteered and helped the School District during the beginning phase of the parcel tax process and would like for the School District to work with families to provide options for them.  Mr. Weekly urged the School Board to not approve the board policy. 
 
Eric Liu, RCSD parent, commented that he moved to Redwood City 7 years ago.  Mr. Liu added that as a Chinese American, he felt welcomed in Redwood City.  Mr. Liu expressed that the Board Policy bars students from the Mandarin Immersion Program to apply to the North Star Academy Program, which makes him feel discriminated against.  Mr. Liu stated that he knows this is not RCSD’s intent; however, he urges the School Board and Superintendent Baker to reconsider the approval of this Board Policy.
 
Connie Kwan, RCSD parent, thanked the School Board and Superintendent Baker for allowing parents to speak.  Ms. Kwan commented that the Board Policy unfairly penalizes families and forces them to choose a different path. 
 
Peter Cowan, RCSD parent, commented that the timing of this Board Policy came at the same time families needed to make a choice of where they want their children to attend school.  Mr. Cowan expressed that the School Board needs to think about the fundamental problem and urged the School Board and Superintendent  
 
Dennis Li, RCSD parent, expressed that he was thrilled to learn that the Redwood City School District had a Mandarin Immersion Program.  Mr. Li commented that once he joined the Mandarin Immersion Program community, he met other families interested in starting a TK program as well.  Mr. Li stated that if the School Board approves the policy, the School District will be raising the stakes.  Mr. Li further added that he understands the intention of the policy; however, he feels that the policy is flawed. 
 
Michelle Xue, RCSD parent, thanked the School Board and Superintendent Baker for allowing parents an opportunity to share their feedback.  Ms. Xue stated that she echoes many of the comments made by other parents and added that the Mandarin Immersion Program and the North Star Academy Program are not set in a fair ground.  Ms. Xue urged the School Board and Superintendent Baker to look into the inequality issue. 
 
Dan Priven-Troncoso, submitted a speaker’s card, but was not present during the board meeting.   
 
Jennifer Barnett, RCSD parent, agreed with other parents and commented that she is highly disappointed by the Board Policy.  Ms. Barnett urged the School Board to not approve the policy.    
 
Diana Cheng, RCSD parent, addressed the School Board and Superintendent Baker via a speaker’s card, by stating that she is opposed to the boards' proposal to restrict subsequent enrollment to another non-boundary school if a student has already been previously enrolled in a different non-boundary school.  Ms. Cheng opined that the board policy was unnecessarily restrictive.  Ms. Cheng added that as some of the non-boundary schools start enrollment in Kindergarten, this policy, if enacted, would severely limit the choices available for a student that discovered that their first enrolled school of choice did not meet their learning needs. Ms. Cheng further expressed that they would be barred from enrolling in a different school of choice that might better suit them, simply because they had made a mistake the first time.
 
Alvin Chyang, RCSD parent, commented that his family has considered private schools in the past.  Mr. Chyang stated that his children attend Orion Alternative and they absolutely love it!  Mr. Chyang expressed his concern about losing students and as a result, the School District having to consolidate classrooms. 
 
Eric García, RCSD parent, expressed that the proposed policy does not democratize access to educational programs for Redwood City parents. Mr. García added that it takes a giant leap backwards by removing parent's ability to choose what's best for their children's dynamic educational needs.  Mr. García opined that the policy prioritizes the desires of school administrators attempting to resolve intra-district transfer issues over what should be the top priority, which is giving children access to quality educational programs.
 
Christina Jade, RCSD parent, addressed the School Board by expressing that every student should have an equal opportunity for advancement.  Ms. Jade added that affluent families are the families getting into North Star Academy.  Ms. Jade urged the School Board and Superintendent Baker to consider strengthen all schools. 
 
Kyle Zipes, thanked the School Board and Superintendent Baker for their time and for postponing the approval of the board policy.  Mr. Zipes expressed that he wants the Mandarin Immersion Program to evolve and succeed.  Mr. Zipes added that if the School Board approves the board policy in the near future, this would create larger problems for the School District, which could harm the funding. 
 
Brian Hicks, RCSD parent, addressed the School Board by stating that he hopes that the School Board would exempt the siblings of intradistrict transfer and honor them to stay.   
 
Olivia Ma, submitted a speaker’s card, but was not present during the board meeting.   
 
Christine Liu, submitted a speaker’s card, but was not present during the board meeting.   
 
Sombuddha Chakraborty, submitted a speaker’s card, but was not present during the board meeting.   
 
Jen and Ben Serio, submitted a speaker’s card, but was not present during the board meeting.   
 
Elle Koleckar, requested from the School Board to not move forward with the approval of the board policy.  Ms. Koleckar reiterated that this board policy is not fair to many families.  Ms. Koleckar recommended that the School District focus more on the education of students in the Bayside and strengthen the rest of the schools within the district to provide school choices to all families. 
 
Keith Simmons, RCSD parent, stated that everything he had in mind had already been said by other parents.  Mr. Simmons reiterated that future board policies have to be very clear to the community.    
 
Tienten Wang, RCSD parent, addressed the School Board and Superintendent Baker by expressing that she wholeheartedly agrees with everyone else’s comments and she further added that she opposed to the approval of the Board Policy. 
 
James Stroka, submitted a speaker’s card, but expressed he did not need to address the School Board after so many similar comments had been made already. 
 
Meghan O’Reilley-Green, RCSD parent, thanked the School Board for postponing the board policy.  Ms. O’Reiley-Green expressed that the School Board often makes difficult decisions even when those decisions are unpopular.  Ms. O’Reiley-Green stated that the admissions policy for North Star Academy needs to change and further added that she did not think changing the policy would affect the Mandarin Immersion Program’s population.      
 
Elizabeth Flegel, addressed the School Board and Superintendent Baker by expressing that she is an active parent of the Adelante Selby community, where her daughters have been attending for the last 5 years.  Ms. Flegel commented that she chose Adelante Selby for her daughters, not knowing whether her daughters would thrive there.  Ms. Flegel thought that if her daughters didn’t do well at Adelante Selby, they could move to a different school.  Ms. Flegel reiterated that she is very happy with their choice and her daughters are excelling academically!  Ms. Flegel expressed that she wanted to offer the audience a different perspective of the many school choices RCSD has to offer.   
 
President Díaz-Slocum thanked all of the speakers and expressed that the School Board would not be taking action in approving Board Policy 5116.1.  President Díaz-Slocum stated that the Policy Committee would revisit the aforementioned policy.    
 
Trustee MacAvoy expressed that the School Board values inclusivity and wants to make sure the School Board and School District is not being discriminatory.  Trustee MacAvoy agreed that the policy needed to be revised and discussed with the Policy Committee.  Trustee MacAvoy stated that the School Board would not be approving the board policy that evening.
 
Trustee Wells thanked everyone for participating and providing their comments.  Trustee Wells reported receiving countless emails from parents this past week and expressed that voting to approve the board policy should be delayed in order to obtain additional data.  Trustee Wells reiterated that it was important to continue with the North Star Forward Committee to try to figure out other logistics for the board policy.  Trustee Wells expressed that he understood the concern of many parents that want to make sure that their children go to a great school.  Trustee Wells added that his two daughters attend Kennedy Middle School and they are doing great! 
 
Trustee Lawson expressed that she has an 8th grade student at Kennedy Middle School and he is doing great!  Trustee Lawson commented her son is thriving! 
 
Vice-President Márquez commented that she has one Kennedy Middle School alum and a current 7th grade student who have done absolutely great.  Vice-President Márquez expressed that she is in favor of delaying the approval of the board policy until the School District receives further input from the community.  
 
The School Board agreed to not take action during the February 16th board meeting, but rather table this Board Policy for approval at a future board meeting. 
 
12.6  Recommendation re:  Second Reading and Approval of Board Policy 5117 – Interdistrict Attendance
 
The School Board discussed the second reading and approved Board Policy 5117 – Interdistrict Attendance (MacAvoy/Wells; 5-0).
 
President Díaz-Slocum (Ayes)
Vice-President Márquez (Ayes)
Trustee Lawson (Ayes)
Trustee Wells (Ayes)
Trustee MacAvoy (Ayes)  
 
12.7  Recommendation re:  Creative Learning Centers, NPS, Inc. – Acknowledgement of Conversion and Consent to Change Ownership
 
The School Board approved the Creative Learning Center, NPS, Inc. – Acknowledgment of Conversion and Consent to Change Ownership (Márquez/MacAvoy; 5-0).
 
President Díaz-Slocum (Ayes)
Vice-President Márquez (Ayes)
Trustee Lawson (Ayes)
Trustee Wells (Ayes)
Trustee MacAvoy (Ayes)  
 
 

13.      Board and Superintendent Reports

 

11.1  Report from Board Members and Superintendent

 

Trustee Wells did not have a report.

 

Trustee Lawson reported attending a North Star Forward Committee meeting.  Furthermore, Trustee Lawson also attended an RCTA Climate meeting, together with Superintendent Baker and a Board Policy Committee meeting.  

 

Vice-President Márquez reported attending a North Star Forward Committee meeting. 

 

Trustee MacAvoy reported attending the 17th District Founders’ Ceremony and a Board Policy Committee meeting.    

 

President Díaz-Slocum did not have a report.   

 

Superintendent Baker reported attending many of the same events as other board members.  Superintendent Baker mentioned he had attended an executive meeting with Redwood City Together.

 

14.      Information

 

14.1 2022 Supplement to the Annual Update of the 2021-22 Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) and Budget Overview for Parents

 

Liz Wolfe, Assistant Superintendent provided the School Board with a presentation showcasing how the LEA is being used and how it is being implemented to the federal American Rescue Plan Act.    

 

14.2 RCSD Review of Connect Community Charter School’s Audit Report for Fiscal Year 2020-21

14.3 RCSD Review of KIPP Excelencia Community Prep’s Audit Report for Fiscal Year 2020-21

14.4 RCSD Review of Rocketship Redwood City Prep’s Audit Report for Fiscal Year 2020-21

 

There were no comments or questions from the School Board and Superintendent Baker.

 

15.      Correspondence

 

Trustee Lawson reported receiving many emails from parents related to the intradistrict transfer policy.

 

President Díaz-Slocum reported receiving emails about Food Service.   

 

16.      Other Business/Suggested Items for Future Agenda

 

Superintendent Baker commented that Stanford University would provide the School Board with a presentation on a study of Adelante Selby Spanish Immersion. 

 

17.      Board Agenda Calendar

 

17.1  Changes to the Board Agenda Schedule

 

Trustee MacAvoy asked if there would be a Feasibility Study Session on February 28th?

 

In response to Trustee MacAvoy’s question, Superintendent Baker replied he would check with the Workforce Housing Team and circle back with the School Board with an update.

 

18.      Adjournment (Action Required)

 

The board adjourned the meeting at 8:52p.m. (Márquez/Lawson; 5-0).

 

 

Janet Lawson, Clerk