October 6, 2016 Board of Education Meeting

No official minutes are on file for this meeting. This page is built primarily from the recorded transcript (with limited outside reporting noted where it covers what happened after the meeting), and -- per this archive's policy for meetings without minutes -- it does not pair any public commenter, board member, or staff member with anything they said. Viewpoints, decisions, and actions are described without names; see the note at the end of this page.

Oxford Preparatory Academy's charter petition draws a packed hearing

The board opened a public hearing at 8:40 p.m. on Oxford Preparatory Academy's petition for a new K–8 charter school at the former Los Serranos Elementary site in Chino Hills, drawing twelve speakers. 1

Supporters -- parents, prospective parents, OPA staff and administrators, an attorney representing the school, and a regional representative of a statewide charter-schools association -- pointed to OPA's academic record: on the district's 2016 state assessment results, OPA students outperformed district averages in English language arts and math, with 85% meeting or exceeding ELA standards and 73% in math, a one-year math growth of more than 14%. 2 Speakers described OPA as the highest-performing K–8 school in San Bernardino County, citing a waitlist exceeding 900 students. 3 On the legal question, speakers argued the petition had to be judged on its own merits under Education Code §47605, separately from an unrelated, since-addressed dispute over OPA's existing charter. 4 Speakers also referenced a 2012 agreement in which OPA had committed not to open additional charters in the district before mid-2017, framing the new petition as consistent with that commitment's expiration. 5 Community members and parents spoke in favor of placing a school in the Los Serranos neighborhood. 6 One OPA-affiliated speaker became emotional recalling the hundreds of children turned away from past enrollment lotteries. 7

Opposition came from the district's Alternative Education Center (AEC), which currently operates at the Los Serranos site. AEC speakers said the site was not closed for declining enrollment, but has run since 2010 as a growing alternative-education program serving at-risk, foster, low-income, and credit-recovery students -- a population speakers said far exceeds what OPA's petition proposed to serve. 8 9 One AEC speaker directly urged the board not to approve the petition. 10

The board closed the hearing at 9:13 p.m.; the transcript does not capture any board deliberation or vote that night. 11 Press coverage later reported that the board denied both this petition and a separately resubmitted OPA charter-renewal petition on November 28, 2016, with district officials publicly criticizing the school for seeking a second campus while the first remained under review. 12

A three-year behavioral-support system takes center stage

The evening's other major item was an extended presentation on the district's Multi-Tiered System of Support for Behavior (MTSS-B), the product of roughly three years of development now reaching all 28 K–8 school sites. 13

The model rests on three tiers. 14 At the universal, Tier 1 level, every school now emphasizes positive behavioral expectations in place of older rule-based discipline language. 15 Those expectations are organized around three themes -- be respectful, be responsible, be safe -- posted throughout campuses and taught directly to students. 16 Every classroom from preschool through 8th grade also teaches the "Second Step" social-emotional curriculum weekly. 17

Students needing more support move into Tier 2, where small groups are pulled from class weekly for six to eight weeks using a curriculum called "Connecting with Others." 18 The more intensive Tier 3 serves smaller groups for ten to twelve weeks using "Strong Start" or "Strong Kids." 19 Progress across both tiers is tracked through regular data collection and screening. 20

The program has grown quickly: it launched in the 2013–14 school year with a single counselor at four schools, and by this, its third year, has reached 11 counselors across all 28 schools. 21 The counselors hold school-counseling credentials that the state also recognizes for school social work and school psychology. 22

Board members pressed on staffing durability, with one asking what would happen if budget pressure ever led the district to substitute untrained staff for credentialed counselors; presenters responded by underscoring how central trained, evidence-based practice is to the model's results. 23 24

A companion anti-bullying effort, the Safe School Ambassadors program, has run in the district since around 2011 and now operates in 19 elementary schools, two K–8s, five junior highs, and the high school. 25 It trains student "upstanders," selected from across social groups rather than only traditional leaders, to intervene early and defuse conflict rather than escalate it to adults. 26 27

A representative of the teachers' association welcomed the presentation but flagged a related staffing concern: caseloads for the district's speech-language pathologists, arguing that recruitment and lower caseloads for that role deserve attention as the behavioral-support system expands. 28 29

In public comment, one parent described a family emergency in which the intervention-counseling program connected her family with support within the same week, crediting it with helping her child know to call police during a later incident. 30 31

Official business

The board adopted Spanish-language textbooks for grades 3, honors, and AP. 32 It held a public hearing on the sufficiency of instructional materials for 2016–2017 33, with brief discussion clarifying that the Williams Act requires students be able to take a textbook home, even where classroom-set copies are limited. 34 The board approved a compensation increase for classified substitutes and other non-bargaining employees, including noon-duty supervisors and student-aide positions. 35 It also passed resolutions supporting Red Ribbon Week, October 23–31 36, and recognizing School Administrators Week. 37

In closed session earlier in the evening, the board approved the immediate suspension and dismissal of a classified employee and took up a coordinator of child development appointment matter. 38

Public comment on other topics

A speaker representing the county medical society presented a resolution backing Proposition 56's tobacco-tax initiative, arguing it would fund youth tobacco-prevention and health-education programs. 39

A separate commenter addressed a recent court ruling limiting board members' ability to discuss personal religious views during meetings, calling it troubling and arguing elected officials should be able to speak from whatever belief system informs their decisions, while also sharing that he is Christian. 40 41

Recognitions and closing

Townson Junior High's band, more than 100 students strong, opened the meeting with the national anthem and fight songs ahead of an October 21 appearance at a Chino Hills High School football game. 42 The board recognized five retiring staff members with nine to twenty-five years of service across clerical, attendance, maintenance, and nutrition-services roles. 43 It also noted an Ayala High School English teacher's selection as one of four San Bernardino County Teachers of the Year. 44 The district announced free SAT testing for seniors on October 19 and district-wide participation in the Great California ShakeOut earthquake drill on October 20. 45 Board members marked Don Lugo High School's win over Chino High School in the annual "Milk Can" football rivalry, praising the sportsmanship shown on both sides. 46

The meeting adjourned at 9:46 p.m.

A note on sourcing: no official minutes are on file for this meeting. Because this archive treats meeting minutes as the sole basis for pairing a name with a specific statement or position, this page does not attribute any comment, stance, or vote to a named individual -- public commenters, board members, and district staff are described without names throughout. Several names that do appear in the transcript were withheld for the same reason and are not reproduced here; they remain candidates for restoration if official minutes or another verified record for this meeting becomes available.