Tuesday's JUHSD Board Meeting: A Second Try For a Parcel Tax, Robots and Student of the Month

Room 223 at Serramonte del Rey High School in Daly City was filled with teachers and observers at Tuesday night's school board meeting. The highlights of the meeting are written below.

• The biggest news of the night was presented by Gail Hedrick from Dale Scott and Company, a financial advising firm for public entities, such as school districts, in California.  Dale Scott and Company compiled data regarding last November’s  vote (see attachment) so the district could revisit and possibly put another measure before voters.  Because the Measure P lost by such a small margin and was on a ticket with so many options, Hendrick believes putting a measure similar to P back on the ballot as soon as possible could garner better results.

The board decided that the district will run another parcel tax ballot measure this year, probably this spring. It must give notice to the public by this Friday, so check Pacifica Patch this week for more details.

Hendrick went on to discuss some possible future election dates and their pros and cons:

• May 3: This is a mail-in ballot. It is a cheaper option since costs would be shared with the State Supervisor. Hendrick is concerned that this date would bring out “the more conservative voters, especially in Pacifica.”

• May 17: This is also a mail-in ballot, but it would cost more to the district. A measure from JUHSD would not have to share space on the ballot on this date, however, and could possibly reach the “right” audience for approval.

Thomas Nuris, a board member, responded to Hendrick’s comment about conservative voters in Pacifica, saying that “conservative or not, all are concerned. Pacificans are committed to public education. I have faith in our community that they [the schools] will be supported.”

The board will discuss election day options at the next meeting, as well as a possible election strategy.

• Student of the Month, an honorary position given to one student in the district, was awarded to Jason Chan, senior at Westmoore High School.  Selected from over 5,000 students, Chan has a long list of accomplishments, including a 4.0 GPA, being on the swim and tennis teams, and knowing three languages. Maria Luna, president of the board of trustees at JUHSD, presented Chan with a plaque, commemorating his award.

• Jefferson High School students in the Robotics Club presented their award-winning robot to the audience.  The Robotics Club competed at the Nor-Cal Regional Championship, winning the Alliance Award, which earned them a possible invitation to the World Championship in St. Louis in April 2011. 

• Steve Fuentes, Associate Superintendent of Business, spoke about the budget. Though Governor Brown’s initial budget shows that education funding will not be heavily impacted, the district should prepare for some minimal cutbacks.  JUHSD has not heard from the state about its specific budget. Fuentes expects to receive that document in late June so discussing the 2011-2012 budget will be difficult until that time.

Fuentes believes that, more likely than not, the district will adopt the “flat funding” budget option, where there would be a small, $19 decrease per student and funding would, overall, stay the same.

“We aren’t expecting anything too shocking, but there is a huge ‘What if?’,” said Fuentes. 

• Discussion continued on OPEB  (Other Post-Employment Benefits) for employees of JUHSD. These benefits are part of employees' retirement plans. Currently, the district anticipates a significant increase in payouts on these benefits in the longrun--about $300,000 annually to $800,000. This is because there are many young teachers in the district now so there is a projected spike in retirees down the road.
• Next, JUHSD Superintendant Mike Crilly discussed a letter the district received from Governor Brown regarding a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union against the state because some districts in Southern California were asking families to pay fees for supplies and services such as books, school supplies and participation in sports that are supposed to be provided at no cost. the Governor is concerned that some other schools may be asking for the fees, said Crilly. He cautioned his principals in a recent meeting about such fees, and all schools will complete a survey regarding what each school charges students. 

• Crilly ended the meeting with good news. Two bonds, one from the 1995 Leroy Greene Bill and another from the QZAB Bond, which is granted to schools based on a lottery system, combined to award the school district a total of $4.8 million in the form of an interest-free bond. Although the bond would have to be paid back, the lack of interest is a definite positive in a long list of possible financial negatives for JUHSD in the coming year.

The next meeting, scheduled for Feb. 1, will included continued discussion on the new parcel tax and more discussion about the budget. The school board welcomes the public; please come to the meetings to show your support for our local schools.