Three new board members will be officially sworn in prior to what is a full docket of education-related matters on tap for the Dec. 13 school board meeting.
Incumbent Tom Arnett along with first-time trustees Mary Patterson and Teresa Murillo will take their oaths of office at district headquarters (15600 Concord Circle) before tackling a heavy workload in both closed and public sessions.
Once they step out from their closed door discussions, the first order of business will be to nominate and elect a new board president and vice president, as well as the district’s representative to the Santa Clara County Committee on School District Organization.
Trustee Gino Borgioli has served as board president since September with Trustee Ron Woolf as vice president.
While the general business items will cover such topics as Career and Readiness Block Grant, Nordstrom Elementary School portables, El Toro Elementary’s shift to a health science focus and the impact of the California High Speed Rail on schools, the school board has their hands full in closed session as well. Those items include:
• Seven student readmission recommendations;
• Nine existing litigation cases; and
• Four property negotiations for potential purchase.
Additionally, with district officials and teachers union leaders unable to reach an agreement on compensation during ongoing contract negotiations, Morgan Hill Federation of Teachers members, as well as residents, are expected to address the board during the public comment. Posts on the MHFT’s Facebook page have asked for vocal support at the Dec. 13 meeting.
Even the consent calendar is loaded with key items, which could be pulled into general business upon request, including five surrounding the district’s development of a new elementary school on former farmland at Peet Road in northeast Morgan Hill and two others regarding the plans for an expanded project at Paradise Valley Elementary School.
The last Peet Road consent item listed has to do with the district’s Removal Action Workplan (off-hauling of the toxic soil detected in previous environmental assessments) that was submitted to the State Department of Toxic Substances Control.
“Based on the preliminary comments of the draft RAW, additional clarification and data is required by DTSC,” according to the item marked “F.1.j” in the consent calendar. “Staff recommends the approval of the agreement with Cleary Consultants, Inc. to provide supplemental data and response to comments for the Peet Road Property RAW on a ‘time and materials’ basis not to exceed $15,000.”
The public has the opportunity to comment on any items listed under closed and public session prior to board discussion.
In public session, the board and audience members will hear the following:
• A presentation from new Director of College and Career Pathways Heather Nursement (formerly the Martin Murphy Middle School principal) on the College and Career Readiness Block Grant;
• An update on the condition of portables at Nordstrom, where concerns arose about the presence of mold and prompted testing, cleaning and more testing;
• Information via El Toro Principal Darren McDonald and teacher Lisa Miceli on the development of a health science focus academy;
• Information regarding the impact of the California High Speed Rail and how that “could impact one or more schools in Morgan Hill;”
• Request for approval of the 2016-17 First Interim Budget for the General Fund; and
• Request for approval of another Provisional Internship Permit for Certificated Employee, this one in the English department at Ann Sobrato High School where a long-term substitute will fill in for the remainder of the school year.
