The meeting was called to order at 5:45 p.m. by President Prola.  All Board members were present with the exception of Trustee Katz-Lacabe. 

There were no public comments on closed session items.

The Board recessed into closed session at 5:45 p.m.

Williams Properties, a California General Partnership, and Prudential Properties, a  California Limited Partnership v. The San Leandro Unified School District, et al., County of Alameda Superior Court Case No. RG13662223.

The Board reconvened into closed session. President Prola said that Trustee Katz-Lacabe arrived at 5:51 p.m.

Approve the agenda for the Board Meeting/Community Forum held on March 19, 2013.

Members of the audience who wish to address the Board are asked to complete the yellow card available at the entrance and submit it to the Board Administrative Assistant. Speakers who have completed the card will be called when the item is reached on the agenda or, for non-agenda items, during the Public Testimony. Cards are to be turned in before the item is reached on the agenda. Please note that the meeting is being recorded.

State law prohibits the Board of Education from taking any action on or discussing items that are not on the posted agenda except to A) briefly respond to statements made or questions posed by the public in attendance; B) ask questions for clarification; C) provide a reference to a staff member or other resource for factual information in response to the inquiry; or D) ask a staff member to report back on the matter at the next meeting and/or put it on a future agenda. (Government Code 54954.2(a)).

There were no public comments on non-agenda items.

The Board approved the Consent Items.

Approve bond contracts on the attached spreadsheet which are for amounts $15,000 or less for fiscal year 2012-2013.

Approval of bond contracts for small amounts comes up each fiscal year as a discussion item. Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations has researched with three separate legal counsels regarding the process to approve professional consultant contracts in general, and especially in relation to the size of the contract. Each of these legal counsels has advised that the District formally present any contract for professional services to the Board for approval regardless of the amount. A contract is in place when it has an ?offer?, ?term(s)?, and ?acceptance?. 

Using the programmer of Accountability (construction software), staff developed an appropriate format for construction related service contracts under $15,000, which is the standard threshold for construction related services. This was approved by the Board of Education on October 16, 2012.

Attached is the ?Summary Spreadsheet for Bond Contracts $15,000 or Less.? The spreadsheet will be provided to the Board at every board meeting, if there are any contracts falling under this category. Detailed contract information or cover pages will not be part of subsequent Board Packets, but will be available for questions or inspection upon request. 
 

The Board of Education recognizes that even with the passage of Proposition 30, many school districts across the state continue to face fiscal uncertainties. The Board seeks to ensure that our school community and the greater San Leandro community has the latest information as it relates to the Governor's budget proposal, the impact of that proposal on the San Leandro Unified School District, our current fiscal realities, and our potential for future funding.

The Board is taking a proactive approach in asking our school community to provide input as it relates to program restoration, priorities and potential new program ideas.

Staff provided a brief presentation regarding where we have been, our current fiscal state, and potential fiscal future. The community forum was dedicated to hearing from our community regarding their program priorities and ideas that they want the Board to consider as they address our fiscal needs and priorities now and in the future.  Highlights of the presentation included:

• Over the last 5 years, starting in 2008-09, the  District has lost approximately $12.7M (18% of budget) of state funding
• Budget cuts, concessions from bargaining groups, one-time Federal funding (State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF) and American Recovery  Reinvestment Act (ARRA), sweeps of Adult Education Fund, and multiple sweeps from Tier III funds has contributed to the District's survival
• Unknown potential impacts include:
  • Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) is not clear whether it will be adopted or delayed
  • Measure L (Parcel Tax)
  • Federal "Sequester" (automatic cuts) could result in loss of Title I funding and cuts to Special Education
  • Affordable Care Act

At the conclusion of the presentation, the Board opened up the meeting to comments from the audience.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

The Board heard from District employees Louise Shaw, Garry Groke, Mark Hamilton, William Mumford, John Sherr, and Mary Styner and college English instructor Catherine Eagan, who spoke about restoring cuts to the instrumental music program in elementary schools, looking at the cost of the programs and the impact to schools, and cutting a maintenance supervisor and delegating the work to the head custodian to eliminate redundancies.

The Board thanked those who were in attendance and appreciated their comments. While the Board was more optimistic about the budget, and unlike previous years, the District did not issue any pink slips this year, Assistant Superintendent Chin-Bendib warned them to remain cautious on how we allocate the budget, as there were still a lot of variables at work. The Board encouraged the members of the community to complete the budget survey (which was provided at the meeting) and will also be available on the District website to assist the Board with budget priority decisions.

Following the forum, it was announced that there would be a Community Forum regarding the Superintendent Search on Wednesday, March 27, in the Madison Elementary School Multi-purpose Room, at 6:30 p.m. Members of the community will be given an opportunity to share their thoughts regarding the strengths and needs of the District as well as the characteristics and skills that they feel are most important for the new Superintendent to possess. It was also noted that if they were unable to attend the forum, they could also complete the Online Survey. 

Goal #2: Ensure the  Financial Stability and Efficiency of the District

The Board of Education recognizes that even with the passage of Proposition 30, many school districts across the state continue to face fiscal uncertainties.  The Board seeks to ensure that our school community and the greater San Leandro community has the latest information as it relates to the Governor's budget proposal, the impact of that proposal on the San Leandro Unified School District, our current fiscal realities, and our potential for future funding. 

The Board is taking a proactive approach in asking our school community to provide input as it relates to program restoration, priorities and potential new program ideas. 

Staff will provide a brief presentation regarding where we have been, our current fiscal state, and potential fiscal future.  The community forum will be dedicated to hearing from our community regarding their program priorities and ideas that they want the Board to consider as they address our fiscal needs and priorities now and in the future. 

The community is encouraged to attend this very important forum. 

There were no additional suggestions and comments from Board members.

• Regular Board Meeting - April 2, 2013  (Cancelled)
• Regular Board Meeting - April 9, City Council Chambers
• Regular Board Meeting - April 16, 2013
• Regular Board Meeting - May 7, 2013
• Tentative Board Meeting/Work Session - May 14, 2013 (District Office)
• Regular Board Meeting - May 21, 2013
• Regular Board Meeting - June 4, 2013
• Regular Board Meeting - June 18, 2013
• Special Board Meeting - June 25, 2013 (District Office)

• Regular Board Meeting - April 2, 2013  (Cancelled)
• Regular Board Meeting - April 9, City Council Chambers
• Regular Board Meeting - April 16, 2013
• Regular Board Meeting - May 7, 2013
• Tentative Board Meeting/Work Session - May 14, 2013 (District Office)
• Regular Board Meeting - May 21, 2013
• Regular Board Meeting - June 4, 2013
• Regular Board Meeting - June 18, 2013
• Special Board Meeting - June 25, 2013 (District Office)

The meeting was adjourned at 7:30 p.m.