January 15, 2025
REDWOOD CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Redwood City, California
APPROVED MINUTES OF BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING
January 15, 2025
REGULAR BOARD MEETING
1. Call to Order
President Wells called the Regular Meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
1.1 Roll Call
Present at the Regular Board meeting: President Mike Wells, Vice President David Weekly; Trustees Cecilia Márquez, David Li, and Jennifer Ng Kwing King; and Superintendent Baker
Others present during the Regular Board meeting: Assistant Superintendent Anna Herrera, Deputy Superintendent Wendy Kelly, CBO Rick Edson, Principal Winnie Wong, Kendall Klein, Anastasia Stamates, Martin Cervantes, Vidal Duran, Itzel Gloria, Hayley Dupuy, and many others.
1.2 Report Out on Closed Session from January 10, 2025
On January 10th, the School Board received updates on RCTA and CSEA negotiations for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school year. No action was taken.
2. Welcome
President Wells welcomed those present.
3. Changes to the Agenda
Superintendent Baker requested that consent item 8.5, Approval of 2024 School Accountability Report Cards (SARCs), be pulled from the agenda for needed corrections.
President Wells requested moving information item 11.2, Recommendation for Mathematics Curriculum Adoption for Grades 6-8, to after item 6.1, Orion Alternative School Presentation for the 2024-2025 School Year.
4. Approval of the Agenda
The School Board approved the agenda as amended (Márquez, King; 5-0).
Trustee Li (Ayes)
Trustee King (Ayes)
Trustee Márquez (Ayes)
Vice President Weekly (Ayes)
President Wells (Ayes)
5. Oral Communication
None.
6. School/Community Reports
6.1 Orion Alternative School Presentation for the 2024-2025 School Year
Winnie Wong, Principal of Orion Mandarin Immersion (MI), presented her school’s data, highlighting the alignment of site-level performance with the goals outlined in the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) and the School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA). Her presentation covered successes, challenges, and site-specific actions aimed at supporting district and site priorities, including attendance and suspension rates, support for English learners, and academic performance in English Language Arts and Mathematics.
Public Comments:
Hai-Ching Yang, a prospective parent for the MI program, expressed her concern regarding the enrollment process to the program and the extensive waitlist.
Michelle Stroebe, a prospective parent for the MI program, expressed gratitude for the efforts of district staff in supporting students and voiced support for expanding the MI program.
The School Board and Superintendent Baker expressed their gratitude to Principal Wong for her presentation and commended her efforts in implementing strategies to address site priorities. Board members also had the opportunity to provide feedback, make suggestions on what data they would like to see, and ask clarifying questions about the data presented.
No action was taken.
11.2 Recommendation for Mathematics Curriculum Adoption for Grades 6-8
The School Board received an update on the proposed adoption of 6-8 Math Instructional Materials. Kendall Klein, a Math Teacher on Special Assignment, presented an overview of the adoption process, including the timeline, factors influencing the recommendation to adopt Imagine IM, a breakdown of the curriculum, and professional learning opportunities.
The adoption process began on August 16, 2023, when the School Board approved the timeline and pilot program. The committee worked collaboratively to pilot and evaluate instructional materials, gathering feedback and sharing insights during a middle school math meeting. After carefully comparing the strengths of each program, the 6-8 pilot teachers reached a consensus on November 7, 2024, recommending Imagine IM as the new curriculum.
The proposed materials will be available for public review and comment at the District Office starting January 15, 2025.
The School Board and Superintendent Baker commended Kendall for the thorough presentation and the detailed information provided. Board members also had the opportunity to provide comments and ask clarifying questions about the curriculum and information presented.
No action was taken at this time.
7. Public Hearing
7.1 Public Hearing regarding the Connect Community Charter School Renewal Petition
President Wells opened the public hearing regarding the Connect Community Charter School Renewal Petition at 8:32 p.m.
Principal Hayley Dupuy presented a Charter Renewal Petition to the School Board. To support the petition, she shared data showcasing the school’s academic progress, enrollment trends, parent and student testimonials, school climate metrics, and enrichment programs.
Public Comments
A group comprising parents, teachers, students, and alumni from the Connect Community Charter School addressed the school board to advocate for the school's charter renewal. They shared their appreciation for the opportunity to speak, recounted positive experiences at the school, highlighted how it has supported students' academic success, and voiced strong support for the renewal petition. The group of speakers included Julio Suchite, Amanda Vaughn, Meda Okelo, Anton Estaniel, Walter Soto Franco, Itzamar Giron, and Ashley Solis.
The following members of the public submitted a speaker’s card but were not present to give their comments: Chanttel Garcia, Monique Rosales, and Vianca Carta.
President Wells closed the public hearing at 9:13 p.m.
8. Consent Items
The School Board approved the Consent Items (Li, Weekly; 5-0), taking the following action:
8.1 Recommendation re: Approval of Consent Items
8.2 Recommendation re: Approval of the December 11 Board Meeting Minutes
8.3 Recommendation re: Approval of the December 17 Board Meeting Minutes
8.4 Recommendation re: Approval of the Agreement between the Redwood City
School District and Consultant William Gomez for the 2024-2025 School Year
Trustee Li (Ayes)
Trustee King (Ayes)
Trustee Márquez (Ayes)
Vice President Weekly (Ayes)
President Wells (Ayes)
9. Action Items
9.1 Recommendation re: Adoption of Resolution No. 15, Resolution to Apply for Zero-Emission School Bus Incentive, ZESBI
Martin Cervantes and Vidal Duran provided an overview of the ZESBI grant and the RCSD transportation fleet.
The School Board adopted Resolution No. 15, Resolution to Apply for Zero-Emission School Bus Incentive, ZESBI (Márquez, Weekly; 5-0).
Trustee Li (Ayes)
Trustee King (Ayes)
Trustee Márquez (Ayes)
Vice President Weekly (Ayes)
President Wells (Ayes)
9.2 Recommendation re: Acceptance of California School Employees Association Chapter V Sunshine Proposal for 2024-25 & 2025-26
The School Board accepted the California School Employees Association Chapter V Sunshine Proposal for 2024-25 & 2025-26 (Weekly, King; 5-0).
Trustee Li (Ayes)
Trustee King (Ayes)
Trustee Márquez (Ayes)
Vice President Weekly (Ayes)
President Wells (Ayes)
9.3 Recommendation re: Governing Board's Receipt of Initial Proposal for Negotiations with the California School Employees Association, Chapter V, for 2024-25 & 2025-26
The School Board received, for posting, the Governing Board's Receipt of Initial Proposal for Negotiations with the California School Employees Association, Chapter V, for 2024-25 & 2025-26 (Weekly, King; 5-0).
Trustee Li (Ayes)
Trustee King (Ayes)
Trustee Márquez (Ayes)
Vice President Weekly (Ayes)
President Wells (Ayes)
9.4 Recommendation re: Approval of Personnel Changes for 2024-2025 school year
The School Board approved the Personnel Changes for the 2024-2025 school year (Weekly, King; 5-0).
Trustee Li (Ayes)
Trustee King (Ayes)
Trustee Márquez (Ayes)
Vice President Weekly (Ayes)
President Wells (Ayes)
10. Board and Superintendent Reports
10.1 Report from Board Members and Superintendent
Public comment:
Megan O'Reilly Green thanked the board for their dedication to student improvement and noted a decrease in ELA and math scores for underserved students from 2022-23 to 2023-24. She attributed this partly to the gap left by the discontinued Healthy Cities tutoring program. She emphasized the power of community collaboration to address disparities and suggested Mandarin Immersion programs as a strategy to support at-risk students.
Trustee Li reported attending the San Mateo County School Board Association New Board Member Training.
President Wells reported attending the CTA Legislative Breakfast alongside Trustee Li.
Trustees Márquez, Weekly, and King had nothing to report.
Superintendent Baker reported attending an RCEF meeting where different funding activities were discussed. Moreover, Dr. Baker attended the Orion Growth Plan Committee meeting.
11. Information
11.1 Quarterly Williams Report, 2nd Quarter, October 2024 through December 2024
No questions or comments.
12. Correspondence
Trustee Márquez received correspondence from a classified employee requesting support for the CSEA Summer Assistance Program.
Trustee Li received correspondence regarding energy solutions.
Vice President Weekly received correspondence from a parent of an incoming TK parent for Orion, expressing concern that the PlayThrive after-school program may not have enough space to accommodate all interested TK students.
13. Other Business/Suggested Items for Future Agenda
None.
14. Board Meetings Calendar
14.1 Changes to the Board Meetings Calendar
A closed session was added to the calendar for February 5, from 5:45 – 6:45 p.m.
15. Adjournment
The School Board adjourned the meeting at 9:34 p.m. (Weekly, King; 5-0).