The meeting began by honoring Deputy Coakley and Deputy Comacho with Certificates of Appreciation for their continued presence on MUSD campuses, while “fostering a sense of security and trust” as praised by President Claire.
For the legislative report, Board member Karalee Hargrove discussed some recently introduced bills to the State House. These included Education Finance, proposing a zero percent interest emergency loan for districts in financial crisis; AB65, offering paid disability and parental leave to support families during critical life events; AB68, an armed school resource officers bill, addressing school safety by the presence of armed officers.
Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services Amy Woods discussed Monday’s “comprehensive multi-agency disaster drill” conducted in Joshua Tree National Park, featuring coordinated efforts from fire engines, ambulances, and helicopters in a disaster simulation involving multiple vehicles and a school bus filled with MUSD students posing as accident victims. Woods presented slide show photos of students covered in fake blood and simulated deep wounds, stating, “this event provided invaluable, up-close career observation for our students, and it was the very best example of a community classroom situation.”
The Board engaged in substantial budget discourse for the Board Purchase Order Report, which contained a $490,000 fee for an upcoming week-long contracted service for ELOP. President Claire and Hargrove stated they felt the exorbitant fee appeared a case of budget opportunism from the contractor, and while the rest of the board admitted experiencing “sticker shock,” the motion passed 3/2.
The Board voted 5/0 to approve the new members for the Bond Measure C Oversight Committee, including former trustee John Cole, Jeff Brady, Jennifer Cusack, Paul Hoffman, Daniel Iniguez, Bryan Sullivan, and Rebekah Wahlberg.
