As an additional way of keeping our staff, families, students, and community members informed about important topics in our San Marino Unified Schools, our Department of Communications and Public Information will share Board of Education meeting highlights, along with other District news and updates. All are encouraged to
subscribe here
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District News & Highlights
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The Titan Wellness Center is
Still Here for our Students
Titans, future Titans, staff, and families, our Titan Wellness Center is still here to help! Be sure to visit the
Titan Wellness Center website
for activities, support, and more, as we all work to ensure we stay mentally healthy and well each day.
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Hope Floats through Carver Elementary Student Work
A tweet we sent on
Twitter
, using the #MyDayInLA hashtag, resulted in
this LA Times Article
that features a unique California Floats project done by our very own Carver Pioneer 4th-graders!
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San Marino High's Dance Co. Inspires from a Distance
Our San Marino High Titans have not skipped a beat in their distance learning through dance! Have a look at
this incredible piece
, choreographed and edited by Titan alumni, Victoria Castreje and Casey Hanson, respectively.
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Thank you, San Marino!
T
o our dedicated San Marino Schools Foundation and our incredible student groups, who used their time and talents to advocate for their teachers, programs, and schools, and to our families, friends, residents, community groups, and our teachers, who donated and advocated, with all of our hearts,
THANK YOU
!
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An update on plans for
San Marino High's Graduation and Carver/Valentine/Huntington's Promotions
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Our leadership teams, teachers, staff, parents, and students have poured countless hours and massive amounts of energy into reimagining important end-of-year events for our SMHS Class of 2020 and our promoting 5th-graders and 8th-graders.
We have been in constant communication with Chief Incontro of SMPD (thank you, SMPD!) and have remained informed of LA County health policies. As we continue to remain informed, should restrictions ease for these types of events, we will adjust plans accordingly; however, at this time, drive-through promotions and processions of any kind are not allowed in LA County.
Virtual events are planned for Carver and Valentine Elementary Schools and Huntington Middle School.
In honoring the wishes of our Titan seniors, there will not be a virtual event. Our Class of 2020 graduates would like us to remain hopeful with them that, as restrictions ease, there may be a safe, in-person graduation opportunity in the future that will adhere to the public health policies in place at that time.
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Board of Education Meeting Highlights
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The San Marino Unified School District provides an audio recording of each of its Board of Education Meetings and makes the recording available to the public within 24 hours
on our website
. Our last Board of Education Meeting was held on Tuesday, May 12, at 7:30 p.m. via a virtual format conducted through FreeConferenceCall.com. The
agenda is accessible here
and
the audio recording may be found here
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BOARD MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
→Grades/Evaluation of Student Achievement Under Emergency Conditions
(Board Policy 5121.1)
First Reading - To be voted on during the May 26, 2020 Board Meeting
First presented for discussion during the April 28, 2020 SMUSD Board of Education meeting, Board Policy 5121.1 was on this meeting’s agenda for its first official reading. San Marino Unified has remained committed to taking its time to craft a meaningful grading policy for these extraordinary times that makes the mental health and well-being of our students the priority and includes important elements that encourage and inspire students to remain steadfast in their learning and studies.
This Board Policy is the cumulative efforts of district administrators, school site leaders, and teachers and will be voted on during its second reading at the May 26 Board Meeting.
→Interdistrict Attendance - Legacy Interdistrict Attendance Permits
(
Board Policy 5117)
Second Reading - Unanimously Approved
In an effort to both celebrate the deep roots of San Marino families and support our schools by finding unique ways to increase enrollment, San Marino Unified School District is excited to share that its Legacy Interdistrict Attendance Permit has been made official.
Under Board Policy 5117, students who do not live in San Marino are permitted to attend San Marino Unified Schools if they have a grandparent who currently lives in San Marino and has maintained a residency in San Marino for ten (10) or more years.
→Resolution Approving Service of Final Notices of Layoff (Resolution No. 22)
Second Reading - Unanimously Approved
The San Marino Unified Board of Education unanimously approved a revised resolution authorizing the District to issue final notices to 4.2 positions or Full-Time Equivalents (FTE)*.
(*Note 0.2 FTE = one class section, while 1.0 FTE represents an entire position.)
As of July 2019, San Marino Unified faced a budget deficit of $2.5M, which increased to $3M by December 2019.
By way of background and context for Resolution No. 22, please see the summary of facts below:
Factors Leading to the Deficit
- Costs associated with unanticipated Special Education legal settlements
- Increased applications for senior citizen exemptions from the Measure E and Measure R parcel taxes
- Ongoing increased pension costs for both CalSTRS (certificated retirement system) and CalPERS (classified retirement benefits), which will continue to increase annually, approaching 25% and 28%, respectively
- Increased health and welfare costs for employees
SMUSD's Efforts to Decrease the Deficit
Dr. Wilson created an
Expenditure Reduction Team
in the Summer of 2019, which team met weekly to review master schedules and personnel costs and challenged leaders of all school sites and departments to reimagine how we might be able to continue to deliver the quality of service we have become known for at a decreased cost. Over 80% of district expenditures are tied to personnel costs, making reductions necessary to maintain a balanced budget.
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Certificated (Teachers and Counselors) Reductions Breakdown
As with all public school entities, San Marino Unified must adhere to seniority and credential requirements when reducing particular kinds of services related to certificated staff.
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“BUMPING”/Seniority Example (as illustrated above):
If the least senior Math teacher at San Marino High is on the layoff list, and this Math teacher has both an English and a Math credential, if he/she is more senior than the least senior English teacher, the Math teacher has the right to bump the English teacher out of his/her position even when the Math teacher (who holds an English credential) has no experience teaching English.
Impact on San Marino Unified Teachers
: If a reduced TEACHING POSITION is on the list presented to the Board of Education, though the POSITION is being reduced, the person and their seniority “BUMPS” into a less senior teacher and has the right to teach a different subject as warranted by their credential and seniority. This causes less senior teachers to lose their positions to make room for a more senior teacher who possesses the credentials to teach the
subject the less senior teacher is teaching.
Bottomline for San Marino Unified Teaching Positions
Below is a breakdown of the impact seniority requirements and bumping has had on San Marino Unified Schools:
- SMHS Speech and Debate is being reduced by only one section (one class period)
- SMHS Drama Program is being reduced by only one section (one class period)
- SMHS Japanese Program will remain intact at this time.
- District-wide Music:
- This was a position that was previously funded by PTA. PTA’s are not permitted by state bylaws to fund personnel.
- The position will now be absorbed by the District for one year.
- All four (4) elementary teaching positions will remain intact.
- SMHS Science will be reduced by one FTE teaching position.
- Elementary counseling will be reduced by one FTE counseling position.
Positions that may be rehired should funding become availabl
e
:
- ELD Teacher
- SMHS Science Teacher
- Elementary School Counselor
- Speech and Language Pathologist
Additional Facts/Variables
There will be substantial reductions in August 2020 (when tax receipts are known). It is likely we will absorb a 10% reduction in the Prop 98 revenue base.
It is unknown at this time what federal relief will be provided to soften the state reductions in revenue.
A final variable is whether or not schools will reopen in the fall, as this may impact how schools will be funded. The traditional method of funding schools by Average Daily Attendance (ADA) may be temporarily replaced by using last year’s enrollment as a funding base.
SMUSD's School Re-opening Task Force will begin efforts for Fall 2020 planning this week.
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Next SMUSD Board of Education Meeting - Tuesday, May 26 - 7:30 p.m. - Streamed via FreeConferenceCall.com
Our next Board Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 26, at 7:30 p.m. via FreeConferenceCall.com. Conference call details to be shared on the corresponding Board Meeting Agenda.
For more information on all action items and for future Board Agendas, please
click here
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SAVE THE DATES
- May 25: Memorial Day - No Classes and District Office Closed
- May 28: Last Day of the 2019-20 School Year - All SMUSD Schools
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San Marino Schools Foundation
"We Are San Marino" Donation Drive
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San Marino Schools Foundation's
"We Are San Marino" fundraising campaign has been extended to May 31, 2020!
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San Marino Unified School District Board of Education
C. Joseph Chang, President
Shelley Ryan, Vice President
Corey Barberie, Clerk
Lisa Link, Member
Chris Norgaard, Member
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