President Caprice Young called the meeting to order at 1:59 p.m.

The following Members were present: Ms. Marlene Canter, Mr. José Huizar, Ms. Genethia Hudley Hayes
Mr. Mike Lansing, and President Caprice Young. Ms. Julie Korenstein arrived at 3:31 p.m., and
Mr. David Tokofsky arrived at 2:09 p.m.

Superintendent Roy Romer was present.

Mr. Huizar led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Later in the meeting, Mr. Tokofsky recorded an aye vote on the Consent Calendar.

Board of Education Report No. 269 - 02/03 - Agreements and Amendments: Assigned to Consent Calendar

Board of Education Report No. 271 - 02/03 - Early Classified Retirement Incentive Proposal: Assigned to Regular Calendar

Board of Education Report No. 272 - 02/03 - Report of Warrants Issued: Assigned to Consent Calendar

Board of Education Report No. 276 - 02/03: Withdrawn Prior to the Meeting

Mr. Huizar spoke to the achievements of Dr. Rosa Maria Hernandez, Principal of Bravo Medical Magnet High School. He commended her on the success of the students at Bravo and anticipated her continuing efforts assisting students in District F. On behalf of the Board, Mr. Huizar presented Dr. Hernandez with a certificate of recognition.

President Young and Mr. Tokofsky congratulated Dr. Eli Brent, President of the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles, on the completion of fifty-two years of service to the students, community and staff of the District. On behalf of the Board, President Young and Mr. Tokofsky presented Dr. Brent with a certificate of recognition on the occasion of his retirement.

Ms. Maria Rios

Ms. Ruth Engelking

Ms. Jeannette Ruiz

Ms. Kelley Hernandez

The following speakers were given the opportunity to address the Board:

Mr. Gerardo Guzman for Assemblymember Cindy Montañez

Ms. Arlene Irlando for Senator Richard Alarcon

Mayor Pro Tempore Maribel de la Torre, City of San Fernando

Ms. Nury Martinez, Councilmember, City of San Fernando

Mr. Javier Flores

Ms. Irene Tovar

Mr. Lansing moved that the report be adopted. Ms. Hayes seconded the motion

Mr. Tokofsky moved to amend the report by adding the following recommendation:

4. The Superintendent is instructed to bring to the Board of Education the logistics and any matrix he anticipates using for selection of senior staff positions after he has received significant policy and community input but no later than November 1, 2003.

5. The Superintendent is instructed to evaluate the contract personnel in the position contained herein, and the performance of any other senior management position initially prior to March 15 and for final review prior to May 15 each year.

Ms. Canter seconded the motion.

Following discussion, Mr. Tokofsky, with the consent of the seconder, withdrew recommendation No. 5 with the understanding that the issue would be discussed in the Human Resources Committee.

Mr. Tokofsky agreed to change recommendation No. 5 to No. 4 and change the wording as follows:

5. Senior management contracts will be agendized for discussion in closed session no later than
May 15.

Ms. Canter accepted the change in the amendment, which on roll call was adopted unanimously, 7 ayes.

On roll call, the report as amended was adopted unanimously, 7 ayes, with the exception of Item No. 30 on which Mr. Huizar and Ms. Korenstein voted no and Mr. Tokofsky abstained, and Item 4 on which
Mr. Tokofsky voted no.

Deputy Superintendent Merle Price briefly described the program. Mr. Harold Kwalwasser, General Counsel; Mr. Duane Johnson, Director of Contract Administration Branch; Ms. Diana Masters, Director of the District Mathematics Program; and Ms. Susan Swan, Project Manager, responded to questions by Board Members.

On roll call, the report was adopted unanimously, 7 ayes.

Whereas, The Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles successfully passed the Measure K New School Construction and Modernization Bond in November of 2002;

Whereas, $128 million was originally set aside for Board Member "leveling" purposes to offset the imbalance of new school construction funds allocated to particular Board Member Districts and create "equity" in the distribution of bond funds among the seven Districts;

Whereas, At the request of staff, the Board set aside $20 million of these leveling funds towards the compliance of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Chanda Smith Consent Decree;

Whereas, The Measure K Leveling Funds now has $108 million in funding available for distribution to Board Districts for modernization, rehabilitation and repair of existing facilities;

Whereas, Proposition BB had a similar funding stream called the Proposition BB/Board Member Matching Grant Program, which was designed specifically to address Board Determined Needs in each of the seven Board Districts;

Whereas, The Proposition BB Board Member Matching Grant Program was created in 1997 (Board of Education Report No. 8, October 20, 1997), and substantial funds still remain unexpended in this program;

Whereas, This funding stream was distributed among Board Members based on the number of K-12 students enrolled in each Board District in an effort to offset the impacts placed on larger districts with higher enrollments;

Whereas, Low income areas have difficulty generating adequate matching funds to fully utilize the Proposition BB Board Member Matching Grant Program and the public interest is best served by the use of these funds to address important and immediate school site needs;

Whereas, Subsequent to the passage of Measure K, the Board passed the Measure K Repair and Modernization Outreach Plan which outlined the school outreach program for the creation of an Integrated Priority Repair and Modernization List for each local district, including the identification of projects that can be matched with State Modernization Funds;

Whereas, Each of the eleven local districts is currently compiling its priority lists by conducting outreach with school principals, staffs and stakeholders, and subsequent to that outreach, staff will have identified priority repairs and modernization projects in each of the respective local districts;

Whereas, The Board has committed itself, with the passage of both the Measure K Bond and the Measure K Execution Plan, to address the priority needs of each local district and its respective schools, based upon the Integrated Priority Repair and Modernization Lists, utilizing both Measure K Local District Modernization and Board District Leveling Funds; and

Whereas, The Los Angeles Unified School District Bond Oversight Committee on May 28, 2003, reviewed and approved this distribution plan; now, therefore. be it

Resolved, That the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles lifts the matching funds requirement for the unexpended Proposition BB Board Member Matching Grant funds allocated under Board of Education Report No. 8, October 20, 1997;

Resolved further, That the Board, remaining consistent with the spirit of previous Board policy in this area, distribute Measure K Leveling Funds based on 2002 K-12 enrollment in each Board District and will only be utilized to fund projects listed in the Integrated Priority Repair and Modernization List, to be approved by the Board. The Board instruct the Superintendent to, therefore, create seven independent budgets to manage the Board Member Measure K Leveling Fund; and be it finally

Resolved, That the Board asks the Superintendent to instruct his staff to complete the Measure K Repair and Modernization Outreach Plan; thereby, creating eleven independent integrated priority repair and modernization lists; include the representative Board Member or their representative in the selection and ranking of priority projects, and subsequently bring those lists forward to the Board of Education for approval. The Board also instructs the Superintendent to include the representative Board Member or their representative in the examination of the need, ranking, and allocation of funds for the priority projects.

Superintendent Romer and Mr. Jim Delker, Acting Deputy Chief Facilities Executive, responded to questions by Board Members.

On roll call, the motion was adopted 5 ayes, 2 noes, Ms. Korenstein, Mr. Tokofsky.

Ms. Sharon Robinson, Special Assistant to the Superintendent, Mr. Donald Shelvey representing the Charter School petitioners, and Superintendent Romer responded to questions from Board Members.

On roll call, the reports were adopted, 5 ayes, 1 no, Ms. Korenstein. Ms. Hayes was absent.

Later in the meeting, Ms. Hayes recorded an aye vote on the reports.

Ms. Esther Fischer

Mr. Todd Engle

Mr. Howard Watts

Mr. William Elkins

Mr. James Noble

Mr. Huizar moved that the report be adopted. Mr. Lansing seconded the motion, which by general consent was adopted. Ms. Canter, Ms. Hayes, and Mr. Tokofsky were absent.

Later in the meeting, Ms. Canter, Ms. Hayes and Mr. Tokofsky recorded aye votes on the report.

Ms. Hayes moved that the report be adopted. Ms. Canter seconded the motion, which on roll call was adopted 6 ayes, with the following abstention:

Mr. Lansing abstained from voting on Section 1-A, Agreement No. 0301197, in Board of Education Report No. 234 - 02/03 for reasons previously stated and vote aye on the balance of the report.

Later in the meeting, Mr. Tokofsky recorded an aye vote on the report.

Ms. Canter moved that the report be adopted. Mr. Lansing seconded the motion.

Mr. James McConnell, Chief Facilities Executive, Mr. Angelo Bellomo, Director of Environmental Health and Safety, Mr. Delker, Mr. Sam Yoshida, Director of Facilities Contracts, Mr. Richard Sheehan, Special Counsel to the Board, and Mr. Kwalwasser responded to question from Board Members.

By general consent, the report was adopted.

Ms. Meryle Hirotsu regarding Case Nos. 373 - 02/03 and 374 - 02/03

Mr. Daniel Chung regarding Case No. 372 - 02/03

Ms. Canter moved that Board of Education Report Nos. 262 and 263 - 02/03 be adopted. Ms. Hayes seconded the motion.

Ms. Linda Wilson, Coordinator of Student Discipline Proceedings, responded to questions from Board Members.

By general consent, the report was adopted.

Mr. Michael Eugene, Business Manager, Ms. Anne Fischer, Chief Procurement Officer, and Mr. Duane Johnson, Director of Contract Administration Branch, responded to questions from Board Members regarding Board of Education Report No. 250 - 02/03.

Ms. Megan Klee, Chief Information Officer, and Mr. Merle Price, Deputy Superintendent of Instruction, responded to questions from Board Members regarding Board of Education Report No. 253 - 02/03.

Changing Recommendation Nos. 5 and 6 as follows:

5. The Board of Education delegate the authority to enter into a contract to implement this program jointly to the Chief Information Officer and the Deputy Superintendent of Instructional Services or their designee until such time as the Superintendent deems acceptable.

6. The Board of Education requests an end of year a semi-annual report on the implementation of the District's E-Learning program.

Mr. Huizar as the seconder accepted both amendments as friendly. By general consent, Board of Education Report Nos. 250 and 253 - 02/03 as amended were adopted. Mr. Lansing and Ms. Young were absent.

Later in the meeting, Ms. Young recorded an aye vote on the reports.

Ms. Hayes moved that the report be adopted. Mr. Tokofsky seconded the motion.

Mr. Sheehan, Mr. Eugene, Mr. Bellomo, Ms. Klee, and Mr. Kwalwasser responded to questions from Board Members.

By general consent, the report was adopted. Ms. Canter was absent.

Later in the meeting, Ms. Canter recorded an aye vote on the report.

Ms. Brenda Godoy

Ms. Martha Infante

Mr. Michael Hicks

Ms. Carla Vega

Mr. Tokofsky moved that the report be adopted. Ms. Korenstein seconded the motion.

Roll call was held open pending a response from staff to Board Members' inquiry.

By general consent, the report was adopted. Ms. Canter was absent.

Later in the meeting, Ms. Canter recorded an aye vote on the report.

Mr. Steve Weingarten representing United Teacher Los Angeles in place of John Perez

Ms. Zela Knight

Ms. Canter moved that the report be adopted. Mr. Lansing seconded the motion.

Superintendent Romer, Dr. Joseph Zeronian, Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Lorenzo Tyner, Budget Director, and Mr. Eugene responded to questions by Board Members.

The Superintendent assured the Board that the goals of closing the achievement gap and increasing funds for arts education will be included in the final budget document.

On roll call, the report was adopted, 5 ayes, 2 noes, Mr. Huizar, Mr. Tokofsky, with the exception of Items C-11, C-25 and the two and one-half day furlough for employees earning under $100,000 contained in
Item E on which Ms. Korenstein voted no.

There will be public hearings on July 8, 2003, in the Board Room, regarding the resolutions of intention to dedicate easements at Alexandria New Elementary School No. 1 to the Department of Water and Power, Central Los Angeles Area New High School No. 1 to the City of Los Angeles, and South East Area New Middle School No. 3 to the City of South Gate. Those persons who wish to address the Board on the dedications should call Area Code (213) 241-7002 or toll free (877) 772-6273, prior to 10 a.m. the day of the meeting

Whereas, The Public Employees' Retirement Law permits the participation of public agencies and their employees in the Public Employees' Retirement System by the execution of a contract, and sets forth the procedure by which said public agencies may elect to subject themselves and their employees to amendments to said Law;

Whereas, One of the steps in the procedures to amend this contract is the adoption by the governing body of the public agency of a resolution giving notice of its intention to approve an amendment to said contract, which resolution shall contain a summary of the change proposed in said contract; and

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the governing body of the Los Angeles Unified School District does hereby give notice of intention to approve an amendment to the contract between said public agency and the Board of Administration of the Public Employees' Retirement System, a copy of said amendment being attached hereto, as an "Exhibit" and by this reference made a part hereof.

Whereas, The Los Angeles Unified School District has cut approximately $820 million in the last two fiscal years for budget years 2002-03 and 2003-04 combined;

Whereas, Each year, the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles is asked to deliberate on the budget, and is asked to make millions of dollars in budget cuts without the full information that is needed and that is customarily provided in other governmental entities, such as in the City of Los Angeles and the State of California;

Whereas, The District is the largest school district in the State of California, and the second-largest school district in the nation with a total General Fund budget of $5.4 billion, and total budget of $12.6 billion (including other funds);

Whereas, Government entities such as the City of Los Angeles have a rational, practical budget process, with budget documents that are released by the Mayor of the City of Los Angeles which provide the needed information to the Los Angeles City Council;

Whereas, This rational budget process is followed by the State of California and other large urban districts;

Whereas, The existing budget adoption process and documents need improvement to make them more transparent to the Board Members and the school community;

Whereas, Currently the Superintendent provides the Board of Education with a list of cuts prior to providing the Board with information about the District Budget, such as an Executive Summary, and actual Budget Document, which makes it very difficult to fully inform the public about the full fiscal impact of any line item cut; and

Whereas, Currently the Board receives a Budget Summary, and full Budget document after cuts are made, through the Provisional Budget, and this information would be most helpful to the Board Members prior to making cuts at the time that the Superintendent releases his proposed budget (the Preliminary Budget); now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles direct the Superintendent to establish a "Working Group To Improve the Budget Document and Budget Processes," to be led by the Chief Operating Officer (COO), and to include the Chief Financial Officer, the Budget Director, the Chief of Staff to the Superintendent, and other District staff as deemed appropriate by the COO; and

Resolved further, That this working group report back to the Board of Education within 60 days regarding the following items:

1.Recommendations on improving the budget documents and the way that these documents are provided to the Board, including a new proposed Executive Summary of the Budget; a Proposed Budget Document, and Supplemental Budget Documents such as a Facilities Division Budget, a Personnel Division Supplement, and a Budget Manual. District staff should provide the Board Members with samples of budget documents from other School Districts and other governmental entities;

2.A new recommended budget adoption process and schedule, including an analysis and recommendation as to whether the District should follow a dual-adoption or single-adoption process, and how any proposed adoption schedule impacts the financial management of year-round versus traditional calendar schools;

3.Provide other recommendations as to how the District budget documents and budget process can be improved; and

4.This working group shall meet with and work with all Board offices to determine the information that the Board Members require and desire in the budget documents and budget process prior to finalizing any recommendations, and discuss the feasibility of having a zero-based budgeting approach for the coming fiscal year 2004-05.

Dr Zeronian responded to questions from Board Members.

By general consent, the motion was adopted. Mr. Lansing was absent.

Mr. Guy Mehula, Deputy Chief Facilities Executive of New Construction, Mr. Price, Mr. Sheehan, and Superintendent Romer responded to questions from Board Members

Ms. Canter moved the following amendment to Board of Education Report No. 207 - 02/03:

To change the following in "Step Two: Expansion of LAUSD-owned Facilities for Charter Use" of "Section D - Charter Facilities Expansion Process":

• Goal: Help house Charter Schools with demonstrated success or exceptional promise while expanding capacity of LAUSD properties in the most impacted areas to increase academic success and relieve overcrowding.

• Process and Location Criteria
  

Following discussion and by general consent, the reports were adopted. Ms. Canter, Ms. Korenstein, and Mr. Lansing were absent.

Later in the meeting, Ms. Canter recorded an aye vote on the reports.

Whereas, For generations, California's state and local governments have aided hard-working people to build better lives for themselves and their children. All Californians should still have that opportunity to achieve their dream of a better future. This means children deserve quality public school, community colleges, and universities, and that the seniors can live with dignity. Access to health care, safe homes, roads, and neighborhoods, and a reliable infrastructure that supports economic growth are prerequisites for a healthy, functional society;

Whereas, Current efforts to address the State's $34.8 billion deficit with deep cuts to services and transportation will cause great harm to all Californians;

Whereas, These cuts would reverse the significant progress made in California in improving the schools and basic infrastructure, providing health care to more people, and beginning to shape an effective system of long-term care on which all can depend;

Whereas, Proposed spending caps should be avoided as they will only lock the State into a permanent budget crisis and will adversely affect future generations; and

Whereas, Cuts to important state and local services harm the basic infrastructure of the State and are not good for businesses or families; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles call for a just budget that fairly spreads the burden of cuts and increased revenues. A balanced solution includes creating new revenues such as reinstating the upper income tax brackets on the wealthiest Californians and increasing the tobacco tax; and be it

Resolved further, That the Board of Education is opposed to any new spending caps that permanently ratchet down funding for education, health care, infrastructure investment and other important public services and never allow them to recover when times are good.

1. Reduce employee overtime by an additional $5 million, for a total reduction of $10 million.

Board Member Lansing's motion cut $5 million of the approximate $100 million of discretionary contracts. It is proposed to increase the reduction by an additional $5 million for an approximate 30 percent total reduction to overtime expenditures.

Board Member Lansing's motion cut $5 million of the approximate $100 million of discretionary contracts. It is proposed to increase the reduction to 30 percent by an additional $20 million.

4. Taking advantage of SBX1 18, new legislation that would allow conversion of categorical ending balances to general fund balances.

Later in the meeting, Ms. Canter recorded an aye vote on the approval of the Report of Correspondence.

9:30 a.m., Special Meeting, May 1, 2003
1:00 p.m., Regular Meeting, May 27, 2003
9:30 a.m., Special Meeting, June 3, 2003

Mr. Huizar seconded the motion, which by general consent was adopted. Ms. Canter, Ms. Korenstein, and Mr. Lansing were absent.

Later in the meeting, Ms. Canter recorded an aye vote on the approval of the Minutes.

Whereas, The Republic of El Salvador achieved independence from Spain in 1821 and from the Central American Federation in 1839;

Whereas, A twelve year civil war in El Salvador, which cost the lives of some 75,000 people, was brought to a close in 1992 when the government and leftist rebels signed a treaty that provided for military and political reforms;

Whereas, Los Angeles now has the largest Salvadoran population in the United States, and is the largest Salvadoran metropolis outside of El Salvador;

Whereas, It is estimated that approximately 900,000 to 1 million Salvadorans live in Los Angeles County;

Whereas, Salvadorans throughout Los Angeles have become U.S. citizens and professionals holding important positions in government offices, private industries, civic activities, and non-profit organizations, such as the Salvadoran American Leadership and Educational Fund (SALEF), the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN), Clinica Monsignor Romero, PIPIL, Homies Unidos, and various other groups;

Whereas, The Los Angeles Unified School District is home to many immigrant families and students, including Salvadorans, especially at Belmont High School and other schools in the Pico Union/Westlake area of the District;

Whereas, Currently, the demographics of the District and El Salvador are such that there are common attributes, and the sharing of rich historic and cultural heritage, making it appropriate to consider linking El Salvador with the District through a new "Sister School Program";

Whereas, The Los Angeles City Council is considering renewing the Sister City Program with the City of San Salvador through a motion authored by Councilman Nick Pacheco and Councilman Ed Reyes;

Whereas, The City of Los Angeles, through the Mayor's Office, has expressed an interest in working with the District to establish the "Sister School Program," a parallel program to the City's official Sister City Program in El Salvador;

Whereas, The goals of a "Sister School Program" would be to: 1) link schools in the District with schools in El Salvador to promote cultural, technological, and intellectual exchanges; 2) designate up to seven schools as Sister Schools, one per Board Member District; and 3) encourage travel and exploration between those schools in El Salvador and the District;

Whereas, The United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) has expressed an interest in working with the LAUSD to create a "Sister School Program," and in particular to promote educational exchanges between teachers in El Salvador and teachers in the District;

Whereas, A "Sister School Program" is a new program for the District and will require the Superintendent and his staff to work with the City of Los Angeles in melding The Sister School and Sister City concepts, and in developing specific guidelines and rules of participation; and

Whereas, The City of Los Angeles is sending an official delegation to El Salvador July 24-27, 2003, and this would be an appropriate trip for the District to explore the "Sister School Program" alongside the City's Sister City Program; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles hereby instruct the Superintendent and his staff to work with the City of Los Angeles and the appropriate International Embassies, non profit organizations such as SALEF, and UTLA in the creation of a "Sister School Program" with the country of El Salvador; and

Resolved further, That the Superintendent report back within 45 days to the Board of Education with the appropriate policies and guidelines, including any potential costs for the creation and implementation of the Sister School Program with El Salvador and for other countries.

The District has received the initial negotiating proposal from the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles. There will be an opportunity to address the Board on the initial proposals at the Board meetings of July 8 and 22, 2003, in the Board Room. Those persons who wish to address the Board on the proposal should call Area Code (213) 241-7002 or toll free (877) 772-6273, prior to 10 a.m. the days of the meetings.

The Annual Board Meeting will convene at 10 a.m. at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 North Grand Avenue, and will reconvene at 12 noon in the Board Room, 333 South Beaudry Avenue.

Mr. Manual Aldana Education

Ms. Amalia Manzo Problem at Theresa Hughes Elementary

Mr. Benson Atkins School Safety

Ms. Shirley Isaacson Rights of Bargaining Unit Members

Ms. Jan Murdock in place of Linda Baldwin Rights of Bargaining Unit Members

Ms. Leticia Herrera Teacher Layoffs

Whereas, Assembly Constitutional Amendment 4, which will reduce the two-third vote requirement on parcel taxes, will be acted on by the California State Legislature;

Whereas, Reductions in state General Fund revenue have led to reduced school funding;

Whereas, Parcel tax revenue can provide stable, predictable sources of school revenue;

Whereas, Passage of ACA 4 will empower local voters to invest in their schools based on the needs of their communities by requiring a tough, but fair 55 percent vote to pass local parcel taxes. Taxpayers and homeowners will be protected with accountability provisions that will ensure that funds generated from the parcel taxes are not wasted or mismanaged;

Whereas, Safe and clean learning environments are essential for the health and morale of all students;

Whereas, Revenue from parcel taxes can be spent according to local priorities and are not subject to state control;

Whereas, The two-third vote requirement results in minority rule by requiring two "yes'' votes to cancel out one "no'' vote; and

Whereas, Passage of ACA 4 would allow local voters to decide to make investments in their neighborhood schools in addition to state funding; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles strongly urge the California State Legislature to support and adopt ACA 4.

The meeting adjourned at 10:45 p.m.

APPROVED BY BOARD: August 26, 2003

______________________________________ ______________________________________
CAPRICE YOUNG JEFFERSON CRAIN
PRESIDENT EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE BOARD

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