President Caprice Young called the meeting to order at 3:21 p.m.

The following Members were present: Ms. Marlene Canter, Ms. Genethia Hudley Hayes, Mr. José Huizar, Ms. Julie Korenstein, Mr. Mike Lansing, Mr. David Tokofsky, and President Caprice Young.

Superintendent Roy Romer was present.

Student Members Sheena Fairman from Washington Preparatory High School, John Guevara from South Gate High School, and Monica Perez from San Fernando High School were present.

Representatives of the Michael McComb Fire Academy and Monroe High School Police Academy led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Student Member Monica Perez of San Fernando High School expressed concerns regarding the lack of student parking due to construction, the conditions of the handicap ramps, asbestos, concrete walkways, the delay of the completion of construction, and construction noise. She addressed the need for more supervision of the student parking lots, the lack of and deteriorating conditions of the restroom facilities. She also requested the serving of healthier food, and the need for new musical instruments. She noted the improvement of Stanford 9 scores at her school.

Student Member John Guevara of South Gate High School shared his school's plan to recognize the tragic events of September 11, 2001. He also commented on the positive activities taking place at South Gate High School, and praised the administration and school staff on providing a comfortable campus. He then expressed concern regarding some of the dangers around the school due to construction, and asked when a new school would be built to relieve some of the overcrowding.

Mr. Tokofsky stated that a lot of the construction and overcrowding issues would be addressed by the passage of the construction bond this November

Mr. James McConnell noted that the District will be holding ground-breaking ceremonies to build new schools in South Gate to address the overcrowding in the area.

Mr. Tokofsky introduced Ms. Mary Toma of the Tenth District PTA and Linda Leviton of the 31st District PTSA

Mr. Tokofsky moved:

Whereas, The California State Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) has demonstrated more than 100 years of dedication in promoting parent and public involvement in schools and communities;

Whereas, Since its founding in 1897, the purpose of the PTA has been to promote the welfare of children and youth in homes, schools, communities, and places of worship, to raise the standards of home life, and to encourage a closer relationship between the home and the school so that parents and teachers may cooperate more intelligently in the education of children and youth;

Whereas, The California State PTA also promotes united efforts by educators and the general public that will secure for all children and youth the highest advantages in physical, mental, social and spiritual education;

Whereas, Research provides substantial evidence that children whose families provide a caring and supportive environment and are actively involved in their schools have a higher probability of personal and academic success;

Whereas, Statistics also show that the most highly successful schools are those with the most active parent and community involvement;

Whereas, Parent and teacher cooperation in public schools will contribute significantly to the opportunities for all of our children to be successful in school, and will better prepare California's pupils for the job market of the 21st century; and

Whereas, More than one million parents, grandparents, educators, and other community members have enlisted as active members of the California State PTA in 3,900 local associations throughout California; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles hereby commend parents, grandparents, and other citizens who have been involved in their schools and communities; and be it

Resolved further, That the Board encourage the participation of parents and community volunteers in every school and community across the state to provide children and youth with a healthy and productive learning environment; and be it finally

Resolved, That the Board hereby proclaim September 2002 as Parent Teacher Student Association Membership Month in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Dr. Joseph Zeronian, Chief Financial Officer, Ms. Castro, Mr. Chavez, and Mr. Rhoades responded to questions raised by Board Members.

Ms. Kim Walker

Mr. Michael Andreas

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

In response to an inquiry made, the Superintendent assured the Board that all policies were followed in the processing of the personnel matter the speakers addressed. During discussion, Mr. Harold Kwalwasser, General Counsel, advised the Board that discussion of a specific case should be conducted in a closed session setting rather than in public.

On roll call, the motion to recess into closed session failed, 5 noes, 2 ayes, Ms. Korenstein,
Mr. Tokofsky.

On roll call, the report was adopted 6 ayes, with the exception of Item No. A32089 on which
Ms. Korenstein abstained. Mr. Tokofsky was absent.

The Local District Superintendents responded to Board inquiries. The Board commended the District Superintendents for their leadership and congratulated the school administrations and personnel.

Mr. Tom Boysen, Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Michael Eugene, Business Manager, Ms. Kathi Littmann,
Deputy Chief Executive of School Building Planning-New Facilities, Mr. Richard Sheehan, Special Counsel to the Board, and Mr. Kwalwasser responded to questions regarding the timeliness of submitting various contracts for Board consideration after work was started.

On roll call, the report was adopted, 6 ayes, with the following exception:

Ms. Hayes abstained from voting on Agreement No. 0300272 in Section (1) of Board of Education Report No. 2 for reasons previously stated, and vote aye on the balance of the report.

President Young announced:

This was the final opportunity for the public to address the Board on the Initial Proposals from Associated Administrators of Los Angeles, Teamster Local 572 for Unit S, Classified Supervisors, the California School Employees Association (CSEA), the Los Angeles County Building and Construction Trades Council for Unit E - Skilled Crafts, Local 99 for Units B - Instructional Aides, C - Operations Support Services , F - Teachers Aides, and G - Playground Workers received August 13, 2002.

There will be another opportunity for the public to speak to the District's initial proposals for Units A - School Police, B - Instructional Aides, C - Operations-Support Services, F - Teachers Aides, G - Playground Workers, D - Office-Technical & Business Services, E - Skilled Crafts, and S - Classified Supervisors on September 24, 2002, in the Board Room. Those persons who wish to address the Board on the proposals should call Area Code (213) 241-7002, prior to 10 a.m. the day of the meeting.

Facilities Services staff responded to Board questions.

By general consent, the item was adopted.

BOARD OF EDUCATION REPORT NO. 1
FACILITIES COMMITTEE REPORT NO. 1

Mr. Lansing seconded the motion, which by general consent was adopted.

Whereas, Current research has clearly demonstrated the crucial importance of early childhood education as a foundation for future literacy;

Whereas, Early Childhood Education, combined with the current District literacy initiatives such as Open Court and Waterford can serve to decrease the number of schools in the lowest Academic Performance Index deciles;

Whereas, The drafted California Master Plan for Education calls for a focus on school readiness, including universal, standards-based preschool;

Whereas, Early childhood literacy education is a preventative measure that can replace the District's existing retention programs;

Whereas, The Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles is committed to ensuring that all District students be able to read at or above grade level; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Board of Education declare Early Childhood Education as part of the District's core mission; and be it

Resolved further, That the Board direct the District to focus early childhood education efforts on the students that will be entering the lowest performing schools with Academic Performance Index Scores of 1 and 2; and be it

Resolved further, That the Board direct the District to increase the number of early childhood facilities by adding classrooms to existing large acreage sites, and by adding early childhood education facilities to planned new primary and elementary schools in high need areas; and be it

Resolved further, That the Board direct the Superintendent to work with the Los Angeles County Children & Families First Proposition 10 Commission to create a plan to leverage funding from the Commission's Universal Access to Preschool Including Early Care and Education Initiative in conjunction with the District's proposed $80 million bond offering for early childhood education facilities in order to expand quality early education opportunities, and that the Superintendent present such a plan to the Board of Education within 60 days; and be it finally

Resolved, That the Board direct the District to focus not only on increasing the number of early education seats, but also on the quality of early childhood education, including rigorous curricula, a system of accountability, and improving the quality of early education teachers through professional development and attraction and retention of highly qualified teachers.

Whereas, Magnet schools are an example of academic success within the Los Angeles Unified School District;

Whereas, Magnet schools far outperform non-magnet schools academically;

Whereas, Magnet schools have been shown to be one of the most successful ways to equalize the academic achievement of students across racial, ethnic and socio-economic boundaries;

Whereas, Over 35,000 students are on waiting lists to enter magnet programs; and

Whereas, Geographic inequities exist in the distribution of magnet seats across the District, both in terms of the number of seats and the type of program offered; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles direct the Superintendent and staff to present options, costs, and tradeoffs to expand both the number of magnet schools and the number of magnet seats at existing schools in the District, giving priority to local districts that have the least quality academic magnets, the most overcrowded, multi-tracked schools and the least highly qualified credentialed teachers; and be it

Resolved further, That the Board direct the Superintendent and his instruction and facilities staffs to include possibilities in new facilities for magnet program expansion; and be it finally

Resolved, That the District provide the recommendations above no later than the week of November 1, 2002, and present a timeline for the resolution of the existing geographic, racial and socio-economic inequities in the provision of magnet seats.

Ms. Ruth Sarnoff addressed the Board on the motion and other subjects.

Ms. Hayes moved:

Whereas, Students represent a small number of the population of registered voters in California and should be educated on the importance of becoming enfranchised as full participants in the democratic process;

Whereas, Communities of color have historically been denied equal access to voter registration and voting rights education, and students from these communities represent over 80 percent of the District population;

Whereas, The National Voters Fund is conducting an advocacy election reform campaign that focuses on outreach to these historically disenfranchised groups;

Whereas, The Census Bureau has found voter participation is higher in states with same day registration, and Proposition 52, an initiative on the 2002 general election ballot, would enable prospective voters to be registered on the same day in order to ameliorate the often burdensome requirements of traditional voter registration; and

Whereas, Students who are eligible to vote should be allowed to gain information on and access to voter registration on District campuses; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles allow voter registration drives to be conducted on high school campuses to increase student participation in elections and to further promote awareness of the rights and responsibilities of participatory democracy that are elaborated in the state content standards for the secondary social science curriculum.

Ms. Canter moved a waiver of Board Rule 72 to allow action on the following motion regarding Additional School Site Resources. Ms. Hayes seconded the motion, which by general consent was adopted.

Ms. Hayes moved:

Resolved, That the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles direct the Superintendent to set aside $15 million in order to return $20 per student to our K-12 school sites; and be it

Resolved further, that the funds shall be provided to school discretionary accounts in order to mitigate for resources lost as a result of 2001-02 and 2002-03 budget reductions; and be it finally

Resolved, That resources to fund this shall not be taken from Title I or Integration Program dollars.

Following discussion and staff responses and on roll call, the motion was adopted 5 ayes, 2 noes,
Mr. Huizar, Mr. Lansing.

Mr. John Liechty, Assistant Superintendent of the Beyond the Bell Branch, and Ms. Ronni Ephraim, Assistant Superintendent, Instruction, made a brief presentation regarding the District's Standards-Based Promotion policy and staff's recommendations. Mr. Liechty stated the policy focuses on intervention and not retention.

Accounting and Disbursements Division No. 1 - Withdrawn prior to the meeting

Business Services Division No. 1 - Agreements and Amendments: Assigned to Regular Calendar

Facilities Services Division No. 1 - Award of Advertised Construction Contracts; Approval of Change Orders; Completion of Contracts; Award of Unadvertised Special Services, Unadvertised and Informal Facilities Contracts; and Extension of Delegation of Authority to Purchase Land: Assigned to Regular Calendar

Facilities Services Division No. 2 - Adoption of Resolution of Necessity and Authorization to Request Funds to Obtain Orders for Possession of Land Parcels Required for Central Los Angeles Area New Middle School No. 1 (Southeast Corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Union Avenue): Assigned to Special Board meeting on September 24, 2002

Facilities Services Division No. 3 - Adoption of Resolution of Necessity and Authorization to Request Funds to Obtain Orders for Possession of Land Parcels Required for the Weemes Elementary School Playground Expansion (Northwest Corner of 37th and Catalina Streets): Assigned to Special Board meeting on September 24, 2002

President Young announced:

The Board is in receipt of Instructional Technology Division No. 1 regarding the Textbooks and Instructional Materials Certification Resolution. A public hearing will be held at the 3:00 p.m., September 24, 2002, Board Meeting to be held in the Board Room. Those persons who wish to address the Board regarding this item should call the Board Secretariat at Area Code (213) 241-7002 prior to 10:00 a.m. the day of the meeting.

Facilities Services Division and Office of Environmental Health and Safety No. 1 - Approval of Project and Approval of Mitigated Negative Declaration for Fourth Street New Primary Center (Atlantic Boulevard and Eagle Street): Assigned to Consent Calendar

Facilities Services Division and Office of Environmental Health and Safety No. 2 - Approval of Modified Project and Adoption of the Revised Mitigated Negative Declaration for Belmont/Hollywood New Elementary School No. 1 (Otis Elementary School)(Wilshire Boulevard and Carondelet Street): Assigned to Consent Calendar

Mr. Gene Krischer representing Friends of Accountability
the Children

Mr. Rick Selan Integrity, 133 Complaints and Ethics Office

Mr. Manuel Aldana Education

Ms. Yolanda Perez Zero Tolerance Policy

Ms. Olga Hall Public Comment

Mr. Michael Saulenas Public Comment

Mr. Warren Fletcher Class Size Increases

Ms. Yadith Sepulveda Human Resources

Ms. Lorena Jaramillo-Rosenberg Initial Proposals

That the Superintendent be instructed to appropriate funds as necessary and present to the Board of Education budgets for fiscal year 2003-04 and fiscal year 2004-05 with the following Board policies:

2.Instruct the Superintendent to report back to the Board within 90 days with an analysis of impacts of such policies on: A) a phased-in approach that would implement the reversal of class size such as:

High Schools - Beginning with fiscal year 2003-04 or 2004-5, all high schools (grades 9-12) shall return to the norm levels prior to the class size increase that was approved by the Board of Education during the First Interim Budget of fiscal year 2002-03.

Middle Schools and Grade 4 through 6 - Beginning with fiscal year 2003-04 or 2004-05 (the beginning of the fiscal year July 1, 2004), all middle schools (grades 6-8), and grades 4 and 5, shall return to the norm levels prior to the class size increase that was approved by the Board during the First Interim Budget of fiscal year 2002-03.

The report shall contain, based on the phased-in approach above, such things as: B) The operational impacts on year-round schools, and traditional schools; and C) issues of busing and facilities/housing needs.

above shall not take effect until the Board has discussed the report at a Board of Education meeting and expressly approved the implementation of the policy to reverse class size.

Whereas, The Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles has adopted a Districtwide waste reduction and recycling goal, which would divert 50 percent of the waste now being disposed of in landfills;

Whereas, In response to this goal, the Los Angeles Unified School District has been aggressively implementing waste reduction and recycling programs at schools and non-school facilities;

Whereas, The District serves an area 704 square miles with a population of more than 4.6 million, has the second largest student population in the country of more than 800,000 students and over 75,000 employees, and consequently has the opportunity to significantly impact the generation of waste in California;

Whereas, Many schools within the District are in need of renovation, and over 150 new schools must be constructed during the next 5 to 10 years to accommodate the growing number of students served by the District;

Whereas, Building or renovating a school generates tremendous amounts of construction and demolition wastes which are normally disposed of in landfills, and construction, demolition, and land clearing debris are 13 percent of all solid waste generated in the City of Los Angeles;

Whereas, The "Integrated Waste Management' approach adopted by the Board of Education promotes waste reduction, reuse, and recycling whenever feasible; and

Whereas, Preliminary planning and contract specifications can significantly reduce the amount of waste generated at construction sites and accordingly reduce material and disposal costs, and resourceful building techniques result in waste reduction benefits and can contribute to reduced operating costs for the service life of the building; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles supports greater efforts toward waste reduction and reuse, and directs the Chief Facilities Executive and Director of Environmental Health and Safety, to address waste generated from the demolition, construction, and renovating of District school facilities whenever economically feasible; and be it

Resolved further, That staff consult with appropriate State, and local government entities to ensure consistency with existing local and regional efforts and provide an annual progress report to the School Safety, Health and Human Services Committee.

That a Special Board meeting be called on Tuesday, September 24, 2002, at 9:30 a.m., regarding eminent domain and any other items requiring Board consideration. The meeting will be held in the Board Room.

Ms. Young announced:

There will be a Special Committee of the Whole meeting on Thursday, September 19, at 10 a.m. regarding Early Childhood Education. The meeting will be held in the Board Room.

The meeting adjourned at 9:58 p.m.

APPROVED BY BOARD: October 8, 2002

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