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Gavilan College trustees have supported making changes to the way voters elect them, a trustee confirmed.

Another key educational decision being debated by Morgan Hill Unified School District staff and school board trustees—this time having to do with grade level configuration of school sites—turned tumultuous at the April 21 meeting.

The Live Oak Foundation, a community organization founded to promote academic excellence in the Morgan Hill Unified School District, donated more than $45,000 to the library funds of every district school.

Morgan Hill Unified School District became the first school district to officially show its support for Senator Bill Monning’s legislation that would require a warning label on sugar-sweetened beverages sold in California, according to Superintendent Steve Betando.

Ann Sobrato High School’s horticulture students got their hands dirty April 17, planting a pollinator and harvestable hedgerow of fruit trees, herb shrubs and native plants along the western edge of the school’s two-acre farm.“We’re delighted that the students have this opportunity to learn about planting and about the many ways that hedgerows can benefit farms,” said Vera Gomes, Sobrato’s Assistant Principal and a long-time agriculture program teacher.The high school has a long-term goal to develop a 10-acre organic row crop and orchard demonstration farm next to the current farm, which mainly focuses on animal husbandry.Later in the spring, the students will plant a windbreak hedgerow of native shrubs and trees along the northern edge of the school farm. These two hedgerows—over 10,000 square feet combined—will have habitat and windbreak functions and will also be used as a teaching tool. The hedgerow design and planting is overseen by Sam Earnshaw of Hedgerows Unlimited, which has established over 400 miles of hedgerows in California.The hedgerow planting is a partnership between the high school’s acclaimed agriculture program, in which about a third of the school’s 1,500 students are involved, and Sustainable Agriculture Education (SAGE), a nonprofit dedicated to supporting agriculture near cities.SAGE is working with the high school on the hedgerow and the demonstration farm planning as part of the project Revitalizing Specialty Crop Agriculture in the Coyote Valley, which is funded by a California Department of Food and Agriculture Specialty Crop Block grant. This project is guided by the Coyote Valley Agricultural Enterprise and Conservation program Advisory Committee.

The Morgan Hill Unified School District’s board of education removed an agenda item having to do with more than $7,000 in conference and travel expenses the superintendent racked up dating back to August 2014.Early on in the April 21 meeting, where tensions seen in recent sessions remained above the surface, MHUSD Trustee Donna Foster-Ruebusch requested to remove the last item from the 17-item consent calendar—which is typically reserved for particulars that are deemed routine by the board and voted on in one single vote.Board President Bob Benevento granted Foster-Ruebusch’s request to table the issue, after Trustee Rick Badillo asked to have it pulled from the consent calendar for further discussion.Badillo then asked why such a move was made, and Benevento said it was because a trustee requested it. At the end of Tuesday’s meeting, Badillo again requested that the superintendent’s expense report be put back on a future agenda for open discussion. In both instances, Benevento replied simply that Badillo’s requests were heard.Benevento then had to backtrack after moving to the next item since the board failed to vote to approve the remaining consent items. The board voted 4-3 for approval with Benevento and Foster-Ruebusch along with trustees Ron Woolf and Amy Porter-Jensen standing in the majority.Badillo, as well as trustees David Gerard and Gino Borgioli, were opposed to excluding Betando’s expenses from the agenda. Badillo had requested the item be added to a meeting agenda at a previous meeting.The debate over whether a discussion of Betando’s expenses should be included in open session parallels the question of whether such expenses are justified.“No, I don’t think his charges are excessive, and I do think he needs to have professional enrichment,” Porter-Jensen said Wednesday morning. “I think that we’re focusing in the wrong areas and that it should be a non-issue....I think it’s a waste of time.”Trustee David Gerard begged to differ, however. Gerard said he was “puzzled” as to why the item was removed from Tuesday’s agenda since the superintendent’s expense report “is nothing confidential (because) every expenditure that we have as public officials....is public record.”On Thursday morning, Betando declared that his expenses are no secret and he would be happy to share a detailed list with The Times and with the public if necessary.An attachment that came with the April 21 agenda listed $7,215.15 in “Superintendent Travel Expenses,” including $1,200 for Leadership Morgan Hill Class of 2015 Registration, $882.60 for hotel/parking expenses while attending the 2014 California School Boards Association Annual Conference held in San Francisco and another $840.99 for hotel costs at the 2014 ACSA Leadership Summit in San Diego.“This has never been an issue with past superintendents and Steve’s is no more excessive than theirs,” Porter-Jensen noted. “From my knowledge, it’s not policy that the board has to approve his expenses. In my 2-and-a-half years (on the board), this is the first time anything like this has been brought before us, including when Wes (Smith) was our superintendent.”Betando replaced Smith as superintendent on an interim basis in July 2013 and was appointed to the permanent position the following year. Betando said his contract is similar in language to that of Smith, who followed the same procedure in reimbursement for expenses.According to Article IV, section 7, titled “Professional Activities,” of Betando’s contract, the district leader is encouraged “to participate in professional organizations and activities, provided that such participation is consistent with his District responsibilities.” The article goes on to say, “With advance Board approval, the Superintendent may attend appropriate professional meetings at the local, county, state, and national levels."Betando’s expenses which appeared on the April 21 agenda before the item was removed, have not gained prior board approval.“He must get prior board approval before going off to a conference and getting reimbursed (for his expenses),” Gerard said. “He can go to any conference he wants, but if he wants to get reimbursed, he must get prior board approval.”The subject of MHUSD officials’ expenses is not a new one as the board has tackled the issue in recent months when it comes to reimbursements for the elected trustees. The previous board—which changed three of seven members in the November 2014 election—rejected Badillo’s request for reimbursement after he attended two conferences without prior board approval. Those include one held by the California Latino School Boards Association where he was appointed an officer.“It’s a double standard and I’m frankly getting tired of these kinds of things detracting from our mission of (improving) student achievement and student safety,” Gerard said. “To take this off the public agenda, it’s not right.”Gerard said he was troubled that the superintendent would even ask for mileage reimbursement (close to $200 worth on the itemized list) since he receives a monthly $600 car allowance as part of his contract.Benevento could not be reached for comment after the board meeting. Trustees and staff returned to closed session at the conclusion of public meeting.The seven trustees collectively get a loosely enforced $13,000 cap for professional development per school year. Currently, they are working on a policy that would allow for each trustee to expense up to $3,000 per year, but that has not yet been voted on.

Trustee area boundary lines drawn up for a by-district election system and district plans for grade level reconfiguration top the general agenda items to be discussed at the April 21 Board of Education meeting for the Morgan Hill Unified School District.

What inspires you?My family are the people that keep me going, especially my siblings because I am the oldest and I want to set a good example for them.What is your favorite subject in school, and why?My favorite class is AVID because that is the class that helped me get into college, prepare for college, and be successful.If you had the power to change one thing in the world, what would it be?Education in other countries because education should be available to everyone, instead of being limited to only certain individuals like it is in certain places. No one should be deprived of an education!If you could go anywhere, where would you go?Puerto Rico because my grandparents are from there and they always tell me about how beautiful it is!Name one big challenge in your life right now.Finishing senior year strong and getting ready to leave for college.What is your dream job?To be a high school counselor so that everyday I can help students reach their goals and be able to do their dream job.What are your three favorite things?Meeting new people, spending time with family and friends, and eating.Favorite book:“The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott FitzgeraldWhat do you want to do after high school?I am going to Santa Clara University and I’ll be majoring in psychology to be a high school counselor.Something that makes you smile:Puppies.Three most played songs on your ipod:“Earned It” - The Weeknd“Thinking Out Loud” - Ed Sheeran“The One Who Really Loves You” - Mary Wells

Ann Sobrato High School students are lending a hand to a 7-year-old disabled Gilroy boy in desperate need of a new wheelchair with a variety of fundraising efforts in the local community and on the web.

Morgan Hill residents and visitors of all ages who are interested in keeping farming activities and occupations alive for local students attended the Sobrato Future Farmers of America’s Community Farm Fun Day April 12. The event took place at Sobrato High School and featured a petting zoo, games, prizes and food. The horticulture department held a plant sale for local gardeners, according to Sobrato FFA Reporter Emmanuel Calivo.“This event is a fun way for our community to interact with our agriculture program and to learn more about the things we do and study,” Calivo said.It has been a busy spring for Sobrato FFA, whose members attended the 2015 South Coast FFA Spring Regional Meeting at King City Joing Union High School March 20. One purpose of this annual gathering is to elect the FFA regional officer team, which leads a group of 38 chapters in the region.“We were incredibly proud of our chapter president, Zuha Aslam, who was elected by the delegates to serve as the 2015-16 South Coast Regional Vice President representing the Santa Clara section,” Calivo added. Sobrato FFA was also commended for its website, sobratoffa.org, at the regional meeting, and six members participated in the public speaking competition after advancing from lower sectional levels.