The Morongo Unified School District Board of Trustees held its regular meeting last night, which included a continuation of the budget report for the 2020-2021 school year. According to the report, the school district expects to receive several million dollars in grant funding from the state of California to help offset losses from COVID-19. As of now, the district will be able to meet its financial obligations, but will revisit the budget as state funding is received. Reporter Andrew Dieleman has the rest of the meeting topics…
At last night’s meeting, the MUSD Board of Trustees voted unanimously to appoint former assistant superintendent Doug Weller as the acting Superintendent for the school district. Current Superintendent Tom Baumgarten is taking a temporary leave of absence for unspecified reasons. Weller has a long history with the school district that includes positions in teaching and as a school site principal. The board also recognized more than 100 district staff and faculty members for their years of service, and those retiring. Lastly, Assistant Superintendent Amy Woods discussed the district’s current progress in creating plans to reopen MUSD schools safely for the upcoming school year, including addressing concerns from parents and teachers, reviewing in-person and remote learning options, and maintaining student safety through social distancing.