SPUSD: Tonights session will feature contract revisions, new school
April 19, 2017
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
The Santa Paula Unified School District Board will have their work cut out for them at the April 19 meeting whose agenda features several weighty items.
The meeting will be held at the District Office Boardroom, 201 S. Steckel Drive.
The board will meet at 5 p.m. before going into a closed session where they will discuss an expulsion; anticipated litigation; labor negotiations; property negotiation; and public employee discipline/dismissal/release. At 7 p.m. the board will reconvene in open session and honor two Santa Paula High School staffers, educator Gloria Rodriguez and classified employee Maricarmen Viveros.
SPHS Principal Elizabeth Garcia will also update the board on the high school; Garcia and other school administrators will also address 8th and 12th grade student achievement and academic status.
The board will take comments on the draft Preliminary Environmental Assessment (PEA) for the proposed new K-8 school at the Harvest at Limoneira.
The State of California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) is currently reviewing the draft PEA Equivalent report to confirm it does not present a threat to health or the environment under any land use scenario.
The report has been available since Friday March 17 at the SPUSD Office, Blanchard Community Library, and the North 10th Street offices of Limoneira Lewis Community Builders.
The board will take comments during the public hearing, but will not take action.
Another hearing will be held on the proposed joint use agreement between the district and the city for the new 37-acre park in the Harvest at Limoneira development. Limoneira Lewis Community Builders will construct a K-8 school on the 10.8 acre site originally designated for a K-5 school. But, in order to operate a K-8 school, the California Department of Education requires that the district have access to at least 14 acres on which to operate. The district has proposed to use 4 acres of the new park on an as-needed basis or public school purposes during the school day.
The City Council approved the agreement March 20 to grant the district a license to use the property for the limited purpose of conducting educational and recreational programs during school hours.
In other business, Elizabeth Garcia, Principal at Santa Paula High School will present an annual update regarding the activities at the school. School administrators will also share an update on the academic status of 12th grade and 8th grade students.
The board will also be asked to approve revisions to the Employment Contracts of the Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services and the Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services, effective July 1, 2016
