There will be no month off during July after all for Morgan Hill
School Board trustees; during Monday
’s meeting, which lasted more than three hours, trustees were
reminded of several items that need attention before the next
scheduled board meeting Aug. 9.
There will be no month off during July after all for Morgan Hill School Board trustees; during Monday’s meeting, which lasted more than three hours, trustees were reminded of several items that need attention before the next scheduled board meeting Aug. 9.
Because of the lateness of the hour, trustees decided to move five discussion items to a meeting on July 19.
“I can’t understand how you came to the conclusion that no July meeting was necessary,” board watcher Scott Woodworth told trustees during Monday’s public comment section.
Woodworth listed several issues facing the board and community, saying they needed to be discussed by trustees sooner rather than later.
“MHSD has once again failed to be proactive in critical issues,” he said, referring to the proposed development of Coyote Valley and the fact that the Coyote Valley Specific Plan Task Force will be making a decision in August on the recommendation they will make to San Jose City Council.
Planning for the selection of a new superintendent, as Superintendent Carolyn McKennan’s contract expires next June 30, is also an issue the board needs to address, he said.
Instead, Woodworth said, “You turned it over to the superintendent to define a process for hiring her replacement.”
Trustee Jan Masuda read Monday night what she called a “correction” to a story in the June 22 edition of The Times reporting on the hiring process. Masuda said that the board did not take a vote on renewing McKennan’s contract, instead the superintendent “has not asked for her contract to be renewed.”
Masuda recalled in an interview the process used by the California School Boards Association (CSBA) in hiring McKennan. Trustees could opt to contract with CSBA or another organization make recommendations on McKennan’s replacement.
Panos, when asked about the process, said he was “looking into it,” and would ask McKennan for guidance.
Trustee Shellé Thomas cited a list of items she wants placed on the agenda for the July meeting.
Thomas cited the need for discussion on recommendations included in the recent audit by state agency FCMAT (Financial Crisis and Management Assistance Team), the Coyote Valley development and the next step for the district and the selection process for McKennan’s successor are items that need to be on the July agenda, Thomas said.
The Coyote Valley issue is of particular concern to trustees because the whole development sits within the boundaries of the Morgan Hill School District. The district already has three schools in south San Jose – Martin Murphy Middle, Los Paseos Elementary and the former Encinal Elementary, now the Charter School of Morgan Hill.
Coyote Valley planners will be looking into the feasibility of each of three options for the development this summer. A community meeting will be held Aug. 14 to draft a final plan. The San Jose City Council is scheduled to view the final draft at its Sept. 21 meeting with final approval expected in early December.
Final approval of the Coyote development is expected in late 2005. The project won’t actually be built out for at least another 20 years.
The next Coyote Valley Specific Plan Task Force meeting is scheduled for August 23 or 30, at 151 W. Mission St., San Jose, and a community workshop will be held Saturday, Aug. 7, at a place to be announced later.
As a result of the proposed development, planners project 80,000 people, 50,000 jobs and 25,000 homes.
The district held an informational workshop to discuss the district’s options for removing its responsibility for the development’s schools. Trustees learned the financial data they would need to make a decision on jettisoning the Coyote Valley portion of the district so it could form a district in itself or keeping the development within its boundaries would be costly to gather.
“School Services was unable to give us a quote until they are able to determine our particular circumstances,” Deputy Superintendent Bonnie Tognazzini said Tuesday. “If they do the initial work, then we have to hire them to gather the data.”
Trustees may also have to make a decision to spend more money in determining the process to hire a new superintendent. Community members, including CARE (Community Alliance for Responsible Education) have recommended trustees find a third party to orchestrate the process. The final decision would be by board vote, as the superintendent is an employee of the board, while the trustees are accountable to the community that elected them.
Items moved from Monday night’s agenda include: a proposed new board policy on inclusion of students; an update of a board policy on pupil discipline to address the issue of “hazing;” proposed board goals for 2004-2005; an annual review of the policy concerning intradistrict open and choice enrollment; and an annual review of eligibility requirements for extra- and co-curricular activities for grades 9-12.
The open session of the meeting begins at 7 p.m. Monday, July 19, at the district office, 15600 Concord Circle.
