South Whittier School District held their monthly board meeting via Zoom on Tuesday, June 23. During the board meeting there were two presentations that took place. The first presentation was from Educational Services that shared instructional model options for reopening. The second presentation was from Business Services sharing the proposed budget for 2020-2021.
Reopening Instructional Models
Associate Superintendent of Educational Services, Martha Rojas, shared a presentation about instructional models that the district has been considering for reopening.
Mrs. Rojas started by sharing that the district has been preparing for reopening with guidance and in compliance with CDC standards, LA Public Health, LA County Schools, Stronger Together, and COVID-19 Industry Guidance: Schools and School-Based Programs.
The presentation shared the district’s priorities for reopening. This included employee, student, and family safety, ensuring flexibility to meet the needs and advocate for all students and families, high quality education, and fiscal solvency. The district has been collecting information from a teacher survey and a parent survey on remote learning to help the district make the most informed decision. The district has also held teacher input meetings and stakeholder involvement.
With all input considered, the district has looked at eight different instructional options for reopening. Some options were staggering schedule, one day rotation, A/B week, two-day rotation blended learning model, and others. Rojas also showed the board a sample schedule of what a hybrid learning model could look like.
South Whittier School District Superintendent, Dr. Gary Gonzales, addressed the board in reference to instructional options saying, “This is a very dynamic situation. Our situation can change next week or next month.”
Proposed Budget for 2020-2021 Presentation
Business Services Chief Business Officer, Mark Keriakous, gave a presentation to the board for the proposed budget for 2020-2021.
Keriakous shared revenue assumptions for the next year. He also gave details about changes that have been made to the budget considering the current economic circumstance. He then showed the expenditure assumptions and cash management.
The presentation then moved to budget year financials and multi-year projections. This showed the unrestricted general fund projected revenue and the unrestricted general fund projected expenditures. Keriakous then showed the multi-year COVID-19 impact on the budget and the change in LCFF base and S&C funding.
Lastly, Keriakous shared the budget stabilization plan and next steps. This showed the proposed measures to address the 2020-2021 budget’s shortfall and the years beyond 2020-2021. The next steps included being observant of long-term economic effects and other uncertainties that are yet to be determined due to these unprecedented times.