Board Meeting - 5/21/21

by Herbert Lee, Observer

• This meeting was held in person at Monte Gardens Elementary School next door to the district headquarters.  
• No public comment was taken by Zoom.  Comments were taken by email, phone messages, and in person only.
• The board approved 5-0 recognizing Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month for the month of May.
• The board approved 5-0 in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month

Video Link for Open Session (English))

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Special Meeting - 4/29/21

by Herbert Lee, LWVDV Observer

• Business/Action: To review and approve of College Park High School members of the Track and Field Team to attend the Arcadia Invitational May 7-8, 2021 in Arcadia, California.
• High school students provided public comment via email and video.
• The Governing Board approved the College Park High School Track and Field Team trip by a vote of 5-0.
• The board attended a brief board governance workshop.

Video Link for Open Session (English)

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Board Meeting - 4/28/21

by Herbert Lee, LWVDV Observer

• The two MDUSD teachers of the year have been announced for Chelsea Ridenour from Diablo View Middle School and Elisa McDonagh from Prospect High School. They have been selected to represent Mt. Diablo in the County Teacher of the Year competition.
• The board approved 5-0 that May 12, 2021 is the Day of the Teacher.
• The board approved 5-0 to declare the week of May 16-22, 2021 as Classified School Employees’ Week.
• The superintendent reminded parents that there is a survey to collect data for Fall enrollment.  The survey is here.
• Davis Demographics presented an Enrollment and Demographic Report regarding the future of district enrollment.

Video Link for Closed Session

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Board Meeting - 4/14/21

by Herbert Lee, LWVDV Observer

• By a vote of 5-0, the Governing Board approved the Fall 2021 plan to have three options for students (see agenda for presentation):
  • Full time in person, five days a week
  • Independent study
  • Virtual Academy

• Approved 5-0 for Resolution 20/21-60 in Recognition of California Adult Education Week, April 18-24, 2021
• Approved 5-0 for Resolution 20/21-61 A Call to Action on Climate Change in Recognition of Earth Day
• Approved 5-0 for Resolution 20/21-62 in Recognition of Arab American Heritage Month

Video Link for Closed Session

Special Board Meeting - 3/19/21

by Herbert Lee, LWVDV Observer

The Governing Board voted 5-0 to approve the Memorandum of Understanding between the Mt. Diablo Education Association (MDEA) and Mt. Diablo Unified School District (MDUSD) for Reopening Schools for the 2020-2021 School Year for In-Person Instruction Effective March 25 - June 30, 2021.

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Board Meeting - 3/10/21

by Herbert Lee, LWVDV Observer

• Public comment decreased from 3 minutes to 1 minute to include more participants. Public comments are normally up to 30 minutes. It was extended to 90 minutes yesterday.
• There were 85 pages of emailed public comments.
• The school board declined or failed motion for Items 11.3 and 11.4, despite warnings from district and county finance management of an upcoming potential "fiscal cliff", "insolvency", and "receivership" if there is a failure to act. Items 11.3 and 11.4 are resolutions for potential layoff notifications.
• The reopening timeline for a "hybrid" schedule was approved for 3/22 despite lack of agreement with the teacher’s union. A special board meeting has been set for 3/16 if there is no agreement by that date.
• The open session closed in memory of Ygnacio Valley Girls JV basketball coach Reuben Lewis, who was murdered in Oakland while coaching players at a football practice.

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Board Meeting - 2/24/21

by Herbert Lee, LWVDV Observer

• There were many public comments from parents and students asking the board and the superintendent to approve a plan to reopen for students. 
• Public comment decreased from 3 minutes to 1 minute to include more participants.  Many were interrupted and stopped.
• There are 48 pages of emailed public comments.

Women’s History Month: The Board adopted resolution 20/21-50 in Recognition of Women's History Month.

• School board members approved a COVID-19 Prevention Plan
• The Hybrid Learning Plan was presented and there was no vote.

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Board Meeting - 2/10/21

by Herbert Lee, LWVDV Observer

• School Re-opening
• There were many public comments from parents asking the board and the superintendent to release a plan to reopen for students.  In addition, there were many comments from teachers with concerns about reopening and about looming layoffs.
• Many comments were not heard because the time limit was reached. There are 77 pages of emailed public comments.
• The teacher’s union is asking for no reopening until all 8 cities of the school district are in the red tier for 20 days straight. 
• School board members received a safe reopening plan and voted to create a survey for parents to take.
• A proposal for COVID-19 Prevention was shared.

• The board adopted resolution 20/21-49 in Recognition of National School Counseling Week

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Board Meeting - 1/27/21

by Herbert Lee, LWVDV Observer

• The Governing Board adopted Resolution 20/21-40 in Recognition of February as Black and African American History Month by a vote of 5-0.
• Deyango Harris is the president of the Mount Diablo Black Educators Association, advisor to the College Park High School Black Student Union and teacher at College Park High school. He made a strong public comment about the Black and African American History Month Resolution, racism in our local schools, and how the community and the District must take an active role to combat white supremacy and systemic racism.
• No discussion about reopening schools. The superintendent provided an update saying work is occurring behind the scenes, and there are many factors preventing it from happening.

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MDUSD Board Meeting - 1/13/21

by Herbert Lee, LWVDV Observer

• Adopted Resolution 20/21-39 in Recognition of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was passed 5-0.  First time in several years this has been adopted.
• The school board members would like to encourage students to participate in the Contra Costa Science Fair.  No students from the school district have participated in the last several years. For more information, click https://ba-leeds.org/science-fair/.
• A few members of the board announced the retirement of long-time community liaison Isabel Lara and thanked her for her service.  Isabel works tirelessly for the community and is often the first stop to joining the school district.  She will be missed.
• In the superintendent's report, the discussion for reopening of schools has been delayed until March with no push back from the board.  Previously, a hybrid model was to begin in January.

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MDUSD Board Meeting - July 2020

by Jennifer Faught

• The Mt. Diablo School District appointed Dr. Adam Clark as the new superintendent.
• The Board also decided to start the school year with most students participating in distance learning.
• Last week a California Court of Appeals decided a voting rights case in favor of the City of Santa Monica (Pico Neighborhood Association et al v. City of Santa Monica). This case provides some direction on what plaintiffs would need to prove to be successful in a suit demanding a change in election methods from at-large to district elections. The court held that the City did not violate the California Voting Rights Act or Equal Protection under the California Constitution when it kept at-large elections. It was highly dependent on the facts in that case but may be the first appellate court case to find for the City on this issue.

Note: The Santa Monica decision is relevant to MDUSD because the school district was recently forced to move away from at-large elections for the board members and to establish districts for them. This case could pave the way to get back to at-large elections for MDUSD and other local cities who have been forced out of doing at-large elections.