Hello Belmont-Redwood Shores Community,

I apologize for the frequency of my updates recently. Normally, they are generated every three weeks, following the cadence of our school board meetings. This month, I've sent them more often to keep you informed of proposed changes to the kindergarten instructional day. Also, below are updates on budget reductions for next year, the sourcing of our lettuce, and our development of the District's Local Control Accountability Plan. Thanks!

Kindergarten Instructional Day for 2018-19
At Thursday's meeting, I revised (for the second time) my proposal to the Board for the 2018-19 kindergarten instructional day from a 2pm dismissal to a 1:30pm dismissal. After public comment and a thoughtful discussion, the Board advised me to move forward with this revised proposal. 

The shift in my proposal was informed by additional conversations with our teachers and input from parents. The teachers made a compelling case for ensuring that we start the year positively, so that students have a good experience and classroom routines can be established. With a 25:1 student to teacher ratio and a diverse range of preschool experiences, our teachers felt that we should make this shift more incrementally to ensure a positive classroom environment. And while most parents are in favor of a longer kindergarten instructional day, those that opposed it felt strongly and had research-based interests in students having adequate time for rest and play.

Given that the 2018-19 school year is aproaching quickly, I decided to propose a more incremental shift--one that I was confident would have broad support, do no harm, and benefit all students. The new kindergarten day ending at 1:30pm (M, T, Th, F) will include a 45-minute break for lunch and recess, which nearly doubles the students' allocated time for outdoor play. Though smaller than initially proposed, this shift will still be a significant (25%) increase to the overall kindergarten day.

Here is a summary of the final kindergarten program for 2018-19:

  • 1:30pm dismissal for kindergarten on M, T, Th, F 
  • Minimum day Wednesday dismissal similar to grades 1-5 
  • Discretion for individual schools to shift the kindergarten schedule up to 15 minutes for traffic/logistics
  • A 45-minute kindergarten lunch/recess break (M, T, Th, F), separate from grades 1-5
  • Small group instruction after school for those students that need it, beginning after fall conferences
  • No change to this year's transitional kindergarten (TK) schedule (typically a 12:30pm dismissal)
  • Evaluate next year's kindergarten instructional day mid-year (January to March) and decide what, if any, adjustments to make for 2019-20

I have shared the above information with our after school childcare providers, and they will establish revised price structures and care offerings for kindergarten students based upon the above program.

As before, you are welcome to send me your feedback by replying to this email. I apologize for the multiple revisions to our proposal for next year. You can be assured that this is the final kindergarten instructional day for 2018-19, though minor adjustments may be made at the school site level.

Budget Reductions for 2018-19
As discussed at Thursday's board meeting, we expect to have a $1.9 million (M) deficit this year, which is roughly 4% of our $45M overall budget. To get our expenditures back in line with our revenues, we hope to pass Measure K, a parcel tax measure on the ballot for June 5. Measure K will generate $1.4 million/year, and then we'll need to reduce costs $500,000 to get back to even. Looking ahead to 2018-19, we expect to reduce costs by another $500,000 to ensure that we have a balanced budget next year and do not go back into deficit spending. Eighty percent of the $1M in reductions will be at the district office and in District contracts, services, and materials. Our interest is to keep these reductions away from the classroom as much as we can. Should Measure K not pass, we'll solicit community input to inform a further 3% reduction in costs. As we transition from this school year to next, Measure K and SchoolForce donations will be criticial to maintaining the quality of our program.

Our Romaine Lettuce is Safe
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued an advisory regarding E. coli infections linked to all types of romaine lettuce from the Yuma, Arizona growing region. The CDC advises against buying or eating romaine lettuce at a grocery store or restaurant unless you can confirm it is not from the Yuma, Arizona, growing region. Choicelunch, the vendor for the District's school lunches, has assured us that all romaine lettuce used in its salads and other meals comes from the Salinas, California growing region. More information about the CDC advisory is available here .

LCAP Parent Advisory Group
Thank you to everyone who participated in the online survey for our Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP). As per the survey results, evening meetings seem to be a good time to ask for your participation! You are invited to our final LCAP Advisory Group meeting for the 2017-2018 school year.  Conversation will focus specifically on Goal 3: To promote school engagement with students and families in efforts to (1) facilitate the reduction of chronic absenteeism and discipline concerns while addressing safety and school connectedness and (2) promote parent input in decision making. Please RSVP if you plan to attend.

Last Meeting: Tuesday, May 1, 6:30 - 8pm, District Office

Thanks again for your support. You're welcome to reply with questions or comments.

Michael Milliken
Superintendent