COVID Update
Despite many COVID cases due to the Omicron variant, the District was able to keep all schools open since coming back after winter break. The Board is committed to keeping schools open for in-person learning.
Several teachers have been out with COVID, but the District was able to find substitutes for almost all of its classes.
On the subject of substitutes, we can thank some of our local parents who created the website https://www.sandieguitosubstitutes.com/which helps individuals become qualified to substitute at our schools. The site brings all of the necessary information into one place, and highlights in an easy-to-understand process, exactly what must be done. Over 60 individuals have used this site to become qualified.
The appropriateness of this website was questioned during the meeting, but the website does nothing more than clarify the process for certification. The District is in need of substitutes, and the website walks them through the process. Nothing about it is controversial. You can view this exchange starting at 1:03:00 on the meeting recording. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB0lRQftUVA
In other COVID news, the District will be reinstating the daily check-in process where students use an app to report any symptoms that could indicate a COVID infection.
This effort will not reduce the spread of COVID, but the administration apparently wants to signal that they are doing everything they can to reduce the spread of Omicron. Fine, this is not a battle I feel is worth fighting.
I do, however, think it is worth fighting to ensure that we are consistently and properly enforcing our masking policy. Several parents told me that some teachers are attempting to create academic consequences for students who improperly wear masks. This is against Board policy. If any of your students suffer academic consequences for mask violations (losing points on an assignment, for example), please let me know so I can help solve the problem.
The District pre-maturely indicated that all District facilities would be closed to third parties until future notice. This would mean non-school events, for example a gymnastics competition, would be prevented from occurring, while school events, such as a volleyball competition, could take place. When I pressed Superintendent Ward on this, to her credit she was quick to acknowledge the mistake and reverse the directive. Thank you, Dr. Ward.
This is an example of why we need a member of the Board on the District’s safety committee. President Muir tried to appoint a member a few meetings ago but she and I were voted down. I don’t know why it would be better for the safety committee to create and announce its own rules, only to have the Board later correct their directives. All that does is add confusion. If a Board member or two were on that committee, we could possibly avoid these types of missteps.
Finally, I did confirm during the meeting with Dr. Ward that the District is following all laws and regulations regarding COVID, but we are not requiring more as a District than is mandated. If anyone becomes aware of District policies or practices that exceed what is required, please let me know.
High School Selection Process
Incoming Freshmen in our District can choose which of our high schools they want to attend. Applications open on January 31st and will close on February 18th.
Last year students in the north, who generally choose either SDA or LCC, chose SDA by a 70/30 margin. This puts stress on SDA, which is now operating above the preferred student capacity.
The administration set expectations with the Board that SDA will not be able to handle nearly as many freshmen this year as last year, and parents should expect that the District will use a lottery to allocate students to these high schools.
I will be disappointed if we need to revert to a lottery. I will be working with the administration to discuss our options going forward and I will report back as I learn more.
Audit of the High School Foundations Postponed
For the second time an audit of our high school Foundations was pulled from the consent agenda and deferred.
Consternation remains in the community over some of the policies and practices of the Foundations. I believe that some of this is misplaced due to miscommunication or a lack of understanding, but I also believe that some changes need to be made.
I am actively working with the Foundations and the District, and I am hopeful that changes can be made that will both remove the need for an expensive audit and build a broader base of trust and appreciation for the role of our Foundations.
Redistricting Trustee Areas
The Board received a presentation from our outside legal counsel regarding the need to adjust the boundaries of our Trustee Areas for the purpose of electing Trustees to serve on our school board.
As a reminder, we have five District Areas, and one Board Trustee is elected by the voters of each individual Area. A statutory requirement mandates that each of our Trustee Areas have approximately equal population. The recent census results indicate that our areas are now out of balance, and therefore by law the area boundaries must be adjusted.
The Board of Trustees is responsible for approving a new Trustee Area map, and at a prior meeting the Board adopted a process and an associated timeline for completing this process.
At this meeting the Board adjusted the process slightly. On Monday, January 24ththe District will host an electronic town hall to discuss the process and answer questions from the public.
The Board also moved the special Board Meeting from February 8th to February 10th where the Board intends to narrow the map selection down to three alternative maps.
The final map selection is scheduled to take place at the Board meeting on February 17th.
Members of the public are encouraged to submit maps for consideration by the Board and are encouraged to comment on any maps under consideration. Maps can be submitted on a District website that can be found here: https://www.sduhsd.net/.../Board-of-Trustees/CVRA/index.html
La Costa Canyon and Torrey Pines Football Coaches Discuss Athletics
LCC Football Coach Sean Sovacool and TPHS Football Coach Ron Gladnick discussed their respective football programs. Everyone knows football is about winning football games, but I was particularly impressed with the Coach’s understanding that it really is more than just winning. Sports programs help many young people grow up to be better people. I was quite impressed with both Coaches.
At the beginning of the meeting there was a very odd exchange as we were considering approval of the Agenda. You can watch that exchange here, starting at 2:00 (two minutes into the meeting) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB0lRQftUVA
The Coach’s presentations were only about four minutes long, and for me, were a highlight of the meeting. I also appreciated Principal Ayala’s overview of the valuable programs at Sunset and Coast Academies and feel grateful that we are able to offer these programs to children in the District.
It’s been a tough couple of weeks at the start of the new semester, but if we look back on where we were a year ago, I think we can all agree that we have made tremendous progress and we are in a much better place.