March 22, 2023
REDWOOD CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Redwood City, California
APPROVED MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING
March 22, 2023
STUDY SESSION BOARD MEETING
1. Call to Order
President Márquez called the Study Session to order at 5:45 pm.
1.1 Roll Call
Present at the Study Session Board meeting: President Cecilia Márquez, Vice-President Janet Lawson; Trustees Mike Wells and Alisa MacAvoy; and Superintendent Baker.
Others present during the Study Session Board meeting: CBO Rick Edson, Will Robertson, Eliana Garcia, Annabelle Vitali, Sarah Garrett, Martin Cervantes, Jorge Quintana, Itzel Gloria, and others.
Absent for the Study Session Board Meeting: Trustee David Weekly.
2. Welcome
President Márquez welcomed those present.
3. Changes to the Agenda
None.
4. Approval of the Agenda
The School Board approved the agenda as submitted (Lawson, Wells; 4-0).
Trustee Weekly (Absent)
Trustee MacAvoy (Ayes)
Trustee Wells (Ayes)
Vice-President Lawson (Ayes)
President Márquez (Ayes)
5. Oral Communication
Speaker’s Cards:
Chris Robell expressed his concerns regarding the importance of ensuring that it is known how and when the money is being expended, and that there is a review of when it is being spent. The review of expenditures ensures funds are not illegally spent. He urged the School Board to make sure there is no misuse of the funds.
6. Bond Program Action Items
Trustee Weekly officially arrived at the meeting.
The Bond Program Team, comprised of Martin Cervantes, Will Robertson, Eliana Garcia, Annabelle Vitali, and Sarah Garret, presented to the School Board a detailed presentation of the updated program budget and an overview of the revenue transactions report and sources and budgets report.
Will reported that the Board reserve has approximately $820K remaining funds. He presented a list of potential projects. The cost of the potential future projects adds up to approximately $520K. There would be $400K in the Board reserves for future projects.
Trustee Lawson asked about the location of the Henry Ford outdoor classroom to which Will responded. Will also informed the School Board where the Taft outdoor classroom will be.
Trustee MacAvoy asked the Bond Team, when will the School Board be informed on when the $420K in the Board reserves will be available for other projects. Will answered that the Bond team has been discussing presenting another budget update at the beginning of Summer.
The School Board and the Bond Team discussed the potential future projects, which included the Roosevelt playground safety surfacing. The priority is to make the playground safe for the children.
Trustee Weekly suggested looking into the requests made by the Principals during the SPSAs reports.
Superintendent Baker commented that Roosevelt’s PTO had garnered some money to aid in a portion of the playground improvement project.
President Márquez suggested looking into different options for Roosevelt that would minimize the cost of the project while still maintaining play structure and surfacing safety.
Will mentioned the Bond Team can look into an option of just replacing the playground surface, but they would need to make sure the play structure meets safety code requirements.
Trustee MacAvoy asked how the $400K estimated cost related to the PTO money. She also agreed she would like to see more cost estimates.
Will reported the amounts he presented to the School Board do not take into account the PTO funds.
Trustee MacAvoy expressed she is in favor of the outdoor classrooms.
The School Board decided to revisit the potential projects list at a later Board Meeting.
The School Board approved the Measure T Bond Program budget update presentation and adoption of the new budget, (Wells, Weekly; 5-0).
Trustee Weekly (Ayes)
Trustee MacAvoy (Ayes)
Trustee Wells (Ayes)
Vice-President Lawson (Ayes)
President Márquez ( Ayes)
7. Adjournment
The School Board adjourned the meeting at 6:22 p.m. (MacAvoy, Weekly; 5-0).
REDWOOD CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Redwood City, California
APPROVED MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING
March 22, 2023
REGULAR BOARD MEETING
1. Call to Order
President Márquez called the Regular Session to order at 7:00 p.m.
1.1 Roll Call
Present at the Regular Board meeting: President Cecilia Márquez, Vice-President Janet Lawson; Trustees Mike Wells, Alisa MacAvoy, and David Weekly; and Superintendent Baker.
Others present during the Regular Board meeting: Assistant Superintendent Liz Wolfe, Deputy Superintendent Wendy Kelly, CBO Rick Edson, Will Robertson, Gonzalo Cordova, Itzel Gloria, Sara Shackel, Melissa Bowdoin, Kristy Jackson, and many others.
2. Welcome
President Márquez welcomed those present.
3. Changes to the Agenda
None.
7. Approval of the Agenda
The School Board approved the agenda as submitted (MacAvoy, Weekly; 5-0).
Trustee Weekly (Ayes)
Trustee MacAvoy (Ayes)
Trustee Wells (Ayes)
Vice-President Lawson (Ayes)
President Márquez (Ayes)
5. Oral Communication
None.
6. Bond Program Consent Items (Action Required)
The School Board approved the Bond Program Consent Items (Wells, Lawson; 5-0), taking the following action:
6.1 Recommendation re: Approval of Bond Program Consent Items
6.2 Recommendation re: Approval of Measure T Bond Program Tracking List of Items Under $20k
6.3 Recommendation re: Approval of Proposal for Classroom Tackboards with Beals Martin for Orion Alternative School (Formerly John Gill School)
6.4 Recommendation re: Approval of Proposal for Field Infill and Installation of Hydroseed with Scapes, Inc. for Garfield Community School
Trustee Weekly (Ayes)
Trustee MacAvoy (Ayes)
Trustee Wells (Ayes)
Vice-President Lawson (Ayes)
President Márquez (Ayes)
7. Bond Program Action Items
None.
8. School/Community Reports
8.1 Discussion of School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA): Roy Cloud School and North Star Academy
Roy Cloud SPSA Presentation:
Roy Cloud school administrators Melissa Bowdoin and Kristy Jackson reported to the School Board an update of their school’s School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) report. Roy Cloud school administrators reported on the goals and actions to improve attendance and reclassification rates, and to demonstrate at least one year’s growth in ELA and Math. In addition, the Roy Cloud team also reported on school events, student voices, and parent outreach. As a concluding comment, the Roy Cloud team invited the School Board to go visit their school.
Trustee MacAvoy thanked Melissa and Kristy. Trustee MacAvoy recalled attending the Roy Cloud Fall Fest and mentioned it had a huge turnout. She praised Melissa and Kristy for their touch in making personal calls to the families to increase family engagement. Moreover, Trustee MacAvoy praised the emerging bilingual student program and the Associated Student Body (ASB) program.
Trustee Wells also thanked the Roy Cloud team and commented he was excited to hear about NUA and that more schools are starting to adopt it. Additionally, Trustee Wells thanked Melissa and Kristy for talking about the “open sessions” and explaining what those were.
Vice-President Lawson praised Roy Cloud for their work with NUA, the “Houses,” live school, open session, community engagement, ASB, and the newsletters that go out to the families.
Trustee Weekly stated that it seemed things are going well at Roy Cloud school with reclassification and improvement rates in reading and math. He wonders if the practices that are working well there that can be shared with other schools.
President Márquez thanked the Roy Cloud team for the presentation. She praised the NUA collaborative and reclassification goal setting. She was also happy to hear about the MTSS TOSA providing help after school for emerging bilingual learners. President Márquez encouraged the Roy Cloud team to be consistent when pitching the ELAC committee to families so they can have more parent involvement in the committee.
Superintendent Baker thanked Kristy and Melissa for modeling the lessons in the classroom, for bringing the community together, and for their work with NUA. Moreover, he praised Melissa and Kristy for their work during Inclusive Week and their Life School Houses practice.
North Star Academy (NSA) SPSA Presentation:
NSA school administrators Sara Shackel and Kelly Noriega reported an update of their school’s School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) report to the School Board. Principal Sara Shackel praised her NSA community comprised of scholars, teachers, parents, and many others. NSA administrators reported on the goals and actions to improve attendance rates, reclassification rates, and demonstrate at least one year’s growth in ELA and Math. In addition, the NSA team also reported on school events, student voices, and parent outreach.
The NSA team echoed the sentiment of having the School Board visit the school. Additionally, Sara addressed the School Board and requested that the district provide a District Wide Academic Spanish Language Instruction for all middle schoolers, among other supports.
Trustee Weekly thanked the NSA team for the presentation and their great work. He inquired about the after-school care costs at NSA. Principal Sara Shackel explained that the after-school care at NSA is more expensive because it is privately funded. Trustee Weekly also commented on the IReady math and reading improvement rates.
Trustee Wells thanked Sara and Kelly for the presentation. He stated he enjoyed hearing about the school climate challenges and how they are being addressed. He praised NSA for the effort in outreach to have their demographics more closely align with the rest of the district.
Vice-President Lawson thanked the NSA team for the presentation. She thanked Sara for her honesty and transparency regarding the school climate. She praised Sara for the changes she is working towards with SF-CESS to review discipline consistency across the district. Vice-President Lawson also commented she liked hearing about the DEI parent role, universal testing, transportation, and the book fair. Lastly, she mentioned she is looking forward to teaching at the Festival of Social Studies.
Trustee MacAvoy thanked Sara and Kelly. She echoed the previous sentiment regarding honesty on the challenges that NSA faces. She praised the leadership at the school for looking into significant issues like consistency in discipline across the district. Trustee MacAvoy gave a shout-out to all the mental health staff. Moreover, Trustee MacAvoy also stated she liked hearing about the DEI Parent, enrichment and lunch clubs, and student leadership. Trustee MacAvoy thanked the teachers for lending their classrooms during lunch. Additionally, she praised the parents at North Star for recognizing the wealth of resources at that school and for doing stuff to support other schools.
President Márquez praised NSA for their newsletter. Additionally, she thanked Dr. Baker, Admin Services, Educational Services, and all those involved in providing mental health support district-wide. President Márquez thanked Sara for her consideration in hiring an ELD teacher. She also inquired about transportation services and how they would be funded. Sara responded that they were still trying to figure out a plan. Superintendent Baker added that transportation services would also be RCSD funded to support the Bayside students. Lastly, President Márquez stated she appreciated hearing about the student-led conferences. She concluded by praising Carolyn Williams.
Trustee MacAvoy also thanked Carolyn for all of her time and work at the district.
Superintendent Baker praised Sara and Kelly for their partnership with SF-CESS to tackle hate and bias at the school. He also enjoyed hearing about the DEI parent role and encouraged NSA to speak about this approach with other colleagues. Furthermore, he acknowledged he has previously heard about the request for a foreign language. He concluded by thanking Sara, Kelly, the teachers, and the parents.
President Márquez praised Sara and Kelly for their practice of observing teachers and looking out for their strengths and weaknesses. She suggested it would be a good practice to share with other administrators across the district.
9. Discussion Items
9.1 First Reading and Discussion of Board Policy 0460 - Local Control Accountability Plan
Trustee Wells requested that Assistant Superintendent Liz Wolfe speak about the student committee.
Assistant Superintendent Liz Wolfe explained that Sara Aguilar and Whitney Eakin put together a program in which they visit different school sites and meet with student leaders to discuss and gather input on the different LCAP goals.
9.2 First Reading and Discussion of Board Bylaw 9220 - Governing Board Elections
No questions or comments.
9.3 First Reading and Discussion of Board Bylaw 9323 - Meeting Conduct
No questions or comments.
10. Consent Items
The School Board approved the Consent Items (Wells, MacAvoy; 5-0), taking the following action:
10.1 Recommendation re: Approval of Consent Items
10.2 Recommendation re: Approval of March 8th, 2023 Board Minutes
10.3 Recommendation re: Approval of Local Interagency Agreement(s) to Provide
Education and Training to Counselor Trainee Candidates
10.4 Recommendation re: Approval of Non-Public School (NPS)/Non-Public Agency
(NPA) Master Contracts
10.5 Recommendation re: Approval of Amendment No. 1 to the Agreement between
Redwood City School District and Yellow Cab, Inc. for the 2022-2023 School Year
10.6 Recommendation re: Approval of Agreement between the Redwood City School
District and Zum Transportation Technology Platform for the Fiscal Year 2022-2023
10.7 Recommendation re: Approval of Addendum to 2022-23 Measure U Application
for Roy Cloud School
10.8 Recommendation re: Approval of the Memorandum of Understanding between
San Mateo County Office of Education and Redwood City School District
10.9 Recommendation re: Review of Information Regarding the Teacher Residency
Program for Special Education Teachers with San Mateo County Office of Education
and Alder Graduate School of Education
Trustee Weekly (Ayes)
Trustee MacAvoy (Ayes)
Trustee Wells (Ayes)
Vice-President Lawson (Ayes)
President Márquez (Ayes)
11. Action Items
11.1 Recommendation re: Adoption of Resolution 31 - Establishing Fund 35, County School Facilities Fund
Trustee MacAvoy asked where in the state the funds are coming from. In response, CBO Rick responded the funds were coming from the state bond.
The School Board adopted Resolution 31 - establishing Fund 35, County School facilities fund (Wells, Weekly; 5-0).
Trustee Weekly (Ayes)
Trustee MacAvoy (Ayes)
Trustee Wells (Ayes)
Vice-President Lawson (Ayes)
President Márquez (Ayes)
11.2 Recommendation re: Approval of the RCSD 2022-23 Second Interim Financial Report
The School Board thanked CBO Rick for the presentation.
The School Board approved the RCSD 2022-23 Second Interim Financial (MacAvoy, Wells; 5-0).
Trustee Weekly (Ayes)
Trustee MacAvoy (Ayes)
Trustee Wells (Ayes)
Vice-President Lawson (Ayes)
President Márquez (Ayes)
12. Board and Superintendent Reports
12.1 Report from Board Members and Superintendent
Vice-President Lawson reported attending the Stanford Award ceremony in which RCSD was recognized for its work in mental health.
Trustee Wells reported attending the “Cafecito” at Hoover. He informed the Board that Leslie Daniele presented about the ELPAC and reclassification. Additionally, he also attended Kennedy’s musical and dance program.
Trustee MacAvoy reported attending the Sacramento CA School Board Association Board of Directors meeting. She informed the board that there is a lot of legislative action happening. She mentioned that she had an opportunity to speak to the legislative director regarding retirees. Furthermore, Trustee MacAvoy attended an Annual Education Conference committee meeting and a Redwood City Together meeting. She also met with a community member to speak about the bond and CBOC.
Trustee Weekly had nothing to report.
President Márquez reported attending a Redwood City Together meeting and gave them a shout-out for all of their work. She also attended a Budget Committee meeting.
Trustee MacAvoy praised Redwood City Together for the inclusion of people at the table.
Superintendent Baker reported attending the Redwood City Together and Workforce Housing meetings. He has also been meeting with school principals to review goals for the school year.
13. Information
13.1 Information on San Mateo County Investment Fund - January, 2023
No questions or comments.
14. Correspondence
President Márquez reported receiving a few emails.
15. Other Business/Suggested Items for Future Agenda
Trustee Weekly suggested a discussion of possible bulk enrollment of parent volunteers, to which Superintendent Baker reported he is working on something for that matter.
16. Board Meetings Calendar
16.1 Changes to the Board Meetings Calendar
Superintendent Baker informed the School Board regarding the schedule for the April 19th Board meeting, which is as follows:
5:30 - 6:00 PM - HR Negotiations
6:00 - 7:00 PM - Study Session Citizen Bond Oversight Committee (CBOC) Discussion on Roles and Responsibilities
7:00 PM - Regular Board Meeting
17. Adjournment
President Márquez adjourned the meeting in honor of Women’s month.
The School Board adjourned the meeting at 9:19 p.m. (Márquez, Weekly; 5-0).