September 9, 2020 – Board Meeting Recap

Virtual Meeting

The September 9, 2020 meeting of the Board of Education began with the following announcements out of Closed Session

  • The Board took action on one workers’ compensation settlement

Next, Ishan Singh and Gwendolyne Aguilar, SAB representatives from Sunnyside High School, shared that in their September 8 Student Advisory Board meeting they elected two student board members and an alternate. Congratulations to Joshua Camarillo from Edison High School and Richard Romero from Fresno High School, who will once again serve as student board members and congratulations to Ishan Singh from Sunnyside High School who was elected as an alternate. Students also shared that Sunnyside High ended up taking 2nd place in the state FAFSA completion and that could not have been done without Ms. Rodriguez and the school’s counseling teams. The school is working on hosting a club rush and a Link Crew sponsored week. 

The Middle School Student Ambassadors from Terronez Middle School also shared what they love about Terronez Middle School.

Next, Superintendent Nelson provided a brief report to the Board of Education including:

  • Superintendent started by recognizing Deputy Superintendent and Chief Financial Officer, Ruthie Quinto’s contributions to the Fresno Unified School District. Ruthie has given our district 15 years of service and will be moving on from the district at the end of the month. Over that period, Ms. Quinto has established an annual strategic budgeting process that has provided increased clarity, transparency, and predictability for Board members, employees, and members of the public alike. During her tenure, the district has maintained a positive budgetary certification, reduced, and ultimately eliminated financial audit findings across the system, and ensured adequate district reserves for California’s third largest school district, most particularly in times on global economic downturn.
  • Next, the Superintendent reminded everyone to please complete the 2020 Census. The census must be completed by the end of September and it can be completed online, by phone, or by working with a Census representative who comes to your door. Our community has about a 67% response rate at this time and we do not want to miss the opportunity to ensure our community is properly represented.
  • Superintendent Nelson shared that our After-School Programs are currently enrolling all students at all campuses. All after-school programs are virtual at this time and we are excited that this virtual format has allowed us to expand our program offerings to all students for free. If you’d like to get your student registered, please call your school directly to register. You can find your school’s phone number at schools.fresnounified.org.
  • Superintendent also announced the Virtual Innovation Program (VIP) brought to our students through a partnership between our College and Career Readiness Department and the Lyle’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Fresno State. The VIP program is available to all students pre-k to 12th grade and will hold monthly challenges for our students to stretch and build their skills. If you are interested in getting involved check out the College and Career Readiness webpage at Fresnounified.org

Next, the Board of Education took the following action on the below consent agenda items:

  • Approved Personnel List
  • Adopted Variable Term Waiver for Bilingual, Cross-cultural, Language and Development Authorization
  • Adopted Variable Term Waiver for Career Technical Education Credential Holders
  • Adopted Variable Term Waiver
  • Approved Minutes from Prior Meeting
  • Approved Provisional Internship Permits
  • Approved Agreement with Delta Dental of California
  • Approved Award of Bid 21-05, Hoover High School Career Technical Education (CTE) Classroom Improvements
  • Approved/Ratified Agreements for Additional Distance Learning Support
  • Ratified Agreement with Fresno County Early Stars Program
  • Ratified Agreement with City of Fresno for Grant Funding for the COVID-19 Community Meals Project
  • Ratified Change Orders for the Projects Listed Below
  • Bid 19-41, Wawona K-8 School Classroom and Restroom Additions
  • Bid 19-42 Sections B, C and D, Lighting Improvements at Various Schools Phase 3: (Section B) Heaton, Manchester, Mayfair, Norseman, Phoenix Academy Elementary Schools and Fresno High School; (Section C) Balderas, Calwa, Greenberg, Storey Elementary Schools, Terronez Middle School and Sunnyside High School; (Section D) Hidalgo, Leavenworth, Lowell Elementary Schools, Edison High School, Cesar Chavez Adult School and The Center for Professional Development
  • Bid 19-52 Sections B, D, and E, Energy Management Controls Upgrades for Various Schools: (Section B) Bullard Talent; (Section D) Greenberg; (Section E) Terronez
  • Bid 19-55, Phoenix Secondary Academy Portable Infrastructure and Site Development
  • Bid 20-15, Viking Elementary School Portable Classrooms and Restroom Infrastructure
  • Bid 20-40 Sections A and B, Cooper and Fort Miller Middle Schools Electrical Upgrades
  • Bid 20-41, Scandinavian Middle School Gymnasium Make-Up Air Units Replacement  
  • Ratified the Filing of Notices of Completion

Next, the Board of Education discussed the below conference/discussion agenda item:

  • Discussed and Approved the 2019/20 Unaudited Actual Financial Report, 2019/20 Year-End Budget Revision and 2020/21 Gann Limit
  • Public Hearing, Presented and Discussed Fresno Unified School District’s Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan
  • Presented and Discussed Fresno Unified School District’s Strategic Plan Development   

Finally, the Board of Education received the following Information and Reports:

  • Received Proposed Revisions for Board Policy and Exhibit
    • BP 6161.1 Selection and Evaluation of Instructional Materials
    • E 9270 Conflict of Interest – Statement of Economic Form 700

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Education will be a teleconference meeting on Wednesday, September 16, 2020. Complete minutes and agendas are available online at https://board.fresnounified.org

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