Summary of the Board of Education Meeting on November 18, 2020
Virtual Meeting
The November 18, 2020 meeting of the Board of Education began with no announcements out of Closed Session.
Next, Richard Romero, SAB representative from Fresno High School, shared events taking place at our high schools. Hoover is having a thanksgiving spirit week as well as giveaways before the break and they are encouraging students to turn in late work. Roosevelt is encouraging their students to read more on their own. For the last four remaining weeks of the semester, they are having national days of dressing up and different classes are going against each other. Edison is having a talent show and also helped students with SAT prep. Bullard is helping students with college applications and are having a canned food drive this week. Fresno is working on IA’s and finals as well as college applications. Also, Fresno High is having a staff appreciation and thankful Thursdays; they also had an opportunity for students with a virtual job shadowing.
The School Student Ambassadors from Cooper Academy Middle School also shared what they love about Cooper Academy Middle School.
Next, Superintendent Nelson provided a brief report to the Board of Education including:
- Superintendent Nelson started by sharing that our county has moved back to the purple tier. For our work in returning our students to in-person learning, this does not currently change anything in what we are currently doing with small cohorts on campuses or in-person assessments that are being provided. However, it does make the wait longer until we reach the orange or “moderate” tier, which is the tier we believe is the best time to start phasing back our in-person learning safely.
- Next, the Superintendent stated that earlier today we held a town hall with our teachers and site leaders to share some updates to our second semester of learning and what an eventual return to school could look like. We’ll be providing the same information to our parents, students and community tomorrow evening in a virtual town hall from 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. You can join live at tinyurl.com/FUSDCommunityTownHall, at go.fresnounified.org/ustream, or live on our Fresno Unified Facebook Page. To interact in our Q&A session and have the option to select English, Spanish or Hmong captions please join through the tinyurl.com/FUSDCommunityTownHall link. You can find the links and more information on our website and our social media pages. Following the town hall, elementary parents will receive a survey on Friday to share their intent to send their child back to in-person learning when we reach the orange tier and their preference on potential cohort schedules. Keep an eye on your School Messengers, Rapid Alert texts and announcements through our website and social media.
- Superintendent Nelson thanked all our sponsors and contributors who made our IPledge Run/Walk for the Class of 2021 such a success. With your contributions we are proud to announce we raised $50,125 for our Fresno Unified Scholarship Fund. That is a huge feat and I could not be more grateful for our community showing up for kids at this time. These dollars go straight to supporting scholarships for our graduating seniors, and your support is going to make a huge difference for our Class of 2021 scholarship recipients.
- Superintendent Nelson then reminded parents and students that all transfer applications are due by December 1. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact our transfers office at Transfersoffice@fresnounified.org or at (559) 248-7538.
- Superintendent reached out to everyone to make sure you tune in to ABC30 on Sunday, November 22 at 6:30 p.m. for the Fresno County Educator of the Year Awards. Two of our own Fresno Unified family members are nominated and we are so proud of them. Best of luck and our sincerest gratitude to both Rebecca Wheeler and Annette Montague. We will be watching and rooting you both on.
- Superintendent Nelson reminded Fresno Unified staff of a few upcoming deadlines. First, nominations for our Excellence in Education awards closes this Friday, November 20. Don’t miss this opportunity to highlight the great work of your Fresno Unified Family. Second, open enrollment for your benefits ends on November 30 so make sure to go through your materials from our benefits department, ask any questions you need, and get your changes in before deadline. Also, we are currently accepting applications for our Teacher Residency Program until November 30. If you are interested in obtaining your credential, please make sure you get your application in before the deadline. If you have questions, please reach out to Amy Bennet or Jeanna Perry.
- Last, Superintendent Nelson shared that as he mentioned at our last board meeting, councilmember Luis Chavez was instrumental in the renaming of Lane Avenue in front of Sunnyside High School to Tim Liles Way. Check out this short video of the renaming ceremony.
Next, the Board of Education took the following action on the below consent agenda items:
- Approved Personnel List
- Approved Minutes from Prior Meeting
- Approved and Adopted Revised Job Description for Deputy Superintendent (General)
- Approved position and adopted Job Description Chief Financial Officer
- Approved Position and adopted Job Description for Manager I (General)
- Approved Position and adopted Job Description for Noon Time Assistant
- Approved Agreement with California Office to Reform Education (CORE) for Shared Principal II Services by Maria Lynn Rocha Salazar as a Fresno Unified School District Employee on Loan to CORE
- Approved Contract Renewal with Marsh & McLennan Agency
- Approved Agreement with United Health Centers of the San Joaquin Valley to Operate a School Health and Wellness Center at Juan Felipe Herrera Elementary School
- Approved Agreements Related to Edison High School Solar Energy Project: (A) Fresno Irrigation District Revocable License Encroachment Agreement and (B) Amendment to Energy Services Agreement with Forefront Power
- Approved Award of Bid 21-10, Ewing Elementary School Early Learning Building Construction and Parking Lot Improvements
- Approved Award of Bid 21-11, Edison High School Gymnasium Addition
- Approved Award of Bid 21-12 Sections A and B, Gymnasium Scoreboard Replacement for Hamilton K-8: Ahwahnee, Computech, Cooper, Fort Miller, Kings Canyon, Scandinavian, Sequoia, Tehipite, Tenaya, Terronez, Tioga, Wawona, and Yosemite Middle Schools
- Approved Two-year Extension of Request for Proposal 20-16, Fresh Bread Products
- Denied Claim GL20-0422-5118
Next, the Board of Education discussed the below conference/discussion agenda items:
- Public Hearing in the Matter of the Carter G. Woodson Public Schools’ Renewal Petition
- Presented and Discussed the Special Education Update
Finally, the Board of Education received the following Information and Reports:
- Received Fresno Unified School District’s First Quarterly Investment Report for Fiscal Year 2020/21
- Received Call for Appointments to California School Boards Association Delegate Assembly
- Received Constituent Services Quarterly Reporting
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Education will be a teleconference meeting on Wednesday, December 09, 2020. Complete minutes and agendas are available online at board.fresnounified.org