The Morongo Unified School District board of trustees named Dr. Deborah Turner as acting superintendent during yesterday’s marathon five-hour special meeting. Turner will stand in for Superintendent Tom Baumgarten, who has taken a temporary leave of absence due to a personal illness. Reporter Andrew Dieleman has the full meeting details…
The MUSD board of trustees also discussed the creation of a new position for the district’s PLUS program. After much deliberation among board members and teacher representatives, the board reluctantly tabled the topic by a split vote of 3-0, trustees Karalee Hargrove and Chris Proudfoot abstaining, pending further discussion during the next regularly scheduled meeting on February 12. The board also reviewed in detail the district’s current strategic plan, discussing topics in academic excellence, fiscal stability, staff development and retention, district facilities, and community engagement. Board members discussed a number of district priorities, including student safety, district class sizes, and expanding special education programs before reviewing the possibility of implementing town hall-style meetings to allow for community discussions with teachers and board members. Lastly, the board listed a number of topics for future review; including school start times, the possibility of a new school bond
measure, and faculty and staff training and salaries. The board tabled discussions on the governance handbook until the next regularly-scheduled board meeting.
