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Home My WebLink AboutSPJT Minutes 1997-02-05SCH. DISTS./SRCC MINUTES (Spec. Jt.) 2/5/97 Page 1 CAFE ARRIVEDERCI, 11 "G" STREET, SAN RAFAEL, CA, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1997 AT 6:55 PM Special Joint Meeting: San Rafael City Council/ San Rafael Board of Education/ Dixie School District Board of Trustees SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL: Albert J. Boro, Mayor Paul M. Cohen, Councilmember Barbara Heller, Councilmember Cyr N. Miller, Councilmember Neil Sorensen, Trustee Absent: Gary O. Phillips, Councilmember Dr. Thomas J. Lohwasser, Superintendent SAN RAFAEL CITY SCHOOLS: Bruce Raful, Vice -President Superintendent Harry Holland, Trustee Superintendent Colleen Ferguson, Trustee Kathy Ohm, Trustee Absent: John King, President Tom Solis, Director of Business Services DIXIE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS: Florence Webb, President Melanie Limacher, Vice President Phyllis McGuire, Trustee Charles Solak, Trustee Dr. Jeff Blackwell, Jerry Warren, Deputy Mary Alice Walter, Asst. Superintendent Also Present: Suzanne Golt, Assistant City Manager Betty Lessley, Executive Assistant SPECIAL JOINT ANNUAL MEETING - File 9-2-1 X 9-1 1. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Al Boro, City of San Rafael, called the meeting to order at 6:55 PM. 2. NON AGENDA ITEMS San Rafael Councilmember Miller advised those in attendance of the "Canal Voice" Project, with participation focused on input received from the youth of that neighborhood. Summary reports were provided to all in attendance. 3. LEARNING CENTERED CALENDAR (SRCS) a. Alternative b. Staff Development Days Colleen Ferguson, San Rafael Board Member, updated the City and Dixie School District on the work and ideas for change the San Rafael District has been exploring. The main areas of exploration are the staff development days reconfiguration (block days in August/September, which may push the opening date of school earlier), and shifting semester break to end before the winter break. San Rafael plans have not been ratified or solidified, and we want to discuss this with Dixie. Calendar days are a negotiable item. We would like to see some of these ideas in place for the 1997/98 school year. Dixie will be meeting next Wednesday with their sub -committee from the unions. A representative from San Rafael would be most welcome. 4. STRATEGIC PLANNING (SRCS) Mary Alice Walter and Jerry Warren updated the City and Dixie School District on where San Rafael City Schools are with the Strategic Planning Process. All Action Teams have met and will present their Action Plans to the Strategic Planning Team on February 20th and 21st. The Board will hear those plans at the February 27th meeting, and will begin the process of prioritization and budget considerations. Action will be taken at the March 10th meeting. SCH. DISTS./SRCC MINUTES (Spec. Jt.) 2/5/97 Page 1 SCH. DISTS./SRCC MINUTES (Spec. Jt.) 2/5/97 Page 2 Discussion on specific areas of the Strategic Plan ensued: Personal Learning Contracts (which is an agreement between parent, student, and teacher) were discussed. Councilmember Paul Cohen began a discussion on what the City is doing as far as beginning some proactive work with the County regarding welfare and families, and how we could all work together for kids and families. We could probably have more successes, could combine our resources, and not duplicate expenses. Important to solve the cause of problems, not just treat the symptoms. The City is working with several agencies that provide services for kids, and we are trying to hire two additional officers and have a retired Judge involved at this point. Once we get a model, the City and School Districts may want to meet. We also want to wait for the new Police Chief before implementing our plan. We need to align the resources to attack the causes, rather than just treating the symptoms. 5. GROWTH AND CLASS SIZE REDUCTION AS IT IMPACTS FACILITIES (SRCS) Class Size Reduction has brought major County -wide problems to districts because of the lack of facilities to accommodate these smaller class sizes. San Rafael has no wiggle room, Dixie has some. Exploration of collaborative schools between Districts (i.e. Dixie/San Rafael) is in the process. Is it legal? A solution to the San Rafael lack of space could be reconfiguration of grade levels at sites. San Rafael needs to find another school before next year, or look at year round/multi-track calendars. Dixie has 20:1 in second grade, which is making space really tight for next year. The cost to open a school is .6 million dollars. We will need to monitor growth and be aware that people whose children have been in private schools are returning to public schools due to class size reduction. San Rafael had 60 - 70 kids return from private schools this year. The question was asked if there is wiggle room, can you have more than 20:1 per class of those participating in reduction funds? The answer is "No", if you exceed 20:1, you lose all the funds for that class. San Rafael is required to provide classrooms for about 350 kids in Special Day Classes. San Rafael City Schools will have to go to the voters for additional Parcel Tax Funds and Bonds. 6. USE OF FIELDS/GROUNDS - RECREATION (DIXIE) Dixie is looking at a Field Use Policy, not unlike the one San Rafael has recently implemented. Because of the costs of upkeep for the fields, it has been necessary for San Rafael to require groups to fill out a form and to charge them a fee. We could no longer continue to pay for the upkeep on fields, and had to give consideration to those who rent them to keep them in usable order. Melanie Limacher, Dixie Board member, expressed her objection, on a personal basis, of San Rafael City School District's use of security guards. 7. TERRA LINDA LIBRARY - EVENING HOURS (DIXIE) Dixie and San Rafael City Schools would like to have access in the evening to a Library in Terra Linda for their students. The cost is $30,000 - $40,000 per year to keep the library open with supervision (that would only be a cost of $10,000 each/split three ways). Consensus of the meeting members was to make a commitment to follow through on the opening of the Library for evenings. A place to address this would be a sub -committee and the Liaison Group. We need to determine hours open, who oversees (volunteers) and the true cost. 8. SAN RAFAEL SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH (DIXIE) Dixie feels some real strides have been made between the Dixie and San Rafael School Districts: 1. We hope that you can look at someone who has a track record that would work well with Dixie. 2. Dixie would like some input. SCH. DISTS./SRCC MINUTES (Spec. Jt.) 2/5/97 Page 2 SCH. DISTS./SRCC MINUTES (Spec. Jt.) 2/5/97 Page 3 San Rafael will hire a search firm. San Rafael Board Members Kathy Ohm and Colleen Ferguson will be the sub -committee to gather consultant firm proposals. We plan to approve a firm by February 18, and hire a new Superintendent by June 1st, with the new Superintendent to begin work in the District by July 1st. 9. REPLACEMENT OF SERVICES PROVIDED BY JOHN CHILDRESS (DIXIE) Juvenile Police Officer John Childress' job was parceled out. Youth and Law continues with modifications. We have scheduled speakers. Police Corporal Harry Barbier is now the facilitator of the program, and Officer John Gilson is in charge of Project Yes, which remains the same. The Puppet Program dollars have been reallocated, so that program has been discontinued. Members expressed concern that one person now wears the hat of supporter and enforcer. They felt the program would be far more effective if the program facilitator was not involved in enforcement activities. Once the new Police Chief is here, a meeting between the School Districts and the Chief would be good. 10. UPDATE ON THE "BRIDGES" PROGRAM (DIXIE) A presentation of the program will be given to the San Rafael Board on June 2nd, and if you would like, we can make the same presentation to Dixie. We believe the program is successful and doing good things for kids. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:30 PM. Clerk 1997 SUZANNE GOLT, Assistant City Manager/Deputy City APPROVED THIS DAY OF MAYOR OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL SCH. DISTS./SRCC MINUTES (Spec. Jt.) 2/5/97 Page 3