Board Briefs: Aug. 22, 2023

Here are a few highlights from the Aug. 22 board meeting (the full agenda packet is available):

Update provided on the start of the 2023-24 school year 
 
Staff provided the board with an update on activities and professional development opportunities provided for the start of the 2023-24 school year, including: 

• The district started off the year with 37,661 students enrolled in its schools as of Aug. 15.
• More than 300 new employees were hired this summer.
• Numerous trainings and workshops were held for staff, including a classified office support inservice day, Equity Leadership Summit, Smooth Start event for new teachers and the expansion of the Cultivating Leaders program. 
• Schools held a variety of welcome back activities for their school communities in anticipation of the first day of school. Get a glimpse into the first day of school, which was Aug. 10, by watching the first day of school video.

Board hears update on the district’s attendance improvement initiative

Staff provided the board with an overview of the district’s Attendance Improvement Initiative for the 2023-24 school year. Attendance data, post-pandemic, clearly shows students are missing more days of school than pre-pandemic levels (locally and statewide). The pandemic, school closures, virtual learning and hybrid learning had an enormous impact on schoolwide attendance policies and procedures. The 2023-24 Attendance Improvement Initiative is based on the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework. A major focus of the initiative is grounded in promoting Tier I universal actions throughout the district, with sites creating welcoming, culturally responsive environments and building back overall student daily attendance and connections to school. Strategic Tier II and intensive Tier III strategies can then be effectively employed for chronically absent groups and individual students who are most in need of support.

In other news…

• The board adopted a resolution declaring the intent to convey a permanent easement at Katherine Johnson Middle School (at the former Creekside site) to the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD). A public hearing will be held on Sept. 12. 

The next regular board meeting will be held on Sept. 12 at 6:30 p.m. Visit www.sanjuan.edu/boardmeeting for details. You can also view videos of prior board meetings on the district’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/SanJuanUnified.