The Morongo Unified School District Board of Trustees met with the Copper Mountain College District Board of Trustees in a special meeting last night to discuss dual enrollment and career technical education programs. MUSD Assistant Superintendent Amy Woods and CMC Associate Dean Matthew Barboza both gave detailed presentations on the current classes offered by each district. Board members collectively praised the joint programs and brainstormed potential future collaborations between the districts, including building and construction trades (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, welding, etc.); fire technology; green energy; real estate; additional medical programs; expanded childhood development programs; and programs involving the Marine Corps.
The MUSD board held its regular meeting after the special joint meeting; reporter Andrew Dieleman has the details….
At last night’s meeting, the MUSD board of Trustees also held a public hearing on the district’s sufficiency of textbooks, certifying that all MUSD pupils have been provided with standards-aligned textbooks, and designated the week of October 21-30 as drug-free Red Ribbon week. Assistant Superintendent Sharon Flores announced that the school district will receive 100 new laptops from County Superintendent of Schools Ted Alejandre, as well as 400 preowned laptops for Twentynine Palms High School from the California Bridging the Digital Divide fund with all devices to be approved at the next board meeting.
The board also heard a presentation from Director of Maintenance and Operations David Daniels on the district’s deferred maintenance plan. The presentation detailed large-scale projects completed during the 2019-2020 school year, including painting, flooring roofing, and playground replacement at numerous school sites. The presentation then outlined the need for current critical repairs, including $5.5 million in roof repairs and replacements, $5.3 million in HVAC repairs and replacements, $1-$3.5 million for new locks districtwide (depending on the new system selected), and $700,000 in repainting. The district is projected to spend nearly $2 million over the next three years toward deferred maintenance.
Also during the meeting, Morongo Teacher Representative Amber Hanson requested more information from the board on plans to reopen schools in January, as well as giving input on streamlining the process for teachers and staff.
Lastly, Superintendent Tom Baumgarten recognized Z107.7 FM, the Hi-Desert Publishing Company, and the San Bernardino Country Sheriff’s Department as community partners with the school district.
